Episode 32

We Were Burned Out So My Family Went to Plum Village Monastery. This Is What We Learned with Dr. Diana Hill

Published on: 29th August, 2022

Instead of a cross-country road trip, this summer we took our kids to Plum Village, a Buddhist monastery in southwest France founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Master. Faced with pandemic stress, we were on screens too much, taxed by relentless to-dos, and felt increasingly dissatisfied. Teetering on parental burn-out, we were craving peace, time away from devices, and strategies to handle increasingly uncertain times. It’s a stretch to sign up 9-year-old and 12-year-old boys for a week of mindful walking, silent meals, and sitting meditation. We were willing to take the leap if it could reconnect us and help us find our grounding as a family again. In this episode, I share with you 6 lessons and related practices helping us to restore our homeostasis and how you can try them at home.

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Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music.

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    Diana Hill

    Dr. Diana Hill, PhD is a clinical psychologist, executive consultant, and international trainer who helps leaders and teams navigate complexity without precedent. Her Wise Effort Method addresses a problem most high performers recognize immediately: the drive that got them here is now working against them. A leading voice in the evolution of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, she co-leads ACT BootCamp with ACT founder Dr. Steven Hayes, trains the trainers, and serves as an instructor for the University of California's Climate Resilience Initiative. She has led executive retreats and intensives for leadership teams including Deckers Brands, Lightfully Behavioral Health, and YPO. Diana is the author of Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most and three other books, hosts the Wise Effort podcast, and has been featured on NPR, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal. With over 20 years of yoga and meditation practice, she teaches from embodied experience rather than theory alone — her sessions are experiential and transformational.