The Quality of Paying Attention with Ed Halliwell

Ed Halliwell is a mindfulness teacher and author with more than 20 years of experience leading public mindfulness courses, workshops, and retreats. He has introduced and taught mindfulness in a wide range of workplaces, including Accenture, the Houses of Parliament, and UNICEF UK. Ed is the author of Into the Heart of Mindfulness and Mindfulness: How to Live Well by Paying Attention.

William first met Ed at a School of Life event in London in 2014 and was struck by the quality of Ed’s presence and the gentleness of his teaching. About six years ago, as William was founding his business, he began working with Ed one-to-one in what Ed describes as mindfulness coaching - a practice that helps people unhook from automatic thoughts and behaviours, meet difficulties with greater awareness and kindness, and make choices aligned with their needs and values. William credits this work as an ongoing foundation for sustaining a flourishing life through the practice of paying attention.

In this episode, Ed Halliwell lays out how the quality of our attention shapes the way we perceive the world - often far more than we realise. When our capacity for observation is distorted by desire, greed, fear, or subtle expectations about how things should be, we lose touch with what is actually happening in the present moment. Our perception becomes clouded by psychological projection.

William and Ed explore how attention, when cultivated with clarity and kindness, allows us to see more accurately, respond more wisely, and live with greater alignment. Their conversation ranges from the mechanics of mindfulness coaching to the ways in which our inner habits shape our outer experience. It is a deep and practical discussion about paying attention as a lifelong discipline.