The Mindful__

Oscar designed the Thinking Egg - the most successful mindfulness product on Kickstarter to date - as a way to remind himself to slow down and be more mindful. Now thousands of people around the world have the Thinking Egg in their pocket or home. In this episode, we cover the origins of his idea, the decisions he made about materials and getting his idea off the ground. Oscar shares his advice to anyone thinking about Kickstarter as a way to test and launch their mindfulness product idea and we trade thoughts on the state of mindfulness at work, and in schools.

Diana isn’t the kind of health and fitness coach that is going to give you tough love to push you to your limits. She believes in listening to her client’s needs, accommodating her coaching to suit their lifestyle and above all, she believes in mindfulness, harmony and that ‘consistency leads to change’.

During our discussion, Diana explores her story and her mindful movement philosophy with me. We cover the importance of awareness and proprioception in fitness, her journey through cancer and an autoimmune condition and how that led her to being more mindful, Diana shares how she stays mindful while building her business BodybeWell, also while raising three children, and cooking up nutritionally dense recipes to share with her community.

This woman is all heart and her journey is full of challenges, learnings, and little pearls of wisdom. In the coming months, you can expect to see some exclusive Mindful Movement content from Diana for The Mindful community.

Kai Exos is a writer, singer, musician, co-founder of music label VMP, Co-CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Isobar Canada, passionate space designer, and recently featured in The Financial Times on the Global Top Ethnic Role Models list. Canadian born, Kai has a truly global perspective, yet truly unique narrative. As you might expect, with such a diversely talented human, this conversation explores a lot of ground. Kai shares the inner workings of his mind, how writing grounds all of his work, the role of physical space in his creative process and, of course, music. At the end of our discussion, Kai generously gave us permission to include his stunning, latest track, Hold Out The Light. ENJOY!!

Colin Lieu goes by the moniker 'The Multitasking Yogi' and his mission is to help young people realize their potential. With the support of community, his work makes the tools for self-regulation more accessible to children, especially in under-served communities in New York City. His work allows his students to feel connected and confident in themselves in order to navigate their unique path. Our discussion explores the role of mindfulness in helping children to self-regulate their behaviour and articulate their feelings, the lessons Colin has learned from working with these children, his book and other ways he's empowering children to use mindfulness in their day-to-day as well as why he calls himself a multitasking yogi.

Natalie Warner is the co-founder and Creative Director of Greene Street Juice Co, an organic cold pressed juice company, conceived in New York City and then brought to life in Melbourne, Australia. For Nat, the NYC lifestyle was about so much more than the daily grind; she discovered how to work to live, not live to work. It was in NYC that Natalie followed her heart, which led her away from her career as a lawyer, towards a more mindful experience of enriching her mind and spirit and a journey of study in yoga and integrative nutrition. During our discussion, we explore all the layers of how mindfulness has played a role in this journey, and has seen her organic cold pressed elixirs in the hands of celebrities and shared all over Australia.

In this next episode, I am chatting with Ebenezer Bond. Ebenezer sold his agency, Invisible North, two years ago to pursue a diverse range of projects. He spends his work days consulting, advising and sometimes investing in AI, sexual wellness, mens emotional wellbeing, the experiential design community and more. We dive deepest into his work with EVRYMAN, an organization focused on bringing men together to exercise their emotions so they can lead more successful, fulfilling lives. Their goal is to support one million men over the next five years through a community of men deeply committed to emotional wellness.

Mindful Entrepreneur and co-founder of mindful writing app KYŌ, Marc Champagne, shares his perspectives on mindfulness at work, single-tasking and what he refers to as 'Mental Fitness'. I ask Marc about his views on the use of a phone and apps to stay mindful, how to minimize distractions and interruptions to a mindful practice. Together we explore how mindful writing can create a practice of awareness and intentional attention. We also delve into the role of mindfulness in entrepreneurship and fostering mindful teams.

Social entrepreneur, yogi and strategist, Nicole Cardoza, shares her perspective on teaching children the power of being present, approaching her social good ventures as a practice, breaking down the stigmas that surround mental health, and applying her knowledge of tech to the development of Yoga Foster, a national nonprofit that empowers educators with yoga for the classroom, and Mental Health League, an impact organization on a mission to get the world to rally around mental health.

Philip McDougall is a creative director from New Zealand, now creating and making in Silicon Valley at the tech and engineering giant, Google. During our discussion, Philip opens up about the life-changing experience that prompted him to turn to mindfulness, positivity and the cartoon form of his 8 year old self. He shares how this unlocked new methods for active listening, creativity and inspiration in his creative career.

Thinker, creator and maker, Matthew Knight shares his learnings from years as a hybrid strategist-creative and how he has given birth to scores of ideas that foster curiosity, community and creativity. Whether you're considering venturing out on your own, have a side hustle you'd like to breathe life into, or simply want to get the best work from your team, this conversation is rich with insight and practical advice.