We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dorsey Standish a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dorsey, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I stumbled across my purpose unexpectedly in a corporate conference room, where I was leading a volunteer mindfulness workshop for the my company’s Women’s Initiative.
The year prior I had started a daily mindfulness practice of just a few minutes a day to help me overcome a stress-induced burnout and mental health crisis. What had originally felt like a curse, having to take several months off of work to recover mentally and physically, turned into the greatest blessing. My short daily mindfulness practices help me to improve focus, reduce reactivity, and overall feel more balanced and grounded despite the stressors of everyday life.
Because of my own experience with mindfulness, I was eager to share it with others who might benefit, even though I had never done so before. I used my technical presentation skills to put together a PowerPoint that included definitions of mindfulness and my favorite apps. I even led a short five minute meditation for the group at the end of the workshop.
That hour in a conference room ended up being my first experience of flow state, where I lost track of time and found a heightened level of joy sharing the practices that had changed my life. I will never forget the shocked looks on the attendees’ faces when I asked them to put their phones in a basket for an hour and be fully present, and then the shift to greater relaxation after the short practice I guided.
After that experience, I knew that sharing mindfulness and wellness with other stressed out corporate employees was my purpose. I quit my corporate job a week later (without a plan, which I do not recommend). It took me a little while to figure out the how, and to go back to school to study neuroscience and mindfulness-based stress reduction, but now I have my dream job of sharing mindfulness, brain health, and wellness strategies with corporate clients all over the world through my company Mastermind.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a recovering perfectionist and Type A engineer. Eight years ago while working in the corporate world I had a burnout and mental health crisis that forced me to pause and prioritize myself and my health. Through my own wellness journey and extensive neuroscience research, I’ve learned that taking time for wellness isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity that ensures brain health, longevity, meaningful relationships, and sustainable workplace performance.
Today, through my neuroscience-based wellness company Mastermind, I work with organizations and individuals to help them better understand their own brains and apply simple habits and practices to reduce stress and cultivate resilient well-being. We love partnering with forward-thinking organizations to offer services like workplace wellness snapshots, stress management strategy consulting, and ongoing wellness sessions and resources. We combine neuroscience learning, relatable storytelling, and transformative mindset practices to elucidate topics like “Mindful Digital Detox” and “Finding Work-Life Balance.” Our signature recurring 20-30-minute brain health sessions have been shown to lower attendee self-reported stress levels by an average of 27%!
In addition to working with organizations, we also support individuals through our popular courses like Mindfulness for Brain Health, Neuroscience-Based Stress Management, and Mindfulness Facilitator Certification. We are on a mission to grow a happier, healthier, more compassionate world, and we hope you’ll join us!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
There are so many lucky coincidences and unique life circumstances that have contributed to my journey. If I had to choose three skills that have made the most impact, I would attribute a large part of my success to presentation skills, connection to my “why,” and growth mindset. Here is some more background and advice for others in these areas:
1) Presentation skills – I get to watch my 13-year-old son now dread his Speech assignments because he hates getting up in front of people, and I was once the same way! Because 75% of us fear public speaking more than death (!!!), intentionally upleveling your skillset in this area can be a superpower. No matter what you end up doing, your ability to share with others about it is a key factor in your success and impact. Even though presenting was rocky for me at first, I stuck with it and excelled at presentations while working in the corporate world, and I was able to transfer those skills to my entrepreneurial journey. Now, people say I’m a natural. I’m glad it looks easy, but these skills are 20 years in the making!
2) Connection to my “why” – A big reason I left the corporate world is because I knew I had a bigger desire to help others and share my passion for wellness in a way that I couldn’t do in my existing role. I didn’t have all the answers when I struck out on my own, but I did have a connection to and trust in my own inner wisdom that helped guide me along my entrepreneurial journey. Mindfulness meditation actually increases this skill set of interoception, or mind-body connection. When I am centered, I can quite literally feel in my body the “right” answers for me in different situations. I also carve out regular time to reflect and chart my path forward, so that I notice when I’m in or out of alignment and can adjust accordingly. Investing in some sort of daily centering practice can help you, too, befriend yourself and become more of who you really are. It’s such a gift to be in alignment with your whole self!
3) Growth mindset – I can’t tell you how many times I have “failed” — from embarrassing yoga teacher auditions to stumbling over my words on stage to not getting the big client deal, I have done it all. Having a growth mindset allows me to think of “failures” as learning opportunities, as crucial stepping stones in this journey of life. Whenever I’m going through a hard challenge (which is pretty much constantly in at least one area of my life), I remind myself that I will look back with gratitude on this growth opportunity. My challenges have called me forth to grow and to build resilience in a way that ultimately serves my life, my work, and my greatest impact. To support your own journey of learning and growing, I highly recommend exploring Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
While my business always gives me opportunities to grow, my biggest area of growth right now is in renegotiating priorities and work-life balance in this season of life. My wife and I had a baby boy together in January 2023, and we also have a 13-year-old son that she had before I met them. Loving and supporting our boys is a top priority for both of us, and doing it well takes up a lot of time and energy! It’s easy to set aside my own wellness in favor of taking care of others, but previous life experiences have taught me the importance of putting my own oxygen mask on first and asking for help when I need it. It feels like every day is a balancing act of juggling my own health postpartum, our amazing family, and a growing business. This challenge has ultimately helped me to be stronger in my values, reconnect with myself and my health even in a busy season, and delegate more to others in my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mastermindmeditate.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermindmeditate/
- Facebook: facebook.com/mastermindmeditate
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorseystandish & https://www.linkedin.com/company/mastermindmeditate
- Other:
Image Credits
Alex Belland, Molly Fiden, Kate Stipp Chiu
