Robert Plotkin is an engineer, mindfulness practitioner, and the founder of Technology for Mindfulness. His professional journey in computer science and engineering spans more than three decades, beginning with his early experience programming an Atari 800 personal computer. He later earned a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and went on to serve for nearly twenty years as a patent attorney, specializing in intellectual property protection for computer-related innovations.

Robert’s engagement with Zen Buddhism is deeply influenced by over thirty years of dedicated study in Japanese martial arts. He is a graduate of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the Center for Mindfulness and maintains a regular mindfulness meditation practice.

His enduring interest in the intersection of computer technology and the human mind is exemplified in his book The Genie in the Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing is Revolutionizing Law and Business (Stanford University Press, 2009), which explores the automation of creativity within the realm of invention.

Company: Technology For Mindfulness

Website: www.TechnologyForMindfulness.com

Podcast: http://technologyformindfulness.com/podcast

Jack Kornfield

Joseph Goldstein, one of the first American vipassana teachers, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg

Also Nicholas G. Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

Mindfulness has transformed how I relate to my emotions, particularly through the stillness it cultivates.

While martial arts emphasize movement and action, sitting meditation has helped me face emotions more directly.

Through meditation, I’ve learned not only to notice my feelings but to accept them as they are, rather than trying to change or resist difficult emotions.

Breathing has always been central to my mindfulness practice, rooted in both martial arts and meditation.

In martial arts, breath is trained for power and stability, with a pragmatic goal of control and deepening.

In sitting meditation, I approach the breath differently—sometimes relaxing it when shallow, other times simply observing it without change.

Breath remains the foundation of life and practice, though I’ve learned that at times focusing on it can distract from fully experiencing difficult emotions.

Book: The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas G. Carr

App: N/A

Lea Bayles discovered her true calling in holistic wellness and personal transformation after overcoming a serious collapse of her immune system. Her professional path has since spanned diverse roles from mind-body therapist and yoga therapy program director to employee wellness coordinator and group facilitator for medical patients. She is driven by a passion for empowering others to thrive.

Today, Lea guides high performers and change-makers to lead from authenticity and vitality, helping them trade burnout and isolation for purpose, resilience, and joy. With a master’s degree in psychology and a rich background in education, dance, theater, and the healing arts, she brings both science and soul to her work.

An author, speaker, and creative catalyst, Lea wrote Take Back Your Life: Moving from Chronic Pain to Lifelong Healing and has shared her insights through countless articles, guided meditations, and spoken-word performances that inspire healing and wholeness.

Website: www.LeaBayles.com

Free Gifts for Mindful Tribe: www.LeaBayles.com/gifts

Joan Borysenko (Mindfulness author of A Woman's Book of Life)

I think mindfulness makes it much easier to have emotions and not get sidetracked by them or hijacked by them.

Mindfulness makes me realize that my emotions come and go and I don't need to be a victim of my emotions.

I realize I don't neet to push them down, and I don't need to be a victim of them.

Especially I think that self-criticalness was a part at one point that I would sometimes become a victim of.

Breathing may be the number one part of my mindfulness. It's so great because it's always with us and just one breath or even one part of a breath or noticing a breath can bring us right back to it.

My intention is to start noticing my breathing when I first wake up. I strive to be aware of my breath all through the day.

I love the practice of noticing and feeling the breath rather than trying to impose a perfect breath.

Book: Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh

App: Calm and Headspace for Kids

After experiencing bullying from a superior while co-teaching a mindfulness class, Lea Bayles realized how awareness can both heal and protect.

A sensory walk exercise during a mind-body conference helped her reconnect to calm and self-trust. She later recognized that mindfulness isn’t just restorative, it also reveals early warning signs of power abuse.

Mindfulness has helped Lea respond to situations with clarity, confidence, and compassion.

Todd Nelson has been a Naturopathic Doctor for over 35 years, helping people take charge of their health through practical, high-level self-care. He’s co-written three health books and contributed to eight more. Known for his down-to-earth approach, Todd’s a familiar face and voice in the wellness world — he’s spoken at countless events for both the public and health professionals, made hundreds of media appearances, and even hosted his own radio show. He’s also shared his expertise as a corporate wellness trainer.

Jacqueline Pirtle is a recognized authority on the study and practice of happiness. As the author of 365 Days of Happiness, she has guided hundreds of individuals in cultivating what she terms a “high-for-life” frequency—an elevated state of being that enables sustained happiness independent of circumstance.

