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Could mindfulness save humanity from sick-dysfunctional AI? Last week I watched a video from the Global Mindfulness and Compassion Summit where Jamie Bristow shared the initiative created to provide UK politicians mindfulness training – Mindful Nation UK. According to research ethical decision making, focus, clarity and compassion can be significantly improved with mindfulness training and I believe a […]

Last weekend I joined the first webinar of the Business Data Ethics Month by The Ohio State University. Thanks Merve Hickock for sharing the event details here on LinkedIn. The session was moderated by Dennis Hirsch and included the following members of the Ohio State research team, who shared their key findings: Tim Bartley | Professor of Sociology Davon Norris | […]

I know it is a bad habit but whenever I am reading a book I love I tend to recommend to everyone I care about. I am conscious that while a book can be perfect for me right now is NOT necessarily relevant to those around me…. but I just can’t help myself. Am I […]

The 4 Doctors Framework was created by one of my dear teachers, Paul Chek, who introduced me to this guidance system when I completed his Holistic Health Coach program in 2014. Paul Chek is a world-renowned expert in the fields of high-performance exercise, stress management and holistic wellness. He is a Cherokee descendent and was […]

Although it is kind of obvious, it really depends. Some people will say wellbeing is important for them because they want to feel good and be present with love ones, have enough energy to pursue their hobbies-interests, or follow their dreams. For me, personally, wellbeing matters because it provides me with the support I need […]

In my opinion peace and vitality are key symptoms of sound wellbeing plus mental clarity and a sense of genuine joy that comes from personal fulfilment. I define “wellbeing” as a state that is beyond the traditional Western definition of health – that is, the absence of disease. True wellbeing is holistic. It includes physical, mental, […]

According to Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of the positive psychology movement, humans can follow 3 different paths to pursuit happiness. Path #1 – The Pleasant Life This path is about the pursuit of pleasure. We aim to experience as many positive emotions as possible. Think of the Hollywood version of happiness and instant gratification. We […]

“The (exclusive) pursuit of pleasure is the ambition of a pig.” – Einstein. In late 2015, during my sabbatical, I attended a Mindfulness conference near Amsterdam and was introduced to the concept of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. I still remember the exact moment and the scene. During the morning tea break, Martin Strom and Maria Strom were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine with […]

[STORY] During my sabbatical in late 2015, I attended a Conference in Amsterdam to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Potential Project and to meet fellow Mindfulness Consultants from around the world. The event included a weekend retreat with Allan Wallace, a globally renowned progressive scholar who studied with the Dalai Lama. It was a memorable week. My favorite […]

I recently published the articles WHAT IS MINDSET and WHY MINDSET MATTERS. In this piece I’d like to explore the Fixed and Growth Mindset theory developed by Dr. Carol Dweck, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. The initial focus of Dweck’s research was to explore her students’ ability to cope with failure and to develop intelligence and […]

As the Chinese Philosopher Lao-Tzu said… Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. Our mindset determines not only what and how we think, but more importantly, how we behave; and therefore, […]

Extracted from BIG MAGIC, written by incredibly talented and blessed Elizabeth Gilbert. “Dearest Fear Creativity and I are about to go on a Road trip together. I understand you’ll be joining us, because you always do. I acknowledge that you believe you have an important job to do in my life, and that you take […]

Mindset can be defined as the range of attitudes, beliefs, values and expectations we hold about ourselves, the people around us and our environment. It influences our perceptions, our decisions, how we live our lives and how we experience the world. It is usually a by-product of our experiences in life, our upbringing and many […]

The quote below may be tragicomic but it is how many people feel about their minds. My mind is like a web browser. 19 tabs open, 3 are frozen and I have no idea where the music is coming from. Dr. Dan Siegel, a Neuropsychiatrist, Neurobiologist and Mindfulness teacher, discovered that 95% of the 80 thousand […]

Prior to start cultivating a mindfulness practice, it is important to reflect, understand and define a common language on what the mind actually is. Google defines the mind as: “The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness […]

I am often asked the following question: How can I know if I am making progress with my mindfulness meditation practice? First of all, when it comes down to mindfulness, it is crucial to let go of expectations, the perfectionist and competitive mindset nurtured by us in the west. The best attitude to cultivate towards […]

As Chade-Meng Tan, former Google engineer and author of Search Inside Yourself, said: Even an engineer can thrive on Emotional Intelligence. However, I often hear people saying “I would love to learn how to meditate but it is not for me! My mind is too busy” or “I can’t sit still.” or “I always fall asleep when I […]

Prah Mana, a Thai monk from the Buddhist Theravada tradition, has been my mindfulness teacher for 14 years. A couple of years ago, during a silent retreat, he shared this story: The Budha was begging for food in a village and met a Wild horse trainer. Wild Horse Trainer: Why don’t you work for your own […]

