50 Moments of “Mindfulness Made Meaningful”
Ever reflect on the ‘meaning’ of your LinkedIn headline?
Mine has read ‘meaningful’ for ages. But I never said why.
I talk about Mindfulness a lot on LinkedIn. And share lots of content.
But why does my headline read “Mindfulness made meaningful”? 🤷♂️
So I took a few moments to reflect…
…insert totally made up image of mindful reflection 🧘♂️ …
And decided to set myself a new challenge!
“50 Moments of Mindfulness Made Meaningful”
Each week, I’ll share a meaningful mindfulness moment.
I’ll add a write up, visual or link to the list below 👇
It might be…
- A past experience
- A fresh learning
- A new creation
- A nostalgic post
It’s that simple. I hope it's meaningful.
The 50 Meaningful Moments
No #1 The Wheel of Mindfulness
No #2 The Mindfulness Well of Presence
No #3 Radio Mindful
No #4 The Tree of Mindfulness
No #5 Eat the Frog (Mindfully)
No #6 The Mindful Game of Zen-ga
No #7 The Morning Mindful-news
No #8 Your 8-week Guide to De-Stress
No #9 The Carousel of Stress…
No #10 Your Mindfulness Prescription
No #11 Unravelling The Mindful Myths
No #12 Mindful Leader’s Burnout Beating Balance Sheet
No #13 The 4 Elemental Powers of Mindful Leaders
No #14 Essential Courses for Mindful Leaders
No #15 Round the Clock Mindful Leadership Presence
No #16 9 Feline Mindful Leadership Skills
No #17 50 Mindfulness Paths to Presence
No #18 The Evening Mindful-news
No #19 The A-Zen of Living Mindfully
No #20 The Art of Gratitude
No #21 TBC…
No #1
Monday 10th June
The Wheel of Mindfulness
“A seed of creativity and a snapshot of mindfulness”
Being open and curious towards new ideas, experiences and learning, is at the heart of mindfulness. What is known as a “Beginner’s Mind” attitude - as if seeing the world through the eyes of a child. This attitude also provides fertile conditions for creativity in our work. When I first created “The Wheel of Mindfulness” a year ago, I approached my challenge with a Beginner’s Mind.
How could I take something old, like the “Emotion Wheel” which shared so much insight and inspiration - a snapshot of our emotional world in a single view - and use it as inspiration to share a snapshot of the world of Mindfulness?
So I took the old and rebuilt it with fresh eyes. This process provided the catalyst for so much creative exploration in my work, courses and writing. In how I approached creating visuals on Canva and even how I generated ideas, structured and prepared audio courses I’ve shared without thousands on Waking Waves and Insight Timer.
So “The Wheel of Mindfulness” feels the perfect place to begin this journey, which is both reflective and creative. A beginning revisited. And fresh gratitude for the seeds of inspiration which made it possible.
Take a spin on The Wheel of Mindfulness
No #2
Monday 17th June
The Mindfulness Well of Presence
“Draw from The Mindfulness Well of Presence”
The Mindfulness Well of Presence 💧
(and “The Mindfulness Map”)
There are many reasons we come to Mindfulness. We want to relieve stress or find a reliable source of calm. We feel we need to get control of our emotions, or our working lives. Or perhaps there is something missing. And this fills a gap?
And although these are likely outcomes, we often discover much greater depths beneath the surface. The Mindfulness Well of Presence is a glimpse beneath. A reliable source of awareness and presence we can return to any time.
1) Practice
Our intention to live mindfully paves the way to presence. Being open, curious and trusting enriches meditation and connection with the world and others.
💧 Without practice, presence soon runs dry.
2) Presence
Increases through non-judgemental attention on whatever is here right now. A practice, a difficult conversation, a busy mind, or a stressful work task.
💧 Without presence, we’re lost in future and past.
3) Awareness
Is always present. Always now. It grows when we bring mindful attention to sensations and thoughts or to emotions and difficulty.
💧 With awareness, comes calm, focus & compassion.
4) Insight
Deepens when more time is spent in awareness and presence. Our appetite and capacity for change grows.
💧 With insight we reveal more nourishing choices.
