Walter Gjergja – Shaolin Temple’s Shi Xing Mi – is a Shaolin Master, philosopher, advisor, strategist, co-founder, board director, speaker and author. Born into a modest background, in a small village on the foothills of the Italian Alps, he embarked on a remarkable journey that included studying in Australia (Melbourne La Trobe University) and China (Shaolin Temple), subsequently co-founding educational projects and several wellness / fitness companies, advising leading corporations and conducting diverse activities internationally (News & Press) whilst – currently – living in Switzerland. Walter studies the Shaolin physical disciplines since age 13 and Shaolin’s philosophy since age 16. Disciple of Grand Master Shi De Yang, with traditional ceremony in the Shaolin Temple he has been nominated secular warrior monk of the 32nd Shaolin generation, monastic name Xing Mi. He has spent many study stays in Shaolin spanning a period of over two decades, becoming one of the very few real western Shaolin Sujiadizi Wuseng and perhaps the only one to have studied in depth all the Shaolin wellness and mindfulness practices, augmenting them with contemporary academic and scientific studies; Shi Xing Mi has been the protagonist of many magazine and newspaper articles (News & Press), numerous international events and several television documentaries (BBC, Discovery Channel, Disney XD, Italia1, CCTV, RSI). Co-author of three books and over one hundred papers on mindset, wellness, fitness, philosophy and strategy, Shi Xing Mi has also completed a double major university degree and achieved additional qualifications in philosophy, exercise physiology, health sciences, and strategy, from prestigious institutions such as Stanford University, applying his Shaolin-inspired methodologies in various fields and over 30 countries, by utilising his unique eastern and western cultural and professional background. He has been called by the international media a “cultural acrobat”, “the monk of strategy”, “master of effectiveness”, “the wellness master” and “the fitness monk”. After beginning to practice the Shaolin disciplines in his early teens during the ’80s, in Italy, from the ’90s Walter then traveled for more than two decades, studying in China at the Shaolin monastery and in Australian universities, as well as achieving wins and placements in many national and international competitions as an athlete (Kung Fu WuShu forms and Sanda combat) including three consecutive Asia-Pacific championship wins. Walter initially studied Shaolin culture – Wugong (martial disciplines and physical training) Chan (philosophy) Yi (health practices and medicine) – with various Masters, among whom the teachers of the famous Shaolin Temple WuShu Guan in Shaolin and other illustrious Shaolin monks. In parallel to his deepening Shaolin studies and following university graduation, Walter also had an extremely rapid and successful international corporate career, becoming at age 27 Co-Founder and CEO of a publicly listed company and then director of a strategy consulting firm, but courageously decided to abandon it, to complete his Shaolin Temple education and then focus his life on sharing his unique mix of competencies. During one of the study stays in Shaolin he had the opportunity to meet Shaolin Temple Grand Master Shi De Yang; the Master accepted him as student and eventually, after years of study and friendship, as formal disciple (the first non-Chinese), descendent of the 32nd Shaolin warrior monks generation. The rare traditional ceremony officialized his entry in the Shaolin genealogy with the monastic name Shi Xing Mi, which has also been inscribed on a stele in the ancient Pagoda Forest. In 2004 Shi Xing Mi founded in Milan – and then expanded to ten cities in Italy and Switzerland – the educational project Shaolin Wenhua Europe, at the time the first group of official Shaolin Cultural Centers in Europe, which he eventually donated to his disciples a decade later; he has also been appointed to the board of directors and to various committees of the official Shaolin Temple representative organisations worldwide. From his unique and diverse educational, professional and teaching experiences, he created four specific mindfulness-based training systems: ‘The Warrior Monk Way’, ‘Shaolin: power of movement’, ‘Shaoness’ and ‘Moving Minds’ (Mission & Activities). Walter Gjergja – Shi Xing Mi, has conducted seminars and keynote speeches at impactful conferences and events, advised the boards and coached the management of many leading international organisations (Partners & Clients), held lectures at university faculties (Switzerland, Germany, Italy), mentored sports champions, authored books and articles, gave counsel in a diverse range of fields (Mission & Activities). In recent years, he has become deeply involved in innovative well-tech projects, contributing his uniquely eclectic mix of knowledge, wisdom and experiences as Board Advisor and Head of Mindfulness at Palta, as well as Co-Founder and Chief Wellness & Fitness Officer at Zing.