October 16, 2023

Getting To Great; Madelaine Weiss

39 minutes

Madelaine Claire Weiss is a licensed psychotherapist and mindset expert who helps clients control their thoughts for a happier, more successful life. With a robust educational background from Harvard, she holds an MBA and is a Board-Certified Executive, Career, and Life Coach. She co-authored the “Handbook of Stressful Transitions Across the Lifespan” and authored “Getting to G.R.E.A.T: 5-Step Strategy for Work and Life…Based on Science and Stories.”

Throughout her career, Madelaine has had a diverse career, overseeing mental health practices and holding the role of a chief organizational development officer in the corporate world. Her journey led her to an associate director role at Harvard Medical School's Anatomical Gift Program. As a corporate trainer, Madelaine delivered programs to diverse organizations, including law firms, Harvard Medical School, Legal Services Corporation, and more. She's been a guest on numerous TV programs and podcasts, spreading her wisdom and contributing to various publications. Madelaine Weiss is a beacon of guidance for those striving to make the most of their lives.

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Contact Info

Website: https://www.MadelaineWeis.com

Book: Getting To G.R.E.A.T.: A 5-Step Strategy For Work and Life; Based on Science and Stories by Madelaine Weiss

Most Influential Person

Ellen Langer, Author

Jon Kabat Zinn

Effect on Emotions

You know, I am so even now that it scares me sometimes.

So if I cry at a movie, it's like, oh, thank God I can still cry. You know, because, it's (my emotions) evened out so much.

I'm also old. And I heard that that happens when you're old too. So I don't know how much of it is mindfulness, but I know that Sarah Lazar at Mass General has done studies on this kind of thickening in the brain that happens through meditation, which is kind of like a buffer.

So it doesn't mean that you don't know how you feel. It's just that it doesn't break through in a way that overwhelms you.To your question, I like to think that mindfulness helps, and it's not just that I'm old, but I'm not sure.

Thoughts on Breathing

I think that the 30-second mindset reset called polyvagal breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, power breathing, call it what you want, is just everybody's best friend forever.

When I talk about how we get primitive under stress.

When it's extreme, and I think it feels extreme to a lot of people right now, understandably, we go into fight-flight freeze and that's in the sympathetic nervous system.

So, just these 3 breaths that are taken in a very specific way.

Suggested Resources

Book: The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health by Ellen Langer

Book: How People Change by Allen Wheelis

App: n/a

Bullying Story

I used to believe that I was the one being bullied, without going into too much detail. The bullying came from different sources, which made it hard to understand.

But a few years ago, when I met up with some high school friends for lunch, something surprising happened. One of them pulled out a song I had written during my high school sorority days. They told me I had to write a mean song about someone, and when I saw it, I was horrified.

I wanted to believe it was made up, but it wasn't. I had written that song. I couldn't reconcile this unkind act with the kind person I considered myself to be.

It made me wonder how mindfulness could have helped. Children today are guided more than we were back then, and I hope such behavior would be recognized as wrong.

I wrote a blog post about rudeness this week, as it seems to be on the rise. While it's not a new problem, it's essential to encourage kindness and civility, as even ancient civilizations struggled with these issues.

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