A conversation with leadership and workplace mental health expert Morra Aarons-Mele explores why focusing on the present can improve performance, reduce stress, and strengthen decision-making. Aarons-Mele is the keynote speaker June 15 at the AICPA Not-for-Profit Industry Conference in National Harbor, Md.

Aarons-Mele, also an author and podcaster, explains how leaders in high-pressure roles can balance necessary forward planning with short, purposeful pauses, which can improve clarity and team dynamics.

The discussion examines how organizations can apply mindfulness practices to build resilience and maintain focus in fast-moving environments.

What you'll learn from this episode:

Why Aarons-Mele emphasizes a focus on the present.
The practice that she says has been "the single most healing, restorative, renewing thing I've done."
Why the strategy of "take a minute and pause" can be effective during periods of disruption.
What research says about the benefits of such pauses.
Why Aarons-Mele warned against letting anxiety about the future drive decision-making.
The effect that having "too many tabs open" can have on focus and performance at work.