Karen Haddon
Teaching Mindfulness,Compassion & Gratefulness
Welcome! I'm so glad you have found your way here.
I'm Karen Haddon, an internationally accredited senior teacher specialising in mindfulness, meditation, mindful self-compassion, gratefulness gatherings, and positive wellbeing programs, based in Perth, Western Australia.
Living A Mindful Life
Every day, I embrace mindful, compassionate, and grateful living, drawing from a rich foundation of evidence-based programs in which I hold formal qualifications. These include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), Positive Neuroplasticity Professional Training, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Circle of Security Parenting, 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training, Gratefulness Gathering Hosting, and the ancient art of Feng Shui for creating mindful spaces.
My journey isn't confined to a specific setting. I'm equally at home in an intimate circle, supporting individuals navigating personal struggles with mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude, as I am addressing large corporate audiences or collaborating with elite athletes in sports stadiums.
What fuels my passion for teaching is witnessing the profound transformations that unfold as individuals embrace mindfulness, compassion, and grateful living. From subtle shifts to profound breakthroughs, I am continually inspired by the courage and hope of those embarking on their journey toward positive change.
My role is akin to that of a gardener, seeding possibilities, guiding the planting process, and nurturing growth over time. The magic lies in watching these seeds sprout and flourish within each individual.
Whether you're seeking personal wellbeing through formal Mindfulness Based Programs like, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Mindful Self-Compassion or Mindfulness for Cancer courses; or through exploring the power of gratitude by joining our Cultivating Gratefulness Monthly group, or enhancing organisational wellbeing and performance through my Mindfulness at Work series, you'll experience the depth of transformation that comes from immersive, live (in-person or online) mindfulness, self-compassion and positive wellbeing programs delivered by someone who has immersed herself in personal mindful living practices and professional education since 1998.
Where You Can Learn With Me
Currently I wear various professional hats, offering programs and workshops through my own business, Mindful EAS and contributing my time and knowledge through four distinct not-for-profit organisations across Australia.
As the Founder of Mindful EAS, I'm dedicated to facilitating transformative workshops both in workplace and community settings, here in Western Australia, drawing from my expertise in mindful living, mindfulness at work, self-compassion cultivation, and gratitude practices. Additionally, I specialise in leading courses such as the Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion and the comprehensive Mindful Self-Compassion 8-Week program.
Central to my approach is the value of personal connection. I offer individualised support through Mindfulness Coaching, tailoring sessions to your specific needs and preferences. Whether it's a one-off coaching session or a guided journey through one of my programs, I'm here to offer personalised support, just for you, that fosters growth and transformation on a deeply personal level.
A part of the Openground Australian Centre for Mindfulness team, since 2017, I facilitate the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a transformative 8-week journey available to the public four times a year, aligned with the school terms. You can find out about MBSR Perth here:
As a Life Now Facilitator with Cancer Council WA, I extend support to individuals affected by cancer, offering the Life Now Mindfulness 8-week course for Cancer and a condensed 6-week meditation course. These initiatives, infused with mindfulness and self-compassion, provide solace and empowerment to both cancer patients and their caregivers. You can register for a Life Now course here:
With Smiling Mind, I'm proud to part of their external facilitator team, a dedicated nationwide team of mindfulness, compassion, and positive wellbeing experts. Together, we equip primary school teachers with tools from a mindfulness-based social and emotional learning curriculum, fostering improved mental health outcomes for children. Since 2016, I've had the privilege of training educators in hundreds of schools, covering diverse topics such as self-awareness, compassion, positive communication, kindness, and gratitude and more. Through Smiling Mind I’ve also taught mindfulness to two national elite sports teams. You can connect with Smiling Mind here.
In my involvement with Befriend, I innovate and implement programs aimed at combating loneliness and fostering a sense of belonging. The Befriending Series, a comprehensive 6-week program, has yielded encouraging results thus far. I'm particularly passionate about empowering new migrants, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds with tools that support their sense of belonging and wellbeing. You can connect with Befriend here:
Each of these endeavours shares a common thread: a commitment to fostering mindfulness, compassion, and connection within our communities.
If you’d like to know more, I’d love to chat with you.
Inspiration and support for you!
To discover ways to transform your life, I invite you to explore my offerings, all available in Western Australia or live online from anywhere. If you have any questions or would like to discuss whether a specific program or workshop aligns with your current goals and circumstances, please reach out to me.
I’m here to support you on your mindfulness journey.
I genuinely look forward to meeting you.
MINDFUL SELF-COMPASSION (MSC)
Immersion in the 8 week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) course or Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion in Perth, Western Australia, offers the possibility for you to experience some of the evidence based benefits of MSC as shown in research through the Centre of Mindful Self-Compassion in the US. This course was created by Dr Kristen Neff and Dr Chris Germer and it is their full program that you will experience with me.
