Mindfulness Seems to be Everywhere: So How Do We Start?

Leadership asks a lot of us.
At times it can feel like the task is greater than our capacity.
Decisions, meetings, and shifting priorities can fill as much of our lives as we are willing to give it. Days are packed with duties that demand precision and presence: from crafting strategy and managing teams to handling unexpected curveballs.

Even when the workday ends, the mind often doesn’t.
Then there is the challenge of showing up for whatever the rest of our life looks like. 

Have you ever walked away from a meeting, a pitch, or a tense conversation thinking,
“I could’ve been better there”?

Said that differently.
​Represented myself more authentically​.
Made a better decision.

That quiet post-moment reflection is powerful—however, what might it say about us if we haven’t had that post-moment reflection in a while?

What if we’re moving so fast that we don’t even pause long enough to have that thought?
What happens when we lead without noticing how we are showing up at all?

The pace of modern leadership can edge us into autopilot of doing more and more.
However, autopilot isn’t the best leader for the people and companies we serve.

This is where mindfulness enters—
Not as a buzzword or a soft skill, but as a form of brain training.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and without judgment.
It helps leaders interrupt reactivity, notice internal and external dynamics more clearly, and respond from a place of steadiness rather than urgency.

It sharpens our focus, deepens our empathy, and helps us stay connected to what actually matters.

Though rooted in non-Western philosophies and contemplative traditions, mindfulness isn’t just ancient—it’s deeply relevant.

That said, it’s not meant to be another item on your endless to-do list, or another productivity hack dressed in yoga pants. True mindfulness is an intentional act of slowing down in a culture that often speeds us up.

It may feel counterintuitive.
It asks us not to “optimize,” but to actually notice.
To be in the experience of leading, not just driving through it.

Oh, and all of the studies tell us that it indeed does optimize our leadership.

This isn’t something most of us can navigate well on our own.
Mindfulness is best learned in community, through guidance and practice.

But the entry point can be simple:

Before your next pitch…
Before you meet with that one difficult colleague…
Before jumping on Zoom number six for the day…
Before you try to transition out of work mode and into the rest of your life—pause.

Take five deep breaths. Make those breaths loud enough that if someone was sitting next to you they could hear it. Be present enough that you can feel them.

Because the kind of leader you are starts with the kind of presence you bring.