Mr. Magazine

“That’s what I love about magazines, they’re such an intimate form of communication. When a magazine is done very, very well, I think that the reader feels an intimate connection with the writer, the editor, and the art director, and they have a beautiful experience. It’s a deep, rich experience.” Anne Alexander…

Mindful is a mission-driven non-profit brand, dedicated to inspiring, guiding, and connecting anyone who wants to explore mindfulness—to enjoy better health, more caring relationships, and a compassionate society. Anne Alexander is editor of the magazine and knows her way around multiplatform brands and content strategies. Anne is a New York Times bestselling author, she was editorial director for the National Geographic Society and also editorial director for the then Rodale’s Prevention brand, among many other leader positions.

And being editor of a brand that she is so very passionate about is a role that fits her perfectly. The field of mindfulness is one that is growing and proving to be a very important factor that many people are looking for in their hectic lives these days. And Anne is a firm believer in the brand’s signature mantra: Healthy Mind, Healthy Life. She believes the mind is a valuable resource that people are starting to realize needs protecting from the everyday stress and reflections of the past and the future that they’re often forced to think about. And she feels that Mindful is the voice of this emerging mindfulness community and the place to go for insight, information, and inspiration to help us all live more mindfully.

Anne thinks mindfulness is a unique and profound approach to social change, and the work a social innovation initiative. And that mindfulness is entering the mainstream and presents an historic opportunity to transform society.

From conferences and collaborations, Mindful is a contributing factor to the Mindfulness movement and keeps the integrity and expertise throughout the brand, relying on experts and researchers who have been in the field for years. It’s a fascinating topic and one that is exploding all over the country.

So, sit back in your favorite relaxed position and come into the moment as you become “Mindful” of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Anne Alexander, editor, Mindful Magazine.

But first the sound-bites:

On how she became editor of Mindful magazine: I had been at Rodale, and I had done a lot of consulting too, I’d had a whole series of fantastic consulting projects, and then I just really wanted to find a group of good people who were doing good work, work that was really meaningful. And so I just reached out to my network, and somebody I knew who knew somebody who knew somebody put me in touch with Barry Boyce and Jim Gimian, and we had a very lengthy conversation about mindfulness and editorial, and all sorts of things. So, really over a long period of time, we just decided there was a fit.

On why now for this huge public interest in mindfulness: I think the “why now” is because we’re experiencing a tremendous confluence of events, and stress is epidemic and mindfulness is one of those things that can help people destress. The instantaneous payoff is that mindfulness can help relieve stress, but over a longer period of time mindfulness is so important because we’re all involved with multitasking and our attention is being eviscerated by all of the technology that we have. So, our attention is constantly being drawn from our devices to all of the things that pull it away, so mindfulness is a way to bring our attention back, to enable us to regroup and to focus.

On what she thinks when some people tell her the future is for AI and there will never be an artificial mindfulness, that it still has to be part of the human being: Whether or not there’s an artificial AI version of mindfulness, or whether AI instruments develop their own form of mindfulness is something for other folks to ponder. I think that the human mind is such a valuable property that mindfulness enables us to reclaim that beauty and whether or not we want to develop that in some artificial way; I’m sure there are other ways to artificially stimulate ourselves, but I think that mindfulness is something that is inherently human.

On whether when she asks her readers to engage with the brand, will there be a need to put their devices down, or does she feel the role of the printed magazine has also changed: What I would love to do is ask them to try each of those things, because the online experience is wonderful for many reasons. The online experience with our articles, we can help inform people and empower them in some ways. But what I love about the magazine is it’s also sort of the antithesis of that. It’s the best of slow media, if you will, because it helps people to focus, to slow down, to savor the moment. In some ways our articles are old-fashioned, almost artisanal compositions. We have art directors and editors who really focus on the nuance of what we’re trying to say. I think that’s one of the reasons that readers are responding to it.

