Ryel Kestano is one of ART’s Co-founders, and served as its CEO. He also served as a Senior Course Leader and was the primary developer of ART’s courses and programs. Ryel also co-founded ART’s sister nonprofit organization, Realness Project, dedicated to bringing authentic relating to prison inmates. He is also the author of Authentic Relating: A Guide to Rich, Meaningful, Nourishing Relationships, and is a master coach working with individuals, couples, and small groups. 

Ryel has delivered over a thousand workshops and sessions in over 40 locations around the world during his ten years at the forefront of the authentic relating community, and regularly presents at conferences and festivals, and on podcasts. 

Prior to ART, Ryel was the Training Operations Manager and a Certified Facilitator at the Integral Center in Boulder, Colorado, a leading institution in authentic communication and community development training. His entrepreneurial endeavors include co-founding Virtuance, the world’s largest real estate photography company, the People’s Farm, a farm-to-consumer distribution network, and Pink Mammoth, a prominent creative arts collective based in San Francisco. He lives in the Colorado mountains, has four very authentic children, and is an avid skier, rock climber, sailor, and long-distance hiker.