Schmindfulness

This episode of Voices of Mindfulness features Sara Flitner,  the Mayor of Jackson, Wy.  She joins us to talk about her goal of bringing the principles of mindfulness to community leaders and those in service.  She is the founder of Flitner Strategies, a company specializing in communication strategy, messaging, and pragmatic collaborative problem solving. Our many thanks to Sara for spending time with us!  She's awesome!!!!

This episode of Voices of Mindfulness features Cassandra and her story of attempted suicide and the road to recovery.  She is author of How to Go from BooHoo to WooHoo in 90 Days.  She has a wonderful energy and presence and we were so fortunate to have this conversation. Thanks Cassandra! 

This episode of Voices of Mindfulness features Dory Halati.  After 24 "miserable" years as a banker, she became a therapist, going from a negative mindset to one centered around gratitude.  Her current mission is to change the mindset of Iranian-Americans.   Thanks Dory!!  We enjoyed our time with you.   

This episode of Voices of Mindfulness features Jenna, who is currently a student at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  She has started a company called the Lead Up to help spread mindfulness to the Millennial generation.   Thanks Jenna for joining us!

This episode of Voices of Mindfulness features Adera Abdela all the way from Ethiopia. He talks to us about how receptive Ethiopia is to the concepts of mindfulness and meditation.  As with most Ethiopians, Adera found it all a little weird in the beginning, but is now out there teaching others how to practice.  Adera is the Managing Director of a company called SAK Business and Personal Development PLC.  You can find him at www.SAKEthiopia.com Thanks Adera!

This Voices of Mindfulness episode features Aisha Moore.  She is a coach, facilitator, and blogger specializing in techniques for self-care.  Check out her website at www.SelfCareByAisha.com Thanks Aisha!  

This Voices of Mindfulness episode features former police officer Ed Cabello, who was diagnosed with PTSD and has found meditation to be very effective.  He is currently a mind coach in Sydney, Australia.  You can visit Ed at his website, www.WhatsYourMindset.com.au. Thanks Ed for sitting down with us and telling your story!!

Pete and Jay get up close and personal (with permission) to find out how mindfulness is changing the lives of people on the street - or at least people attending a mindfulness conference.  Please enjoy the stories and life lessons from some really interesting people who are walking the walk on mindfulness. These interviews were conducted live at the Mindful Leadership Summit in Washington DC.

In 2006, Darya Rose discovered a scientific secret—one that proved we could prevent and possibly cure most major diseases. So what was this magic pill called? Simple: food. A neuroscience Ph.D and author of the book Foodist, Rose has spent her career advocating for better nutrition as a means to a healthy body...and mind. A recent transplant from San Francisco to New York City with her husband, tech entrepreneur Kevin Rose, Rose actively posts to Summer Tomato, which she created in 2009 and was named one of TIME magazine's 50 Best Websites of 2011. Take a listen and discover some of her secrets for feeling better—one bite at a time.

Sure, he was the CEO of Medtronic and a senior executive at Honeywell and Litton Industries. And sure he sits on the Board of Directors for Exxon Mobil, Mayo Clinic and Goldman Sachs.  And yes, he's a professor of Management Practice and a Henry B. Arthur Fellow of Ethics at Harvard Business School. But Bill George is no central casting version of a "businessman." A meditation practitioner for more than 40 years, Bill has spent long periods on retreat and still starts each plane trip with a 20-minute meditation. So listen to this very special perspective from a man who is trying to help leaders transform their thinking from "me" to "we."

As the lead neuroscientist for TruBrain who teaches a course on healthy brain aging at UCLA,  Dr. Andrew Hill is someone worth paying attention to—if your brain matters to you, that is. In this episode, he explains nootropics and how they can help you focus, how neurofeedback training can aid those with addiction and depression, and how mindfulness can help alleviate the toll stress takes on your brain. You'll feel new clarity and motivation just from listening. Oh, and Pete tries to solve a riddle (unsuccessfully). Tune in!

Experiencing a life of twist and turns from a challenging childhood in Alaska to eventually curing herself of an "incurable" cyst, Julie Piatt (aka Sri Mati) has relentlessly pursued a spiritual connection. A self-described modern mystic, Julie become born-again at 10, turned to drugs at age 12, and eventually found her creative soul in her late 20s. Perhaps best known for designing her ultra-athlete husband Rich Roll's plant-based diet, Julie is also a singer-songwriter, yoga and meditation instructor, and accomplished plant-based chef. She developed her own guided meditation series, called Jai Meditation, that she credits with helping her find her musical voice during the healing process. Most recently, she and Rich have published an inspiring cookbook called The Plantpower Way, which was just featured in a The New York Times article. Sit back and enjoy the story of Julie's life—and a few samples of the music it inspired. .  

