Mindful Leadership: Why Your Nervous System Is Shaping Your Team’s Performance

In this Impactful Teamwork episode, Julia Felton talks with neuroscience-based mindfulness expert Kelly Corbett about the inner game of leadership and how mindfulness improves presence, connection, creativity, and decision-making.Kelly explains “beginner’s mind” as approaching meetings without labels or fixed assumptions, and shares evidence that mindfulness/meditation strengthens the prefrontal cortex and executive function.She describes how reframing problems can unlock innovation, including a company that replaced harmful chemicals with water by rethinking industry standards. Practical tactics include mindful breathing—especially the “cyclic sigh” technique—to calm the nervous system, plus walking meditation and time in nature (shinrin-yoku/forest bathing) to reduce cortisol and boost natural killer cells.They discuss leader “entrainment,” gratitude practices, and how Aetna saw reduced healthcare costs and improved retention from meditation programs, with resources available at kellycorbett.com.00:45 Meet Kelly Corbett02:53 Mindfulness and Beginners Mind04:30 Science and Creativity Wins07:07 Leading With Openness09:36 Breathwork for Calm10:49 Cyclic Sigh Demo14:33 Walking Meditation Nature17:37 Gratitude and Daily Anchors19:39 Loving Kindness Practice23:51 Leader Entrainment Ripple26:55 Mindfulness ROI at Work29:11 Resources and ContactYou can connect with Kelly here.Connect with Julia:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramTake the IMPACTFUL Teamwork Quiz to assess your team's communication, creativity culture, goal clarity, and conflict resolution skills!Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on Spotify