Kat is joined by Seema Menon, who shares her journey from being a ‘constantly on’ sales director to discovering the transformative power of mindfulness and balance. She discusses her experiences leading at Sony Pictures and completing marathons, challenging the "busy culture" mindset while offering practical ideas for sustainable high performance. This episode also features surprising statistics about productivity and includes a compelling discussion on why the simplest solutions are often the most effective.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Rather than making life easier, technology has created a "scarcity mindset" where we feel compelled to work harder and achieve more, leading to chronic stress and burnout.
- Small, sustainable changes like five minute meditation breaks or mindful walking can have more impact than dramatic lifestyle overhauls, making them more likely to stick and create lasting positive change.
- The cost of burnout extends far beyond work performance, affecting relationships, health, and finances, with some people taking years to recover from severe burnout.
- Businesses are seeing more silent resignations and decreased efficiency due to the "always on" culture, particularly in hybrid work environments where boundaries between work and personal life have blurred.
- Intentional congruence - combining activities like walking meetings, can help integrate mindfulness into busy schedules without feeling like it’s wasted time.
- Morning routines incorporating exercise or mindfulness can boost workplace productivity by up to 72%, while quality sleep can increase productivity by 29%.
- Seema's practice of mindfulness made her more aware of others' challenges, transforming her leadership style to become more empathetic and supportive of team members.
BEST MOMENTS
"Nobody's going to say that I wish I did that extra one hour of work and got that additional deal for that organisation. It would always be regret about not having spent enough time with their children."
"Every time you look at the clock, bring a smile to your face, you're alive and kicking."
"We get so caught up in this trap of work and careers... What are your children going to remember? What are your partners, your family, your friends going to remember?”
"You don't have to always be the Iron Man or the superwoman... just be yourself and just be kind."
ABOUT THE GUEST
Seema has over 19 years diverse experience in Broadcast Media and Entertainment predominantly in Advertising Sales. Her previous role as Region Head of Sales, Sony Pictures Network entailed leading teams across multiple geographies with revenue generation responsibilities.
Seema has had a stint in technology (Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning) at SparkBeyond, UK, an AI scale-up, as Impact Strategist (EMEA). At present, she pursues her entrepreneurial venture as a Coach, Mentor and Keynote Speaker, conducting various Apperceptive programs with Headstride Ltd. Seema remains immersed in her Leadership roles at Toastmasters International, as a Mentor at The Prince's Trust and at CSO UK as a Steering Committee Member.
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ABOUT THE HOST
Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.
She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.
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