We spend so much of our lives on the periphery. What matters most is at the center—and yet we get pulled away, time and time again.

This was a perpetual state for me for too long. I would get lost in life’s demands and obligations. I thought I was chasing the most important thing – success, achievement, image – but that was just my conditioning. 

So how do we come back? How do we not only wake up to the pursuits that pull us away, but also go deeper into what needs these pursuits pretend to fulfill?

For that to occur, we need both space and an understanding of the many patterns at work.

I was fortunate to quite literally find myself journeying next to a fellow explorer, Andrea Bendewald. She exudes both an aliveness and also a deeper centeredness you can sense in her gaze. And it’s no wonder, based on the past couple decades of her journey and the practice at the core of her work. 

And as I pictured stepping into this conversation with Drea, I could see our other sister, Alexis Pokorny Kahlow, who one could say has spent time traveling in similar circles!

In This Episode

Notable Quotes

Our Guests

Known originally as an actress, Andrea Bendewald is also a mindfulness coach, circle facilitator and founder of The Art of Circling, a spiritual practice based on ancient ritual that uses group mindfulness to empower individuals, strengthen communities and enhance productivity. Through sharing stories, deep listening and interconnected meditation, The Art of Circling heals and transforms lives. 

Alexis Pokorny Kahlow is a performance-based mindfulness expert, author and CEO of Open Deltas. Before launching her own company, Alexis spent over a decade as a top-performing corporate sales leader at Cisco, where she first introduced mindfulness to her own team. She is the author of a book called “Out of the Grind and Into the Flow” and currently works with Fortune 500 companies to provide corporate mindfulness training. 

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On This Walk