Social Mindfulness -Awake in the In-Between

Exploring Social Mindfulness, Presence, and Collective Awareness

Mai 20, 2026

Cross-Post von Substack von Cordula Frei

"Something joyful happened in this conversation as I spoke with Mark Leonard in Scotland—fresh back from surfing the wild west coast—and somehow I could almost feel the sea moving through the dialogue. In this episode of Roots of Enlivenment, we explore what “social mindfulness” might mean when it’s no longer about self-optimisation, but about how we listen, relate, and think together. Not mindfulness as a personal tool—but as a shared field of awareness. We talk about burnout, collective intelligence, psychological safety, and why so many systems struggle to truly transform, even while constantly trying to improve themselves. "

- Cordula Frei

There was something joyfully refreshing about speaking with a man in Scotland who had just come back from surfing the wild west coast — as if I could almost smell the sea and feel a different rhythm entering the conversation.

In this new episode of Roots of Enlivenment, I speak with mindfulness educator and systems thinker Mark Leonard about social mindfulness, collective intelligence, burnout, relational coherence, and why so many modern systems seem unable to create real transformation despite endless optimisation.

What I appreciated deeply in Mark’s perspective is that mindfulness here is not reduced to self-improvement or stress management, but becomes something relational:

a way of listening, participating and restoring coherence in times of fragmentation and uncertainty.

Together we explore:

• mindfulness beyond optimisation

• psychological safety and collective intelligence

• burnout and disorientation in modern culture

• organisational transformation and relational awareness

• the difference between fixing and listening

• enlivenment as an alternative to control-based systems

This conversation also touched me personally because i was reminded how much I long not only to write and speak into the digital field, but enjoy to meet readers and fellow travellers directly — in dialogue, presence, and shared inquiry.

Hear more:

Roots of Enlivenment

https://www.parallax-media.com/roots-of-enlivenment

More writing & essays

NOTE:

Next Saturday I’ll host an open online gathering around deep ecology, embodiment, nervous systems, and rewilding the soul.

My readers are warmly welcome if these themes resonate.

Find out more or registrate:

Ticket and Zoom Link:

https://www.parallax-media.com/courses/deep-ecology-the-meaning-of-rewildering-your-soul