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Career Conversations - Neil Seligman, The Conscious Professional
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Career Conversations - Interview with Neil Seligman, Founder of The Conscious Professional
We caught up with Neil Seligman, a leading international expert in Mindfulness, Resilience, and Corporate Wellbeing prior to his keynote session at LegalEx 2021.
Neil is the Founder of The Conscious Professional and the Author of Conscious Leadership and 100 Mindfulness Meditations. As a world-class speaker, Neil tours the UK, Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America appearing at conferences and events. The Conscious Professional's client list includes global blue-chip firms such as Hogan Lovells, Netflix, DLA Piper, Accenture, RPC, Pinsent Masons, Warner Brothers, and Natwest. Whilst Neil's work has transformed drastically, as he transitioned from London Barrister to Corporate Mindfulness Advocate, his two passions have remained the same: witnessing the unfolding of human potential, and the pursuit of excellence.
In his upcoming keynote for LegalEx (register for free here) Neil will tell the inspiring story of how meditation guided him to transform his career from Civil Law Barrister to Corporate Mindfulness Advocate and you will leave with a suite of tools and practices to help better manage stress, improve wellbeing and inspire your mindfulness practice.
Can you introduce yourself and your current job role?
My name is Neil Seligman, I am the Founder of The Conscious Professional a London-based consultancy providing mindful education through training and coaching to busy professionals.
How did you find yourself in this position? Did you always aim to pursue a career in law?
I graduated from Bristol University in 2000 with a law degree and a qualification as a Reiki Master. I spent the next eight years as a Barrister, practising civil law from 12 Kings Bench Walk in London. Inspired to find deeper purpose and alignment, I then spent three years travelling, exploring my creativity through photography and performance and deepening my connection to the meditative dimension of life that had always fascinated me. When I founded The Conscious Professional in the Summer of 2012, suddenly the twists and turns of my career made sense.
What role does your current position play in the functioning of the rest of your business and why is so crucial?
I am the Director of the business so take a leadership role when it comes to administration, developing courses and winning new business.
Can you give us some insight into the tasks that make up a regular working day for you, and what legal considerations need to go into these tasks?
About 50 percent of my time is involved in the administrative running of the business and managing the team and 50 percent in either delivering sessions or creating new content.
Can you fill us in on any challenges you’ve faced in your career and how you overcame these?
It may sound a little strange but one of the hardest challenges I faced was overcoming my early success. I had to learn the hard way that there is a huge difference between success and alignment.
As a young well-regarded Barrister in London in my 20’s I was considered to have made it. Yet deep down I knew that it wasn’t right for me. If I was going to be spending my energy just once in this lifetime, I felt a personal drive to ensure that this energy would be impactful in a more meaningful way. I became disheartened with my impact as a lawyer and knew that change was needed. My personal symptoms of misalignment ranged from frustration to boredom, irritation to over-spending and increasing amounts of stress.
As I stepped away and into my new work, I began to know the true power of alignment which is very different to success. Whilst success is predominantly egoic, alignment goes far deeper. Consequently, whilst the ego is never satisfied, no matter how many awards, things or money you gather, the gifts of alignment are peace, purpose and a distinct feeling of having and more importantly being, enough.
If you had to give some advice to your younger self or a mentee looking to enter your career, what would you say?
I would say: trust your inner guidance system. Learn to listen deeply in a space of mindful presence and allow the direction of your life to emerge from that space, rather than from the expectations of those around you.
In your opinion, what are the most exciting developments within your role or the law sector at present?
In the field of professional consciousness we are now seeing the emergence and implementation of philosophies around Conscious Leadership. We have reached a tipping point where perhaps the majority recognise the importance of cultivating mindful presence as the basis not only for wellbeing but decision-making and leadership. My book Conscious Leadership: Reveal Your Potential. Inspire Excellence. (White Lion Publishing 2019) explores how Conscious Leadership can practically help us find deeper purpose and meaning in our lives and work whilst also discovering solutions to the complex problems of our world.
What do you see the future of the law sector being like? Does this excite or scare you?
In my view, lawyers of the future will have to reimagine themselves as conscious problem-solvers, master negotiators, and advanced advocates.
What are the main takeaways from your talk with us at LegalEx?
Wellbeing is a foundational professional skill. It is possible to untether high performance from high stress. You can meditate!
In his upcoming keynote for LegalEx (register for free here) Neil will tell the inspiring story of how meditation guided him to transform his career from Civil Law Barrister to Corporate Mindfulness Advocate and you will leave with a suite of tools and practices to help better manage stress, improve wellbeing and inspire your mindfulness practice.