008. Mindfulness: The Master Key - Kim Nicol

In this week, I interview the amazing Kim Nicol who is known in San Francisco for bringing meditation and mindfulness to fast-growing tech start-ups, hacker houses, attorneys, and Fortune 500 executives. A former lawyer, Kim’s practical approach and calming presence have made her a favorite among analytical thinkers. I first met Kim almost five years when she invited a group of us to a meditation session. Kim was probably one of the first people to introduce meditation and mindfulness to me. I remember after the session feeling so powerful, expansive, and clear-headed. Kim explained to the group the science and benefits of mindfulness training, and then left the group with a profound question: “if you all feel this amazing right now and you understand all the benefits from mindfulness training, then why aren’t you doing it everyday?”

I heard her say this and I myself couldn’t answer the question. My answer or excuse was, “I don’t have time,” or “I don’t want to make the time.” And the truth of the matter, was sitting in silence and being “mindful” was difficult for me. I remember hearing Russel Simmons, the CEO of Def Jam records at one time, say that if you can’t sit and practice mindfulness training for 20 minutes, then you should be doing it for two hours.