On whether it makes a difference she is working for a nonprofit, such as Mindful, or a for-profit entity: The nice think about mindfulness, or Mindful, is that the good work that we’re doing, the benefits that we’re accruing, we’re trying to put that back out and to benefit the wider audience. And in some ways it’s a more direct approach than what we were doing at Rodale, and certainly some of the benefits at National Geographic were going back out to help the environment and various things. With Mindful, because it’s such a small organization, you can actually see the benefits and where the revenues are going, to which cause. So, it’s very specific. You can see it on almost a one-to-one basis.

On whether she sees herself as a content provider or an experience maker in this world of editing: I believe that when content is done well, you are delivering an experience to people. When you have the beauty of combining visuals, you’re always creating an experience. To me, that’s the beauty of the work. That’s what I love about being an editor. You’re seeing the content isn’t just the words, it’s the words and how they’re presented and how they’re visually presented. And in order to be successful, I truly believe that has to be an experience for people.

On whether there will be any changes with the magazine since she has become the editor or will she just stay the course: We’re definitely staying the course because it’s been a very successful brand. But actually you will see changes or you could spot changes because I started consulting and working with them in August. You can start to see it in the covers. One of the things that we did with the cover for the January/February issue is we did a beautiful cover with Manoush Zomorodi on self-compassion. I love to try and have a photograph of somebody who just looks so natural and appealing and so authentic.

On her passion for the subject matter: Mindful is something that’s really important to me, and it’s important not just on an individual basis, but it’s important from a community, social and logical standpoint. We’re all so isolated now from a community, sociological point of view. And it’s important to see other people as humans in order to connect and engage with them and to care.

On whether she ever feels that she’s swimming against the current and that audiences have been brainwashed so much and then she has to de-brainwash them: I think people need to be reminded and given permission to slow down and to pause. And that’s where, if there’s a brainwashing that needs to be undone, that’s where mindfulness is coming in, and that’s part of what’s driving the growth of mindfulness. We’ve been going faster and multitasking, thinking it’s cool to have more than one device, and I think that we’re coming to a sense that our attention is a resource that needs to be guarded; it needs to be nurtured and protected and cared for. And the idea of slowing down and pausing is actually something that’s our human right. To do that is something that is important for us and for the community.

On what she would hope to tell someone she had accomplished in one year with Mindful magazine and the entire brand: There are so many growth areas. I would love to see the magazine engage with more people. I would love to see the website engage; we’re reaching like 1.2 million people on a regular basis through the different formats. And there is such a need for mindfulness in the healthcare community and the educator community. And we’re doing work with Aetna and Harvard Pilgrim and Kaiser Permanente, in terms of developing content about mindfulness in healthcare.

On working with Bryan Welch, the new CEO of Mindful: I’m inspired. I love Bryan, because I think Bryan thinks big. And Bryan brings a perspective on strategic growth and opportunity that will really help boost this brand and the company to the next level. He has the street cred to not only believe it, but to help make it happen. So, I am looking forward to working with him. And I think that tremendous things are possible and Bryan will help get the brand there and he’ll do it with his own tremendous integrity.

On presenting the true mindfulness experience: Really being in league with the top researchers who are doing this. We take tremendous pride in working with people like Amishi Jha and Pat Rockman, with the people who have been in this field for years and years, and take it seriously and do incredible research. They aren’t just doing things fly-by-night. You can find apps and all sorts of things claiming to be mindfulness and that claim all sorts of benefits, which their research hasn’t really been out. There are tremendous benefits with mindfulness, but we want to stick with things that are truly credible.

On anything she’d like to add: I think it’s a great group and I’m delighted to be working with them. They’re really smart and this field is growing. One of the things with Barry Boyce, and Jim Gimian who is the founder, they are really committed to carrying a message and the information about mindfulness in a way that’s really responsible. I was recently on the phone with Amishi Jha, who is one of the top leading neuroscientists in the field of mindfulness, and we were talking about how do we grow and maintain that level of integrity and commitment. To not overpromise or oversell.

On the biggest misconception she thinks people have about her: I think sometimes people can be intimidated and I try to be really, really nice and really human and fun.

On what she would have tattooed upon her brain that would be there forever and no one could ever forget about her: Leader.

