In 2020, tech entrepreneur Matt Dickinson launched Mindfulness.com with teacher Melli O’Brien. Together, they envisioned an accessible, practical resource that could empower people to realize their fullest potential through the transformative power of mindfulness.
For six years, the Mindfulness app and website have been a global hub where beginners, experienced practitioners, and everyone in between can access thousands of practices, meditations, talks, courses, playlists, nature soundscapes, and more.
In 2023, we here at Mindful.org joined up with Mindfulness. As our community knows, we’ve got 15 years of evidence-based editorial content that reaches millions of readers globally with more than 4,000 articles, the 12 Minute Meditation podcast, expert-led courses, an annual print magazine, and a new app. We’ve been the definitive English-language resource for practitioners, clinicians, educators, and researchers since 2009.
We recognize that we’re shepherding a legacy that’s thousands of years old, using the latest tech tools—and we take both the responsibility and the opportunity seriously.
Together, Mindfulness x Mindful brings what few other organizations bring: the very latest in technological developments combined with grounded, human-centered, science-backed mindfulness resources. Our apps are cutting-edge and aim to make accessing mindfulness training seamless, fast, beautiful, and personalized. We also hold the conviction that real human connection is the heart of mindfulness practice in the first place—so we partner with globally-respected writers, teachers, researchers, and thought leaders to bring you articles, guided meditations, talks, courses, and events that are alive with human compassion, wisdom, and creativity.
We recognize that we’re shepherding a legacy that’s thousands of years old, using the latest tech tools—and we take both the responsibility and the opportunity seriously.
A New Chapter
On May 25, 2026, we welcomed Joseph Russell as our new Chief Executive Officer.
Russell brings over 15 years of experience building, scaling, and leading digital products and mobile technology businesses. As co-founder and CEO of DreamWalk, one of Australia’s most recognised app development companies, he helped hundreds of brands and businesses—from Coca-Cola to The Secret—design and launch successful digital experiences. Throughout his tenure, DreamWalk produced dozens of chart-topping mobile applications before it was acquired by multinational advertising group Wellcom in 2012. Russell then re-acquired the brand and relaunched under his leadership in 2017.
Russell has been featured by The Today Show, The Project, The Australian, Lifehacker, and Executive Style, and has written extensively on digital product strategy for Smart Company, B&T Weekly, and Inside Small Business. He has also served as a mentor and advisor to social impact startups through ygap.
“We’re living through a period of extraordinary uncertainty. The research on what mindfulness does for human resilience—our capacity to respond rather than react—has never been more relevant.” — Joe Russell, new CEO of Mindfulness United
As our new CEO, he’s joining Mindfulness United at a pivotal moment for both the company and the broader mindfulness industry.
Russell was candid about why the timing feels meaningful: “We’re living through a period of extraordinary uncertainty. The research on what mindfulness does for human resilience—our capacity to respond rather than react—has never been more relevant.”
Russell added: “Mindful.org has spent 15 years earning the trust of readers, researchers, and practitioners. When you combine that with an app guided by teachers who helped build the clinical science of mindfulness—that’s something genuinely rare. My job is to bring those two things together and do justice to the groundbreaking products and legacy this team has built.”
Matt Dickinson has faithfully led the work of MU for six years, and we are grateful for his vision and dedication. Reflecting on this transition and why he chose Joe to carry on the work of MU as our new CEO, he said, “Joe brings exactly the combination of skills this company needs at this moment—deep expertise in mobile product and digital growth, a genuine understanding of what it takes to engage an audience, and a personal connection to the mission. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team and excited to see what he builds.”
Joe also recognizes that joining Mindfulness United is a rare opportunity to create genuine, lasting change for millions of people who are hungry for more clarity, calm, wisdom, and connection in a world that often feels fragmented and frantic.
“Mindfulness isn’t a wellness trend,” he says. “These practices have been around for thousands of years. The science is real, the teachers are world-class, and the need has never been greater.”
He says his job is to make sure this platform reaches everyone who needs it.
As the leaders, organizers, developers, designers, creators, and editors that make up the Mindfulness x Mindful team, we’re on board with that, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
