I was reflecting on why I took up meditation a number of years ago—
and it sparked a deeper unpacking of the systems.
Because I didn’t start meditating for peace.
I started because I was unraveling.
Because the job got loud.
The boss got careless.
And my nervous system was the one paying the price.
We’re not meditating to become our best selves.
We’re meditating to survive the ones in charge.
We don’t find stillness in calm workplaces.
We find it in the wreckage—
after the meeting that blindsides us,
after the 10 p.m. Slack,
after the third week of pretending we’re fine.
We’re not chasing presence.
We’re chasing peace.
And we’re paying $12.99 a month to breathe
because no one at work pays attention.
This is what you call support now.
A Calm app in the benefits package.
That’s not a perk.
That’s a red flag with branding.
Most of us don’t discover mindfulness when things are fine.
We find it because leadership fails us.
Because we’re managing our managers
while doing our actual jobs.
Because we’re trying to stay intact
in a system that forgets we’re human.
Burnout doesn’t start with workload.
It starts with who we report to.
The boss who cancels one-on-ones.
The leader who’s great at tasks, terrible with people.
The manager who’s never trained, never held accountable,
and never should have been put in charge of anyone.
And instead of fixing that,
you build wellness programs.
You turn symptoms into strategy.
You offer us breathing exercises
while leaving the chaos untouched.
We don’t need that.
We need protection.
We need leadership that doesn’t confuse fear with respect.
That doesn’t ghost when it gets hard.
That doesn’t collapse under the weight of their own ego.
You want to support mental health?
Fix the pipeline.
Stop promoting by default.
Build real IC tracks.
Train people leaders like your business depends on it—because it does.
And hold them accountable—not just for output, but for how their team feels under their care.
The strongest wellness strategy isn’t a perk.
It’s competent, human leadership.
We still meditate.
But now it’s for clarity.
Not survival.
We’re not fragile.
We’re not “too sensitive.”
We’re awake.