The BIG Collective of Social Changemakers
A sacred space for warriors to gather in solidarity, stillness and strength
How can mission-driven people go hard while protecting against burnout? Compassion fatigue? Vicarious trauma? Stress-related illness? And if they are able to invest in self-care, but continue working passionately in entrenched systems with limited resources, painful injustices and crazy high stakes… then what?
Stacey Mandel created The BIG Collective as her way of contributing something serious and positive to help transform this challenge. As a mindfulness teacher and volunteer with various social change organizations, she felt awed by the many warriors she met who were battling to fulfill their sacred obligations, to stand up for their beliefs even while being held or pushed down. Stacey intuitively understood they deserved radical respite and required deep, ongoing fortification for their evolving work.
Stacey envisioned the power of regular collective mindfulness and meditation practice for leaders, staff, volunteers, board members and individual activists as a game changer. But based on her experiences facilitating mindfulness across different settings with diverse participants, she knew there were significant logistical and ideological barriers to overcome. Hence, the BIG Collective was born to be potent, yet simple enough to transcend conflicting schedules, tight budgets, remote teams, resistance, organizational instability and time scarcity.
What It Is
A choice mindfulness concept, complementary guided meditation and crucial energy exchange between social changemakers across different movements. At its heart, it is a sanctuary for warriors to step inward before stepping outward.
How It Works
Live, virtual, artfully facilitated 30-minute sessions run at eight different times throughout the day. Every Wednesday. All year long. (Choice, flexibility, short and sweet, no pressure.)
Why Practice Together?
Individual mindfulness builds personal capacity. Collective mindfulness builds relational and systemic capacity. This service delivers both worlds, but since social change work is fundamentally about relationships, power and systems—collective practice is a powerful, BIG intervention.
Research confirms that mindfulness transcends "self-care" and "wellness"—it's a means to resource the revolution. In addition to the plethora of known individual benefits, mindfulness at the team level leverages “allowing, inquiry and meta-awareness” to develop deeper solidarity, sharper strategy, stronger conflict skills, cross-movement learning and embodied values.
When environmental organizers breathe alongside immigrant rights activists, when rural organizers share stillness with urban campaigners—movements get deep fortification, collective power and care that's as relentless as the work itself.
Details
Eight sessions run every Wednesday throughout the year (45 weeks total, excluding holidays) following a consistent structure. Each session:
opens with an inspirational mindfulness teaching (approx 5 minutes)
follows with guided meditation (approx 15-20 minutes)
closes with prompted reflection time that can be kept private or shared (approx 5-10 minutes)
Recurring Wednesday session times are:
8:30-9am Eastern Time
9:15-9:45am ET
10-10:30am ET
11-11:30am ET
12:15-12:45pm ET
2-2:30pm ET
3:30-4pm ET
4:15-5pm ET
*Times are subject to change based on feedback.
Each week, all receive an email invitation with session details. Interested participants register up to one hour before their chosen time and will receive a secure Zoom link.
Investment
This service uses a four-tier pricing structure designed around solidarity and inclusivity. Well-resourced organizations sponsor grassroots groups who couldn't otherwise afford access. Independent changemakers are welcomed at special rates.
Contact Stacey Mandel to discuss pricing and learn more.
A BIG beautiful vision brought to the world by the founder of BIG Mindfulness & Meditation.