There are three main themes we investigate in Mindful Self-Compassion:
Mindfulness: cultivation of the capacity to be aware of and open to the unfolding of experience, both pleasant and unpleasant, in any moment. Throughout the course we begin to hold gently, kindly and compassionately whatever we are experiencing. Bringing tender care to ourselves.
Common Humanity: this aspect allows for a real felt sense of not being alone in our struggles. Overtime it is possible to acknowledge and believe that we are not alone in whatever it is that is troubling us. A term I like is "just like me". Not matter what I am experiencing there are other humans in this world, "just like me".
Self-Kindness: this is tricky, because we are so often not on our own sides. Instead our inner voices can be incredibly harsh and unwelcoming. In fact, if we spoke to others the way we so often speak to ourselves we'd likely drive people away. Beginning to befriend ourselves, being kind and compassionate to ourselves in the face of everyday challenges, is a key component of living with compassion. When we are kind to ourselves, taking a much friendlier stance towards ourselves, the benefits ripple out to all those around us.
I often say to people that Mindful Self-Compassion, this invitation to take time everyday to nurture and nourish ourselves, is not "self-fish" but rather it is a "self-less" act. For the very reason that the time we spend nurturing and nourishing our own hearts and minds benefits everyone else.
If you are ready to begin to make friends with yourself in a safe and nurturing environment, then joining the MSC 8-week course may be just what you're looking for. You can join Siri Chandler and myself for our next MSC course commencing on September, 2024, live online.
You can download a flyer with course information here: MSC Course Information Flyer
If you're ready to commit to taking the transformative MSC course, you cab register below:
Immersion in the 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course in Perth, offers the possibility for you to experience some of the health benefits identified through research into MBSR, including: reductions in high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, chronic pain and illness. Improvements in sleep quality, relationships, immune system function, clarity of thought, information processing, ability to regulate emotions, ability to maintain attention and cognitive function.
The next MBSR public course commences on 8 May 2024 and will be held in Melville on Wednesday evening's from 6pm to 8:30pm.
You can find out all you need to know about the course here or you can contact Karen directly to find more about the course.
The full Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course can also be offered for your COMMUNITY GROUP, BUSINESS or SCHOOL either in-person or online. Please be in touch to find out more.
MINDFULNESS BASED STRESS REDUCTION
MINDFULNESS AT WORK
Karen's workplace wellbeing and performance programs, offered in Perth and across Western Australia, are meticulously crafted to align with the unique culture of your workplace. Whether it's in educational institutions or corporate settings, we offer a diverse array of workshop themes tailored to your needs.
Our programs focus on cultivating gratitude, resilience, mindfulness, compassion, and empathy — essential skills for navigating the demands of a fast-paced world, both professionally and personally.
Through full immersion in our programs, participants experience a myriad of benefits. They gain heightened clarity of thought, foster innovation, and creativity, enhance attention to detail and productivity, and foster a culture of compassion and collaboration within teams. Moreover, they develop a profound appreciation for the richness of life, both in the workplace and beyond.
By intentionally integrating these practices into your workplace culture and personal lives, our programs foster a holistic sense of wellbeing, empowering individuals to thrive amidst the complexities of modern life.
Mindfulness At Work Workshops
You can choose from:
- Introduction to Mindfulness at Work - To find out more, download the flyer or send Karen an email or give her a call.
- Introduction to Mindfulness and Self-Compassion at Work - 2.5 hours - To find out more, download the flyer or send Karen an email or give her a call.
- 4 Week Mindfulness at Work - 1 hour per week
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at Work - 2 hours per week across 8-weeks
- Living and Leading with G.R.A.C.E. Introduction - 1.5 hours
- 6 Week Living and Leading with G.R.A.C.E. Full Program - 1.5 hours per session
- Bespoke workshops to meet your organisation's unique requirements.
LIVING AND LEADING WITH G.R.A.C.E.
Living and leading with G.R.A.C.E. is born from a combination of the practices, teaching’s and science of living a grateful, resilient, aware, compassionate and empathetic life. G.R.A.C.E.ful living invites us to see the beauty in the miniscule moments of life, to feel grateful for the abundance we have, to choose to fully feel, embrace and care for the pain and suffering within ourselves and to see and care for the pain and suffering in others, to give ourselves permission to slow down, to stop rushing, to tap into our own inner resources for strength and resilience.
Living with G.R.A.C.E.fulness is the recipe that allows us to live our best life. As an AFL player I have had the great fortune to mentor calls it, we can become the “best version” of ourselves.
