Jenny Steadman

Jenny Steadman is a mindfulness teacher based in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia. She teaches in person and online, and founded Open Wisdom to run mindfulness courses for the general public and for corporate clients. She is also General Manager and a course facilitator at OpenGround, the Australian Centre for Mindfulness and Compassion, where she continues to teach courses including Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

Mindfulness has been part of her life for over 35 years. She was introduced to it at 15, while living alone, and has practised ever since. She says it helped her through that time and others, and shaped who she is today. Before teaching, she began her working life as a classical musician, then moved into people-focused corporate roles, where coaching and learning and development were central. She holds a Master of Business Administration and studied human resources and project management. After her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, she left the corporate world to share what she knew with others.

Jenny is a certified MBSR teacher, certified through the Mindfulness Training Institute of Australia and New Zealand. She is also a Certified Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Practitioner and a Certified Mindfulness Teacher at professional level with the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. Her training also includes a Diploma of Mindfulness & Compassion from the Insight Meditation Institute and accreditation as an international corporate mindfulness facilitator with Potential Project. She takes part in annual 10-day silent meditation retreats. Her Insight Timer page also lists her as Co-National Director of Potential Project Australia.

Her students come with varied needs, from extreme anxiety, depression and stress to simply wanting to feel happier and more at ease. Having experienced trauma herself, she emphasises creating a safe environment where participants always have a choice. She is also working on a book and podcast, Wisdom of Survivors, to support people recovering from sexual violence. One participant described her as having a calm and caring nature that allowed space for everyone to take part as they wished.