Episode 196: Amy Baglan is the Founder and CEO of MeetMindful, where she’s on a mission to evolve the online dating world. MeetMindful is one of the fastest growing dating and networking platforms in the world, and is connecting the 36 million singles interested in mindful living, meditation, health and wellness, sustainability, spirituality, and personal growth.

Amy started her own journey of mindful living after years of growing early stage startups in New York. She wanted to put that same ambition and drive inward towards herself so she quit her job, sold all her possessions, and bought a one-way ticket to travel through India, Thailand, Bali, and Cambodia for an entire year. She discovered the love of learning and finding new ways to expand her mind, body and spirit.

After returning to the US and having a difficult time finding other like-minded people, Amy launched MeetMindful in 2014 to help mindful singles meet people in their “tribe”, find true love, and offer an alternative to the superficial nature of today’s popular swipe dating apps.

Show notes:

• When I saw Amy Baglan's photo on the wall at Techstars in Boulder this past month
• Amy's history of interning with startups and working in sales, customer service and business development
• How Amy found herself in love with building something from nothing
• How her initial desire to connect with something greater led her to a Gabby Bernstein lecture where she met a sober runner named Courtney. ("and the rest was history!" so they say)
• Finding meditation, a nutrition program, yoga and mindful friends
• Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Work Week (and the profound impact it has on so many people)
• When she sold all of her belongings and headed off to India/Asia with the goal of "self-exploration"
• Yoga Dates- a Meetup group Amy started in order to change the separateness of yoga and transform it into a dating experience 
• Yoga and AcroYoga isn't only about the practice-- it's about the connection you create during the practice (both with yourself but also with others)
• The true pillar of Meet Mindful is bringing people together who have a deep value they can bring into a relationship
• How the pattern of breaking up with someone because "they don't have this one super important passion" (fill in the blank: is a yogi, rock climbs, has a bigger family, etc) can often be an excuse for not wanting to be vulnerable and loved by another-- and having a way out of it.
• How the abundance of dating options can influence us to bounce from one relationship to the next
• Qualities you want in your partner should not be surface level things-- they are deep but yet still allow room for different forms of expression.
• "There's always going to be work to do no matter who you're with. It's up to you do decide who you're going to do the work with."
• How to know when you're "enjoying" doing the work in a relationship (rather than being addicted to the relationship and being hooked on doing the work)
• The three types of attachment styles and how you know when you're in a secure relationship
• Must-read book: The Alchemist and Come as You Are 

Connect with Amy:

• MeetMindful Website
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook

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