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“I took an extra breath and listened. I truly gave my colleague my full attention and listened to him. And I think it saved his sanity and mine.”
Tracy Lawrence is the founder of Chewse, an office catering startup based in fast-paced Los Angeles. She started mediating to add calm to the frantic entrepreneurial lifestyle. She told us about her meditation routine and how her practice has helped her be a better and happier CEO.
What is your meditation routine?
My routine changes a lot. I try to wake up with meditation. I go to my couch, cross-legged, plug in my app (Calm or Headspace), and do my best not to run through the work of the day. I try to give myself 2 minutes afterwards to sit back and examine how my head felt before and after the routine.
Why did you start meditating? What was your goal?
I started meditation because, frankly, I was stressed. Running a startup is hard! My life literally felt governed by the nerves in my body. I wanted to cut through the stress and still love my life.
How has meditation improved your performance?
Good question. I think it creeps into my life on a daily basis. I find that when I feel pressured to come to a decision or I put pressure on myself because I feel like I failed, I return to that headspace I’ve created through meditation. I can come back to it at almost any time. It’s remarkable.