On what someone would find her doing if they showed up unexpectedly one evening at her home: I’m such a creative at heart. I love cooking. I love to try and throw together a meal that my kids will actually eat. I’m the mother of three teenagers. And to me, I enjoy cooking and it’s such an accomplishment. I love it if I can make a meal and they all actually eat it and it disappears. And everybody is happy and we all have a sense of contentment.

On what keeps her up at night: There are so many things that need to be done. There are so many great ideas, concepts that need to be developed and launched. When I was in high school I used to row on the rowing team and we would row on the Potomac, down in Washington D.C. And all these planes would land every 30 seconds, and it’s this incredible experience being out on the Potomac at night and you see all these planes that are lined up, and I often feel like that. There are so many ideas that are just waiting out there. Sort of an ether, that are waiting for their time to come in and land. What keeps me up at night is how to land all of those planes. (Laughs)

And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Anne Alexander, editor, Mindful Magazine.

Samir Husni: Congratulations on the new job. You’re now editor of a magazine that’s entering its sixth anniversary, Mindful Magazine.

Anne Alexander: Thank you.

Samir Husni: How did you become editor of Mindful?

Anne Alexander: I had been at Rodale, and I had done a lot of consulting too, I’d had a whole series of fantastic consulting projects, and then I just really wanted to find a group of good people who were doing good work, work that was really meaningful. And so I just reached out to my network, and somebody I knew who knew somebody who knew somebody put me in touch with Barry Boyce and Jim Gimian, and we had a very lengthy conversation about mindfulness and editorial, and all sorts of things. So, really over a long period of time, we just decided there was a fit.

I had actually been consulting with them since August, so it’s been kind of an evolution of a role and I had literally just posted my business cards because they had just arrived, but I’d actually been working with them for quite some time, since August.

Samir Husni: The last time I interviewed the CEO of Time Inc. when we had a Time Inc., he told me the largest selling bookazine they had ever produced was on the topic of mindfulness. And when Mindful magazine was started six years ago, it was sort of the early entrant into the marketplace; why do you think it took so long for the population to realize that it’s important to be mindful? Why now?

Anne Alexander: That’s a great question. I think the “why now” is because we’re experiencing a tremendous confluence of events, and stress is epidemic and mindfulness is one of those things that can help people destress. The instantaneous payoff is that mindfulness can help relieve stress, but over a longer period of time mindfulness is so important because we’re all involved with multitasking and our attention is being eviscerated by all of the technology that we have. So, our attention is constantly being drawn from our devices to all of the things that pull it away, so mindfulness is a way to bring our attention back, to enable us to regroup and to focus.

Personally, I draw some parallels with how there was an explosion of interest in sugar; I wrote the “The Sugar Smart Diet,” which turned out to be nice because it was a New York Times bestseller. But in the same way that sugar had become so ubiquitous in our diet, I think we’re experiencing the same thing with all of these things that call our attention away from other things and dilutes our experience of being alive and feeling that we’re present in the moment. We’re worried about the past; we’re worried about the future; our attention is being drawn to what’s on the news, what’s on our devices, what’s on the radio; just all of these things. What’s happening on Instagram and Twitter.

All of these things are splintering our ability to concentrate and to focus, and the beautiful thing about mindfulness is that it’s the antidote to that in so many ways, because it enables you to just focus on what’s going on in the present moment and to feel more alive and more awake actually while you’re in that moment instead of worrying about the future or the past. So, it’s something that’s very easy; it’s very accessible, and it delivers an ability to feel alive and awake in the moment in ways that we don’t really feel right now.

Samir Husni: What do you think when some people tell us the future is for AI and there will never be an artificial mindfulness, that it still has to be part of the human being?

Anne Alexander: Whether or not there’s an artificial AI version of mindfulness, or whether AI instruments develop their own form of mindfulness is something for other folks to ponder. I think that the human mind is such a valuable property that mindfulness enables us to reclaim that beauty and whether or not we want to develop that in some artificial way; I’m sure there are other ways to artificially stimulate ourselves, but I think that mindfulness is something that is inherently human.

Samir Husni: In that “me” moment, when you want someone to pick up your magazine and engage with it or go to the website, are you going to ask them to drop their Smartphones, close their computers, and sit down and enjoy the moment, or do you see the role of the printed magazine as changing too?

