Time. So well, first of all, welcome, everyone.And for thanks to Women Tech Network for giving me this opportunity to be here with you all today, the powerhouse of women in technology. Now we know as women in technology, we often find ourselves navigating through high stress and demanding environments. And I know I can't see you, but just raise your hands if you've been working nonstop, feeling overwhelmed, and burned out, and your mind is always full of so many things on the to do list. Does that sound, like, like, connected? Right? Yeah. And you just know you're not alone. But what if I told you that success doesn't have to come at the cost of your peace?

And that's what we are going to explore today is how you align with your purpose and start practicing mindfulness that can lead to just not the success, but actually your true inner fulfillment while you have a successful career and life. Right? Because it should not be all about work. It should be about a successful and fulfilled life. And thanks, Priya. You would like to know what's with mindfulness and mindfulness. And, yes, we need to get away from our mindful of to dos to actually being mindful, and we are going to explore that today. And, yeah, please kept keep the chat coming because I'm reading it, and I would love to answer any questions as we go through this presentation. But before we get started, let me give a brief introduction about myself.

I am Prerna Mahajan, and I am a technology executive and also a founder and CEO of Posh Mind Living, a platform that is actually focused on purpose driven and mindfulness living. How I got here. Right? Thank you, Linda. Increased my effectiveness. I am actually reading your chat as I am actually navigating through my presentation. So, I have spent over twenty one years in technology, leading large scale digital and technology transformation, overseeing billion dollar portfolio of projects and managing hundreds of professionals in private and public sector. Initially, I started my career with the big four consulting, in the private sector. And I worked there for fifteen and a half years where I was climbing the success ladder. I was getting the promotions. I was getting the titles, the accolades. But I always felt that there was something really lacking in my life, and that was the purpose that I was looking for.

So then I thought, you know, I might have to work for public sector because that's where we can make the biggest impact. So I actually took a pivot in my career to join from private sector to public sector and started working with state of California, which is the fifth largest economy in the world. I joined them as a program manager and very quickly became a tech exec. And I spent almost five and a half years as acting CIO and chief executive for department of social services, which is a $55,000,000,000 department, and, department of human resources. Again, overseeing $1,000,000,000 of portfolio in IT procurements project and contracts. From outside, I was successful. I was recognized as top 50 global public sector purpose driven and innovative women in tech leader. I was featured on Oprah Winfrey show.

I was featured in a lot of, publications, and I was actually working at a career level that many of us aspire to be in. But inside, I was running on autopilot. The pressure, the perfectionism, the push, it caught up to me. I was achieving everything, but I was not aligned with my true purpose. I was performing, but I was not feeling fulfilled. There was this deep sense of emptiness. And I don't know if it give me a yes in the chat if you felt like that in your career. Right? That you are checking all the boxes, but it just feels empty. And there is this calling and meaning that you're looking for. But let me tell you, everything began to shift when I chose to reconnect with my inner self. And I started to say, hey. You know, what is my purpose?

And I started leading and working from the place of purpose. And, also, mindfulness. Thank you, Stacy, Hema, and Amanda for confirming that. Yeah. We all feel the same thing, and you're not alone. Right? And mindfulness actually is a superpower that helped me to get there because I started connecting with my inner self to get the clarity and to create the intention of what my life would look like. So just know. You know? Ask yourself why are you here. It may be that you are seeking clarity in your profession or life. It may be that you are in your at a crossroad in your professional life to know what is next for me. Or it may be that you're just tired of constantly feeling overwhelmed, but you know there is more to your life than just working.

Whatever brought you here, I'm so glad that you have joined me, and just know that you're not stuck. You're not alone. You are just one aligned and mindful decision away from your breakthrough. So let's start. I would love to know if you know your purpose. And if you do, please feel free to share in the chat. But if you don't, don't worry. That's why we are all here to uncover what your purpose may be. So anyone wants to share what your purpose is, if you know? Struggle with answering the purpose question every day. Okay, Debbie. We can help. Serve. Yeyemi, thank you. That's a beautiful purpose. Making things easier for the next person. Thank you, Amanda. That's beautiful. Never stop learning and growing, Jennifer. That's amazing. Yes. We will talk about that. Serve, sorry. Serve and d and grow. Sorry. Serve and grow.

