Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Gilbert.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I often get asked how I started to meditate. I have more of a unique story, as meditation actually found me at a very young age, while I was still in high school. I remember being asked to follow my breath for the first time, turn my attention inwards and to visualize my “true north” which in hindsight, was a way for us to become more confident and connected to our own authenticity. During that first time, I felt real peace, tranquility, clarity and something genuine. Little did I know, at the age of 17, this same moment would shape the trajectory of my life. Now, 16 years later, I am still meditating and have the distinct honor of sharing the same practice that has helped me in such a deep way during some of my hardest moments and rock bottoms. Meditation has been the one consistent through-line in my life – no matter where I am, what is going on, single or partnered, I can always return back home to my meditation practice.
Teaching meditation was also an organic process for me. When you become a meditator, you also start to embody the benefits and qualities of the practice such as more calmness, happiness, kindness and more creative and dynamic problem-solving. At one point, when I was in academia helping conduct clinical research on the biological effects of meditation I started to get approached by close friends, family members, work colleagues and even the local coffee barista’s with the same question, “What do you do? You are so happy all the time and so calm.” After, getting asked a variation of this question a lot, I realized what they were asking: What do I do that makes me, me? Then, I knew more deeply, what they were asking about was my meditation practice. Meditation is what has made me, me. It is why I was showing up in the world the way I was, happy, kind, empathetic, calm under pressure and with a super positive mindset.
So, I started to teach my practice to everyone who was asking – I would show them how I meditated and what I did for my daily practice. Soon, I realized that this was what was really calling my heart and what I wanted “to do” as far as my work. Was to teach meditation instead of just publish on the clinical effects of it. So, I went and received formal initiation to teach from my mentors. I studied first with Dr. Deepak Chopra at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing and then, went through one of the most rigorous mindfulness teaching programs in the world at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center.
Now, I have taught thousands of students to meditate and get to see the transformational effects of meditation spread across the world each and every day.
Has it been a smooth road?
Making a livelihood doing what you love is a spiritual practice. It is not always straightforward and it requires a lot of trust. What works for one person or brand, may not work so well for your business and brand. So, getting clear on your own vision and authentic voice is critical, especially when you are beginning.
My best advice for others making their living from doing what you love is don’t be afraid to get clear on how you are going to be making your money in a strategic and sustainable way. It is too easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and your financial sustainability plan. Because if you are truly doing what you love and are in your purpose, you would happily be doing it for free. Having an income model in place is a way to keep you on track so you can focus on your gifts, messaging and in the products or services that you are creating to help others.
Also, create a healthy relationship with your “yes’s and your no’s”. Especially for woman, it is equally as important for us to feel strong and confident in our “no’s” as it is with our “yes’s”.
We’d love to hear more about Amanda Gilbert Meditation.
The heart of my work is showing people that they can feel better, heal themselves and transform their daily life through mindfulness and meditation. Meditation really isn’t an option for many of us anymore. So my purpose is to support people in creating a happier, healthier and more meaningful life through making mindfulness and compassion a part of their everyday.
One of the main ways I share meditation these days is through producing mindfulness-based content such as my Foundational Audio Meditation Course ‘HOME’ – a 3 week series on beginning, deepening and expanding a meditation practice. Here, my love for writing, music, composition, mindfulness and creating art is expressed through producing guided meditations.
I teach publicly every Sunday at The Den Meditation in Los Angeles (dubbed #SundayPractice) and do workshop tours across the US at least once a year. Much of my meditation teaching has moved online as of late, so students and individuals can have more access and support each day with their meditation practice. I’m currently in the process of creating online membership groups due to ask and demand, and also teach 15 minute live meditations online 5 days a week on a new mobile app called JourneyLIVE (download in the app store).
Given my scientific background, I get booked for Mindfulness In The Workplace Keynotes and Meditation Sessions across the US. While also teaching weekly meditations at a number of progressive companies, startups, and businesses such as Spotify, The W Hotel and Merrill Lynch.
Public speaking is also a large branch of my work along with creating mindfulness-based content. I specialize in personal transformation and Mindfulness For The Workplace and get booked across the country for Meditation Keynotes and Wellness Conferences.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well-positioned for?
Woman are well-positioned for being quite incredible entrepreneurs and leaders. The type of workplace culture we create is inclusive and emotionally intelligent. The way a female-identified mind approaches growth, productivity and creative problem solving is quite different than the past paradigm of a more masculine divide and conquer approach. Woman are much more collaborative, team-driven and creatively oriented. We want to produce the best possible products and services, that have high influence, reach and efficacy. While building each other up along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amandagilbertmeditation.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @amandagilbertmeditation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandagilbertmeditation/
Image Credit:
Photographer: Ashley Streff
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