The Work Life newsletter will be taking a break over the holidays. It will return Jan. 5.

 
 

Between rising economic instability and a growing sense of anxiety around artificial intelligence, many people are feeling overwhelmed and under-equipped to handle the pace of change.
 
 

“In our hyperconnected world, stress is more of a constant and it is running like a loop because we are so plugged in all the time,” says Ontario-based Scheherzade Rana, a trained teacher in mindful self-compassion and expert in high-performance leadership. “Our neurobiology simply can’t keep up with the sheer volume, pace and pressure of this noise.”
 
 

Ms. Rana, who combines 20 years of leadership experience with more than 15 years of mindfulness, breathwork and emotional intelligence training, says the modern stress response looks very different than it did even a decade ago. What once arrived in short, manageable bursts now lingers – affecting our focus, sleep and emotional wellbeing.
 
 

That’s where meditation comes in.
 
 

“For me, meditation is a powerful tool that interrupts the stress loop and helps us hit the reset button,” she says. “It stops the noise long enough to give you some space to recalibrate, get grounded and connect with your inner wisdom.”
 
 
 

The power of pausing

 
 

While AI offers efficiency, automation and convenience, Ms. Rana says it can’t deliver the qualities that make us deeply human such as empathy, trust or compassion.

 
 

“These are the qualities that new leadership is demanding today and you can’t code them. They have to be consciously cultivated by going inward with meditation,” she says.

 
 

She believes meditation builds a kind of “internal operating system” that helps people think more clearly, act more intentionally and stay grounded in moments of stress or uncertainty.
 
 

“When people start practicing meditation, they learn to pause in the space between stimulus and response. This is the space where you can make an informed choice in seconds,” she says.

 
 

“You become more present and less stressed, and you think more clearly and creatively.”
 
 

Thriving in the age of AI
 
 

One of the biggest myths Ms. Rana hears is that meditation is about clearing your mind or that it makes you lose your edge.
 
 

“This is not true and it’s not even possible because we humans cannot turn off our thoughts,” she says. “What it does is settle your thoughts so that we can learn how to work with them in a way that puts you in the driver’s seat of your life instead of looking through the rear-view mirror.”
 
 

In an era of rapid automation, unpredictable markets and constant digital stimulation, meditation is a quiet, powerful counterbalance.

 
 

“For anyone who wants to thrive in the age of AI, meditation is an essential skill,” Ms. Rana says.

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

67 per cent
 
 

That’s how many companies say diversity is a high priority, according to the 2025 Women in the Workplace report from nonprofit Lean In. For context, in 2021 90 per cent of companies reported that diversity and inclusion was a high organizational priority.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Have you ever had to work with someone who is decent at their job but doesn’t follow the rules? Whether it’s skipping reviews, breaking brand guidelines or sending in expenses late, these rule-breakers exist everywhere.

 
 

According to this Forbes article, the best way to deal with this challenge is to go in with the awareness that there may be other factors – such as being distracted with personal issues or pressure from leadership – at play. So, be curious, not confrontational. You can also clarify the ‘why’ behind rules so that they can understand how following them benefits everyone.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

“In good times, jobs are weighed against new opportunities, but in bad times, they are weighed against layoffs and hiring freezes. This shift in the backdrop suddenly casts the existing job in a more favourable light even though nothing about it has changed. For leaders, this uptick in satisfaction and retention can be deceptive,” writes leadership advisor Navio Kwok.

 
 

Here, Mr. Kwok reminds leaders that periods of economic strain can create a false sense of retention. It’s important to continue providing perks or raises to the workers they want to retain and prepare for the predictable churn that will come with economic recovery.