Okay, That's great. Yes. And that is so right. Right? As humans, we are here to make an impact. But, of course, if we don't serve, we feel empty, and we are gonna hit that point. Spreading love and positivity and lead by example. That's beautiful, Anupama. Thank you. A point Apollonia, sorry if I mispronounce your name, servant and the resource for others. That's amazing. Are you seeing a trend? Are you seeing a pattern that you all want to make an impact and serve others? So, yes, we will dive into that. But before I get into that, what is purpose? Let me actually show you some alarming numbers. So there was a, research done by Gallup, in for in 2025, for the global workplace survey, in US and Canada. And these numbers are really a wake up call.

Right? 30% of employees feel connected to their company mission or purpose. So that's a record low. Like, 70% of employees don't even feel connected to their organizations with their purpose and mission. 52% of employees are experiencing significant stress and overwhelm. That is a record high since pandemic. And then only thirty three purse percent of employees are engaged since 2023. It hasn't changed since then, which is leading to approximately $1,900,000,000,000 in lost productivity. So can you imagine? In a world where over 50% of employees are feeling significant stress, the solution isn't more just about adding more productivity tools. Right? It's about bringing that sense of purpose and mental well-being at the organization and work workplaces. So let let's actually dive into what is purpose.

There is a beautiful saying, and I'm gonna call this out because this so resonates, and I'm sure it'll resonate with you too. The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. And looking at all the comments that I have read so far, even Hima added make a difference in people's life, You want to find something that is going to make an impact in others people life. Right? So let's take a step back. What if purpose? It isn't just about your job title. It's something personal. Now think about what you are good at or you're passionate about or what actually gives you joy, And then how you can use it to make an impact on others. It's that simple. But I know it's hard to find. Right? I don't know if you'd feel this, but there is this inner whisper that sometimes you hear.

There you you have that sense of calling. But in the noise around you, you don't hear it loud enough, and you hush it down. So we will talk about mindfulness, how it helps you to uncover purpose, but that is your purpose, your meaning, your calling. And it could be different for different people. Like, for someone, it could be, oh, I love to create something or innovate something. Right? For other, it could be, I love to educate and help others. But, you know, you need to define what it is and how you can define it. Actually, think about what gives you joy. And if you are having a hard time doing that, go back to your childhood. Start looking at a common pattern or common thing that you love to do. I know as adults, we have a lot of responsibilities and we have to do a lot.

But start thinking about that consistent pattern since your childhood that you love doing and also help others. If you don't have the answers, actually pick three people in your life that you are closest from. It could be from your workplace. It could be your best friend or someone in your family. Go and ask them, hey. What do you think is the value I bring to you when you need me the most? And I'll just give you an example. It's a very simple example. While I was growing up, I used to love to help others. Love and listen to others. Those were my two key traits, listen and serve. And when my birthdays used to come, yes, I used to look forward to the gifts and all of that celebrations.

But one thing that really gave me joy, I used to create these small food package with my grandparents and my parents, and I used to go and donate them. And when I used to see the smile on those underprivileged children's face, that used to give me real joy. So how I started putting it back in my work is I started, you know, coaching, mentoring, people in my job, my teams. There were women that I was coaching, not just at my work, but also globally through Women Tech Network. And also, I started creating a sense of purpose for our teams. So we used to meet for our lunch and lunch, but we used to actually donate to a social cause.

So we used to create backpacks for the kids, going to school and all of that. So we started leveraging work to create purpose for for me, of course. Right? So that I feel excited to go to work. And just let let me tell you, when you are aligned with your purpose, work will feel energizing, not draining. And you will feel proud, fulfilled, and deeply connected. So now the question is, what is mindfulness and how it can help? And please, key if you have any questions, please ask me in the chat, and I will try to answer as I speak because I would like this to be engaging. So mindfulness and let me actually break a myth for you. Mindfulness is not just yoga and meditation. And, no, you don't need hours to be mindful. Mindfulness is just how we actually anchor ourselves in the present moment.

