Pay Attention

In this final guest episode before the summer break of Season 2, Holly McNeill, the Mindfulness Architect, welcomes Austra Putnina — a Latvian-born, Estonia-based podcaster, coach, and multi-passionate seeker of growth. Together, Holly and Austra explore what it means to pay attention early, to notice the thoughts and patterns that shape us, and to begin moving even before we fully know where we a...

In this episode of Pay Attention with Holly McNeill, Holly is joined by mindfulness teacher Christoph Spiessens and CBT therapist Liezl Laidlaw to explore a powerful truth: mindfulness is not one-size-fits-all. Together, they unpack why traditional approaches can unintentionally exclude many people—especially those who are neurodivergent—and how we can begin to approach mindfulness with more flexi...

What does it truly mean to live a practice? In this deeply grounded and reflective episode of Pay Attention, Holly reconnects with meditation teacher Mark Nunberg of Common Ground Meditation Center in Minneapolis —a place that played a meaningful role in her own journey. Together, they explore the unfolding path of contemplative practice—not as a concept, but as a way of living. Mark shares how hi...

Did you know 22 veterans take their lives every day in the U.S.? In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Pay Attention, Holly sits down with Maria Gonzalez to explore the hidden toll of trauma on veterans and their families. Maria shares her family's journey through years of chronic pain, emotional volatility, and the invisible weight of unresolved trauma that so often goes unseen. What be...

What if recurring dreams held the key to understanding who we truly are—and what we're here to do? In this follow-up to their first conversation on dream tending, host Holly McNeill invites dream tender and therapist Valerie Johns back for a raw and revealing live dream tending session. If you've ever wondered who Holly really is beyond the mic, this is the episode. It's raw, unpolished, and deepl...

To stay in the world of dreams just a bit longer, this week on Pay Attention we're going back to the archives to revisit an earlier conversation on dream tending with Valerie Johns. What if your dreams weren't random at all, but meaningful messages from the deepest parts of you? This episode originally aired in Season 1 as Episode 24. Unlike traditional dream interpretation, Valerie's approach to...

What happens when awareness awakens inside a dream? In this episode of Pay Attention, Holly McNeill continues her exploration of consciousness — not just in the waking world, but in the landscapes we enter each night. She sits down with Robert Waggoner, one of the world's most respected lucid dreaming educators and former president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, to explo...

Following last week's open and expansive conversation, this episode turns gently toward something powerful: choice. Holly sits down with psychotherapist and poet Robby Cale for a reflective conversation that begins with his spoken-word piece, "Dear Universe," and unfolds into an exploration of the stories we inherit — from our upbringing, our environment, and the identities handed to us before we...

Is it a mental health crisis, or is it a spiritual awakening? In this live episode of the Pay Attention Podcast, host Holly McNeill is joined by guest host Cheyenne Moore and Dr. Margaret Arnd-Caddigan to explore the intersection of spiritual awakening and mental health. We tackle the terrifying question many ask during a Kundalini awakening or deep spiritual journey: "Am I going crazy?" Cheyenne...

In this episode of Pay Attention, Holly sits down with Clare Johnson, PhD, one of the world's leading voices in lucid dreaming, for a deep conversation about the dream world. Discover how conscious dreaming can be a powerful gateway to healing, insight, and awareness. Key Topics Discussed in This Video: Healing Through Dreams: How the dream world serves as a powerful space for emotional healing an...

Last week, we explored what research is revealing about the mind–body connection—and how science is beginning to build a bridge toward contemplative practice and lived experience. This week, we step into the experience itself. In this episode, Holly is joined by Marc Noël, a Belgium-based artist, therapist, and creator of Quantum Paintings, whose work sits at the intersection of energy, consciousn...

One clear goal of this podcast is to build the bridge between science, contemplative practice, and lived experience. We have real and significant pieces to take us from struggle to peace, and from chaos to clarity. We feel them in the body. We sense them in the mind. We practice them in daily life. And now, research is beginning to explain how and why they work. In this episode, Holly is joined by...

In the last two episodes of Pay Attention, we explored why doing more isn't the answer—and why deeply ingrained habits can't be changed through intellectual insight or thinking alone. So what does create real change? In this episode, Holly McNeill is joined by somatic psychotherapist Maira Holzmann for a grounded conversation about what happens when awareness moves beyond thought and includes the...

