eMindful recently announced its newest leader, Mary Pigatti, as Chief Executive Officer. The company offers evidence-based mindfulness programs that improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.

During Pigatti's 25 years of leadership, her top priority has been employee and client happiness as she's focused on organizational growth, innovation and investments for digital health and performance solutions. She steps in at a time where the concept of emotional health in the workplace is seeing a paradigm shift. In fact, a recent randomized study conducted by Aetna shows that for every $1 invested in employee health, an organization sees a $9.63 return.

Prior to joining eMindful, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Retrofit, Inc., a leading provider of personalized, weight-management and disease-prevention programs, and in 2018, led the company through a successful acquisition by Livongo Health, Inc.

We asked Pigatti for her insight on the impact of mindfulness in the workplace, how it influences her decision-making as a leader and the mindfulness practice she commits to, which includes walking 30,000 steps a day.

Why did you choose eMindful as the next step in your career?

What excites me most about joining eMindful is the opportunity to bring eMindful's evidence-based programs to millions of people and help employers and health plans build sustainable cultures and great places to work, leading to great business results.

Distractions and mindlessness are costing employers $300 billion annually in lost productivity, and almost $200 billion in stress-related-illness expenses. eMindful's solutions delivers the ROI needed to combat these problems head on.

What does eMindful do?

eMindful is a leading provider of evidence-based mindfulness programs that improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs by helping individuals and teams optimize their emotional health and lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. Our proven programs apply mindfulness skills to help individuals manage chronic conditions such as stress, anxiety, weight, chronic pain, cancer, and other chronic conditions.

What makes eMindful different?

What sets eMindful apart are our purpose-driven mindfulness solutions and 10 years of life-changing results. Across our book of business, 29 percent of participants reduce their overall stress, 55 percent of participants see a reverse in their Metabolic Syndrome and 20 percent of participants report an improvement in sleep.

What makes a good leader? What's your leadership style?

Good leaders understand that they have the unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. In terms of my leadership style as a CEO, creating a culture of employee happiness as well as a work environment where employees are empowered and inspired to show up as their best selves has always been my number one priority. If our employees are happy and fulfilled, our clients, participants and investors will see that translates directly into ROI.

I also believe a good leader builds a connected and collaborative culture aligned around the vision and values. As a leader, I am intentional about hiring diverse people, playing up their strengths and reinforcing communication between teams at all levels. For example, I use weekly pulse surveys to engage in an ongoing dialogue with our employees and apply employee feedback to shape the culture and implement programs that are most valuable to employees. We also leverage the latest technologies to ensure access and collaboration.

Finally, I approach every day as a new day - leadership is a daily choice.

What are 3-5 leadership principles you have discovered and executed that have contributed to the success of your organization?

• Prioritize your happiness and those around you. Only you know what fulfills you. Find what that is and make it a priority in your life and values. As a CEO, employee happiness has always been my number one priority.

• Surround yourself with an amazing leadership team you can learn from and listen to them.

• Hire exceptional talent that can help others be exceptional.

• Focus on the customer and listen to them.

• Make time to think. Carving out time in your day to think is what ignites those "aha" moments that can have positive implications for your personal or professional life.

How do you inspire others to be successful?

I inspire others by creating a sense of community that allows everyone to thrive. This community is one where people's voices are heard, and they are empowered to make decisions on their own. I also am a true advocate for personal growth and continually challenge myself and others to improve by constantly raising the bar for success.

Additionally, I don't miss an opportunity to recognize and celebrate accomplishments. I also make sure to prioritize my own happiness and encourage others to do the same. If we are happy, we are more likely to excel personally and professionally.

Can you elaborate on the importance of mindfulness in the workplace and in general?

Simply, mindfulness allows us to take a step back and observe our emotional state. From that awareness, we can build a toolkit to manage our emotions and behavior. Stress is a common workplace ailment, and by applying a mindfulness practice we can see several physiological benefits including lowered blood pressure, improved memory, and reduced depression and anxiety.

Businesses, like Aetna, Google and General Mills, are seeing the short-and long-term results by implementing mindfulness programs. They're seeing a decrease in healthcare claims as well as an increase in engagement, productivity and retention.

How do you integrate mindfulness as part of your routine, and how does it influence your leadership?

Integrating mindfulness starts with my consistent morning routine. It includes eating a healthy breakfast, identifying what I am grateful for, listening to positive songs like I'm Blessed by Martina McBride, and getting on my walking desk - I try to walk 30,000 steps a day. I also prioritize sleep and do a lot of self-reflection about my own emotions, habits, behaviors and blind spots.

As a leader, mindfulness allows me to be fully present with employees, noticing their strengths and successes. I empower decision-making, collaboration and creative problem-solving and compassion. As a leader, practicing mindfulness, helps me focus, make thoughtful decisions and be intentional with my time.