The start of the workday is so often a muddle. There are lunches to pack, kids to drop off, emails to read, coffee to brew, lists to check, voicemails to return, and—best case scenario—sweaty workout clothes to struggle out of in your office bathroom before rolling into your first meeting of the day.

But what if the day didn’t begin with chaos? Instead, what if the first entry on your calendar left you refreshed, renewed, and focused for the day to come? That’s the goal behind We Myndful, a new project from Amanda Copple and Meghan Gabriel designed to build a community of professionals inspired to live more intentionally.

“Our main goal is to expand the definition of mindfulness while building community,” say Meghan and Amanda. “We’re striving to build an inclusive community where dialogue and growth are encouraged, and mindfulness becomes a part of everyday life.”

Each free monthly We Myndful Mornings event brings professionals of every stripe together at 7 a.m. for a delicious breakfast, a presentation from a local expert on mindfulness or wellness, and a chance to meet other like-minded people pursuing internal growth and personal evolution. We sat down with Amanda and Meghan to learn more about why mindfulness has more power in community, its role in the modern workplace, and why the term “work-life balance” can sometimes lead to a counterproductive mindset.

People often think of mindfulness as a fundamentally solitary endeavor. What do participants gain from attending a We Myndful event as a community?

Humans are fundamentally social creatures, and we’re finding more and more folks wanting to get away from screens and replace that time with face-to-face community. A huge part of what mindfulness encompasses is slowing down and looking within. When we look within, we are often uncomfortable with what we find. Community can help support and normalize the initial challenges of practicing mindfulness and meditation. Engaging with others who are seeking to live intentionally creates accountability and momentum for the practice.

Why is mindfulness so important in the workplace? 

For most people, the majority of their lives are spent at work—especially now, when it’s really easy to blur the boundaries between work time and personal time. Stress is at an all-time high in most professions, causing employees to fall sick, need to take mental leave, or not be able to perform their jobs well. Investing in mindfulness practices can help employees to reduce their stress and anxiety, which often correlates to better health, better job performance, and better relationships. Mindfulness practices also help those who practice them to understand themselves and their emotions better so they can connect with their innate talents and strengths.

What does the phrase “work-life balance” mean to you?

Work life balance means setting boundaries with other people and yourself. However, the idea of work life balance can sometimes lead to more imbalance. It can create pressure to feel like you need to spend X number of hours at work and then X number of hours on self care and X number of hours with family to achieve “balance.” A new way to think about it might be striving for harmony or work life integration. If you listen to a song, not all of the instruments play at once. Sometimes one takes priority, and then another is in the forefront. It’s the same thing with work and life. There are times when work takes priority, and other times when self care or personal life becomes the priority.

If you could go back in time 10 years and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Amanda: I would tell myself to learn how to breathe! Breath work is a detox for the body. It impacts stress levels, sleep patterns, and energy during the day. I wish I had taken pranayama courses when I was younger to learn breath techniques.

Meghan: I would tell myself to take more risks and follow my intuition. I spent a lot of my life conforming to other people’s expectations and ideas of success. Meditation and mindfulness helped me to learn to trust my own knowing of what is right for me and to follow that path.