It’s time to replace chronic stress with mindfulness. In this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, Brandon Laws interviews Naz Beheshti, Founder and CEO of Prananaz and author of Pause, Breathe, Choose: Become the CEO of Your Wellbeing. The two discuss mindfulness techniques to deal with stress in the workplace in a healthy way. Of course, these practices aren’t just helpful for the workplace but should be incorporated into every area of our lives.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
With vast experience at well-known companies such as Apple, Yahoo!, and AstraZeneca, Naz Beheshti is no stranger to workplace intensity and stress. In 2012, Naz Beheshti founded Prananaz, a corporate wellness company. A certified health and transformational coach, she is passionate about helping teams navigate the inevitable stressors that come with high-demand jobs.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, Sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
A SHOCKING START
Naz Beheshti’s first job after college was executive assistant to none other than Steve Jobs. What a way to begin a career. Naz recalled, “Working for an iconic visionary as my first job was — to say the least — intense and so life-transforming, and in hindsight, it really set me on the path to where I am today.” Naz stayed in this role for a little over a year, but in this short time, she was able to get an inside glimpse of how Steve Jobs was the “CEO of his wellbeing.”
Naz added, “[Steve Jobs] really did prioritize his self-care, meditated daily, ate really healthily, had a private trainer several times a week, and had very strong relationships.” However, despite having the ideal role model for self-care, Naz neglected her own. She hadn’t yet adopted the mindset necessary to take charge of her own wellbeing, and it began to weigh on her. Eventually, Naz realized the error of her ways and started on the journey of health and wellness and eventually wrote the book Pause, Breathe, Choose: Become the CEO of Your Wellbeing to take what she’s learned and help others.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
You Can Have Both
“Working in corporate for over a decade, after working for Apple and before I started my own corporate wellness company, I realized that people were wearing a badge of honor when they would say, ‘I only need five hours of sleep, or I only slept for four hours last night, or I pulled an all nighter’ — you know, working really hard versus working really smart. We can never increase the number of hours in the day, but we can optimize our energy and wellbeing so that we can work more efficiently. […] In order to do well, you must be well because if you aren’t well. I’ve seen it. I know it. You can have both.”
Understanding True Wellbeing
“When senior leadership leads by example, and they’re the ones who are practicing what they should eventually be teaching all of the employees, that’s where it starts.
Typically, corporate wellness comes from HR, and HR is marketing it and promoting it. But when the communication is coming directly from the CEO or C-level, it helps engage the employees more. Think about it: as an employee, you get an email from HR or the CEO — which one are you going to click off of? The CEO is going to get the attention that is needed for employees to engage in corporate wellness programs. So I think to fill the gap, we need participation engagement from C-level and senior leadership.”
Mindfulness: A Catalyst For Action
“The Mindful Breath is part of my Pause, Breathe, Choose Method. It is so effective and powerful that I named my book after it. It’s really a method for translating mindfulness into action and just taking ownership of our wellbeing. When we are mindful, we’re able to take a pause when in a situation that is not really serving us. We can then take a pause followed by a mindful breath. When we take that mindful breath, we are instantly re-engaged into the present moment. And when we are present, we are better equipped to make better choices. So Pause, Breathe, Choose is about mindfulness and action. And our life is just a series of choices that we make.”
Respond Rather Than React
“I had another client who was arguing with his CEO, and he said that he just left the situation, said ‘I’ll be right back,’ and went to the restroom to take a pause. Wow. And then he chose to come back and respond rather than react. And I love that story because he was used to being very reactive, but the daily meditation practice that I encouraged him to do every morning helped him become mindful in that moment.”
Avoiding Unnecessary Stress
“The ACE method is a new way of reframing stress. ACE has a double meaning: it stands for the different kinds of stress, which are acute, chronic, and eustress. And then it’s also a three-step method. Step one is first to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the stressors, identify the type, whether it’s acute, chronic, or eustress, and identify its source. When you have the ability to distinguish between different kinds of stress, then that allows you to perceive stress as a challenge rather than an obstacle. That’s the second step: changing your mindset. Step three is to take empowered and effective action. We want to avoid the trap of that chronic stress, long-term stress of six months or greater where you feel that you have unresolved issues. It’s our choice, and the choice is whether to shift your mindset.”
Pain as a Teacher
“In my experience, I’ve found that the most meaningful way to deal with pain is to let it be your greatest teacher for growth. Because if not, I feel like it’s just putting yourself in a disempowered state. A lot of people tend to define themselves by painful past experiences. And we don’t need to define ourselves that way. On the flip side, we can actually learn to evolve as a result of it. And I find that that is a much more empowered state and useful state for us.”
LEARN MORE
There’s so much more to glean from this conversation with Naz Beheshti. If you’re interested in finding out more, pick up a copy of Naz’s book, Pause, Breathe, Choose: Become the CEO of Your Wellbeing. Or if you’re ready to learn more about Naz’s coaching, check out her website at nazbeheshti.com.