Anne Alexander: What I would love to do is ask them to try each of those things, because the online experience is wonderful for many reasons. The online experience with our articles, we can help inform people and empower them in some ways. We have a whole podcast series that’s going gangbusters, and those are audio practices that enable people to experience mindfulness through meditation. And oftentimes that happens on their devices, and in that case you would want to be tethered to your device. You would want to be experiencing the meditation or practice using your device.

But what I love about the magazine is it’s also sort of the antithesis of that. It’s the best of slow media, if you will, because it helps people to focus, to slow down, to savor the moment. In some ways our articles are old-fashioned, almost artisanal compositions. We have art directors and editors who really focus on the nuance of what we’re trying to say. I think that’s one of the reasons that readers are responding to it. It really gives them that ability to savor and come together on a topic.

That’s what I love about magazines, they’re such an intimate form of communication. When a magazine is done very, very well, I think that the reader feels an intimate connection with the writer, the editor, and the art director, and they have a beautiful experience. It’s a deep, rich experience.

So, I would answer that question in multiple ways. I think there is a role for the digital version and a role for the print magazine. One of the really nice things about Mindful is all of these different growth areas. The print magazine serves in a very traditional and what I call, slow media way, which is to just give people that ability to pause and enjoy something and to absorb it. And to be visually delighted and to be stimulated through that word. And again, it’s a very intimate connection.

And I think that our online version can do that as well or our podcasts can do that. We’re also doing these community-based Facebook Live posts, where you get to interact with other people. We’re doing Mindful30, which is a video course. So, there are so many different aspects of the brand and our goal is to meet people where they are and to serve them in whatever ways we can.

Samir Husni: In your mission statement you say that you’re mission-driven but not for profit. And this isn’t new for you, you’ve worked with the National Geographic Society when they were not for profit. How does that differentiate your look or your approach to editing? Does it make a difference whether you are working for a nonprofit or a for-profit entity in your experience?

Anne Alexander: In my experience it’s funny, I tend to be somebody who is always drawn to the sort of do-gooder enterprises. That’s just my passion, trying to help empower people to live happier, healthier lives. And there is a purity about that, in terms of trying to provide people with information that is truly empowering for them. It gives them the tools that they need to live a happier, healthier life. Or in the Mindful case, we like to think of it as living a well-balanced, meaningful life. So, we’re giving people the tools to do that.

With Mindful, part of the nonprofit status and the mission-driven status is to bring the message to as many people as we possibly can. So, there are a whole group of initiatives that we’re undertaking, such as Mindful30, which is an invitation to anybody to sign up and to get 30 days of really good mindfulness information. And part of the proceeds then go to supporting educators in the field who are bringing mindfulness to various institutions and educators. So, I think that’s one of the benefits.

The nice think about mindfulness, or Mindful, is that the good work that we’re doing, the benefits that we’re accruing, we’re trying to put that back out and to benefit the wider audience. And in some ways it’s a more direct approach than what we were doing at Rodale, and certainly some of the benefits at National Geographic were going back out to help the environment and various things. With Mindful, because it’s such a small organization, you can actually see the benefits and where the revenues are going, to which cause. So, it’s very specific. You can see it on almost a one-to-one basis.

Samir Husni: Do you see yourself as a content provider or an experience maker in this world of editing?

Anne Alexander: That is a great question. I believe that when content is done well, you are delivering an experience to people. When you have the beauty of combining visuals, you’re always creating an experience. To me, that’s the beauty of the work. That’s what I love about being an editor. You’re seeing the content isn’t just the words, it’s the words and how they’re presented and how they’re visually presented. And in order to be successful, I truly believe that has to be an experience for people.

Samir Husni: As you take over the helm of the magazine; you’ve been consulting with them since August, but now you’re the editor. Are we going to see any changes with the magazine or are you going to stay the course?

Anne Alexander: We’re definitely staying the course because it’s been a very successful brand. But actually you will see changes or you could spot changes because I started consulting and working with them in August. You can start to see it in the covers. One of the things that we did with the cover for the January/February issue is we did a beautiful cover with Manoush Zomorodi on self-compassion. I love to try and have a photograph of somebody who just looks so natural and appealing and so authentic.