By: Nathalie Heynderickx and Zen Goh In my last 10 days silent retreat I asked Pra Manah, a senior Thai Buddhist monk who has been my mindfulness teacher for 12 years, how he would define mindfulness. His answer was simple: “It is a quality of a well-trained consciousness.” The English word mindfulness has its roots […]

“Beginner’s Mind can be defined as the ability to see things, people and events with fresh eyes. Letting go of previous experiences and judgement. Beginner’s mind is critical for problem solving and essential for an innovative mindset.” Since I posted an article about the 5 Traits of a Mindful-Agile Mindset I’ve been asked for tips on how […]

The cheetah is the fastest animal on earth and a great illustration of a favorite mantra: “Speed Up By Slowing Down.” If you are wondering what does the cheetah have to do with a Mindful-Agile Mindset. The answer is EVERYTHING. But let me get back to that later… Earlier this year I co-facilitated a workshop […]

As Seth Godin said … Not too far away from us, there are kids without enough to eat and without parents to care. A little further away, few hours by plane, are people unable to reach their goals because they live in a community that just doesn’t have the infrastructure to support them. A bit […]

The Leadership Development industry is a multi-billion-dollar business, with thousands of models, theories, books, articles and research papers on the topic. I see leadership, first and foremost, as the ability to lead oneself first, and influence and lead others second. Leadership, in my view, must also have an altruistic component. The intention to serve the […]

Back in 2007, in my first large project in Australia, I was assigned to lead the business intelligence component of a complex multi-million project for a high profile client. It was a pioneer SAP implementation in Asia Pacific and we had SME’s joining us from our Canadian firm which had successfully implemented a similar solution […]

One of my key takeaways from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits book was this quote: If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster. I doubt Covey was referring to one’s spiritual path but I feel the quote is totally applicable to our […]

Firstly, it is essential to clarify that spirituality is not necessarily related to religion. Some people see spirituality as their connection with a supreme consciousness, the arts, divine intelligence, the environment, mother earth, the universe or Gaia. Others are agnostic and see science as their path to spirituality. A classic example is Sam Harris PhD, […]

A long time ago I heard about the story of Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse who used to work as a palliative carer. After several years attending to her patients thoughts and feelings on their deathbed, she noticed a pattern and wrote the best selling book “Top 5 Regrets of the Dying”. The common themes […]

In 2003, I was living in my hometown, Rio de Janeiro, working in the IT industry and consulting for the national Oil & Gas Brazilian company Petrobras. My work colleague Branca Duboc invited me to join a meditation session in an urban Tibetan Buddhist temple. Despite being raised as catholic, back then I was already practicing yoga […]

Millennials and Gen Y have made a significant contribution to the discussion about purpose and meaning at work in the last few years. I am a member of Gen X and know many people at my age (and older), including clients, colleagues and friends who are in search of a more meaningful life. There isn’t […]

By: Nathalie Heynderickx and Leonard Hoon, PhD WHY About 3 years ago I watched a TED Talk on AI and the one thing I can recall vividly was the statement made by this mature and grounded scientist saying “time is running out and we must develop a greater sense of urgency in embedding human values into AI before it […]

The industrial age is over. The digital age is here. Our work is less physical and more mentally demanding than ever before, so we must be mentally fit. Forward-thinking organisations and leaders have realised this and are doing something about it. Are you one of them? Corporate mindfulness has been adopted by a range of […]

I consider this book as the Holistic Wellbeing and Lifestyle bible together with Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford. Last Monday I published an article about the 4 Doctors Framework created by Paul Chek, one of my dear teachers. In this piece, I would like to share my thoughts about How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy. Paul Chek […]

By: Nathalie Heynderickx and Zen Goh Congratulations! After many meetings and some serious lobbying, you have secured the budget for your first Corporate Mindfulness Program. Well done. Now, the pressure is ON and it’s time to carefully plan the initiative so you can deliver the results you promised to the executive team in your business […]

By: Nathalie Heynderickx and Zen Goh Research has shown that mindfulness has benefits for individual and organisations (Bartlett et al., 2019; Good et al., 2016; Sutcliffe, Vogus, & Dane, 2016), and the good news is that it can be trained. Given the promise of mindfulness, corporate mindfulness has become nearly mainstream with fortune 500 companies […]

In my early 20’s, while still living and working in Rio de Janeiro, I used to keep an eye on the GREAT PLACE TO WORK® list published annually by the Fortune magazine. I confess that back then I would often daydream of working for such companies. At the age of 27, I finally joined the […]

