In a world where the churn and change never seems to stop, what if there was a way to better buttress and better ourselves and our teams against the worst of it? What if it was as simple as breathing? We sit down with Tess Collard, founder of Chapter Two Meditation and co-founder of Eleven Eleven Talent Collective, to take a deep breath or two and explore how the superpowers of mindfulness are making major strides in business thanks to both the burgeoning science—and the indisputable results.

Key Takeaways:

• Meditation has long been embraced by top athletes and leaders as a means of mastering their performance, but has also garnered significant scientific backing in recent years;
• Contrary to misconception, meditation can take many forms, little time and relies on a tool we all already possess—breathing;
• Progressive organizations are putting meditative practices to improve multiple bottom lines, while creating workplaces environments that tomorrow’s talent is looking for today.

Instead of just getting on with her life, Tess found her life and business, changing very much for the better.

“What I didn’t anticipate or expect is that when I reflected back after the first year of meditation, it helped me get through a hard time and it simultaneously unlocked my next level of performance for me in all areas of my life,” said Tess. “My parenting became so much better. My relationship with my ex-husband, who is my co-parent now, is one of the healthiest and most joyful relationships I have in my life. My business, Eleven Eleven Talent, grew six times in revenue that year. I just started to see all of these links and the one thing that had changed is that I had started this mindfulness practice. It impacted my leadership and personal relationships in a really profound way.”

Curious as to how her experience might carry over for others, Tess pursued certification, became a teacher and got to work on bringing meditation to the workplace.

Chapter Two was born and Tess has been breathing fresh life into businesses ever since.

Bringing Meditation Down to Earth for Business

“I didn’t want to teach meditation with all the sound bowls, gongs and candles, but in a really practical way. So the teaching that I do really focuses on the science of meditation. Science has lent a lot of credibility to the field of meditation and there is a big opening in corporations and businesses for this type of learning,” said Tess.

Fast forward seven-plus years and Tess is as sought after for her mindful ways as for her global recruiting practice. Moreover, she has found a bridge between the two buoyed by ever growing bodies of research and the lived experience of her corporate clientele.

“Meditation is not about love and light. It’s not about turning a negative into a positive. It’s about being with what is,” said Tess. “When I teach meditation in business, it is less about this grand event that has to happen in the perfect environment, and more about how can we meditate at our desks? What are some breathing techniques we can bring into play between meetings? How can we calm our nervous system before we get on a sales call?”

Making the Most of Micro-Moments

“These tools are really tangible, practical and short,” said Tess. “Why? Because if we do this regularly, we are priming our systems and our brains to perform at a higher level. My practices are all about thinking about meditation in terms of these micro-moments of rest and recovery versus this grand event.”

Whether approached as a proactive practice or a remedying boost, Tess notes, the benefits of meditation have not only made their way into scientific journals, but into the minds of leaders across industry.

“What I am seeing in my corporate workshops is that because we now have the science to lean on, the more progressive companies are having me in,” said Tess. “I was at KPMG during tax time, a time when they want everyone working at their desks around the clock, so that shows the value right there. They pulled everybody out for a 45-minute workshop because they understand that productivity, efficiency and accuracy are going to go through the roof afterwards.”

Working through a variety of workshops with the Earls Restaurant Group, particularly the back-of-house, has yielded similarly quantifiable results. “Times go down to get meals to table, the plates are going to be more accurate with fewer mistakes, the experience is improved—those are the findings and impacts on the business that are real and tangible for them,” said Tess. “I think everyone can get behind that.”

That said, the impact goes beyond improved efficiencies to address an underlying concern for many employees and every employer.

Making a Practice of Mental Health

“We know meditation has an impact on performance, but also on people’s mental health, which right now is top of mind for many who are asking, ‘What are you doing for my mental health in the workplace?’ And the company better have a good answer or they are not going to attract the best talent,” said Tess. “For the first time, we are having GenZ enter the workforce in droves and within five years they are going to account for 30 per cent of the workforce. They are demanding support for their mental health at work.”

That challenge to mental health, Tess notes, is one that not only impacts every generation, but has become increasingly recognized as the divide between life and work diminishes in a post-pandemic, hybrid world.

“We’re reporting more people than ever going to work with stress, depression, anxiety, mental illnesses and real concerns in their lives. These are things that we are start to see when we look at our employees like human beings,” said Tess. “There is no stop and start to who they are when they come into work and we’re now recognizing work/life is one holistic experience now. So we now ask, ‘How do we create the conditions for everyone to thrive, win and perform?’"

For Tess and those she teaches, those conditions are created one breath at a time.

“It comes down to taking these pauses in our day to connect with our breath to calm our nervous systems to get out of fight or flight and into rest and digest—and when we are there we can perform at our best,” said Tess. “That is why top CEOs and athletes all have meditation practices and they all have them as these micro-moments where they’re just learning breathing techniques to support their systems.”

