Susan Kaiser Greenland: From corporate law to InnerKids

Here's another Life After Law story for you on a golden and windy autumn day. Former corporate lawyer Susan Kaiser Greenland is now teaching schoolchildren about their minds through her InnerKids Foundation. From her Web site . . .

InnerKids is a national leader in teaching children self-directed skills to help them become more attentive and resilient. These skills take into account developmental differences, train focused attention and balance, and acknowledge clarity and compassion (the New ABC’s) as part of the process of becoming more attentive and aware.

Click here to watch Greenland in action with a classroom of children; you don't want to miss this group. Quite a contrast from a working day in corporate law, yes?

A recent article in the New York Times—"In the Classroom, a New Focus on Quieting the Mind"—described these mindfulness programs in schools (and mentioned InnerKids) . . .

The techniques, among them focused breathing and concentrating on a single object, are loosely adapted from the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, the molecular biologist who pioneered the secular use of mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts in 1979 to help medical patients cope with chronic pain, anxiety and depression. Susan Kaiser Greenland, the founder of the InnerKids Foundation, which trains schoolchildren and teachers in the Los Angeles area, calls mindfulness “the new ABC’s — learning and leading a balanced life.”

Greenland also teaches mindfulness to lawyers. This Mindfulness for Lawyers course [no longer available] included:

• Theoretical Underpinnings of Mindful Awareness
• Training Lawyers in Conscious Awareness of Their Tendencies – How They Tend to Act and React
• Training Lawyers in Conscious Awareness of Their Environment and the Tendencies of Others
• Application of Conscious Awareness of Oneself, Others and the Environment As It Applies to Negotiation, Mediation

Sounds like a valuable contribution to mindfulness for lawyers, a topic that seems to be enjoying increased attention. Increased mindfulness in the profession can be good for lawyers and their clients. I applaud Greenland for what she is doing with the kids and with the lawyers.

Right now (October 5, 6, and 7, 2007), a conference is being held at UCLA on mindfulness (PDF). Greenland is one of the presenters. Click here to download many of the speakers' handouts, including Greenland's on mindfulness with children.

Greenland tells her own story here and concludes:

Even though I have been in the 'mindfulness field' for over a decade I am still a relative newcomer. But I am certain of one thing. Were it not for my years as a corporate lawyer, I would not be as effective in my work as I am today.

Note (added January 29, 2008, 2:17 PM Mountain): Another article including Greenland and her work: "Mindful Kids, Peaceful Schools" from Greater Good Magazine. Hat tip to SharpBrains.