"Mindfulness at Work, feat. Chris Duprey" (Creator's Block, Ep. 70)

We're back! And, for very selfish reasons, I am really excited about today’s episode.

Not too long ago, I had a lot of fun collaborating with Chris Duprey (our COO) on an article which has since been published on the IMPACT blog: 

Flash to Bang Leadership: Are You Reacting or Responding to Your Teams?

Whether you’re a leader or someone who aspires to be one, one day, I highly recommend you read it.

Or, if you're more of a visual person, he also made a video about the topic:

At one point in that original article, Chris discussed his mindful meditation practice, and how it influences his actions not only at home, but also at work. 

While he noted he's still a “beginner” with his practice, he brought up a lot of great points.

For example, here's my favorite passage:

“It has allowed me to live more in the moment -- to put things in perspective, before I respond.

What I’ve found is that this has made me a better communicator at the office and at home. (And, it’s slowed down my flash-to-bang!)

When you can create this space between stimulus and response -- maybe it’s through mindful meditation, or something else you find that works -- you are more present in the moment.

You are able to actually understand what is being said. To think through things and to ensure that the actions we take aren’t rushed. You will also help mitigate the second- and third-order effects of our actions.”

However, as Chris also rightly points out, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about mindfulness out there.

Keeping in mind that none of us are mindfulness experts, we invited Chris back to the podcast this week to help us unpack mindfulness from the perspective of leaders -- or just professionals in general -- who have heard about it, maybe have some limited experience with it, but don’t really get the practical applications it can have not only at home, or at work.

Enjoy!

Listen to the Episode

What We Talked About

• What do people not understand about mindfulness?
• How do people who can't focus embrace a meditation practice?
• What are our own personal experiences and impediments with mindfulness?
• What benefits have we seen from it -- if any?
• What advice do we have for people who are interested in trying out mindfulness for themselves?
• Why doesn't anyone in Connecticut know how to pronounce words correctly?

Resources We Discussed

• Insight Timer
• Headspace
• Golden Bristle
• Mindful Work by David Gelles
• donothing by Rob Dubé
• Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris
• 10% Happier by Dan Harris

We Want to Hear from You!

First, subscribe to Creator's Block on Apple Podcasts. Second, have a question or an idea for a future episode of the podcast? Let us know! 

• Creator's Block: Twitter, Instagram
• Marcella: Twitter, Instagram
• Liz: Twitter, Instagram 
• Chris: Twitter, LinkedIn

Or, you can leave us a comment below! Until next week...