Services

Workplace Training

How do we equip individuals and organizations to meet the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly complex and unpredictable world?

Mindfulness – a purposeful, clear and available quality of awareness that allows us to relate in more skillful, agile and innovative ways to whatever arises moment-to-moment. Mindfulness training strengthens the ability to be more fully aware of the nuances of the moment, rather than being driven by how things used to be or should be or you want them to be. The increased ability to manage attention allows for “real choice,” not the kind of automatic decision-making that comes from deeply ingrained and automatic habits. Add to this the stability and calm that flow from a regular mindfulness practice, and individuals and organizations are well-positioned for peak performance, optimal outcomes and sustainable well-being.

The Harvard Business Review article Mindfulness Can Literally Change Your Brain, concludes that: “Mindfulness should no longer be considered a “nice-to-have” for executives. It’s a “must-have”: a way to keep our brains healthy, to support self-regulation and effective decision-making capabilities, and to protect ourselves from toxic stress.”

Similarly, a National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being issued a report recommending mindfulness training as it can enhance a host of competencies related to effectiveness, including increased focus and concentration, working memory, critical cognitive skills, reduced burnout, and ethical and rational decision-making.

According to the World Health Organization, the average person spends 90,000 hours, 1/3 of their life, at work. Employers are thus uniquely positioned to both benefit from and provide the tools and strategies necessary for individual and organizational effectiveness and well-being.

It has been a little over two weeks since our mindfulness session and I wanted to share with you both how much of an impact the session has had on me and the people around me.

First and foremost, the session and presentation format were very well done. The activities while short were very effective. I have already used some of the very techniques we tried out in the session to much success while preparing for presentations.

I have also found the handout to have a tremendous amount of great information, in particular the “Mindful Meeting Practices.” I have shared this information with my peers and mentees which helped to spark meaningful discussions on how we can all benefit from adopting mindful practices. Thank you again,

Linda Valenti
Manager of Accounting Excellence
Gilbane Building Company

Learn more about our most researched and comprehensive workplace program:

The Power of Enhanced Awareness: Mindfulness Training and Practice in the Workplace

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Other frequently requested programs:

Introduction to Mindfulness: Cultivating Resilience, Focus and Well-Being
Finding Peace in a Frantic World – an 8-week evidence-based curriculum from the University of Oxford, UK Mindfulness Center
The Power of Mindful Communication
Mindfulness-Based Leadership
Mindful Meeting Practices
Preventing Errors and Unintentional Ethical Violations through Mindfulness
Navigating Uncertainty and Change Through the Practice of Mindfulness

Brenda works with organizations of all sizes including major corporations, small businesses, law firms and legal organizations, non-profits, government and educational institutions and offers a variety of formats from single session programs to weekly series and multi-day intensives. Training is provided both in person and online and includes a wealth of written, audio and online resources.

We are happy to provide you with detailed program descriptions upon request as well as a list of organizations that we have worked with.

That was fantastic! Everything I was hoping it would be.

Tim Gustavson
Wellness Manager | Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Thank you so much for a great series on mindfulness. I am relatively new to the practice of mindfulness. This series could not have come at a better time for me! Your teaching was genuine, informative and encouraging. I really appreciated you sharing a few of your own stories during the series. I have pages of notes to reinforce my learning now that the series has concluded. The four hours spent together will have a lasting impact on my mindfulness practice! You are an excellent practice leader. Thank you again for leading us through the material!

Allison
VP, Product Management, Fortune 500 Company

Speaking Engagements

Brenda is a widely-respected speaker on topics relating to mindfulness and workplace wellness. She has been invited to offer keynote addresses, meeting and conference presentations and sit on panels at a variety of events, both in person and online, by a variety of organizations including:

Mass Municipal Association Annual Meeting and Trade Show
National Association for Arts Agency Leaders Annual Meeting
National Association of Law Placement Annual Recruiting Conference
Chicago Bar Association
Association of Corporate Counsel
Worcester County Bar Association
International Practice Management Association
Northeastern University Law School – Women in Law Conference
International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists

Photo credit David Leifer

Brenda joined a panel of experts addressing “self-care” at the Northeastern University School of Law – 2019 Women in the Law Conference. She gave attendees practical strategies for taking care of their health and well-being and her remarks and materials were inspiring and very well-received. Additionally, she led a 8 week course on mindfulness at Northeastern Law for the Boston legal community that was incredibly well received and inspired the attendees to change their way of viewing stress. She’s down-to-earth, approachable, kind and thoughtful.

Mielle Marquis
Director of External Relations
Northeastern University School of Law

Public Programs

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) – Live Online, Center for Mindfulness at UMASS Memorial Healthcare.

I am not teaching a public MBSR this season but wonderful colleagues from the mindfulness centers at UMASS Memorial and the Brown School of Public Health offer courses every season.

More information is here on my website and on the website for the UMass Center for Mindfulness (where I generally teach MBSR) at the link below. Feel free to reach out if you have questions.

Time Zone Converter

Please check back each season for other program offerings

On November 2, 2023, I had the pleasure of watching Jon Kabat-Zinn speak at Grand Rounds at UMASS Memorial Medical Center about the 44 years of MBSR that began in the basement of that hospital in 1979. I am so honored to have learned from Jon and to be able to share his work with others.

What is MBSR?

Learn more about Mindfulness-Based Stress reduction (MBSR)

I began this Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course with a healthy dose of skepticism. I ended the course feeling very grateful for the tools it has given me for better navigating the small and large challenges in my life. I was relieved to discover that the course is both realistic and pragmatic: participants are exposed to a range of different “practices” and can select which ones are best-suited for their particular circumstances. I believe that this course will indeed reduce my stress – a remarkable result! Brenda is an outstanding MBSR teacher. She has deep expertise in the subject matter, and models what it is like to incorporate mindfulness practices into a hectic life in a way that is authentic and approachable. Our course meetings were organized, engaging, and productive. Brenda fostered a true sense of community among the participants, which was critical for the success of the course. She was gifted at truly listening to participants’ questions – and providing thoughtful answers to them. I am grateful to have had her as my MBSR instructor.

MBSR Participant (law school faculty member)