It’s that time of the year where we tend to reflect and take a closer look at our lives. Whether it’s reevaluating the relationship we have with ourselves, those around us or our employer. A new year is an opportunity for a new start and when we experience a desire to do better. For most of us, […]

I confess … When I chose Zen High Achiever as my coaching business name, I assumed it was self-explanatory! Maybe because (pretentiously) I like to think of myself as one… However, recently I realized that many people had no clue of what I meant by that, or even worse, some had a strange mental picture of what a Zen […]

These are some of mine. The authors listed below made to my list, in no particular order, because I value their message and find their ✍ writing style fun, engaging, wise, eloquent or provocative. Elizabeth Gilbert for Big Magic Seth Godin for Tribes Malcolm Gladwell for Outliers Brene Brown for Dare to Lead Allan Wallace for Attention Revolution Paulo Coelho […]

The PERMA model, designed by Dr. Martin Seligman in 2011, is a simple yet comprehensive framework to measure and enhance individuals’ wellbeing. It is also used to help teams to flourish. The PERMA model has been used in the US military and in public education. Recent studies have shown a link between PERMA elements and longevity. Below […]

Psychological Capital, also known as PsyCap, was a term coined by Fred Luthans and Carolyn Youssef. The research behind Psychological Capital theory suggests that individuals aligned with the HERO model described below, are better equipped with psychological resources to contribute to their team’s and organisation’s performance and innovation. Before elaborating on the Psychological Capital framework […]

Authentic leadership can be defined as an approach to leadership that emphasizes building leaders’ legitimacy on an ethical foundation, through honest relationships with followers who value their input. While Authentic Leadership is still a growing area of academic research, the concept of authenticity can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Ancient Greek philosophers stressed authenticity […]

This very same concept is expressed in different formats across different cultures such as the angel and devil in cartoons, the Holy Spirit and the Ego in Christianism or the Higher Self (or Buddha nature) and Lower Self (or Ego) in Buddhism-Yoga traditions. The following is one of my favourite stories. I think it beautifully […]

Knowledge is power and our mind is our greatest asset. Not our brain, but our mind. That is, by the way, an entirely different topic which I discussed previously in another article earlier this year. Now back to this article’s topic. It is important to not only strive to master our own mind, through mindfulness or any […]

Last month I wrote an article about Fixed and Growth Mindset. In this piece I would like to share my thoughts about the book Mindset, by Dr. Carol Dweck. I believe this book is a must-read for anyone who is truly committed to personal growth or becoming a better leader. Not only because it is an […]

Millennials don’t respond well to the old command and control leadership paradigm. Additionally, the principles of Servant Leadership complement the Agile Ways of Working really well; therefore I believe the Servant Leadership model is here to stay. The background Servant Leadership is a philosophy. It is a way of looking at Leadership that has been […]

When I came across the concept of thinking traps nearly 10 years ago, I was shocked! It was tragicomic to read some of the definitions, as I could totally see myself in them. Being a reformed perfectionist, statements like “Unless it is a hundred per cent, it’s a disaster.” were familiar to me. Fast forward […]

During my sabbatical in 2015 I volunteered in a 10 days Vipassana Meditation Retreat Centre in Dharamshala, at the foot of Himalayas – North India. Every evening, volunteers would meet up with the teachers to review the day and discuss any issues or challenges. We closed every meeting with the two ‘prayers’ or ‘intentions’ below. […]

Good to Great by Jim Collins is unarguably a classic, one of the best-selling business books of all time, and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. The insights shared by Jim Collins are a result of the research conducted by his team over 5 years with 11 publicly traded companies, including Kimberley-Clark, Wells Fargo […]

Last week, a coaching client and senior executive wanted to discuss the difficulties they were facing with a peer. Understanding VS Being Understood We started unpacking the situation by reflecting on the need to understand and adapt to other people’s working and leadership styles to find common ground and achieve consensus. We talked about the […]

Last week I caught up with a former colleague who is now a Managing Director in one of the Big 5 management consulting firms. They shared with me that their #1 challenge these days is, in their own words, “the daily battle for talent”. “There is a lot of movement, with people moving elsewhere, every […]

Although I’ve been practicing mindfulness for over 15 years, I still cherish my teacher and make an effort to attend at least one long retreat (7-10 days) per year to deepen my practice. For those who don’t have access to a mindfulness mentor and are not able to take time off to join a meditation […]

Mindful Leadership encompasses concepts from more mature leadership models such as situational leadership, servant leadership, and authentic leadership. Although Mindful Leadership is a relatively new model, in relation to predecessors, its roots are grounded on ancient and time-tested leadership Asian and Greek philosophies. Below is a compilation of the 20 Traits of Mindful Leaders: Acceptance – […]