The themes you will explore, experiment with, learn and grow in a Living and Leading with G.R.A.C.E. workshop, or better still, in the full Living and Leading with G.R.A.C.E. 6-week program, are:
Gratefulness: living gratefully means we are appreciative of the abundance in our lives in any given moment. The abundance of clean air, fresh water, food, transport, opportunities, people, resources of all kinds, the natural world...Br David Steindl-Rast says "it is not joy that makes us grateful, is if gratefulness that makes us joyful'. When we are grateful, we have a greater sense of ease, satisfaction, appreciation, joy and happiness.
Resilience: we all have an inner well of resiliency resources, sometimes, we need to intentionally ignite or top up the well, perhaps adding new resources. Resiliency allows us to bend with the winds of change, to weather the inevitable storms of life.
Awareness: is possible through mindfulness practices, that is, cultivating present moment awareness, so that you can be awake to and responsive to the whole of your life, with patience, peace, ease and joy.
Compassion: is the capacity to treat yourself and others with understanding, concern and friendliness.
Empathy: is tuning into and understanding other people, it's about conducting yourself with a great sense of emotional intelligence.
The Living and Leading with G.R.A.C.E. workshops have been received a fantastic response so far:
"We've had really good feedback from our staff about the half day of learning about Living and Leading with G.R.A.C.E. Karen is an inspirational, authentic speaker who really knows her stuff and easily and gracefully connects with her audience." School Principal 2021
"After Karen spoke at our conference we've had a lot of interest from school leaders wanting to explore different parts of GRACE in more depth with Karen. Many have also asked for Karen to bring Living and Leading with G.R.A.C.E. to their school staff." Conference Organiser 2021
To book me for your school or business workplace, or your community group, please be in touch:
MINDFULNESS IN SPORT
Mindfulness is a game-changer for athletes, honing their ability to maintain laser-like focus amidst the whirlwind of distractions during play. Through regular mindfulness practice, athletes learn to anchor themselves in the present moment, unleashing their full potential even in the heat of competition.
This practice isn't just about staying present; it's the key to unlocking flow states, where athletes perform at their peak.
Karen's track record speaks for itself, having collaborated with multiple elite sport teams, one that clinched grand final victory. Whether you're an individual seeking personal enhancement or a team aiming for collective success, Karen offers tailored mindfulness coaching to elevate your performance. Get in touch to explore how you can work with Karen and take your game to the next level.
MINDFULNESS CURRICULA FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
With 1 in 7 Primary school students and 1 in 4 Secondary school students affected by mental health issues in any one year, mindfulness programs in schools help to build capacity in emotional regulation, positive coping, resilience and self-awareness.
Karen has an in-depth knowledge of multiple internationally recognised mindfulness in schools programs and can assist you in choosing the most appropriate mindfulness skills training for the students in your school.
TESTIMONIALS
2020
"Karen is amazing. A true inspiration and so compassionate and gentle with her delivery. I've appreciated the time and feel inspired to continue..."
2020
"I've learnt to slow down, not live so much in fear, to rest, to offer myself self-compassion and how to be really present with my students. "
2021
"Karen's style is perfect for this course and I'm recommending it to everyone. I've become less reactive and now respond to stressful events appropriately." 2021
2021
"I have noticed changes in many areas: work, less tired, more conscious of choices, braver in asking for what I need, more empathetic towards others and more grateful for all that I have." 2021
Organisations Who've Chosen to Work Directly with Karen Haddon
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Openground Mindfulness Training
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Smiling Mind
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zero2hero
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Youth Involvement Council Port Hedland
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Cancer Council WA
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Solaris Cancer Care
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HBF
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Fremantle Council
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Podiatry WA
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Australian Institute of Management
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Bunnings Warehouse O'Connor
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West Australian Cricket Association
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William Langford Community House-Inc
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Fremantle Women's Health Centre
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Department of Justice WA
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Conscious Beginnings
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Flow Wellbeing
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Rio Tinto
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Vivid Property Group
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Brentwood Primary School
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Iona Presentation College
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Seton College
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Santa Maria College
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Mazenod College
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Mosman Park School for Deaf Children
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School of Specialised Educational Needs: Behaviour & Engagement (SSENBE)
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St Helena's Catholic Primary School
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Mary MacKillip Catholic Community Primary School
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Catholic Primary Principals Association WA
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West Australian Association of Teaching Assistants
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Curtin Education Conference
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Mind Matters and Kids Matter
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Graduate Teacher Induction Program Staff-Teacher Development - Department of Education WA
"There are tremendous benefits that arise from mindfulness practice, but it works precisely because we don't try to attain benefit.
Instead we befriend ourselves as we are.
We learn how to drop in on ourselves, visit and hang out with awareness"
Jon Kabat Zinn