How's living from the head working out for you?

The Book For A New Way Of Being

(for people who just want to live well)

Ancient Chinese wisdom held the best-kept secret to a peaceful, fulfilled life—one modern science is only now confirming. The Chinese character for mindfulness combines both heart and mind, because they saw the heart as the seat of both emotional and cognitive intelligence.

Yet today, mindfulness is often taught as something primarily for the mind - calming, opening, focusing - leaving the heart out. Most of us are conditioned to live from the head and silence our hearts with reason and self-criticism. But the heart is the most powerful source of energy in the human body, with its own deeper intelligence that holds the key to our truth and our freedom.

This book is about what becomes possible when we access that power and live in Heart–Mind alignment (and how we get there).

Come Along For The Ride

Your support means a lot! Join my Substack newsletter to follow along as Foundational Shift comes to life:

1. An inside look at the real process of writing and publishing a book

2. Interactive Polls to help shape the book (like voting on cover designs and titles!)

3. Invitations to join my Book Launch Team & Events to bring it into the world when the time comes

4. Wellness and mindfulness, defluffed: insights on health and well-being trends—demystified and made practical.

5. And of course, there will be surprises along the way!

What My Community Says

While the book is in the making, I’ve been fortunate to share conversations with scientists and surfers, sages and students, oligarchs and outliers, founders and friends.  Their voices have enriched it with stories and perspectives, so this isn’t just my book - it’s ours. And you’re warmly invited to join in for the ride! Here’s a glimpse of the voices that keep me writing: 

“If I could just bottle your voice and use it when I’m having an anxiety attack…” — meditation student.

"I can’t wait to read this book! I’m looking forward to learning from your experience and insights.” — my sister in recovery.

“I appreciate her energy and spirit! There are a million things she could do in this world, and she’s chosen to do this thing that can help people. I love it!" — mindfulness teacher and mentor.

“I'm excited to read it as I want to learn to trust myself, my decisions, and my inner safety.” — a friend navigating big life transitions.

“Wait, can you repeat that? I want to write it down.” — workshop participant.

"Who will even want to read this! She should probably go back to her corporate job.” — someone dear whose love language is worry and keeping me safe.

"Early in my corporate career, I was told to basically shut down my heart, lock it up, and live from the head as a way to be successful. But when I finally brought my heart into what I do, my business grew and my relationships became richer and more authentic. This book resonates!” — fellow author.

“I don’t agree with anything you say… but it sounds entertaining. I can’t wait to read it and tell you where you got it wrong.” — my favorite devil’s advocate.

“How fortunate the world is to have you writing this book!” — a UN peace leader on heart intelligence.

“A fish’s guide to finding its way back to the ocean.” — my surfing tribe.

Olga Pinn ("Ollie") is a California-based  ecommerce leader turned mindfulness and wellness educator. She keeps her master’s degrees in Multicultural Communications and Financial Management, along with certifications in Marketing, Web Design, and AI from MIT and UCSD, somewhere on a shelf—mostly to remind herself that life often doesn’t go according to plan. Life often unfolds better than anything our limited self could have planned. And that’s the story she’s here to share.

Olga lived and studied in China for over a decade, bridging markets and mindsets between East and West. She led cultural and business projects across the United States, China, Russia, and Japan, before relocating to California to work with global lifestyle brands on growing their digital commerce in North America.

After experiencing burnout, she founded the wellness platform Meditate Mate and co-founded Inward VR, a mindfulness technology startup. Today, her work focuses on creating a culture of well-being—at work and in everyday life—by helping people reconnect with inner peace and inner intelligence. A neuroscience geek, she reads the Dao De Jing in its original Chinese and translates complex teachings into simple, actionable wisdom, grounded in research and her globally inspired practice. She lives in Ocean Beach, California, where she finds balance through meditation and surfing the Pacific waves.