What happens when you stop doing, and start listening?

In this episode, Emily Paulsen sits down with meditation teacher and former tech sales executive Nadene Cherry to explore what presence actually looks like in a high-achieving world. Nadene spent years climbing the corporate ladder before a personal crisis reshaped how she approached success, purpose, and the pace of her life. Now, she teaches meditation and emotional intelligence practices to companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, and PwC.

Together, Emily and Nadene unpack the often-overlooked connection between mindfulness and performance, from navigating pressure and burnout to building deeper relationships through compassion and clarity. Nadene also walks listeners through a simple, grounding meditation and shares the three guiding pillars of her work: calmness, compassion, and connection.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, not to disconnect, but to return to yourself with more attention, more curiosity, and more capacity to show up.

Key Takeaways:

• Calm is not a luxury: Learning to regulate your nervous system is a foundational skill, not a bonus.

• Small moments matter: Micro-practices like breath awareness and grounding can change the tone of your entire day.

• Compassion builds resilience: Extending kindness to yourself creates more room for growth and connection.

• Slowing down can sharpen focus: Presence isn’t about doing less, it’s about doing with intention.

• Success and stillness can coexist: You don’t have to choose between achievement and inner peace.

Host Emily Paulsen is an accomplished entrepreneur and happily childfree woman shining a light on the often overshadowed childfree-by-choice perspective. Whether interviewing innovative experts or positioning leaders to scale through her Brand Studio, Electric Collab, Emily’s power lies in allowing people to feel seen and celebrated for who they are. She’s spent years honing the ability to deeply understand and amplify others in an honest, high-impact way.

Learn more about Emily at: www.curiouslifeofachildfreewoman.com

Connect on Instagram: @curiouslifeofachildfreewoman

Join the Curious Life Club on Substack @curiouslifeofachildfreewoman

The guest on this episode, Nadene Cherry, is a meditation teacher, executive coach, and former top-performing tech sales leader. Through her corporate mindfulness work, Nadene supports leaders and teams in high-pressure environments to reconnect with calm, compassion, and authentic presence. She offers practical tools to build self-awareness, emotional resilience, and real connection, personally and professionally.

Join her free 12 Days of Connection: nadenecherry.com/12-days-of-connection

Sign up for her Monday Mantra emails: mailchi.mp/e781c25f894a/monday-mantra-email-sign-up

Connect on Instagram: @nadenecherry

And explore more at nadenecherry.com

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This episode is sponsored by Pearlvest Capital.

Founded by financial advisor Nicole Meihofer, Pearlvest Capital helps you align your money with your values and design a life that fits you, not anyone else’s expectations. Access her free private podcast series for Curious Life listeners at pearlvest.com/insider.

Nicole Meihofer is an investment professional registered at IHT Wealth, LLC a registered investment advisor with the SEC. IHT Wealth management may only transact business in states it is registered or qualified for an exemption or exclusion from registration.