By Mo Edjlali

Mindfulness meditation, with its deep roots in ancient traditions, stands as a beacon of self-awareness and present-mindedness. The essence of mindfulness is to embrace the present moment in all its raw authenticity. Yet, as mindfulness has grown more and more popular, a slew of techniques have been brought into this timeless practice, with visualization standing out as one of the most debated. 

Today, the allure of visualization is omnipresent—from spiritual sanctuaries to compe…

By Mindful Leader Team

The meteoric rise of mindfulness in the modern corporate world is testament to its transformative potential. As boardrooms and corporate workshops echo with its principles, its burgeoning popularity beckons an increasingly commodified approach. But within this commercial boom lies a fine ethical line.

Understanding the Foundations and the Complexities

Mindfulness, deeply rooted in Buddhist teachings, has found a prolific space in the West. It's praiseworthy that such an…

By The Mindful Leader Team

Caught in a whirlwind of work idealization, many are on a quest for the quintessential job. In a recent interview with Onpoint’s Meghna Chakrabarti, Simone Stolzoff discussed his new book “The Good Enough Job” and offered ten insights into our understanding of work, suggesting that a subtle shift in perception could unlock the doors to more enriched living.

1. Shattering the Perfection Illusion: Stolzoff drew an analogy between our work idolization and mid-20th-centur…

By Mo Edjlali

In a recent whackfulness article titled "Digital Deepak: A Byte of Enlightenment?", I briefly discussed Deepak Chopra and his association with the AI Foundation. Subsequently, just a few days ago, I watched this session featuring OpenAI CEO Altman and Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield, which left me with mixed feelings. While I acknowledge and respect the intentions and capabilities of these individuals, I feel a sense of uneasiness in my bones. And sure I have my concerns about AI,…

By Mo Edjlali

As you all know I’ve been writing monthly articles for our Whackfulness series and I’ve also been a bit obsessed with AI, writing about how we might use Chat GPT to support our work.  For my whole life, I’ve followed AI and in the last few years as the technology has advanced, I’ve been tuning into how it might apply to our field. One of the earliest and clear examples, and something alumni of our CWMF class have heard me talk about, is the subject of this article.

Picture this: …

Whackfulness: The unexamined, sometimes silly, side of Mindfulness. (Formerly Mindfulness is Whack)

Last month we started a series Mindfulness is Whack. It caused a bit of a stir - including this email from someone whose opinion I value, the message was in response to the first article and ended with: "Others may find the articles and discussions helpful. Not me."

Here is the full email with some parts redacted for privacy.

“I suspect you are the kind of person who likes to mix it up. That'…

By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder and CEO

For those of you who have a close connection to Mindful Leader, you probably know that one of the things that really makes us different is our embracing of critical thought. I grew up with a critical mindset, and joke with folks that if I was a character in the X-Files, I'd be Scully. I’m no Mulder. I’m a skeptic and a critical thinker. As someone who has been involved in this field since 2009, I have witnessed the rise and fall of mindful celebriti…

By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder and CEO

Growing up in elementary school we would all hear this story of Thanksgiving, it goes something like this - 

A long time ago when the pilgrims first arrived in America they were struggling to get settled in. As winter approached they feared for their survival and were facing possible starvation. Then they meet the Indians. They formed a friendship with the Indians based on mutual respect and sharing of food and resources. They became friends and al…

Today is election day here in the USA, and sitting right outside of DC it’s hard for me to avoid the palpable political buzz in the air. Folks are watching with excitement and anxiety races across all states, keeping a close eye on the possibility of one party gaining power here and losing power there. On top of that, there are concerns about voter suppression, election denial, and attacks on politicians and their families…  I don’t need to state …