No #3
Monday 24th June
Radio Mindfulness
“Tune into your favourite focus of attention”
Recently during a guided meditation, a teacher said “Now change your focus to the breath, as if you were switching stations on a radio”
Simple guidance. But crystal clear. And a powerful choice too. To consciously switch the focus of our attention Tuning in to whatever is present 📻
Because whether it’s a difficult meditation, meeting, or conversation, sometimes we simply need a shift in awareness. So we neither resist nor cling to what’s here.
We create space.
We relieve stress.
We gain perspective.
So in post #3 of 50 moments of "Mindfulness Made Meaningful” I’m sharing 6 ever-present stations…on Radio Mindful 🎙️
📻 Breath AM
Breathe deeply to benefit from parasympathetic calm.
📻 Sensation CITY
Mindfully scan head to toe to regulate & destress
📻 Taste CLASSIC
Tantalise your tastebuds with a mindful awareness classic
📻 Thought FM
Observe not judge the busy mind, to ease anxiety
📻 Movement GROOVE
Get a feel-good high as you mindfully move
📻 Open RADIO
Be open to all experiences to reduce reactivity
No #4
Monday 1st July
The Tree of Mindfulness
“Find your inspiration for growth on…”
Last year my daughter suggested “Why not create a Tree of Mindfulness Daddy?”. This planted a seed for me. First, I created a guided meditation. But the seed continued to grow. And then last week, I thought “Ah, I wonder if I could create something else?”
Just as inspiration for mindful practice comes from many sources, the practice of Mindfulness can become the source of inspiration for the self-supportive wellbeing choices we make in life.
This might be to exercise more, to practice meditation daily, to mindfully move in the morning. To pick up the phone and call our friends for social support. To create something new from something old. To begin again.
It can be a seed we plant long ago, which becomes our Tree of Mindfulness 🌳
No #5
Monday 8th July
Eat the Frog (Mindfully)
“Turn daily productivity into Mindful Practice”
Eat the Frog (Mindfully) 🐸
Download here
I first heard about “Eating your Frog” in a training session. And I loved it! Coming from a sales background, I was all too familiar with pushing out of my comfort zone and ‘just getting on with it’. The times I ate the frog, I was more productive and fired up for the day ahead. Sometimes I’d feel good about myself! But sometimes not.
And in reflection, I was aware how many times I chose to ignore the frog, despite knowing it made perfect sense to ‘eat it’? Why do this? Why couldn’t I make it a habit? With all the benefits I experienced. Why avoid the very tool to overcome procrastination and increase productivity?
Because we’re not all wired the same. We’re not all morning people. And we change. The pressure of “eating the frog” can generate stress and anxiety, which impacts our performance and wellbeing.
So I thought, what if we made it mindful?
🐸 Instead of telling ourselves to ‘eat the frog’, we set an intention.
🐸 Instead of “getting on with it” we mindfully assess our capacity and energy levels.
🐸 Instead of diving in regardless, we create an environment of focus and mindful calm.
🐸 Instead of striving for more performance, we reflect on the experience good or bad.
“Eating the Frog” might take on a whole new mindful meaning 😌
No #6
Monday 15th July
The Mindful Game of Zen-ga
“Find wellbeing balance or begin again with…
I was inspired to create Zen-ga, while building another mindful project. Back then a mindful seed was planted by someone’s suggestion. And it clicked straightaway - I’d build a moving game of Jenga and make it mindful!
But it didn’t work out that way!
Instead I created a visual image and focused the message on finding wellbeing balance at work. Exploring a message I wanted to share with people, in that moment. Although my original idea stuck in the back of my mind. Like the piece of a Jenga puzzle, which I could have used but didn’t.
But that’s the wonderful thing about Mindfulness. We can always begin again. Fresh in any day or moment, with more awareness, focused attention, and intention to turn up in a particular way. With a supportive attitude. In our next mindful choice. So I did. And created a second “moving” version of “The Mindful Game of Zen-ga”.
No #7
Monday 22nd July
The Morning Mindfulnews
“Wake up to a routine for calm and focus with…
I was reflecting recently on just how much morning routine, wellbeing and leadership hacks are packed into our news and social feeds.
Piling the pressure and expectation. And doing little to relieve our stress or anxiety.
