2025 SITE Global Conference attendees enjoyed a keynote address delivered on the final day of the event by mindfulness expert Light Watkins.
To begin his address, Light shared with the 550+ Global Conference attendees in Tulum that he wanted to spend his time onstage drilling in on the idea of presence — with an emphasis on how to show up fully in the moment, be responsive, and lead with connection.
Common workplace challenges, Light said, whether you’re concerned about burnout, talent retention, team culture, or even more technical issues like legal snarls to navigate, can all be connected back to the concept of “presence” once you peel back the layers and explore what’s really going on.
Light advised that there are two ways leaders can cultivate more presence. You can wait for life to present you with your next opportunity, he said — noting that life often has a way of forcing presence on you — or you can “front-load” presence, by getting rid of stress that’s blocking your time and preventing you from fully being in the moment.
The second option, Light said, is a stellar way to create a stronger company culture that will also help you attract better talent. Nodding to the hip-hop mantra of “game recognizing game,” Light emphasized the importance of cultivating a work environment that supports and nurtures presence across the organization.
Doing so, he said, will also unlock more creative solutions, as you start accessing different parts of your brain (a nice nod to the opening remarks delivered by SITE CEO Annette Gregg!) and helps you tap into bigger picture thinking.
Being more present also doesn’t require you to increase your current workload, Light added — in fact, presence can also help you do less!
Light also brought plenty of tips and advice into his keynote that drew on his background as a yoga teacher and meditation expert. “Master the art of doing nothing,” Light coached attendees, as a solid first step in cultivating front-loaded presence.
As he walked attendees through a simple one-minute meditation, Light highlighted how regular meditation practices can be more straightforward and simpler than many might think.
Focus on how you feel and adopt a “this is good” mindset when moving into a meditative practice, Light said, rather than focusing exclusively on your posture, breathwork, or a repetitive mantra.
Light recommended starting with a simple one-minute mindful moment each day, while gradually building up the amount of time you spend on reflection and introspection, as long as each day’s period of time leaves you wanting more — as a straightforward way to say in a “this is good” headspace.
Ultimately, “you can’t be off your path,” Light said, as he began closing out his keynote address.
Leaning into practices that help leaders stay present — whether it’s a one-minute meditative moment, or something else entirely — will help serve, facilitate, and inspire you to shape that path into opportunities and insights that are right for you, at a given moment in time.
You’ll start to see opportunities, Light said, with practicing that “art of doing nothing” key in tuning into what’s definitively right for you and your business.
Seeing the full path in front of you isn’t the goal, Light concluded. It’s about building your trust muscles through staying mindfully present, as a superpower that will instead help you craft that path step by step: ultimately trusting yourself that you’re exactly where you need to be, working toward your uniquely aligned purposeful presence.
Banner image credit: Joey Woolridge
