Imagine a world where leaders guide with clarity, teams thrive on mutual respect, and organizations embrace mindfulness not as a buzzword but as a way of being. In the fast-paced rhythm of modern life, how often do we pause to truly be—to connect with ourselves, our purpose, and the people around us? What if there was a way for workplaces to be kinder and foster well-being and innovation, where each individual feels heard, valued, and inspired? This vision isn’t a distant dream; it’s the reality being crafted by trailblazers who merge the impact of mindfulness with strategic leadership.
At the heart of this aspiration is Sharon Hadley, a visionary leader at the helm of the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation. Sharon’s journey is one of resilience, purpose, and a deep commitment to fostering well-being in both individuals and organizations. Under her guidance, Oxford Mindfulness continues to be a beacon of innovation in mindful practices, bridging the gap between evidence-based programs and real-world impact.
A Journey to Advancing Mindful Leadership
Sharon journey to becoming the CEO of the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation is a testament to her resilience and adaptability. Leaving school at 16 not having excelled academically, she joined a youth training program with plans to become a social worker, which marked her first exposure to business and operational roles. This experience ignited a passion for business functions, which she recognized would play a significant role in her future career.
In 2010, Sharon took on a role at the Centre for Mindfulness at Bangor University. It was here that she was introduced to the field of mindfulness, an area that resonated with her deeply. Much like her initial experience with business, she immediately recognized her calling. The field of mindfulness allowed her to merge her interests in business with her desire to help others, giving a sense of purpose and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the world.
After seven years at Bangor, Sharon decided to focus on her own company, organizing events in the mindfulness field. Around the same time, Oxford’s Mindfulness team sought leadership support, and Sharon joined their efforts. She has remained there ever since, working closely with the board of trustees to contribute significantly to the charity’s mission.
Leading the way for Well-Being and Purpose
The Oxford Mindfulness Foundation is a charity which specializes in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, an evidence-based program designed to enhance mental health and promote well-being and general life flourishing. Her role requires a combination of expertise in business and leadership with a commitment to the charity’s mission to support others to manage their mental health with mindfulness. For Sharon, this unique intersection of her skills and purpose is both rewarding and also presents challenges which keep the role immensely fulfilling.
Sharon’s qualifications, including her MBA and PhD in Health Economics, have deeply shaped her leadership approach. When she embarked on her Executive MBA, Sharon already had leadership experience but sought a program that would broaden her understanding of diverse business functions while facilitating peer learning. The course’s varied cohort provided insights into how technical qualifications alone do not always prepare leaders for workplace challenges, a realization that emphasized the importance of “human leadership” skills such as empathy, communication, integrity, and leading by example. While these skills are more prominently featured in training programs today, Sharon noted they were less emphasized during her own studies.
Tailored Strategies to Support Employee  Well-being
One of the most impactful lessons from her MBA was observing how individuals with similar training often approached leadership in very different ways. This reinforced her belief that emotional intelligence and practical experience are as vital as formal qualifications in effective leadership.
Her PhD added another dimension to her leadership approach by deepening her understanding of how mindful behaviours influence workplace dynamics. Sharon explored the impacts of mindfulness on employees’ well-being, leadership styles, and overall business outcomes. This knowledge allows her to collaborate effectively with employers and leaders, providing tailored mindfulness strategies to support team well-being.
Sharon’s ability to complete her PhD was significantly bolstered by her supportive work environment, she attributes this positive atmosphere to a culture of mutual respect and togetherness fostered by the leadership team. This intentional cultivation of support reflects her own leadership philosophy, shaped by both her academic journey and her personal values.
Pioneering Global Access to Mindfulness
Oxford Mindfulness has set several key strategic goals for the coming years. In alignment with its core mission to increase global access to mindfulness, the charity aims to develop and research innovative ways to deliver mindfulness programs, ensuring their sector and cultural relevance. Expanding access is a priority, with plans to increase bursaries, mentoring, and sponsorship opportunities for individuals facing financial barriers or requiring tailored support for specific community needs.
The charity also seeks to enhance its network of ambassadors—individuals respected in their fields across various sectors—who can provide insights into global diversity and its influence on the implementation of mindfulness. A recent addition to the ambassadors is Princess Noor bint Asem from Jordan who joined Oxford Mindfulness as an ambassador in 2024. Another significant project being rolled out in 2025 is a global network dedicated to raising awareness of the prosocial benefits of mindfulness. Research indicates that fostering prosocial behaviors benefits individuals, communities, the environment, and even the planet. This broader focus underscores the charity’s commitment to mindfulness as a tool for collective well-being.
The Evolving Role of Mindfulness in Organizational Settings
With nearly 60% of the global population engaged in employment, workplaces have the potential to influence human behavior and serve as hubs for mental health support. While acknowledging budgetary constraints, and the varying impact across workplaces, there is a growing usage and evidence-base for mindfulness in the workplace.  Sharon’s work in this area is focused on developing the understanding of workplaces adopting mindfulness at scale, finding the right programmes and working towards transforming workplaces into environments where mindful approaches are nurtured and developed for the benefit of individuals, teams, and the broader global community.
Sharon envisions mindfulness playing an increasingly significant role in organizational settings, she hopes that by effectively communicating the benefits of mindfulness, more organizations will recognize its value—not only for employees’ mental health and team dynamics but also for fostering positive organizational cultures and contributing to environmental and community well-being.