So I decided to create a different kind of news for your feed…The Mindful-news
I hope you enjoy this Summer’s edition 🗞️
No #8
Monday 29th July
Your 8-week Guide to De-Stress
“Discover mindful meaning and wellbeing balance with…
Your 8-week guide to De-Stress 🌱
4 years ago I’d just wrapped up something special.
But knew it was only a beginning. I was nearing the end of a group “Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction” (MBSR) course having just finished the silent retreat on week 6.
I’d already noticed so much change.
In the middle of a global pandemic.
But Stress at an all time low 📉
In an uncertain and unpredictable world.
But feeling connected and balanced ⚖️
In between my latest working roles.
But crystal clear on direction🚶♂️
2 teaching qualifications later, launching Waking Waves 🌊 and delivering my own courses, it planted the seed for so much.
So for #8 of 50 moments it felt fitting to create this snapshot of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s 8-week Gold Standard “MBSR”
“Your 8-week Guide to De-Stress”
🌱 8 x Core teachings
🌱 15 x Meditation and practices
🌱 11 x Challenges you may meet
🌱 19 x Wellbeing Benefits
🌱 8 x Mindful Attitudes
No #9
Monday 5th August
The Carousel of Stress 🎠
“95 eye-catching insights on…
1 year ago, I’d not long created moment “The Wheel of Mindfulness” ( #1 of this series) and while creating the sections on Stress, I realised it needed a wheel of its own. Because you can’t go far in conversation (or courses!) on Mindfulness without encountering Stress. Our automatic reactions both hard-wired and conditioned over time, have a profound impact on the quality of life and wellbeing we experience. And being mindful of stress is crucial.
Through practicing mindfulness and living mindfully, we are far better able to create space between the experiences, pressures and challenges we encounter and our automatic responses to them. As Victor Frankl said, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
So I turned it around quickly…and it turned out to be my highest performing post ever reaching 167,000 and shared 182 times. And no shortage of stress (and gratitude) responding to the many kind comments and messages, in a short space of time!
So today, 1 year on, it felt fitting to share one of my favourite Waking Waves creations “The Carousel of Stress”, a moment of mindfulness made meaningful.
Take a spin on The Carousel of Stress 🎠
No #10
Monday 19th August
Your Mindful Prescription 🧪
3 steps to enjoy less Stress with…
Your Mindfulness Prescription 🧪
There are no shortage of quick fixes to boost health and wellbeing. To make you fitter, happier and healthier. To reduce your stress. To improve your relationships. To boost your career. To find your best self!
And they might just work.
- But few have evidence to back it up.
- Fewer still come without a hefty price tag.
- None come without considerable investment in your time and energy.
But I know one habit which is
✅ Won’t empty your bank
✅ Costs you 10-20 mins daily
✅ Is evidence-based to boost lifelong wellbeing.
“Download your 3-step Mindfulness Prescription”
1) Set your intention 🧪
2) Choose a focus of attention 🧪
3) Bring a mindful attitude 🧪
No #11
Friday 30th August
Unravelling the Mindful Myths 🧵
Find the 1 thread at the heart of your Mindfulness journey by
Unravelling the 10 Mindful Myths 🧵
It’s easy to get lost in a Maze of Mindfulness misunderstanding. With so many distortions, interpretations and misunderstandings of Mindfulness generated by the media and wellness world.
When all we really ever find at the heart is one common thread - Present moment awareness.
Without judgment or labelling
With compassion
But it takes practice to find this thread.
So it helps to unravel the myths first!
I hope you enjoy unravelling yours 🧵
No #12
Monday 2nd September
Mindful Leader’s Burnout Beating Balance Sheet ⚖️
There’s may be no end to Burnout but there is a healthy place to start with…
The Mindful Leader’s Burnout Beating Balance Sheet ⚖️
Last year, I was reflecting on the many solutions and strategies we see to end Burnout. To finally stop, or prevent it! ✋
And although many are full of good intention (and great advice!), I did feel a number of them lacked a little realism. After all, to end Burnout, would mean to end chronic Stress and simultaneously all unhealthy workplaces which exacerbated, or otherwise contributed to generating Stress in the first place.
So I thought, where do we really need to start when it comes to bringing lasting change?
