Kelly Barron
Los Angeles, USA
Certified UM Trainer/Teacher
Certified Mindfulness Facilitator
UCLA
Inner Kids Senior Teacher
Certified Mindfulness Teacher
Professional Level International Mindfulness Teachers Association
Hi, I’m Kelly
I started practicing mindfulness and meditation more than 25 years ago because I was once a hard-charging, deadline-oriented journalist looking for a way to become less stressed and overwhelmed by the demands of work and life.
Early in my meditation journey, I had a somewhat obvious, but profound realization: The more I meditated the better my life became.
For me, mindfulness was like a multifaceted jewel that shined a light in every area of my life, allowing me to become less anxious and harried at work, more focused and present in daily life and more connected to myself and others. All of which has made me passionate about sharing mindfulness with others.
Over the years, I’ve taught and coached clients to skillfully work with anxiety and worry as well as chronic pain and illness. I’ve also helped clients work with difficult thoughts, and particularly with strong inner critics. Practices that nurture positivity and compassion and foster greater resilience play a strong role in my personal practice.
I’ve taught mindfulness in a variety of settings – in schools, corporations, universities – and worked with clients from all walks of life.
I’m a Unified Mindfulness teacher, trainer and coach, completing the year-long Compass training. I’ve also taught on retreat with Shinzen Young, co-lead Pathways cohorts and worked as a teaching assistant and mentor for the Compass program.
In addition to my work with Unified Mindfulness, I’ve taught for UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center as well as for eMindful, a leading provider of online-mindfulness programming. As a former associate editor and staff writer for Forbes magazine, I’ve transferred my knowledge of the business world into teaching mindfulness within the workplace. My work for corporations and organizations includes T Mobile, Northern Trust, the City of Hope, the Ellison Institute for Technology, Korn Ferry, the Broad Center, Orrick, Milbank, the University of Virginia and others.
A quote from author Winnifred Gallagher sums up what I hope to offer those who work with me: “Paying rapt attention, whether to a trout stream or a novel, a do-it-yourself-project or a prayer, increases your capacity for concentration, expands your inner boundaries, and lifts your spirits, but more important, it simply makes you feel life is worth living.”