Coming out of last week's conversation with Dr. Patel on Less Is More and the power of doing less for our physical health, this episode of Pay Attention turns toward the mental and emotional habits that quietly shape our lives. Holly sits down with Amy Kemp, author of I See You, to explore why working harder eventually stops working—and how many of our most celebrated traits are actually survival...

As the New Year begins, many of us feel pressure to fix, improve, or overhaul our lives. In this episode of Pay Attention, Holly McNeill is joined by osteopathic physician Dr. Neal Patel for a grounded, compassionate conversation about what healing can look like when we slow down and do less—not more. Together, they explore the connection between stress, mental health, and the body, and how unreso...

The Mindfulness Architect, Holly McNeill, reflects on New Year's resolutions—and why intention alone is rarely enough to create real change. Rather than offering another checklist or goal-setting framework, this episode invites listeners to pause and examine what they are actually paying attention to—day by day, moment by moment—and how that attention shapes identity, choices, and the direction of...

On this Christmas Eve, I invite you to pause. In a season that can feel joyful for some and heavy for others, this episode is a quiet reflection on the gift of the human journey — with all of its beauty, struggle, tenderness, and possibility. There is a natural flow to life, and much of our suffering comes from the habits, beliefs, and patterns we've unknowingly created in an effort to protect our...

This week, the Mindfulness Architect, Holly McNeill is joined by Dr. Lenka Schulze, an Intuologist, Author, Educator and Spiritual Guide. Her lifelong experience, ongoing research, and ample knowledge in the area of intuition and consciousness, create a solid platform from which she invites others to view and to see life from the soul's point of view. She is very passionate to share her unique per...

This week, the Mindfulness Architect, Holly McNeill is joined by Rita Ernst, the Amazon best-selling author of Show Up Positive (2022) and Culture Impact: Strategies to Create World-Changing Workplaces (2023). Forbes, MSNBC, and over 30 podcasts worldwide have featured Rita as a culture and change management expert. TAP-In Magazine named her the Top Influential Leader of 2022. She owns Ignite Your...

On this episode, the Mindfulness Architect, Holly McNeill is joined by Michele Phillips, President of Key Performance — a powerhouse in elevating happiness, excellence, and human potential in the workplace. With more than 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, Michele blends neuroscience, habit formation, and positive psychology into a refreshingly practical formula for personal and professional...

This special Thanksgiving episode is a pause — a gentle breath — for anyone who feels alienated, estranged, or separated during the holidays. In one of the most personal episodes she's ever shared, Holly opens her heart and tells the story of her long, painful journey through parental alienation, estrangement, and years of fighting to stay connected to her children. She speaks directly to anyone n...

What if the chaos in your life was actually the beginning of something beautiful? In this inspiring conversation, host Holly McNeill sits down with artist-turned-coach Marc Scheff to explore how creativity, risk-taking, and letting go can reshape the way we live and work. From leaving behind a career in tech to building a thriving art and coaching practice, Mark shares how his Make a Mess framewor...

What if the pause you've been avoiding is the very thing that could change your life? In this powerful conversation, host Holly McNeill sits down with trauma therapist and coach Dr. Jada Phillips to explore what it means to step off autopilot and come back home to yourself. From working in prisons to guiding frontline workers through the pandemic, Dr. Jada shares how moments of stillness can spark...

What happens when a tech-savvy mind takes a deep dive into mindfulness? In this episode of Pay Attention, host Holly McNeill sits down with Adam Kobler—leadership coach, technologist, and founder of Protagonist—to explore how meditation and awareness transformed his life and career.  From his early days in management information systems to guiding tech professionals into conscious leadership, Adam...

Is self-discovery a final destination—or a story we keep rewriting? ✨ In this heartfelt episode of Pay Attention, host Holly McNeill sits down with Cheyenne Moore—author, producer, and host of Safe Space with Cheyenne—for a conversation that feels like coming home. (Fun fact: Safe Space was the very first podcast Holly ever guested on!) Cheyenne opens up about her journey from rural Illinois to c...