👉 Leadership.
And what kind of leader might bring about sustainable change, in a healthy, empathetic and connected way?
👉 a Mindful Leader
So I created a “Burnout Beating Cheatsheet which 3 key components for Mindful Leaders:
Stress Awareness 💚
i) The 4 Types of Stress
ii) The Health Impact of Stress
iii) GAS Model & Allostatic Load
iv) Interventions to manage Stress
Balance ⚖️
i) In the Zone VS Zone of Delusion
ii) Business Needs VS Boundaries
iii) The Gas and The Brakes
iv) Isolated or Connected?
Mindfulness 🪷
i) 8 attitudes for Mindful Leadership
ii) 10 Mindful intentions to embody
iii) 5 Myths of Mindfulness
iv) 3 Mindful practices
This year, I decided it needed a little makeover…and a little more balance, to become:
No #13
Monday 9th September
The Elemental Powers of Mindful Leaders 🌀
Whether you need to feel purposefully fired up or be a grounding presence, there’s an element for you in…
The Elemental Powers of Mindful Leaders 🌀
Recently, I enjoyed once more a guided “4 elements” meditation. It takes you through the 4 elements and how these could be found within bodily sensations, the breath, present moment experience and the space around you. It is a powerful and energising practice.
I made a note to write my own one day and coming back to it realised that the ‘elemental powers’ have much in common with those expressed when we lead mindfully - the grounded presence, an open always-learning leader who is adaptable in adverse times and shows empathy, even while passionately sharing their purpose and vision.
So I decided to connect a simpler practice, to the deeper benefits and impact experienced when we apply this to leading mindfully.
The Simple Practice
🌱 EARTH: Ground in the body
🌬️ AIR: Accept what’s present. Follow breath.
💧 WATER: Scan bodily sensations to release tension
🔥 FIRE: Sense inner warmth and energy
What element do you connect with?
Discover your elements here today
No #14
Monday 16th September
Essential Courses for Mindful Leaders 🧑🍳
There may be no perfect strategy to serve those you lead. But Mindful Leaders have a few reliable recipes up their sleeves, when they serve the…
Essential Courses for Mindful Leaders 🧑🍳
There’s no shortage of strategies, courses and guidance to become the ‘the perfect leader’. Or how to serve your team selflessly. With plenty of success stories and apparent failures.
It’s as if there were are recipe for becoming one. To absorb the advice and methodologies and develop the necessary skills to repeat the same incredible ‘results’ or achieve the outcomes of individuals and organisations, often in totally different contexts.
So I thought, how might a mindful leader go about this? What recipes would we need?
They soon became the dishes we’d serve others and the qualities, behaviours or attitudes we might embody to create them. 6 very familiar dishes:
🍣 Starter
🍲 Soup
🥗 Salad
🍝 Main
🧀 Cheese
🍧 Dessert
Dive into the menu and the reflections they inspire in…
Waves of Transformation
To learn many more mindful ways to live and manage stress, get your free guided courses and resources here.
No #15
Monday 23rd September
Round the Clock Mindful Leadership Presence 🕰️
Got “no time” to practise Mindfulness? Discover 4 powerful practices in…
For some, Mindfulness conjures up visions of endless sitting. Stealing precious time from business-critical tasks.
Yes, a meditation takes up clock time. But it richly returns in focus, calm, cognitive flexibility and creativity.
But being mindfully present?
This only requires your non-judgmental attention
- on a task
- on a conversation
- on your next breath
To help you find more Round the Clock presence, you only need to find minutes for these 4 practices:
🕖 Morning practice
“Phone free breath of fresh air”
Time: 2-5 mins
Benefit: Sets an intentional tone. Alert. Focused.
🕛 Mindful pause
“The STOP practice”
Time: 1-10 mins
Benefit: Reset + parasympathetic calm when overwhelmed.
🕕 Self-compassion
“Boundary keeping de-stress deadline”
Time: 1 min
Benefit: Helps balance emotions and builds team trust.
