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- BLI announces a new Access Opportunity
- Barger Leadership Institute is moving!
- BLI Announces New Partnership with The London Idea
- Former Jet Blue CEO donates $10 million to Barger Leadership Institute
- BLI Hires a New Assistant Director
- BLI to Co-Host ‘Extreme by Design’ Film Screening, Discussion
- BLI awards Small Grant for Halfway Hijabi event
- BLI Launches New Capstone Experience
- BLI Launches New Fellows Program Structure
- Keep Calm and Lead On
- BLI Fellow Wins Wolverine Tank Pitch Contest
- BLI Congratulates Mya Haynes
- BLI Alumni Receive 2015-2016 Fulbright Honor
- The 2018 London Ideas Project is Announced
- Congrats to BLI partner Sandra Levitsky for being awarded the Golden Apple!
- Congrats to BLI Fellow and Peer Facilitator Elisabeth Benham
- Tales of Leadership: The Advanced Fellows Journey
- Welcome to the 2018 Capstone Cohort!
- BLI welcomes new director!
- BLI Across the Pond
- BLI Hosts Voting Guru Nancy Thomas
- Ram Mahalingam's award winning film to be screened at two film festivals.
- The Capstone Experience with the Migrant Education Initiative
- The Mindful Leader - Becoming an Engaged Leader
- A Weekend of Mindful Leadership
- Introducing the 2019 Capstone Teams
- The Peer Facilitator Experience
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- BLI Students Start Small and Dream Big in Detroit
- From Freshman to Senior Year -- Four Years of Leadership Learning
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- BLI Director, Ram Mahalingam featured in the Record
- Capstone Bootcamp 2019
- In a Distracted World, Solitude is Practice for Tomorrow’s Leaders
- A Conversation on Mindfulness, Bias and Racial Justice — a podcast with Ram Mahalingam
- The Mindful Leaders Retreat — Laying a Foundation
- Being a good leader is knowing when to practice gratitude
- Channeling Mindfulness
- Compassionate Leadership: Creating a Just, Inclusive and Mindful Society with Mirabai Bush
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- Announcing Capstone 2020 Teams!
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- Leading Mindfully
- A Senior's Reflection on Peer Facilitating
- Expect Challenges
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- From Leadership Lab, to Peer Facilitator, to Program Assistant
- Project Healthy Schools Global
- Learning to be an Effective Leader
- Leading Life with Dignity: A Challenge of Our Time
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- Capstone 3D Virtual Gallery
- Announcing the Break Away Podcast!
- BLI Advanced Fellow featured in M-LEAD's Leadership Lens Series!
- Two BLI Advanced Fellows Receive the Renowned MLK Spirit Award
- Stand Against Asian Violence
- BLI Hosts Alumni Panel
- Announcing the BLI's 2021 Capstone Cohort
- BLI Offers COVID-19 Hardship Grants
- ALA 175: Foundations in Leadership
- The Peer Facilitator Leadership Experience
- What's Happening in the Lab
- Capstone Boot Camp 2021
- Mindful Leader Reflection
- Learning to Lead with Compassion: A Mindful Leadership Retreat
- Okanagan Charter
- Foundations in Leadership, a Peer Facilitator Perspective
- Heart-Centered Leadership with Rebecca Irby
- Announcing the 2022 Leadership Certificate Cohort!
- Welcome the 2021-22 Mindful Leader Fellowship cohort!
- BLI Peace Leadership Retreat in Detroit
- BLI director awarded the Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award
- Seithur Sanitation Initiative receives the MLK Spirit Award
- The Michigan Difference Student Leadership Awards
- Feedback is Love
- Deepening the Foundations for Equity and Renewal
- Creating Leaders – Being a Peer Facilitator at the BLI
- M-LEAD Leadership Lens Feature: Kaitlyn Colyer
- M-LEAD Leadership Lens Feature: Mya Harris
- What's Happening in the Lab
- The Leadership Certificate at the University of Michigan: Cohort 1
- Color of Care Reflection
- Mindful Leader Retreat Recap
- Social Transformation, a Passionate Community of Scholars
- The Michigan Difference Student Leadership Awards
- Break Away Podcast
- BLI Weekend in Detroit
- Leadership Lens with Olivia O'Connell
- Leadership Lens with Becky Woolf
- Leadership Philosophy Reflection
- Senior Reflection, Renuka Murthi
- Dignity and Well-being in the Workplace: A French Perspective
- BLI – Year One
- Teaching Leadership, a Senior Reflection
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Coming from a Hindu family, mindfulness was something that was always stressed and discussed in my household. However, it was something that I had a hard time getting involved with, and I associated mindfulness with meditation. When I received an email from BLI, I noticed the mindful leader program which piqued my interest in challenging what I knew.
I ended up applying to the program, interviewing with Elizabeth, and was looking forward to the experience knowing very well that the pandemic would alter how this mindful program would pan out. When I was accepted, I looked forward to meditating but also as someone whose top skills include leadership, coaching, mentorship - I was very curious to see how I would apply mindfulness as the leader that I wanted to become post-graduation.
Our program ended up remote due to the Covid pandemic. However, it still gave me a lot to take from and in some ways was quite rewarding beyond just being physically present with one another. We would start every meeting with meditation. We would get into an activity - whether it was the river of life activity or getting to work on your mindful organization projects, etc. After that, we also had time to share and talk with one another about our journeys with mindfulness.
Reflecting now, I have learned a lot from the program. As a 20-year-old going through a pandemic while away from home, I was able to keep myself grounded through some of the activities we had the privilege of learning about. In particular, our free journaling prompts over the holidays and learning about the hot pen technique were some of the more helpful activities as I was given a space to understand how I was feeling and productively express it.
Additionally, as a student leader on campus, I was able to be more mindful and aware of the spaces I was cultivating. My goal as a leader, especially of an organization of 93 people, was to ensure that everyone felt heard, valued, and respected. As I mentioned in the final project, I developed a gratitude initiative and was able to cultivate a safe, virtual space for those of all identities during the pandemic and during a time across the globe of mass racism, homophobia, etc.
Going forward, I will be moving to the Bay Area to work with an executive search firm. As a freshly graduated student beginning her first professional role, I know I’m living in a time of big change. The techniques that I learned from the Mindful Leader program are almost therapeutic in that I will be able to document, understand, and reflect on my experiences and take care of my mental health. Additionally, the techniques I have learned from this program can be utilized within the workplace. As I said previously, I developed gratitude forms and other initiatives in my student organizations. I plan to continue these initiatives in my current work. I will also continue to learn about and navigate my own understanding of how to be a mindful leader. This program has given me the tools and language to get that conversation started.