Founder
Stephen L. “Steve” Braun is a retired Recruiter, Lawyer, Counselor, & Basketball player…..see “Biographical Information” below. Steve has spent much of his adult life exploring and experimenting with traditional and not-so-traditional methods and practices to enhance and improve the Human “Spiritual” journey. Part of the motivation for this life-long quest came from Steve’s desire to serve others and to help others live fully fulfilled lives. (Yes, Braun is an unabashed Eagle Scout “Do Gooder.”) Also, Steve was motivated by a dissatisfaction with the spiritual customs taught in the confines of his largely Southern “Bible Belt” family. (Isn’t there a more honest, direct way...?) Finally, life-long issues with auto-immune disorders enabled Steve to investigate fully Mindfulness, the “Relaxation Response,” and other forms of healing meditation & contemplation, especially Zen. Through the years, several epiphanies (from Boy Scout Vigils to pilgrimages to scared sites such as Machu Picchu, Peru; Delphi, Greece; Bodhgaya, India ) crystalized into what is shared on this Website as the practice of “TheNewZen.”
On a church field-trip in May, 2015 to the outside labyrinth at the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters in Houston, Texas, Steve came across the plaque commemorating a Statute of Saint Dominic Guzman, which proclaimed: “Give to Others the Fruits of Your Contemplation.” Steve suddenly grasped the mission of his nearing retirement years…his Retirement Career, if you will: Give those who might benefit from it the practice of “TheNewZen...the Definitive Guide to Inner Spiritual Peace!"
Professional Background
Legal Recruiting - 04/2001 – Present
- In charge of recruiting attorneys with a variety of skills and practice areas for temporary and permanent placement in openings at law firms and corporate legal departments
- Consult with corporate legal departments regarding succession planning
- Consult with law firms regarding firm-wide growth strategies
Psychotherapist - 01/1996 – 02/2001
- Provided counseling and therapy to a wide variety of clients with a niche practice centering around the mental health of attorneys and their families
- Provided speeches on mental health and stress management
- Conducted workshops for social workers and other mental health providers
Law Practice - 09/1985 – 12/1995
(briefly left law practice to play semi-professional basketball in Germany 09/1989 – 06/1990)
- General legal representation of over 50 public school districts, junior colleges, private schools, and other entities
- A substantial portion of this practice involved administrative hearings and litigation in state and federal courts
- Litigation practice involved court hearings, motion practice, written and oral discovery practice, settlement negotiation, and appellate practice in lawsuits with varying subject matters
- Entire legal practice at Bracewell & Patterson–a major top tier law firm.
Education
- Juris Doctor, Baylor University School of Law
- Master of Social Work, Mental Health Concentration, University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work
- Bachelor of Science, Political Science, Business Management, Houston Baptist University
- Clear Lake High School (Top 10% Graduate, 1976)
Selected Civic Honors & Activities
- Chairman, Steering Committee, Houston Baptist University Basketball Tip Off Club (2013 – 2015)
- Board of Trustees, First Universalist Unitarian Church of Houston (2009 -2012)
- Chairman, Adult Programs Committee, First Universalist Unitarian Church of Houston (2005 -2009)
- Board Member, Sister Cities of Houston (2006 – present)
- Board Member (1993 to present) & President (1997,2003,2011), Houston Leipzig Sister City Association
- Houston Baptist University Alumni Association Board Chair (2009)
- Houston Baptist University, Meritorious Alumnus (1994)
- Eagle Scout, BSA
- Chief of Colonneh Lodge, Honor Scouts, BSA