Pirtle’s academic and professional background encompasses health, wellness, holistic medicine, energy healing, and the principles underlying the law of attraction. She holds internationally recognized degrees in wellness studies and is a certified Reiki Master. In addition to her scholarly and therapeutic endeavors, she is the founder of FreakyHealer.com, a platform devoted to the dissemination of holistic methodologies for achieving sustained well-being and happiness.

I was often bullied growing up as a redheaded girl in Europe, where red hair was still tied to old superstitions about witchcraft. The teasing left me isolated, with few friends and many lonely days.

Looking back, I realize that if mindfulness had been part of our lives and if we had understood that we are all connected, the cruelty might have softened. Those who bullied me were also hurting themselves. You can’t harm another without carrying that energy inside you.

Still, my journey shaped me. The bullying, the health challenges, and later, parenting teenagers who face their own struggles; all of it formed who I am today.

My experiences are the foundation of my work and the reason this book exists: to help others find healing through awareness and compassion.

Jim Fortin is recognized as a leading authority in the field of subconscious transformation. With more than twenty years of experience in brain-based transformation and high performance, he has built a reputation for helping professionals and entrepreneurs dramatically elevate both their sales and personal success.

Blending neuroscience, transformational psychology, and ancient wisdom, Jim has developed powerful programs that drive lasting, core-level change for his students. His work spans from Wall Street boardrooms to Main Street businesses, guiding everyone from Fortune 500 sales professionals to small business owners in achieving breakthrough results.

Over the course of his career, Jim has shared the stage with some of the world’s most influential figures, including Tony Robbins, Dr. Phil, George Foreman, and Robert Kiyosaki, alongside hundreds of other national experts. His mission is clear: to help people unlock their potential and transform their lives from the inside out.

JB Glossinger is the founder and host of The Morning Coach, a top-rated podcast with millions of downloads. A speaker, coach, and author with advanced degrees in business and metaphysics, JB blends academic insight with hard-earned life experience to deliver practical strategies for personal and professional growth. He is also the author of The Sacred Six: The Simple Step-by-Step Process for Focusing Your Attention and Recovering Your Dreams.

Website: www.MorningCoach.com

Podcast: Morning Coach

Eckhart Tolle (Author of The Power of Now)

Mindfulness has had a huge effect on how I deal with my emotions. I wish I could be more mindful.

I don't believe in emotional control. I believe in emotional command, which means you just understand it.

Viktor Frankl, who was in a concentration camp as a psychologist, said 'suffering stops being suffering when you understand it'.

Just focus on your breath. If you start to understand the fundamentals of meditation, then you can just focus on your breath.

Just concentrating on the breathing in and out is the most basic form of meditation that brings you mindfulness.

Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Book: The Sacred Six: The Simple Step By Step Process For Focusing Your Attention and Recovering Your Dreams by JB Glossinger

Book: A Course In Miracles by Helen Schucman

App: N/A

Ted Mui is an entrepreneur specializing in user-centered design and AI-driven experiences. As CEO of 925 Labs, he leads the launch of Nemu, an intelligent sleep companion app debuting at Web Summit Vancouver. Built for Gen Z and Millennials, Nemu blends sleep tracking, coaching, and cozy storytelling to transform rest into rewarding adventures. Unlike traditional trackers, Nemu generates personalized insights through AI, empowering users to build healthy sleep habits. Ted’s mission: turn sleep into a superpower for a wellness-focused generation.

Bryan Johnson (Don’t Die Movement)

I think that mindfulness comes with maturity and experience. In my early entrepreneurial days, or even when I was working in corporates, you feel competition, pressure, and that chip on your shoulder telling you that you have to prove something.

Now, at this stage in my career, I can look back and realize: that drive and motivation were nice, but was I motivated for the right reasons?

Mindfulness helps me take a more holistic view of my goals—and of how I can support others around me as well.

As someone deeply involved in sleep, I recognize how important breathing is. I’m fortunate not to have issues myself, but when I speak with people who have sleep apnea, asthma, or chronic breathing problems, it reminds me how much our health matters.

Poor breathing makes restful sleep difficult and disrupts a peaceful mindset. Those conversations make me feel grateful for my own healthy state while reinforcing the importance of caring for the body and appreciating the present moment.

