120 | DE-ESCALATE HOA Board Tension With These Mindfulness Practices

HOA Insights: Common Sense for Common Areas

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Lower the temperature at your HOA Board meetings! Kevin Davis shares his mindfulness tools to pause, breathe, and respond with clarity!

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HOA Board tensions don’t have to run the show. This week Kevin Davis shares that he has special training as a mindfulness facilitator at UCLA. He shares practical ways to slow reactivity and make better decisions. Learn the STOP technique (Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed), a short pre-meeting meditation, and simple kindness practices that de-escalate conflict and protect your board culture. Show up present, focused, and calm so your community gets your best!

Show Notes:

Mindfulness is being present on purpose. Our bodies are always in the present—but our minds often drift to:

The past, which can bring worry or regret r r the future, which can trigger anxiety or fear. When we’re grounded in the present, we are less reactive and more responsive—especially in challenging situations.

Mindfulness Tool: The STOP Practice: A simple tool for staying present in moments of uncertainty: S – Stop, T – Take a breath, O – Observe what’s happening (inside and out), P – Proceed with intention. This short pause helps you respond—not react.

Mindfulness for Board Meetings: Begin meetings with a few minutes of breathing. This settles the body and calms the mind—leading to: Better focus, better conversations and more productive meetings.

End the meditation with a moment of kindness, such as silently wishing others: May you be well. May we work with ease and calm.

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Chapters

1. What tensions do HOA board leaders face, and why mindfulness? (00:00:00)

2. What does “mindfulness” actually mean in plain English? (00:03:53)

3. Is listening to a podcast deliberate presence or just escape? (00:06:05)

4. How do you use the STOP method to pause before reacting? (00:09:01)

5. How did Kevin discover mindfulness and train at UCLA? (00:10:26)

6. How do “thought subways” pull you off track, and what helps? (00:13:35)

7. What physical signs tell you that you’re not present right now? (00:15:10)

8. How can board members apply awareness, STOP, and kindness in meetings? (00:16:17)

9. Can compassion and the Golden Rule really defuse tough conflicts? (00:19:44)

10. Ad Break - Community Financials (00:22:57)

11. What is meditation in practice—do you have to empty your mind? (00:23:28)

12. Will you be bad at meditation at first, and how do you begin? (00:27:41)

13. A short pre-meeting meditation for board leaders (00:29:46)

14. How should you feel after the meditation and before the meeting? (00:39:02)

15. What closing advice helps you de-escalate board tension this week? (00:41:00)

16. Where can you send questions and find more HOA resources? (00:42:22)

132 episodes

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