Time Not Primary Obstacle—We Are

This focus on micro-moments, Tess notes, helps do away with the number one perceived obstacle to meditative practice—time. However, It also brings us face-to-face with a far more pervasive obstacle—our busy minds.

“Time, of course, is the biggest constraint and obstacle, but another is the fact that we have never been taught how to be alone with our own thoughts—how to be still. We’ve been brought up in a world where it’s ‘Go-go-go, be busy, achieve-achieve-achieve, don’t stop for a minute and be alone with yourself,’” said Tess. “That can be really scary and confronting, but it’s a superpower, the unlock we’ve all been searching for. How do we stop looking for validation outside ourselves, turn within and say, ‘Everything I need is actually right here?’ We’re helping rewire ourselves.”

As for those who still choose to eschew the practice on principle alone, Tess encourages a quick dive into the science, and to find a practice that works for you.

“There is also still this misconception of meditation as something out there or woo-woo, but now we have the science to show this is just as integral to our health as going to the gym. We have all this research and evidence that show mental fitness is one of the key pillars,” said Tess. “And at the end of the day, what is success? It’s hitting your goals and wellbeing, right? It’s about feeling good, being able to sleep at night, being able to spend time with your family. These are everybody’s big complaints in life when they are burnt out, but meditation gives us that sense of wellbeing.”

Most Wanted: Mindful Leaders

Moreover, that sense of wellbeing has a scientific basis that has come to redefine the definition and potential of leadership across industries, Tess notes, as more than ever EQ is at the top of the priority list when hunting for leaders under her Eleven Eleven Talent Collective hat.

“The game has changed for leaders. Now the calmest person in the room wins. The calmest person has all of the power. On my global recruitment side, the number one leadership trait that top companies are looking for are high levels of EQ—and that has never been a requirement before,” said Tess. “Meditation brings a high uptake in EQ. It’s really about enhancing those parts of the brain that enhance cognitive decision making, better stress management, increased focus and productivity.”

“When we’re learning how to breath, using our breathing techniques and practicing mindfulness, we see this complete enhancement and uptake in emotional intelligence,” said Tess. “We’re also helping create a psychologically-safe environment where people can work well together, toward the same mission and vision without the triggers, stress and crazy outbursts.”

Perhaps most importantly, meditation puts the power of change in our hands—once we get our head around it.

“Meditation is really up to you. I think that sense of accountability has been missing in a lot of the programs that we do as HR professionals for employees, where it can feel like, “here, we’re giving you everything you need.’ Meditation requires them to actually picks those tools up to use on themselves.”

The most important tool of all, Tess notes, is one we can begin mastering immediately.

Mastering the Diaphragmatic Breath

“I always teach the diaphragmatic breath because it’s a great tool. It’s something that fits between meetings to reset, refocus and re-energize. It’s something I use if I know I am getting on to a call where I am going to have a difficult conversation with somebody. I would use it if I was about to pitch my business, so I can be in a really calm, relaxed state to access all the information I need. I recommend it to people when they are interviewing for a job or any high stress scenario because it’s a really great way to get your system into a state of calm and performance.”

Here are Tess’ three basic steps to get started with diaphragmatic breathing

1. The mechanics of it involve breathing into your lower diaphragm. You start by just putting your hand on your lower belly—that’s your diaphragm—and inhaling through your nose.
2. As you inhale through your nose, you are going to expand your diaphragm and breath into that lower belly and hold for three counts; and
3. Then you are going to exhale through your nose and as you exhale your belly contracts towards your spine. (A key thing to note is that it’s the elongation of the exhalation that’s allowing our body to shift. This is what allows us to access that state of calm.)”

“That style of breathing, if you were to repeat it for a number of minutes, is the only way science tells us that we can shift from our fight or flight stress response into our rest and digest performance response,” said Tess. “This is the only way—through our breath and this style of deep, belly breathing.”

A Mindful Step Towards Better Business

As for those still unconvinced that something so simple can change so much, Tess leaves the ROI and door open.

“What I can tell you is that new actions bring new results and that is where most people are stuck in their lives, business or leadership—just giving the same automatic responses,” said Tess. “There are very tangible benefits—decreased stress, anxiety and depression and an increase in productivity, sales and efficiency. With fewer mistakes in the business, there is some real hard data here that supports that this is an area to invest in.”

And as for those who just can’t sit still, that’s fine too—just make sure to breathe.

“Meditation doesn’t have to look a particular way. This is for people who find it really hard to be still too. Go for a tech-free walk around the block of your office or your home—wherever you are—and do your breathing practice while you are walking. That is absolutely okay,” said Tess. “As long as you are doing it with your breath, you are doing it right.”