🕚 Gratitude
“Taking in ‘the good’ of your day”
Time: 5-10 mins
Benefit: Rewires brain for positivity and builds stress resilience
Remembering…
“If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life” - Thich Naht Hanh
Keep your appointment with life with…
No #16
Monday 30th September
9 Feline Mindful Leadership Skills 🐈
In stress and overwhelm, even the greatest of leaders lose their mindfulness. We lose perspective. We disconnect, we fatigue. We Burnout too. But what if we have the…
9 Feline Mindfulness Leadership Skills to Live By 🐈
Alert Presence
Intentionally alert. Always one ear ready to listen. Always one eye noticing behaviour change.
Open, Curious
Explores new places, people & ideas curiously and sensitively. Without diving in, or assuming.
Keeps boundaries
Connects with others to reach shared goals. Respects mutual boundaries. Ready to say “No”
Open & Curious
Explores new places, relationships and ideas curiously & sensitively. Won’t dive in or assume.
Responds not reacts
Attuned to their environment, this leader responds mindfullly and instincitively to adversity,
Agile. Adapts.
Takes small steps towards big leaps. Bounces back resiliently after difficulty or challenges.
Non-Strives
Brings authentic presence to goal-seeking and relationships. Not seeking to prove or please.
Invites play
Encourages spontaneity & fun to inspire creative exploration, sharpening skills and thinking.
Seeks to Connect
Consciously seeks meaningful connection. Enables a culture of compassion and belonging.
Rests. Recharges.
Pushes boundaries but never beyond limits. Models healthy self-care habits. Avoids Burnout.
You’d be much less likely to lose your mindfulness with …
No #17
Monday 7th October
50 Mindfulness Paths to Presence 🏔️
There’s no peak to summit in Mindfulness but there’s…
50 Mindfulness Paths to Presence 🏔️
A source we can all access in practice. And if there was anything ‘to seek’ in Mindfulness…then this might be it.
Your present moment awareness.
Your engaged and conscious awareness of this moment - this experience - as it is, right now. What it contains and what you learn from it.
But this sense of presence and awareness can be elusive. And the many ways to learn and practice mindfulness meditation, can feel like a lot to grasp. A lot to remember!
But what if we had one place to capture it all?
What if we had the…
50 Mindfulness Paths to Presence
🪷 4 x Inspiring Quotes for Life
🪷 8 x Mindfulness Attitudes
🪷 3 x Healthy Habits
🪷 12 x Meditations
🪷 15 x Intentions
🪷 3 x Postures
🪷 5 x Focuses
Choose your path on the…
No #18
Monday 14th October
The Evening Mindful-news 🌅
Learn to transform suffering with Self-Compassion…this and more in Autumn’s edition of
🗞️ Coping with change through compassion
🗞️ The Daily Insight Columnist
🗞️ Practices for deeper sleep + self-compassion
🗞️ Insight from author and psychologist Tara Brach
🗞️ Burnout beating boundary benefits
🗞️ The Daily-Destress: The Two Wolves
Which will get your attention this season?
No #19
Monday 21st October
The A-Z of Living Mindfully ☯
There’s no perfect guide or guru in Mindfulness but there’s a pocket-sized one in…
The A-to-Zen of Living Mindfully ☯
A - Acceptance
B - Beginner’s Mind
C - Compassion
D - Doing Vs Being
E - Empathy
F - Focusing Attention
G - Gratitude
H - Happiness
I - Intention
J - Journey
K - Knowledge
L - Letting Go
M - Movement
N - Non-Judgement
O - Observing
P - Patience
Q - Quick Practices
R - Reflection
S - (Non) Striving
T - Trust
U - Understanding
V - Values
W - Wisdom
X - X marks a STOP
Y - Your Experience
Z - Zen
A year and a half ago, I set myself a mindful challenge - to condense Mindfulness into an A-Zen, so I wrote an audio course on Insight Timer called “The A-Zen of Living Mindfully”, intended to be a pocket-sized guide to all things Mindfulness, with 2.5 hours of meditations, practices and mindful insight.
A year and half later, I thought - what if I could squeeze it into a 1 page A-Z visual guide too? Which presented a totally different kind of challenge!
Because although Mindfulness can be reduced to “non-judgemental present moment awareness”, the reality of how the practice impacts our lives, is far-reaching and expansive in its impact. Far more than can be squeezed into an A-Zen!
