3 habits that change everything

Settle down. Pay attention. Say thank you. Three simple habits that transform resilience and reduce stress.

Before You Start

Goal: Explore practical mindfulness tools you can actually use — and leave with one small habit to try before your next meeting.

Watch: ""Settle Down, Pay Attention, Say Thank You: A How-To"" — Kristen Race at TEDxMileHighWomen. Dr. Race is an expert on how stress affects the brain, and shares three simple ways to keep the brain happy. Members are encouraged to watch beforehand, but a quick recap at the meeting works too.

Meeting Agenda · Approx. 60 mins

  • Member Updates · 10 mins
  • Icebreaker · 10 mins
  • Key Takeaways · 5 mins
  • Discussion Questions · 20 mins
  • Write It Down · 2 mins
  • One Action · 10 mins
  • Wrap-Up · 5 mins

👋 Member Updates · 10 mins

Go around your Circle and share personal updates. Keep them brief and focused on significant changes or important decisions since the last time you met. It's OK not to have one every month. If you have a One Action update from last time, share that too.

🧊 Icebreaker · 10 mins

Invite everyone in the group to share. Keep answers to one or two minutes per person.

Describe your most chaotic morning in three words.

💡 Key Takeaways · 5 mins

You don't need a retreat or a huge life overhaul. Small, consistent mindfulness practices can create meaningful change — for you and the people around you.

  • Chronic stress changes how the brain works. It shifts control from the prefrontal cortex — responsible for focus, decision-making, and emotional regulation — to the brain's alarm system, making it harder to think clearly or stay calm.

  • Mindfulness is simple brain training. Paying attention to the present moment without judgment strengthens the prefrontal cortex and improves relationships, work, and overall happiness.

  • Three practical tools work. Mindful breathing (count breaths at a red light, or take one deep breath before answering the phone); mindful listening (focus on the farthest sound you can hear for 1–2 minutes); gratitude (a nightly journal, or asking ""Who was a good friend to you today?"").

  • Small habits add up. You don't need a major lifestyle change — consistent micro-practices create real results.

💬 Discussion Questions · 20 mins

Move through the questions at the pace that suits your Circle. You don't need to cover every one — pick the prompts that resonate and let the conversation breathe.

  1. Dr. Race describes women as the ""consummate jugglers"" of work and life. How much does that resonate with your own experience right now?
  2. What do you currently do — if anything — to manage stress? Does it actually work?
  3. Dr. Race defines mindfulness as paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Does that feel accessible to you, or does it still feel out of reach?
  4. Of the three mindful breathing tactics Dr. Race suggests — a daily practice, counting breaths at a red light, or pausing before answering your phone — which feels most realistic for your life right now?
  5. Dr. Race connects gratitude to brain chemistry, not just positivity. What are three things you're genuinely grateful for today?
  6. Who in your life — a partner, child, colleague — would benefit if you were a little calmer and more present? What would that actually look like?

✍️ Write It Down · 2 mins

Take a few quiet minutes to connect the discussion to your own life. Make a quick list of actions or questions to revisit later — they can become your One Action.

Think about a challenge or opportunity you're currently navigating. What strategies, insights, or mindset shifts from today feel most useful?

🎯 One Action · 10 mins

Commit to one concrete action — big or small — you'll take before next meeting. Go around the Circle and share (1 minute or less per member). Vocalizing it helps hold each other accountable.

Pick a mindfulness practice and try it at least three times before your next meeting. Example: ""I'm always rushing to answer my phone. My One Action is to pause and take one breath before picking up — every time — for the next two weeks.""

📅 Wrap-Up · 5 mins

Before you break, lock in the basics for the next meeting — and close on an energetic note. Go around your Circle one by one and finish the sentence:

Now I am feeling… (choose one word).

  • Set the day, time, and location
  • Choose the next topic or resource
  • Confirm who's leading the discussion
  • Decide how you'll stay in touch in between