Blog

By John J. Murphy, Guest Contributor

As I write this article, I am reflecting on a two-day executive workshop I recently delivered in Denver on mindful leadership and operational excellence. I do this every time I engage in any important activity. I take time to contemplate what I planned to do, what I did, what worked well, and what didn’t work so well. The military refers to these disciplined moments of reflection as AAR’s – After Action Reviews. The idea is to step back and mindfully evaluat…

By Joy Reichart, Guest Contributor

I recently spoke to someone who is curious about training to be an Integral Coach. Integral Coaching is a developmental methodology that supports clients in becoming self-generating and self-correcting, moving through all areas of life with greater capacity, spaciousness, and sense of possibility. 

This person’s interest stems from a pattern he’s noticed in his life—namely, breakdowns in leadership in the organizations he’s been a part of. He intends to use h…

By Jim Blake, Guest Contributor

Sooner or later, despite our best efforts, every business leader will have feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, insecurity, and fear. Too often we ignore these feelings by pressing them down or attempting to put a positivity bandage on them. But avoidance will only lead to a cycle of repetition. Instead, we must have the courage to look at our pain, our sorrow, our trauma—and the feelings that result—without letting them define us.

Depending on your life experien…

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…

By The Mindful Leader Team

How many projects should you work on at once for maximum productivity? This month’s Round-Up has the answer (it’s five), as well as the science behind achieving a mindfulness ‘high’, how breathing affects the brain, promising new treatments for changing epigenetic expression in teen trauma survivors, and even a new theory of consciousness. We have summarized the main ideas and key takeaways below with links to the full articles.

Your Brain Absolutely Can't Handle Mor…

Kristin Neff, Ph.D. at the 2019 Mindful Leadership Summit.

How to Motivate Yourself with Kindness with Kristin Neff, Ph.D. from @Work 2019. Dr. Kristin Neff, an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, illustrates the importance of self-compassion, from the individual, to business context, to use with military veterans. She explains the difference between motivation by self-compassion and self-esteem. Self-compassion is a carin…

By Joy Reichart, New Ventures West, Guest Contributor

The sun rose slowly above the redwoods surrounding the park as we ‘cooled down’ from that chilly morning’s tai chi practice. As we took our full minute to stand in stillness and center ourselves, I began to notice that the phrase “thank you” was riding on each exhale. Thank you for this exceptionally beautiful neighborhood. Thank you for the recent, much-needed rain that has popped everything into technicolor. Thank you for this circle of ki…

By Michelle L. Maldonado, Guest Contributor 

What happens to one of us, happens to all of us. These words repeat themselves like a song’s refrain playing over and over again in my mind just as strongly today as when my family and I first began to speak this phrase some time ago.

For many in our families, communities, and places of work, the vision and wish for equality and equity, coupled with wise and compassionate action to transform societal conditions, have been a life-long endeavor. For o…