Brother Pháp Hũu (Dharma Friend) first encountered Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village community as a nine-year-old child when his father, a former refugee from the war in Vietnam, took his family from Canada to visit Plum Village France in 1996. From the age of twelve, Brother Phap Huu knew that he wished to become a monk and ordained as a novice monk in 2002. He has been the abbot of Plum Village Upper Hamlet since January 2011.

Executive coach, journalist, and sustainability expert Jo Confino has partnered with the UN Development Program on a consciousness and systems change initiative, and serves on the boards of a number of climate organizations. Jo held senior editorial positions at the HuffPost in New York and The Guardian in London, where he oversaw its sustainable business website. A passionate mindfulness advocate, Jo has worked closely with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastic community in France since 2009.