Karen Doyle Grossman has observed firsthand the impact leaders can have on the people they are serving, for better or for worse. She has traveled to 45 countries and has seen all sorts of leaders operating in different organizations and in many different contexts. Some were wise and courageous, while others made their employees miserable, stressed, or anxious. She could see how important it was for leaders to be whole from the inside out.

These observations formed the perspective from which she developed Meditative, a company that educates leaders in meditation, mindfulness, and embracing reality, based on practices she learned in over 15 years as an initiate of the Himalayan Tradition, a meditative lineage originating in the Himalayas of India.

Karen first got the idea for this work on a weeklong silent retreat where she was inspired to dream up what, two years later, would become Meditative.

“One morning while on the retreat, the name ‘Meditative’ came to me and I drew this diagram of the company,” Karen says. “As time went on, I felt very compelled to start this company even though it was not at all the practical thing to do.”

The effect of these practices on leaders—and by extension, their organizations—has been profound.

“I have seen people reveal hidden parts of themselves that are so incredible and magical!” Karen tells us. “Human beings have so much more potential than our culture permits us to show. So seeing people acknowledge and appreciate some of their deepest gifts and figure out how to integrate those gifts into their lives of professional and personal success has been amazing.”

Over the past year, Karen developed Meditative Leadership, a cohort that leads others to become intimately familiar with the limitless space that exists beyond one’s body, beyond one’s mind, and beyond each of one’s thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Karen says, “My highest vision is that there are more leaders who develop this wisdom within and apply this wisdom to different facets of life.”

Mindfulness and embracing reality in this way goes way beyond creating a more supportive workplace, though.

“I ultimately want to help others fall in love with nature and reality so that they can appreciate the magic and mystery in their lives, which sometimes comes in the form of hardship, isolation, struggle, or oppression and other times comes in the form of beauty, wonder, connection, or freedom. I have found that when things are really hard, the best and healthiest route is to look at reality squarely in the face and try to be brave. And if that isn’t possible, to try to be honest.”

Collaboration With Team MG

While Karen felt strong in her purpose with Meditative, she realized she felt alone. After all, entrepreneurship can be a lonely endeavor!

That’s part of the reason why Karen sought a partnership with Team MG! “Working with you and your team made me feel like I had kindred spirits who also cared about what I was trying to put out into the world. You and your associates are so positive and competent!”

Our work together provided Karen with a space to talk out some of her business struggles and to keep her on course when she felt unmotivated. We also discovered ways to balance the need to offer professional services that are at a standard of excellence appropriate for the business world while staying true to her foundational values.

It’s been a beautiful blend of deep values work and practical content creation and messaging. Overall, it’s added up to help Karen feel more confident in her vision.

“Maggie gets what I am trying to do at a deep level. I have learned some important lessons about marketing and content creation, and I have learned, most of all, that having an invested sounding board and partner is a marvelous gift! I’m incredibly proud of the content that has been created as a result of our partnership. It is true to who I am and what I want to give.”

Embracing the Magic

Karen’s work and philosophy are so necessary in our noisy, chaotic world. It’s been an absolute pleasure to collaborate with her and soak up her knowledge!

“I really believe that there is so much beauty and joy at the core of all of us. It takes some real work and dedication to access it on a regular basis or even at all, but it is probably the most worthwhile endeavor of our lives.”

If you’d like to learn more about Karen and her amazing work, enjoy her blog and sign up for her newsletter at Meditative.io and connect with her on LinkedIn!

“I love to hear about what others are doing in this space,” says Karen. “Please reach out for a conversation or brainstorm about how we can all help bring a little more wisdom into the world.”