The Importance of Integrity When You Build Your Brand on Mindfulness

A mindfulness journal’s problematic history with writers matters

Photo by tony hernandez on Unsplash

Integrity isn’t something we can pick up and put back down when it’s easy for us. Integrity is a lifestyle, not a selling point. If we choose a mindful life, we’re committing to being held to a higher standard. While we may sometimes fall short of our own ideals, there’s a difference between making mistakes but then making amends and regularly engaging in abusive behavior that creates untold harm.

Several years ago, I emerged from my divorce silenced too long and with something to say. Words poured out of me, for the first time in years. They first found a home on a publication I followed and enjoyed as a reader for its emphasis on mindfulness, personal growth, spirituality, and equality. I was happy to write for them, and eventually, I was even paid in monthly “contests”. I connected with many writers who became trusted friends, and I had a warm relationship with the editorial staff.

But the underlying issues present at this journal began to surface. The publication owner reached out to me to question why I was writing for other online journals. I explained my freelance status and the fact that I also support my family with my full-time writing income. His ongoing messages to request justification felt combative, as if by opting to publish elsewhere — while still contributing to his magazine at the same rate as before — I was doing something wrong.

By this time, the stress of working for the publication greatly outweighed the benefits. My work wasn’t being valued, my contest winnings were inconsequential, and my outside work was being repeatedly questioned. As a single parent of two young children, my finances became the final factor in my decision. I chose to pursue paid writing work to support my family and did not continue to submit my work for publication there.

While his messages to me have had a sexist tone, his public shaming of another writer for a private post on her private page is a direct abuse of power. There is nothing mindful in these messages. Instead, they are harassing, unprofessional, and inappropriate.