by Dr. Chris Johnson | May 1, 2026 | Mindfulness, Practice, Purpose, Resilience
At the tail end of our Grand Canyon trip, we were at Dick’s Last Resort for breakfast in Las Vegas. If you know the Chicago location of this restaurant chain, you know the vibe: irreverent, a little zany, servers who roast you with a wink and a smile. I was...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Apr 1, 2026 | Embodied Leadership, Learning, Mindfulness, Practice
A few months ago I set out to listen. Not to gather data in the research sense, not to build a case for anything in particular, but to listen to what the leaders I respect most are carrying right now. I reached out to twenty-two of them. Founders, CEOs, executive...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Mar 1, 2026 | Mindfulness, Practice, Resilience
We’ve been told, in a thousand professional settings, to keep our emotions out of it. Logic and facts matter. Feelings are messy, unprofessional even, the stuff of weakness. This past weekend proved otherwise. This past weekend’s event, Soul Speaks, challenged this...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Feb 1, 2026 | Consciousness, Embodied Leadership, Learning, Mindfulness, Purpose
One. One moment – a pause, one task, one initiative, one conversation, one breath. I do this exercise at the end of every year: listening deeply to what will emerge to guide me in the year ahead. This year, ONE was a resounding, in-your-face obvious choice....
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Jan 1, 2026 | Mindfulness, Practice, Purpose, Resilience
Here’s a question that’s been sitting with me: How do we stay centered when we don’t know what’s coming next? Not in a doomsday way. Just in the regular way that life keeps delivering surprises we didn’t plan for. Changes we can’t...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Dec 1, 2025 | Learning, Mindfulness, Practice, Resilience
When was the last time you witnessed an ordinary act of kindness? One that touched you so deeply you felt a little verklempt, maybe even surprised. With life moving faster these days, coupled with all the familiar holiday expectations, it’s easy to skip right over our...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Nov 1, 2025 | Consciousness, Embodied Leadership, Mindfulness
When discomfort speaks, leaders need to listen. A couple of weeks ago, a client in mid-life – a seasoned entrepreneur – came feeling upset to her session with me. Patty (alias) just read my latest newsletter, where I noted the presence of a slow seep of...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Oct 1, 2025 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Practice, Resilience
We’re drowning in awful news. And yes, objectively challenging things are happening—skyrocketing prices, daily gun violence, the dismantling of institutions that support our health and humanity. The uncertainties of life are on display in bold relief all around...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Sep 1, 2025 | Embodied Leadership, Mindfulness, Practice
As I sit here this morning, I feel the slight breeze across my calves, hear a wailing dog in the alley, and what sounds like a river running—though I know it’s the Eisenhower traffic. There’s also an achy twinge of dullness around my knee that’s got my...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Aug 1, 2025 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Practice, Purpose
I spotted a familiar face from my exit row seat. It was my dear friend, Sally, a fellow traveler in this messy business of being human. What a sweet surprise to be on the same flight of a long-overdue reunion with our friend, Nancy, who lives in the mountains and...