So today, as part of 50 Moments of Mindfulness made Meaningful, I wanted to revisit this A-Zen, which provided the inspiration for many more courses and visual guides.
I hope it inspires you too.
No #20
Monday 28th October
The Art of Gratitude 🎨
Where do we find the most powerful expression of Leadership? Not in a book, course or conference BUT in…
While mulling over another “gratitude” visual, I thought about the many powerful expressions of leadership we share. And how many of these can be found through the practice of Gratitude.
👉 A conscious, intentional acknowledgement of “The Good” in your life, boosting wellbeing and strengthening social bonds.
And by doing this on repeat, leaders:
❤️ Uplift energy and passion
We activate reward pathways for engaged motivation.
💛 Enhance positivity and wellbeing
We enjoy “feel good” moments, happiness and fulfilment.
💙 Increase calm and balance
We mindfully ease stress reactivity and regulate emotions.
🧡 Boost creativity and innovation
We’re open-minded, enabling ideas and inspiration to flow.
💜 Expand empathy and compassion
We deepen social bonds building connection and trust.
💚 Grow adaptable and resilient
We rewire our brain for mindful response and flexibility.
…with the
No #21
Monday 4th November
The Circle of Compassion 🫶
There’s one universal truth in life - we all struggle.
But there is also a powerful antidote. And you’ll find it on…
❤️🩹 Self-Compassion
💗 Compassion for Others
👩🏫 Models and Deeper Learning
🧘♂️ Practices and Meditations
🧠 Stress and Compassion
❤️🔥 Compassion Fatigue
🪷 Mindful Compassion
🧑⚕️ Your Health Impact
Discover your point of connection on…
No #22
Monday 11th November
The Non-Trivial Pursuit of Mindfulness 🪷
What’s meaning-filled and inspires leaders and their teams to ask 6 vital questions?
The idea of a Trivial Pursuit for “Mindfulness” has bounced about in my head for about as long as I’ve creatively explored or gamified Mindfulness. But I hadn’t yet given it the attention.
In my head, I’d always referred to it as “The Not-So Trivial Pursuit of Mindfulness” but it was only when I started working on it that ‘Non-Trivial’ came to mind.
I can’t find the exact quote but I remember Jon Kabat Zinn talking about Mindfulness being Non-Trivial. In a far more elegant way than I ever will! So the two came together, in the right mindful moment.
Like others before, it’s my first version - I’ve ideas for how it can be developed. And of course there are always thousands of questions to answer in…
The Non-Trivial Pursuit of Mindfulness 🪷
🔵 Stress Relief
💖 Connection
🟡 Mindful Attitudes
🟤 Meditation
🟢 Brain Science
🟠 Wellbeing
No #23
Monday 18th November
The 3 Stages of Stress 🔥
We were warned about GAS before all this Burnout. But we can learn to respond, not just react to:
I stumbled across the 3 Stages of Stress while diving a bit deeper into Stress research and its impact on our wellbeing. And with our more recent understanding of the impact of mindfulness on Stress Reduction, I expected everything significant we know, to have originated in the last few decades.
I was way off the mark!
And fascinated to discover the 88 year old origin of Hans Seyle's work and incredible research and developments it has inspired. So a year ago, I went digging for some visual illustrations to bring it life. Most were older and more wordy.
So I decided to (visually) breathe fresh life into an inspiring piece of research. To bring you…
The 3 stages of Stress 🔥
No #24
Monday 25th November
Brief History of Stress 📖
Burnout has been making headlines for decades. But you’ve got a 600 million year history with Stress. Take a shortcut with…
I created this “Brief History of Stress” last year in another format. But it was always my intention to include it as part of the 50 Moments of Mindfulness made Meaningful.
Why?
Because modern Mindfulness based interventions have their source in Stress too! The Stress Reduction Clinic was started by Jon-Kabat Zinn in 1979 and led to the development of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. And without MBSR, we wouldn’t have many of the incredible evidence-based interventions we see today.
So, I couldn’t have 50 Moments of Mindfulness without it. And we can’t talk about Stress or Burnout without understanding the deeper roots at play.
So here’s a fresh chance to grasp those deeper roots in the…
Look out for future moments of “Mindfulness Made Meaningful”
