Beyond Stress Relief: How Awareness Transforms Education and Life with Elizabeth MacKenzie

In this episode of Mindfulness in Real Time, host Clayton Platt sits down with researcher Elizabeth MacKenzie to explore the deeper dimensions of mindfulness—far beyond relaxation or stress management. Together they discuss how mindfulness, when integrated into higher education, can reshape not only how students cope with pressure but also how they cultivate awareness, ethical reflection, and purpose.

Liz shares insights from her groundbreaking 2020 and 2025 studies on embedding mindfulness into academic curricula, showing how short but consistent practices can plant seeds that grow into lifelong self-awareness, compassion, and meaningful learning. They also touch on the tension between return-on-investment education and inner growth—and how awareness itself may be humanity’s greatest asset in an age of artificial intelligence.

Sponsored by Meditation4Leadership, check them out at www.meditation4leadership.org

Hosted by Clayton Platt

Featuring Elizabeth McKenzie

Edited by Marianne Sanders

With thanks from Salt Peak Studios, www.saltpeakstudios.com