When it comes to design, it’s not uncommon to describe objects in terms of their masculine and feminine qualities. Those descriptions become more loaded though when they’re applied to human beings. What does it mean to be feminine or masculine?

I’ve always been interested in the aspects of leadership that are considered "feminine" because words have power but historically, when it comes to leadership, qualities that are deemed feminine don’t. In fact, a generation of women worked hard to take femininity out of the conversation when it came to their careers, skills and talents, especially in architecture. Even though, time and time again, it's shown that the skills most women excel at, the ones considered feminine for example, empathy and the ability to listen deeply, are what give companies a leading edge in producing above-average results.

In the corporate world, the things I work on with clients like collaborating effectively, managing time, fostering creativity, emotional discipline and communicating would be lumped into a category called “soft skills”. That’s always struck me as ironic, because if you’ve been in business for any length of time, you know that mastering these skills is hard.

Intangibles are tricky to measure and the ways to develop them are highly personal and subjective. It’s why I’m constantly adding new tools and practices to my process. What works for one designer probably won’t work for another. Creatives are individual and I specialize in rebels, the ones who are tasked with breaking the rules. They're also the ones with ideas that don't fit neatly into boxes and so figuring out a way to communicate their value, which is always subjective, takes persistence and skill.

So I was pretty excited to speak with Guggenheim Fellow and Liberty Science Genius Award, Dr. Ellen Langer, who is widely known as the mother of mindfulness about her new book "The Mindful Body".

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In this episode of Voice Lessons Podcast, "A Lesson on Mindfulness", you'll be surprised to learn what this Harvard Psychology Professor says about mindfulness and the notions of masculinity and femininity in leadership. You'll also learn why when it comes to women, in this moment, breaking the rules is more important than ever.

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