That’s why I developed the Lifetime Consultant Offer, a resource where you get ongoing personalized advice, practical strategies and actionable insights from someone who’s been in the trenches for a few decades. It’s designed to be a long term partnership way for you to continually refine your approach as your business evolves. I’m opening up a limited number of spaces for this offer because I want to ensure I can give each client the intention they deserve. If you’re serious about taking your business to the next level and you feel that having a trusted consultant in your corner would help, I’d love for you to check it out at beyondcmo.com. I’m here to help you navigate the complexities of growth strategy and marketing, and to provide support as you tackle those big, ambitious goals. No fluff, just practical, real world strategies that work.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s shift gears. Today, I want to dive deep into something that’s becoming a game changer for many high performing entrepreneurs. We’ve had many entrepreneurs on the show talk about how they meditate as part of their practice as being an entrepreneur. Now I know what you might be thinking. Meditation sounds like a soft sit quietly and clear your mind with practice. But the research tells a much more compelling story. It’s about rewiring your brain to handle stress, sharpen your focus and boost your decision-making. All of which are absolutely critical when you’re scaling a business. Let’s be honest, in our world, stakes are pretty high sky and the distractions are constant. But here’s the kicker. The benefits of meditation aren’t handed to you on a silver platter. Overnight studies consistently show that you need to commit to regular practice, think at least 5-10 minutes every single day, the more the better actually, to start seeing measurable changes.

It’s like building a muscle at the gym. You don’t get ripped after one workout. Neither do you get an agile mind after one meditation session. And as entrepreneurs with our jam packed schedules, finding that consistent in time can feel like climbing Everest. The challenges got me thinking, what if there a way to accelerate this process? What if we could get real time feedback on our mental state and learn how to get into that optimal zone faster? That’s why I reached out to a past guest of the show, Paola Telfer, the founder of Sens.ai. I asked her if I could try their neurofeedback headset as part of my daily meditation practice, and she graciously sent one over. I’ve started using it twice a day at the end of last week, so it’s been a little over a week now and I’m excited to share my ongoing experiment with you. Let’s break down why this matters. As entrepreneurs, we’re statistically twice as likely to experience stress, anxiety and even depression. Not that I’ve ever had that multiple times over the past 30 years of doing this compared to the general population. Our days are filled with high stakes decisions, constant innovation, and the pressure to lead teams through turbulent times. Traditional meditation has been shown to lower cortisol, that infamous stress hormone, improved sleep quality, and even increased the density of gray matter in brain regions responsible for attention, emotional regulation, and self awareness. Plain English meditation is like a workout for your brain, strengthening those areas that keep you sharp and resilient. Research has demonstrated that even a brief, consistent meditation practice can lead to significant improvements in working memory and executive function. That means you’re better equipped to juggle multiple projects, make clearer decisions under pressure, and avoid those costly snap judgments that come from stress reduced reactivity.

In one study, just four sessions of mindfulness training led to measurable cognitive gains. Imagine scaling that up to a daily habit over months or years. The payoff? Better focus, improved creativity, and more strategic thought leadership. Now you might be wondering how exactly this ties into Sens.ai, why I’m so excited about it. Let’s get into that. Sens.ai isn’t about replacing traditional meditation, it’s about enhancing it. Their system combines three powerful neurofeedback. This is where the magic starts. The headset monitors your brainwave activity in real time and gives you immediate feedback if your mind wanders. The device alerts you so you can bring your focus back. It’s like having a coach inside your earbuds nudging you towards that optimal meditative state. And I can tell you in the first week the amount of times the noise starts drifting off, which just means you’re not focused on your meditation. Now the next part is heart rate variability, HRV training. HRV measures how well your body’s stress response is working. By guiding you through breathing exercises, Sens.ai helps you synchronize your heart rate with your breath. This not only reduces stress, but also builds resilience, which is crucial when you’re in high pressure situations like pitching to investors, trying to convince clients to sign on, or just handling the day to day team crisis that seems to happen all the time when you least need it to happen.