The recent launch of the Oxford Mindfulness app is a source of particular pride for Sharon, as she works to increase access to mental health resources. The app focuses on quality and gives careful attention to safeguarding by ensuring all meditations featured on the app are delivered by trained teachers and are rigorously assessed for their quality and connection to secular mindfulness programmes. Additionally, the app includes a self-paced course that can be tailored in collaboration with workplaces to meet the needs of diverse populations and workplace settings.
Meaningful partnerships are formed whilst working towards the charity’s mission. During 2024 there were two major collaborations; one with The Visual Snow Initiative who sponsored the app, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting individuals with Visual Snow Syndrome, a neurological condition affecting vision. Another with Sir John Ritblat who supported the costs of rebranding and a new website for the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.
Sharon highlighted the immense value in partnerships like these, which align with the charity’s mission to increase access to mindfulness. By working alongside others with shared values and goals, the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation has been able to extend its reach and impact, supporting multiple communities while staying true to its vision.
Strategies for Fostering a Healthy Workplace Culture
Emphasizing the importance of honesty, respect, and integrity, creating a healthy workplace culture, Sharon works hard to ensure that every team member feels valued, and their contributions are recognised, fostering an inclusive environment where all roles are respected. Transparency in her leadership is prioritized, with open communication during challenges or mistakes. By doing so, an environment of openness and safety is created, where team members feel comfortable voicing concerns or admitting struggles without fear of judgment, she believes this approach promotes a supportive workplace culture, aligning everyone towards shared goals.
Transforming Teams into Cohesive and Effective Units
Approaching team transformation by focusing on cultural change alongside the frictions or challenges within an organisation, Sharon believes that most people want to be happy and effective in their work, and challenges within teams often stem from underlying individual happiness or dissatisfaction. Advocating for addressing the root causes of discontent, whether work-related or personal, she recognizes that while some issues may be beyond a leader’s control, demonstrating understanding and support can shift workplace culture positively. By addressing these deeper concerns, she aims to cultivate a more cohesive and effective team environment.
Breaking Myths and Shaping a Better Culture
While physical challenges, such as finding suitable locations or spaces for formal meditation practices, can pose difficulties in the workplace, Sharon emphasizes that these are not insurmountable, as mindfulness can be practiced informally without a dedicated space. The more substantial challenges, in her view, revolve around misconceptions about the traits developed through mindfulness in workplace contexts.
For example, non-judging may be misinterpreted as avoiding accountability, patience might be seen as a lack of assertiveness, and a beginner’s mind could be misunderstood as a lack of direction or commitment. Similarly, trust might be mistaken for naivety, non-striving for a lack of ambition, and acceptance or letting go for weakness. Traits like presence and openness may also be perceived as overly emotional.
These misconceptions tie back to the broader issue of valuing “human leadership” skills, which Sharon believes are critical for creating a healthy workplace culture. Overcoming these misunderstandings is essential for embedding a mindful culture successfully within organizations.
Strengthening the Workplace Dynamic
Mindfulness is described as a way of paying attention to the present moment with friendliness and curiosity, encompassing awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and interactions with others. Leaders who practice mindfulness are better equipped to understand their own impact, foster positive workplace cultures, and adopt effective leadership styles tailored to individual team members.
Sharon believes that mindfulness encourages open and inclusive decision-making by fostering a welcoming environment and a beginner’s mind. A mindful leader inspires team members to share their insights and ideas, creating a collaborative atmosphere that often leads to innovative solutions that might not have been considered otherwise
Additionally, Sharon notes that involving employees in decision-making fosters greater commitment and support for new directions, even if the final decision differs from team members suggestions. She finds that when people feel heard and respected, they are more likely to trust and endorse the leader’s decisions. This mutual respect strengthens the workplace dynamic and improves overall outcomes.
Expanding Access with Quality and Care
Mindfulness has traditionally been associated with teacher-led eight-week courses, but there’s a growing availability of mindfulness through self-help books, social media, apps, in the workplace etc. Observing this trend with optimism, Sharon hopes it continues to expand as more people become aware of mindfulness and its benefits.
Although these newer formats provide accessible ways to engage with mindfulness,reaching audiences beyond traditional courses – Sharon is keen to communicate the importance of ensuring that guidance comes from appropriately trained individuals. She encourages organizations seeking to implement mindfulness to collaborate with trained teachers or mindfulness organizations to maintain quality and safeguard employees.
Tailoring Practices for Every Context
As individual and organizational needs for mindfulness continue to evolve, so does the understanding of what works best in different contexts. Sharon’s recent work has focused on the historical attempts to transfer versions of mindfulness courses from one setting to another with the expectation of similar impact. Simply lifting a course from one setting and dropping into another does not produce the same results.
The Oxford Mindfulness Foundation recognizes that while their main programs serve a broad section of society effectively, specific populations may require adaptations. In such cases, Sharon and her team collaborates closely with communities and organizations to ensure cultural and contextual appropriateness is considered alongside maintaining safe practices in any programmes offered.
From Meditation to Action
Mindfulness, when practiced personally, naturally permeates all areas of life, including professional contexts. While some workplaces may support formal mindfulness practices like meditation with dedicated time and space, mindfulness extends beyond meditation to qualities like kindness, compassion, and presence, which can be practiced at any time.
For those looking to formally integrate mindfulness into their professional settings, Sharon advises starting with personal practice and reflecting on how it has impacted both personal and professional interactions. Sharing this experience with colleagues and supervisors, supported by relevant research tailored to the professional field, this can build understanding and acceptance.
Individuals and organizations are encouraged to reach out to Sharon at Oxford Mindfulness for guidance and collaboration on integrating mindfulness into personal and professional contexts, emphasizing the Foundation’s global experience in this area.
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