How do we take a pause from the day to day noise and the chaos and connect with ourselves to actually know what we truly want? And that's what you want to seek. What do I want? What is my purpose? I know we are all operating in an autopilot fire mode all the time. Right? Does that resonate? But let me tell you, your brain doesn't know a difference between a small or a big stress response. It it just doesn't know. And the common stress response is fight or flight. So whether it is a nasty email from your coworker that triggers you or it is a life situation where someone in your family, actually, you know, is sick and that's a big situation, your mind will actually respond to that trigger the same way. So you will be either fighting that situation or you will run you'll be running away from that situation.

And if you are constantly doing that, fight or flight, fight or flight, your body may actually get into the freeze mode, which we have always heard about. Right? Depression, anxiety, and all of that. So mindfulness is actually basically, it's simple. It's simple activities that you can do during the day to can better connect with yourself. Take a pause. Be aware of your thoughts and your emotions. Connect with yourself and ask those questions about what do I want in my life. Is this how I wanna live my life? And I know that most of the common excuse I hear is I don't have time. But let me tell you, my friend, time is really slipping away. So if you don't take two to three minutes in a day to connect with yourself, I know you you all have phones, and you take few minutes to charge it, but not yourselves.

It just takes few minutes. And we are gonna do an activity today to actually try in mindfulness to break that myth also that it takes, hours to do that. So yeah. So and I will be sharing also a mindfulness cheat sheet with you at the end of this so that you can start practicing it yourself. Yemi, yes. The there's a good book and movie about mindfulness I can definitely share with it. There's so many of those. But the power of now by, Eckhart Tour I I'm missing his name. But, yes, it's one of the best books, the power of now. Okay. So, actually, let's and I'm gonna just talk about the benefits. But the one thing I wanna talk about mindfulness is if you start connecting with yourself, you will see that the life will start working for you based on what you truly want.

And, actually, the right opportunities, the right people at the right time will start meeting you at the place you want. And, of course, it will leave lead to more success, more fulfilled life. But let's actually do and, actually, I'm gonna talk about this quickly, but just know. Right? These are some simple activities that I wanna call out. It's okay not to be okay. If you're feeling overwhelmed, don't worry. We all have gone through it, but it is a time to actually connect with yourself. So start taking two to three minutes every day to connect with yourself. Sit in silence. Thank you, Catherine. Power of Now by Eckhart tote. Thank you. Start practicing gratitude. No matter how hard the situation is, just every day write or talk to yourself, I am grateful for and say thank you. Thank you.

Thank you three times after that sentence. Self care. Start taking few minutes to take care of yourself. It does not need to be again. It does not need to be taking a bubble bath or going to the spa. It just needs taking mindful breaks. Take a mindful walk. If you read book, listen to podcast, whatever energizes you, please do that and set boundaries. No is an answer in itself. And if you get something at work that does not align with what you really want to do, be be bold enough to start saying no. And that no means no. Okay? Because you are your number one priority. And I know as women, we want to nurture everyone else, take care of everything around us but ourselves, but you have to start making yourself number one priority.

So let's quickly do a two minute mindfulness exercise. Wherever you are, if you are comfortable closing your eyes, please do so. But if not, that's fine too. And we are gonna take five deep breaths. But the last one we are gonna hold. So let's take a deep inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. One more. Inhale and exhale. Let that stress and negative energy flow. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Fourth, take it all in. Inhale and exhale. One, inhale and stop. Inhale deeply and hold that breath for 10 counts. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. And exhale and let it go. Place your right hand on your heart and repeat after me. I am loved, and I am loving. This is my time to show love to myself. I am taking care of myself. I am a priority for myself because when I'm at my best, then I can truly serve everyone else and my community.

And how and this is it. How did you feel? Just relaxed a little bit. Right? And it took literally two minutes. Two minutes. And I'm going to send you that mindfulness link to the mindfulness cheat sheet. And my challenge is for you to pick two activities every day to be more mindful and start asking that question of what do I want from my life and what is my purpose. And, my friends, if you start connecting with yourself first, those answers will start reflecting, and they will start coming. You will be hearing that inner voice and calming down that outer noise to better know what your internal compass is and where you are gonna go. And, actually, I know this is time.