Juliana Klinkert · Speaking & appearances

CISMAC 2026 | Guadalajara, Mexico | October 24, 2026

What We Forget When We're Caring for Others

I had prepared my entire speech for an international conference on mental health and addiction in Guadalajara, Mexico.

But the first thing I said wasn't in my script.

Standing in front of a room full of counselors, psychologists, educators, and specialists working with addiction, trauma, and incarceration, I suddenly asked:

" Who could have imagined, on the day we were born, that today, October 24, 2026 we would all be together in this room?"

The room went quiet.

Not an uncomfortable silence. More like a collective sigh, as if everyone had paused to think about the different paths that brought us together.

And that was how my presentation began.

It was my first professional keynote in Spanish, my native language, in nearly ten years. Although speaking Spanish felt familiar, I still had those first moments of nervousness that come with standing on a stage.

I knew what I wanted to share. What I didn't know was whether my message would reach the people sitting in front of me.

Beyond What We See

I've worked as a life and executive coach since 2009, and my work has taken me into very different environments.

I've coached business leaders and worked with people facing addiction, incarceration, and the challenges of rebuilding their lives. Through my work with CALM MIND, I've also had the opportunity to work with people in rehabilitation and community programs.

And one thing I've learned is that we can know a great deal about someone's circumstances and still miss something important about the person in front of us.

During my keynote, I shared a story from a CALM MIND meditation class with a group of women rebuilding their lives after incarceration.

Some of the women began laughing, and I had to stop the practice.

I opened my eyes and looked at them.

Instead of asking them to be quiet, I acknowledged that perhaps some of them didn't want to be there. I thanked them for coming anyway.

Then I invited them to think of someone who might have wished to be sitting in that room but, for whatever reason, couldn't.

Suddenly, the room became quiet.

Later, as the women shared what their day had been like, one told me she'd been looking forward to having a little time for her mind.

I had arrived with a plan for the class. But if I had focused only on getting through it, I might have missed what those women were actually experiencing.

And I wonder how often that happens in our own lives. We become so focused on what we think the problem is that we stop noticing what else might be happening.

Back in Guadalajara, I was speaking to people who spend their days helping others through addiction, trauma, and difficult circumstances.

I wanted to invite them to consider something about their own lives, too.

Who takes care of the minds of those who spend their days caring for others?

The Waves and the Horizon

Toward the end of my presentation, I invited everyone to experience a CALM MIND meditation practice called The Horizon.

We imagined the waves of the ocean and the vast horizon beyond them.

The waves don't simply disappear. Neither do the difficulties we face in life.

But there is always more to the ocean than its waves.

And there is always more to a person than the difficulties they're facing.

As the practice ended, I watched people slowly open their eyes. They appeared relaxed, and the room was quiet.

What Stayed With Them?

I returned to my seat beside friends from the Amity Foundation, Los Angeles. My heart, however, was still pounding.

They thanked me for the practice. One of them told me how much they had needed it.

I appreciated their words, but I still needed a few minutes to settle down and listen to the next speaker.

When that presentation ended, something happened that surprised me.

People began approaching me. Some wanted photographs. Others wanted to thank me.

But I was curious about something else.

So I began asking:

" What stayed with you from my presentation?"

They spoke about how important it was to calm their own minds to better care for others. They recognized that their professional knowledge mattered, but so did what was happening within themselves.

That was what I had hoped they would take away.

And hearing it from them meant a great deal to me.

What Else Might Be Possible?

I think about how easily we can become focused on the difficulties in front of us, whether they're happening in our work, our families, or our own lives.

Sometimes we become so familiar with a problem that we stop noticing anything beyond it.

I'm deeply grateful to Arturo Conde Pérez, CONACON, and everyone who organized CISMAC 2026 for inviting me to be part of this gathering.

I arrived in Guadalajara with a prepared speech. I left thinking about the people I met, the conversations we had, and how easily we can see someone through the difficulties they're facing.

And I wonder how often we do the same thing to ourselves.

We become so focused on a problem that we forget there's more to our lives than what's happening right now.

What might you discover about your own life if you could see beyond the difficulty in front of you?