Mindfulness + Executive Coaching = Sustained Resilience
5 Ways in which Executive Coaching Integrated with Mindfulness Can Support Resilience
Let’s begin with a powerful Native American parable:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
This parable beautifully illustrates the internal struggle we all face between negative and positive emotions and thoughts. It highlights the importance of mindfulness in choosing which "wolf" we nurture.
What is Mindfulness?
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, the pioneer of world-famous, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Programmes, mindfulness is "paying attention to the here and now – to your own thoughts and feelings, and the world around you. It is a conscious effort to be with whatever is going on right now without judgment or criticism of what you find
With consistent practice, mindfulness empowers us to recognize our thoughts and feelings as they arise, enabling us to choose which ones to act upon and which to release.
How Executive Coaching Supports Mindfulness & Resilience
A coaching session with an effective Executive Coach provides a safe space to become aware of our internal "wolves" – the patterns that hinder us and those that empower us. Here are five ways executive coaching can enhance mindfulness and resilience:
Greater Self-Awareness
Through coaching, we identify habitual thought patterns that are unhelpful, such as self-doubt and people-pleasing tendencies. Recognizing these patterns helps us avoid the familiar rabbit holes we tend to fall into when our sense of self is threatened.
Reduced Reactivity
Mindfulness helps create a space between stimulus and response. This means when our buttons are pressed during stressful day-to-day moments, rather than being totally caught up and reacting, we respond with flexibility and grace. Often in the coaching space, we start becoming more aware of how these negative tendencies are not serving us. Coaching supports us to pause, reflect, step back and choose our responses consciously rather than react impulsively in the future.
Increased Self-Compassion
This increased sense of space that lends to moment-to-moment awareness helps us become attuned to signs from our bodies. Most of the time, most of us are very much in our heads (or on our phones), and we don’t notice that our bodies are always sending us signals and messages. This heightened self-awareness allows us to ask, "What do I need now?" and respond kindly to our mental and physical agitation. As a mindfulness teacher and coach, I teach clients to learn to treat themselves with the same kindness and compassion that they would extend to others. Imagine how this simple shift can impact your ability to relate to difficult experiences and ultimately resilience!
Increased agency aligned to one’s truth
Coaching at a transformational level empowers us to take control of our thoughts and actions. By understanding of our internal dynamics, we can make intentional choices that align with our values and goals, leading to a more fulfilling and expansive life. Often, I experience clients who have had great outward success in their lives but still feel empty. It’s often because they have listened to all kinds of outside messages (parents, peers, society) rather than getting quiet and honing into what their internal GPS desires and their truth.
Authentic leadership leads to resilient teams.
A growing body of research demonstrates that integrating coaching with mindfulness practices significantly enhances core leadership skills. Effective leaders are distinguished by qualities such as emotional intelligence, resilience, and strong listening and questioning abilities. Cultivating these leadership traits fosters psychologically safe work environments, which in turn promotes loyalty, creativity, and trust. Mindfulness and coaching together create opportunities for leaders to develop and embody these qualities, not only to lead authentically in the workplace.
None of these benefits are mutually exclusive. Together, they build a foundation for a resilient and mindful approach to personal and professional challenges.
Rabiya McKeverne is Executive Coach, Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Teacher and Founder of Spring Coaching & Training.
She is passionate about supporting individuals showing up as the best versions of themselves so that they in turn can show up for what’s important to them.
With decades of embodied mindfulness practice, she not only help navigate complex personal and professional issues, she also provides you with practical skills in moments of distress. Her compassionate nature and extensive theoretical knowledge make her true guide towards peace and transformation.