Last month, I spent 10 days serving as a kitchen volunteer (known as a Dhamma server) at a Vipassana meditation retreat. Unlike attending the course as a silent meditator, this time I was up at 4:00 AM every day, working in the kitchen until 10:00 PM, preparing meals for 130 people.

We were ten volunteers from different countries, cultures, and life paths—strangers at first, yet expected to function as a cohesive team within hours. Only one of us had previous experience as a Dhamma server. It was a crash course in fast trust, cross-cultural teamwork, and leading under pressure.

We peeled 38.5 kg of potatoes in one day, stirred giant pots of dhal, and tried to keep the kitchen flowing like clockwork. At the same time, we were also meditating for 3–4 hours a day, staying mostly offline, and practicing mindful silence when not in work mode. It was intense—and deeply transformative.

One pivotal moment came when a conflict arose between our newly appointed kitchen manager and another volunteer. The manager, feeling responsible for our team’s delivery, held high expectations for everyone. The other volunteer, however, felt micromanaged and pressured. Tensions built up and eventually erupted. Though they tried to reconcile, the fast pace and high demands reignited the same conflict.

Eventually, we turned to the teacher for guidance. Her words still echo in me:
“You’re not just serving food—you’re sharing energy. If you carry anger or frustration into the kitchen, that energy is passed to the environment and the meditators. Serve with peace, with joy, with love. And if you can’t, stop. Breathe. Regain your balance first.”

It was a profound insight. As leaders, we’re often trained to push through pressure, keep going, keep performing. But the truth is—great leadership isn’t just about endurance. It’s about presence. It’s about noticing when you’ve lost connection with your inner calm, and choosing to pause instead of pushing.

This experience reminded me that flow at work doesn’t come from forcing, but from aligning. When we’re grounded, connected, and working with a full heart, the energy we bring into the room becomes a resource for others. That’s how we create extraordinary results—not just through efficiency, but through energy.

Rooted deep, growing free. That’s what these ten days reminded me. When we work from a place of alignment—calm, clear, connected—we don’t just get more done. We become the kind of leader others naturally trust and follow.