And our April cover is with Dena Simmons, who is the assistant director at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. And again, I just think there is a beautiful authenticity to her on the cover, and I’m so excited as I look at other folks for the cover to cover on the inside.

Everybody has their work that they bring; to me I really want to make the magazine feel that you’re communing with it to bring out the humanity of it and to show the leading experts in mindfulness and the tremendous work that they’re doing. The April issue coming out has an amazing story from Mark Coleman who is a wilderness meditation expert. He leads a lot of meditations in the wilderness and it’s a beautiful piece, because it’s so heartfelt about climate change.

We used to think of going to nature as just this sort of restorative experience, the beauty of nature fills us with awe and all of these things. And now of course, with climate change, sometimes when we’re experiencing nature we have this deep sense of sadness and grief at what’s going on. And Mark talks about that, he talks about mindfulness and this ability to hold a paradox in your mind, to hold the beauty of nature and to hold your grief at the same time. What I loved about this article was it’s very emotional.

And again, to your question about whether content should be an experience, I believe it should be an experience. The words that he’s written are an experience. And the art is an experience, because you can’t help but look at the art and have your heart moved by seeing these polar bears, by seeing what we’re doing. And yet there’s also hope in the piece.

I guess what I try to bring to everything I do is a sense of connection. In order to move people to action or to inspire people, you have to touch them; you have to have them feel that they’re a part of something and that they’re emotionally moved. So, I would like to think that the art, the stories, are going to have a very strong emotional connection. I think that’s one of the things that we’re looking for quite frankly.

Samir Husni: We’ve chatted before and we’ve corresponded, but I have never felt you so passionate about a subject matter. When you launched National Geographic History, you were passionate about the subject, but you weren’t beaming like you are about Mindful.

Anne Alexander: I actually think the secret sauce of that History magazine was and is, in some ways, being able to put people into historical perspective. Being able to put them on the beach in those Roman outfits; what’s it like to march 60 miles a day?

And in some ways it’s the same. It’s creating a visceral reaction and that’s what I love to do. So in some ways it was so funny for me to work on a history magazine, because that’s my true calling, is to try and move people. And to emotionally engage with them. So yes, I was excited about that, but I was excited about that because I felt like I was somebody bringing a very different skillset for a very different subject.

Mindful is something that’s really important to me, and it’s important not just on an individual basis, but it’s important from a community, social and logical standpoint. We’re all so isolated now from a community, sociological point of view. And it’s important to see other people as humans in order to connect and engage with them and to care.

Samir Husni: Do you ever feel that you’re swimming against the current? That the audiences have been brainwashed so much and then you have to de-brainwash them?

Anne Alexander: I think people need to be reminded and given permission to slow down and to pause. And that’s where, if there’s a brainwashing that needs to be undone, that’s where mindfulness is coming in, and that’s part of what’s driving the growth of mindfulness. We’ve been going faster and multitasking, thinking it’s cool to have more than one device, and I think that we’re coming to a sense that our attention is a resource that needs to be guarded; it needs to be nurtured and protected and cared for. And the idea of slowing down and pausing is actually something that’s our human right. To do that is something that is important for us and for the community.

So, do I feel like I swimming against the current? I don’t know if I’m swimming against the current, but I think Mindful as a brand is sending out a very important message. There’s a reason why this brand and this concept is growing. It’s a message that people need to hear and need to be reminded of.

Samir Husni: If you and I are chatting a year from now, what would you hope to tell me you had accomplished with Mindful Magazine and the entire brand?

Anne Alexander: There are so many growth areas. I would love to see the magazine engage with more people. I would love to see the website engage; we’re reaching like 1.2 million people on a regular basis through the different formats. And there is such a need for mindfulness in the healthcare community and the educator community. And we’re doing work with Aetna and Harvard Pilgrim and Kaiser Permanente, in terms of developing content about mindfulness in healthcare.

I would love to be able to feel that we have enabled even more people, whatever would be a tremendous growth, but enable people to connect with themselves, with the present moment, and for them to feel a sense of relief. If we could provide those tools for more people, I think that would be a tremendous accomplishment. And to do it with integrity.

