Jenni Dawes on Creativity, Mindfulness, and Remembering the Future
What if the biggest thing blocking your creativity isn’t a lack of talent—but a lack of space?
In this episode of La Vie Creative, I sat down with Jenni Dawes—speaker, executive coach, founder of Creative Monastery, and creator of the Come Closer conversation cards—to explore the fascinating intersection of creativity, mindfulness, imagination, and human connection.
From her early career in journalism to coaching executives at some of the world’s leading companies, Jenni has spent decades asking better questions and helping people reconnect with themselves and each other.
Our conversation is packed with practical wisdom for anyone feeling overwhelmed, creatively stuck, or simply longing for a more intentional way of living.
Curiosity Was Always the Beginning
Growing up in Sydney, Australia, Jenni describes herself as the child who loved libraries, books, and asking endless questions.
That curiosity naturally led her into journalism—a career where asking thoughtful questions became her profession.
But curiosity never stopped there.
Throughout her career she explored acting, communications, branding, meditation, behavioral psychology, and coaching, continually following the question: Why do people think, feel, and behave the way they do?
Two Careers That Eventually Became One
One of the most fascinating parts of Jenni’s story is how two seemingly unrelated paths eventually merged.
While building a successful career in brand strategy and communications, a chance encounter with a Buddhist monk introduced her to mindfulness, meditation, and Eastern philosophy.
Rather than abandoning one career for the other, she pursued both.
Today, those worlds have become one integrated practice, helping clients solve external business challenges while also transforming the internal beliefs that shape their decisions.
Why Creative Monastery Was Born
After returning to Paris following the pandemic, Jenni realized many of her friendships had shifted.
Instead of searching endlessly for inspiring events and communities, she decided to create them herself.
That idea became Creative Monastery—a Paris-based culture studio bringing together curious, creative people through meaningful gatherings, workshops, and conversations.
She also launched The Paris Chapter, a newsletter curating some of the city’s most thoughtful cultural events before eventually deciding to focus her energy on creating experiences rather than simply promoting them.
The Card Game That Creates Instant Connection
Jenni’s conversation card game, Come Closer, grew from a surprisingly simple idea.
Unable to find a conversation game that truly explored meaningful topics, she created one herself.
After testing hundreds of questions with friends and family, she narrowed the collection to 52 prompts designed to move conversations far beyond small talk.
Today, the cards are used during dinners, dates, workshops, and even gatherings of complete strangers, helping people connect more deeply in just minutes.
Why Meaningful Conversation Is Becoming Harder
According to Jenni, meaningful conversation isn’t disappearing because people no longer want connection.
It’s because we’re slowly losing the practice.
As more communication moves online—and increasingly through AI—we exercise our social muscles less frequently.
Like any muscle, those skills weaken when unused.
Jenni believes rebuilding deep connection starts with asking better questions.
Instead of “What do you do?” she prefers asking:
“What are you excited about right now?”
The difference changes the entire conversation.
Creativity and Wellbeing Are the Same Practice
One of Jenni’s most powerful insights is that creativity and wellbeing cannot be separated.
Mindfulness teaches us to pay attention—to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us.
Creativity requires exactly the same skill.
Both depend on presence.
Both require curiosity.
Both ask us to notice what most people overlook.
The Biggest Threat to Creativity Today
When asked what blocks creativity most, Jenni answered without hesitation:
Screens.
She explains that children naturally create imaginary worlds because boredom leaves room for imagination.
Adults, however, rarely experience boredom anymore.
Every spare moment is filled by scrolling, checking notifications, or consuming content.
Without quiet moments—what she beautifully calls “the time between time”—our brains lose opportunities to make unexpected creative connections.
AI Isn’t the Enemy
Jenni doesn’t believe artificial intelligence is inherently harmful.
Instead, she sees it as an amplifier.
The more technology becomes part of our lives, the more intentionally we must strengthen the qualities that make us uniquely human:
- Creativity
- Imagination
- Empathy
- Curiosity
- Face-to-face connection
Rather than resisting technology, she encourages balancing it with more walks, conversations, museums, nature, and moments of wonder.
Remembering the Future
Jenni’s signature keynote, How to Remember the Future, may have been my favorite part of our conversation.
Drawing on neuroscience and cognitive science, she explains how visualization can literally reshape our internal expectations.
Instead of simply imagining success, participants create an immersive “theatre of the future,” engaging every sense until the experience begins to feel like a genuine memory.
Repeated often enough, the brain starts treating that imagined future as something familiar rather than frightening.
The result?
Less self-sabotage.
More courage.
Greater creativity.
And a nervous system that feels safe enough to pursue meaningful change.
Productivity Isn’t the Goal
Despite living in a culture obsessed with productivity, Jenni believes many of us are chasing an impossible finish line.
Referencing Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks, she explains that there will never be a moment when life is perfectly organized and every task is complete.
Accepting that reality creates enormous freedom.
Life isn’t meant to be finished.
It’s meant to be lived.
A One-Minute Reset for Busy Days
One practical technique Jenni recommends is incredibly simple:
Shake.
Literally.
For about one minute, shake your arms, legs, and entire body as if you’re trying to shake water off after swimming.
The exercise quickly resets the nervous system, helping release stress before important meetings or after long hours at a desk.
Acceptance Changed Everything
After more than fifteen years of meditation practice, Jenni says the greatest lesson wasn’t learning to stop thinking.
It was learning acceptance.
Meditation taught her to observe discomfort instead of immediately trying to escape it.
Over time, this transformed not only her relationship with stress—but her relationship with herself.
The result was greater self-compassion, resilience, and inner calm.
Feeling Stuck? Try Something Different
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, Jenni offers two simple suggestions:
First, ask yourself honestly:
“What am I actually feeling?”
Often procrastination hides an emotion we’ve been avoiding.
Second, change your environment.
Walk down a street you’ve never explored.
Visit a new museum.
Take a different route home.
Fresh experiences create fresh thinking.
Falling in Love with Paris Again
Jenni describes Paris not simply as a city—but as a relationship.
She believes leaving periodically makes returning even sweeter.
As she beautifully puts it, borrowing from Esther Perel’s wisdom:
“Distance breeds desire.”
Sometimes stepping away helps us appreciate what we already have.
Connect with Jenni Dawes
You can learn more about Jenni’s coaching, workshops, events, and Come Closer conversation cards through Creative Monastery, where she regularly shares new projects and gatherings designed to foster deeper human connection.
Final Thoughts
Jenni Dawes reminds us that creativity isn’t something reserved for artists.
It’s a way of paying attention.
It’s choosing curiosity over certainty.
It’s creating enough quiet space to hear your own imagination again.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s remembering that the future we hope to create begins with the stories we tell ourselves today.