In adolescence, many of us experience bullying—physical and mental. For me, the transition from elementary to high school was a shock: kids were bigger, peer pressure stronger, and friendships shifted under social subgroups.

Those moments stay with you; even decades later, I sometimes dream of old classmates.

Looking back, I realize bullies may regret their actions, shaped by family or upbringing. That’s why empathy is crucial—it should be taught early, with real exercises to help kids truly understand one another.

Book: Affective Computing by Rosalind Picard

App: Loona Sleep App

Vishal Desh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fennec AI, a platform designed to bridge the gap between personalized guest experiences and operational efficiency. With a strong passion for AI-driven solutions, Vishal is dedicated to helping hospitality and nightlife businesses deliver exceptional experiences while driving sustainable growth. His vision is to build a hyper-personalized, AI-powered operating system that empowers businesses to increase revenue and strengthen customer relationships.

I know that everything happens for a reason so I put my mind to the right things.

That helps me think through my mind and helps feed my emotions in given situations.

I have heard that good breathing exercises are very helpful. I personally have not practiced a lot of that.

I haven't been in the position of being bullied but I have seen situations where other people had that intent.

The key if you are being bullied is to not put your mind to it and don't focus on it.

Part of the problems comes when you give importance to it. If you give importance to the right things you will be in a better place.

Book: Your To-Die-For Life: How to Maximize Joy and Minimize Regret by Karen Salmansohn

App: Calm

Nadine Pember is the founder and Strategy Director at Simply Social Media. Storytelling is her passion. Simply Social Media is a small marketing agency in Vancouver, British Columbia working to help companies create compelling brands, then put that brand to work through a comprehensive content marketing strategy. 

I have moments where I feel I am maybe getting emotionally tied up into a situation.

I then take time to reflect on the bigger picture and let that go.

I let that person do what they need to do in that moment and then try to focus again on brand and aligned values and decide what my next step will be.

I have no professional experience in the area of breathing, but I personally do take a few moments to go sit down and breathe if I feel like I need it.

In my late 20s, I worked for an app development company as the director of business development, and it was wonderful.

I spent a lot of time on the road, attending conferences, mostly in the U.S. At the time, I was a young, and young-looking woman.

At those conferences I often encountered dismissive and sexist behavior. I learned how to navigate it, and as I grew more confident, I sometimes corrected it in the moment.

You pick and choose your moments to stand up for yourself.

Book: The Let Them Theory (New) A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About by Mel Robbins

Book: The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer 

App: n/a

Grounded In Now is the name of today's episode, a solo episode with Bruce. He explores five simple mindfulness practices that can help ease anxiety and bring more calm into daily life. Through body awareness, focused breathing, self-kindness, gratitude, and emotional balance, you’ll learn practical ways to quiet the mind and steady your emotions. Anxiety is part of being human, but it doesn’t have to control your life. Discover how mindfulness can shift your perspective, soften anxious thoughts, and help you feel more grounded in the present moment.

Anxiety often shows up in the body—tight shoulders, a clenched jaw, a knotted stomach. Mindfulness begins by noticing these signals. Once you identify where tension lives, breathe, soften that area, and let go. Even labeling it—“this is worry”—creates space, opening the door to calm.

Anxiety speeds up the body, pushing it into fight-or-flight. Focused breathing reverses this by signaling safety. Inhale deeply, pause, and exhale longer than you inhale. That slow release calms the nervous system, anchors you in the present, and gently reminds you: right now, you are safe.

Anxiety often grows louder with self-criticism. Instead of fueling it, practice compassion: tell yourself, “It’s okay. I’m human.” Replace harsh scripts with gentler ones, the way you’d encourage a friend. Kindness softens anxiety’s grip, creating space for healing and reminding you that imperfection doesn’t diminish your worth.

When anxiety pulls attention toward threats, gratitude shifts focus to what’s good. Naming simple joys—a warm drink, a kind word, fresh air—balances the mind. Gratitude doesn’t erase worry, but it widens perspective, grounding you in what’s steady and reminding you that even in difficulty, moments of light remain.

Anxiety can trigger impulsive reactions. Mindfulness helps create a pause. Ask: “Is this a real threat, or just perceived?” That pause restores choice. Instead of reacting from fear, you respond with clarity. This balance turns anxious energy into thoughtful action, helping you stay steady in uncertain moments.