Samir Husni: Bryan Welch is now the new CEO of Mindful. And Bryan comes from a not for profit business that he started before and before that Mother Earth News. How is the new team going? Can you give us a glimpse of working with Bryan?

Anne Alexander: I’m inspired. I love Bryan, because I think Bryan thinks big. And Bryan brings a perspective on strategic growth and opportunity that will really help boost this brand and the company to the next level. He has the street cred to not only believe it, but to help make it happen. So, I am looking forward to working with him. And I think that tremendous things are possible and Bryan will help get the brand there and he’ll do it with his own tremendous integrity.

Samir Husni: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Anne Alexander: I think it’s a great group and I’m delighted to be working with them. They’re really smart and this field is growing. One of the things with Barry Boyce, and Jim Gimian who is the founder, they are really committed to carrying a message and the information about mindfulness in a way that’s really responsible. I was recently on the phone with Amishi Jha, who is one of the top leading neuroscientists in the field of mindfulness, and we were talking about how do we grow and maintain that level of integrity and commitment. To not overpromise or oversell.

This is a field that’s growing. Time magazine is in this market, and lots of people are in this market. But one of the things that really makes Mindful stand apart is this tremendous commitment to getting the information right and not overselling.

Samir Husni: And it’s not just one book, it’s really living it.

Anne Alexander: Yes, and really being in league with the top researchers who are doing this. We take tremendous pride in working with people like Amishi Jha and Pat Rockman, with the people who have been in this field for years and years, and take it seriously and do incredible research. They aren’t just doing things fly-by-night. You can find apps and all sorts of things claiming to be mindfulness and that claim all sorts of benefits, which their research hasn’t really been out. There are tremendous benefits with mindfulness, but we want to stick with things that are truly credible.

Samir Husni: What’s the biggest misconception people have about you?

Anne Alexander: I think sometimes people can be intimidated and I try to be really, really nice and really human and fun.

Samir Husni: If you could have one thing tattooed upon your brain that no one would ever forget about you, what would it be?

Anne Alexander: Leader.

Samir Husni: If I showed up unexpectedly at your home one evening after work, what would I find you doing? Having a glass of wine; reading a magazine; cooking; watching TV; or something else? How do you unwind?

Anne Alexander: I’m such a creative at heart. I love cooking. I love to try and throw together a meal that my kids will actually eat. I’m the mother of three teenagers. And to me, I enjoy cooking and it’s such an accomplishment. I love it if I can make a meal and they all actually eat it and it disappears. And everybody is happy and we all have a sense of contentment.

And then we watch something on TV together. It’s usually a debate between “Chopped” or “Locked Up Abroad” or something. I just like hanging out with my kids. We have a dog and two cats and two goats. I’m taking my yearly teacher training right now, and if I can get my kids to agree for me to teach them yoga and be my stand-in class, that would be fantastic. My son is 16 and he wants to join the Marines, and so we’re doing this marvelous piece about mindfulness in the military. And he kind of thinks this mindfulness stuff is a bit softy-softy, but when I started telling him why and how it benefits the Marines and the Army, I love seeing his ears perk up and he says, “Oh really?” So, he takes a little more interest in what his mom is doing.

Samir Husni: And my typical last question; what keeps you up at night?

Anne Alexander: There are so many things that need to be done. There are so many great ideas, concepts that need to be developed and launched. When I was in high school I used to row on the rowing team and we would row on the Potomac, down in Washington D.C. And all these planes would land every 30 seconds, and it’s this incredible experience being out on the Potomac at night and you see all these planes that are lined up, and I often feel like that. There are so many ideas that are just waiting out there. Sort of an ether, that are waiting for their time to come in and land. What keeps me up at night is how to land all of those planes. (Laughs)

You’re grabbing the ideas from the ether and you’re bringing them together with other people. Deepak Chopra talks about it as pure potentiality and that’s exactly it. You’re bringing these ideas in and working with people to create them. And being this sort of brand mama, you give birth to them and then see whether people like them. And it’s an amazing experience.

Samir Husni: Thank you.