Mindfulness and agency in stressful work

Is mindfulness just fluffy nonsense?! In this episode of 'Getting Real with Mindfulness', hosts Claire and Victoria take on one of the most common misconceptions about mindfulness - that it’s soft, indulgent, or lacking substance.

Through personal stories, practical examples, and a touch of neuroscience, they explore how mindfulness is far from fluffy. It’s gritty, challenging, and surprisingly practical. From mindful colouring to fierce compassion, they unpack what mindfulness really is and what it isn’t.

Whether you're a curious beginner, a trained teacher, or somewhere in between, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how mindfulness builds agency, supports emotional resilience, and helps us respond, rather than habitually react, to life.

👥 About the Hosts

Claire Kelly is a mindfulness-based mentor and the Director of Teaching and Training at Oxford Mindfulness. With over 25 years in education, she's also passionate about developing and delivering evidence-based programmes to support mental health and wellbeing in education.

Victoria Fontana is a certified mindfulness and compassion teacher, executive coach, and educator who helps people cultivate calm, clarity, and resilience in their lives and work. Victoria teaches mindfulness and compassion-based programs internationally through IE University, the Mindfulness and Health Institute, and through her own programs at https://www.mindgazing.com/

Oxford Mindfulness is a not-for-profit organisation helping people achieve greater well-being and improved mental health through research-based mindfulness. Visit our website 👉 https://oxfordmindfulness.org/

📑 Episode Resources

• Compassion-Based Resilience Training (CBRT): https://www.mindgazing.com/cbrt
• Gilbert, P. (2019). Explorations into the nature and function of compassion. Current opinion in psychology, 28, 108-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.12.002
• Desbordes, G., Negi, L. T., Pace, T. W., Wallace, B. A., Raison, C. L., & Schwartz, E. L. (2012). Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 6, 23050. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00292
• Neff, K. D. (2023). Self-compassion: Theory, method, research, and intervention. Annual review of psychology, 74(1), 193 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-032420-031047
• Luberto, C. M., Shinday, N., Song, R., Philpotts, L. L., Park, E. R., Fricchione, G. L., & Yeh, G. Y. (2018). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of meditation on empathy, compassion, and prosocial behaviors. Mindfulness, 9(3), 708-724. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-017-0841-8
• Charlson, M.E., Loizzo, J., Moadel, A. et al. Contemplative self healing in women breast cancer survivors: a pilot study in underserved minority women shows improvement in quality of life and reduced stress. BMC Complement Altern Med 14, 349 (2014). Https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-349, https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-349
• Britton WB, Shahar B, Szepsenwol O, Jacobs WJ. Behav Ther. (2012) Emotional Reactivity to Social Stress: Results from A Randomized Controlled Trial https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3495556/
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions and How They Work (Gu et al., 2015) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735815000197