Eric Forbis is co-founder and co-director of the Mindful Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, which brings together leaders from across the country to explore how to become more mindful and compassionate. Eric is also co-founder and director of BuddhaFest, a four-day festival of films, talks, meditation and music—inspired by the principles of mindfulness and compassion. The festival has been held annually for six years in the Washington, DC area.

Years ago, a near-fatal car crash changed the course of Susan Piver's life. But it didn't mean she suddenly gained perfect clarity. Proving that one builds their world brick-by-brick, Piver started along a winding path that would lead her eventually to start the Open Heart Project, become a New York Times bestselling author of eight books, and sit in conversation with the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Katie Couric. Give her story and her ideas a listen—and just try to not be enchanted.

A series of tragic events brought Lynne Goldberg away from the business life she'd always envisioned toward an existence that pays more attention to, well, existence. After study with the likes of Deepak Chopra, Sri Dharma Mittra, and Tony Robbins, Lynne co-founded OMG.  I Can Meditate!—a website and App that is billed as "the world's easiest and most enjoyable way to learn to meditate." Hear Lynne describe how OMG came to be and why you may just change your life with a few tweaks to your daily routine.

The illusion was perfectly in place 15 years ago. Allison Carmen had the high-powered job as an attorney, the family she always wanted, and the comfortable life track on which she could theoretically cruise. But underneath the cool veneer, she was nearly in panic. Every step felt perilous, every chance seemed likely to fail. The world was uncertain, which made it nearly unbearable.  But she didn't buckle. Instead, she searched—not for security, but for the unlikely ability to face the concept of maybe (maybe good, maybe awful, maybe just "eh") in everything. Suddenly, the narrowing box of unpredictability expanded and the world became more nuanced, more complex—and more full of possibility. The danger of maybe transformed into the power of maybe. Now a life coach and business consultant for major companies, artists, actors, writers, and more, she's also written a popular book The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times. A regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Huffington Post,

Mo Edjlali had it all—a degree from Virginia Tech, his own technology staffing firm, and a really nice car. Things were looking good as could be until the crash of 2008 came along and, suddenly, wiped away his business, his bank account, and most of his self-confidence. What emerged was a new perspective, which soon became the basis for a life more and more focused on mindfulness and meaning. Now the co-founder of Mindful Leader Inc., Mo co-produces the Mindful Leadership Summit in Washington DC each fall and is organizing other new events throughout the year. Hear all about his unusual path to this new life and the equally unusual bathtub mindfulness practice he had as a child.

If you watched TV at any point between 1995 and 2011, there's a good chance you saw Paul Gilmartin co-hosting the very entertaining cooking/comedy skits on the TBS show Dinner and a Movie. You may also have seen him performing on the shows Politically Incorrect and The Late Show With Craig Ferguson, as well as his own half-hour special Comedy Central Presents Paul Gilmartin. What you didn't see, however, is the deep pain that Paul was often hiding. Throughout an impressive career he has struggled with severe depression, which he still works to manage through medication, meditation, and a general regime of healthy living.  Gilmartin was so inspired by the art of overcoming depression, he wanted to let others know they're not alone and, hopefully, offer some paths to possible solutions. Since 2011, The Mental Illness Happy Hour has been one of the most popular podcasts—featuring artists, comedians, and an occasional medical professional. The show has been acclaimed by The Atlantic, Psychology Today, and The New

If you watched TV at any point between 1995 and 2011, there's a good chance you saw Paul Gilmartin co-hosting the very entertaining cooking/comedy skits on the TBS show Dinner and a Movie. You may also have seen him performing on the shows Politically Incorrect and The Late Show With Craig Ferguson, as well as his own half-hour special Comedy Central Presents Paul Gilmartin. What you didn't see, however, is the deep pain that Paul was often hiding. Throughout an impressive career he has struggled with severe depression, which he still works to manage through medication, meditation, and a general regime of healthy living.  Gilmartin was so inspired by the art of overcoming depression, he wanted to let others know they're not alone and, hopefully, offer some paths to possible solutions. Since 2011, The Mental Illness Happy Hour has been one of the most popular podcasts—featuring artists, comedians, and an occasional medical professional. The show has been acclaimed by The Atlantic, Psychology Today, and The New

Did you hit the gym today? Good! Our guest Rich Roll did as well, but he may have stayed a little longer... As one of the Top 25 fittest men in the world(!) according to Men's Fitness magazine, Rich does not do anything halfway. A former lawyer who changed his life after one fateful and frightening walk up the stairs, he has become a popular podcaster and a #1 bestselling author with Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself. Oh, and I guess we should mention that he once completed the Epic 5 Challenge—performing five ironman-distance triathlons on five Hawaiian islands in under one week. Hear how ultra endurance is inevitably linked to ultra focus and why Rich credits mindfulness for keeping him moving when it' may seem impossible.