The third part, now this is actually the pretty cool part and I’ve actually had to go look at some extra research beyond what Sens.ai has about this part, Light therapy. There’s a lot of talk out there. LED lights of red wave, blah blah blah, all different wavelengths out there when you start doing it. But this is really pretty cool how they’ve built their device. Sens.ai uses specific wavelengths of light to either enhance alertness or promote relaxation depending on your needs. And of all the places, I really thought this was going to be like somehow into your eyes or you know, you’d be looking at this and getting it. It’s actually the lights are flashing into your scalp. You have the ability, and there’s tons of third party research out there. So even though we’re talking about some brilliant people over at Sens.ai, it’s really cool to read the outside research of how your scalp is able to absorb different wavelengths of light. It’s a high tech twist on old practices of using light to influence mood and energy levels. Think of it as fine tuning your brain’s operating to be in the right mode at the right time. The combination of these three modalities mean you’re not just passively sitting and hoping for the best. You’re actively training your brain measurable real time data.

Imagine starting your day with a quick brain boost session that sets your focus. Then maybe a midday session to recalibrate during those inevitable workday slumps. And finally, these are the ones I’m enjoying the most, a short unwind session before bed to ensure you get a restorative sleep. That’s the potential here. And so far it seems to be really pretty cool how they set it up. I’m thinking now, or it’s early, but I’m kind of feeling that this is having some benefit. So we’ll track over time the actual statistics and stuff but for now, pretty happy with this.

I’m not claiming that Sens.ai is a magic bullet. Just like with traditional meditation, the benefits come from consistent, deliberate practice. It’s a process, one that requires a few weeks before you really start noticing tangible changes. Early studies and user reports show improvements in reaction time, memory and emotional regulation. Like I said, it’s early in my side but I really do hope I start seeing some benefits towards this because that could help a lot in my entrepreneurial efforts.

Entrepreneurs using the device often say they can drop into deep work mode faster and maintain that state for longer periods. In this day and age, where there’s so many distractions, being able to take that deep breath and focus, it seems so simple. But there are so many days where I feel like it takes me two hours of cleaning up my inbox, closing out extra windows, responding to minor stuff before I can get to focus. Being able to take a deep breath and focus faster, that would just change my own efforts. And if you think about it, that same discipline that elite athletes use, they don’t just practice sporadically. They have structured, measurable training regimens. In our world, that means taking control of our mental performance with the same rigor we apply to our business metrics. So here’s what I’m doing, I’ve integrated Sens.ai into my daily routine. Twice a day, every day, I’m tracking my metrics, noting when I feel more centered and when my focus is sharper, and that’s kind of built into the app. But I’m also doing it externally, and I’ll be sharing those insights with you.

So far, what I’m finding is there’s some quick, easy realizing what the feedback loops are and kind of going, oh, monkey brain. But some of it’s getting a little bit deeper and trying to move into the different exercises. Now, that’s kind of a weird way of saying like listening to what it says and doing it. But when you’re in the middle of trying to not think, remembering that maybe for this type of meditation or that type of meditation, you want to think with the center of your head, the back of your head, through your nose. It takes some practice to not let the activity of doing it distract you. Sort of like when you’re an athlete, you practice the movement again and again so when you compete, you don’t actually think of what you’re doing. You just do. That’s where a lot of this is seeming to build up initially, at least for me. My hope is that combining the ancient wisdom of meditation with the precision of modern neurofeedback technology, I can scale not only my business efforts, but also my personal performance. And I believe that this experiment could offer actionable insight for you as well. For those of you looking to take your mental performance to the next level, here are some actionable steps based on both traditional meditation, some research, and my early experiences with Sens.ai. Commit to consistency. Like I said, start small, 5 to 10 days, but more does help. Just focus on the consistency first. Build from there. Just like physical training, consistency is key. Schedule it like a critical business meeting and don’t let it slip. I’m having some difficulty getting the beginning of my day going with this because like I said, I have all these things I want to get done before I start my day, which is probably the wrong way of thinking. Good thing is, I can easily focus on the end of the day like, oh, I want to go to bed. This will be a good time for me to actually meditate. But I hope over the next couple of weeks to get more consistent with the beginning practice. Also use the data to your advantage. If you’re experimenting with a tool like Sens.ai or even simpler neurofeedback devices, pay attention to the metrics. Track your focus level, your emotional state, and any changes in your performance, your heart rate viability, just track them. Use the data to adjust your routine. Maybe you need a morning session to get into the right headspace or a midday break to recharge. It’s up to you and what you need. Integrate mindfulness into your routine. Even if you’re not ready to invest in high tech tools, there are plenty of apps and guided meditation programs. YouTube is full of them that you can get started with. The goal is to carve out a regular time for your mindfulness. Over time you’ll notice improvements not just in stress management, but in your ability to think creatively and make sound decisions.

Now this is fun. As an ex athlete, a lot of the research really did kind of start from there and kind of grew and showed parallels with entrepreneurs. Adapt an athlete’s mindset. Think of your mind as a muscle that needs training. But here’s the thing. Athletes don’t just train one muscle, they train their entire body, building strength, endurance and coordination across the board for what they’re trying to do as an athlete. Similarly, Sens.ai helps you train your entire mental body. It offers a comprehensive workout for your brain by providing real time data on your focus, stress and recovery. Much like a fitness tracker does for your physical performance. This approach lets you see the bigger picture. You’re not just working on one aspect of your mental performance but enhancing your overall resilience, sharpening your focus and boosting your leadership capabilities. Embrace this holistic training mindset and treat your mind like you would treat your body through regular, measured and targeted practice. Experiment and reflect. This is a journey of self discovery. This isn’t woo woo. This is about improving your life. So try different meditation techniques. Mindfulness, Focus Attention, Loving Kindness, Zen. There’s a gazillion out there and actually kind of cool, which in a future episode and with other research on my website, there is some cool breakdowns of how different types of meditation impact different types of the decision making process that us entrepreneurs go through. So see which one resonates with you. Whichever works.

Remember, just getting started and being consistent is the number one part of this. Over time you can get fancy, but start. Doesn’t matter which one. You can combine them with your own neurofeedback sessions and track the impact over time. Reflection is critical. Journal your experiences and adjust your practices based on what you learn. And here’s where the rubber meets the road. As entrepreneurs, our ultimate goal is to scale ourselves and our businesses. So first start on yourself. Your mental performance is the engine that drives your decision making, creativity and your leadership. By investing in practices that enhance your cognitive and emotional well being, you’re not just surviving the entrepreneurial grind, you’ll be thriving.

So before I sign off, I want to circle back to something I mentioned earlier, the Lifetime Consultant offer over at BeyondCMO.com. This is something I’m incredibly passionate about because I truly believe in partnering with entrepreneurs like yourself. We can drive your growth together. This lifetime offer isn’t about a one off consultation, it’s about forging a long term partnership where we work together to continually refine your strategy, overcome challenges and scale your business. I’ve only got a few spaces open for this because I’m committed to giving you personalized attention you need. If you’re serious about taking your business to the next level and you want ongoing, actionable guidance that can accelerate your growth both professionally and personally, I encourage you to go check it out at beyondcmo.com

Also, if you’re intrigued by Sens.ai and want to experience its benefits for yourself, you can check out the device directly at Sens.ai or click the links in our show notes or in the socials. And if you decide and if you think you want to get one, use my code BEYOND8, that’s BEYOND the number 8 to save on your purchases. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more about my journey with Sens.ai, what’s working, what’s not, and the tangible changes I notice in my focus and productivity. I’m also going to dive deeper into the research behind these practices so we can all understand not just the how but the why behind the benefits.

I encourage you to experiment on your own. Whether it’s starting with a simple daily meditation or trying out a neurofeedback device, the key is to take action and track your progress. After all, if we can optimize our business with data driven strategies, why not apply the same principles to our personal performance? To wrap this up, remember, this isn’t just about achieving Zen or reducing stress. It’s about enhancing every aspect of your leadership. A calm, focused mind leads to better decisions, more innovative ideas, and ultimately more resilient and successful business. The integration of ancient practices with modern technology isn’t a gimmick. It’s a strategic move to gain a competitive edge of what it means to be a high performing entrepreneur. Me on this deep dive into meditation and neurofeedback, I’m excited to keep you updated on my experiment with Sens.ai and hear about your own experiences with mindfulness.

And if you’re ready to partner up for growth both in business and in life, don’t forget to check out my Lifetime consulting offer at beyondcmo.com. Let’s continue pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a high performing entrepreneur. I’m A.J. Lawrence and this has been Beyond 8 Figures. We build businesses together, but we also build ourselves. So stay curious, stay resilient, have fun. Can’t wait to talk to you again. See you next time. Bye-bye.