Willow Older & Deborah Huber
Founders, Today I Noticed mindfulness and authors, Today I Noticed: A Little Book of Mindfulness that Will Change the Way You See the World at Today I Noticed
Health, Wellness and Fitness
Education: UC Berkeley and University of Vermont - Stanford University and Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College
San Francisco, CA, USA
Biography
Willow Older and Deborah Huber are the founders of the Today I Noticed mindfulness practice and authors of Today I Noticed: A Little Book of Mindfulness that Will Change the Way You See the World (Blue Star Press with Penguin Random House, 2023) and the 2025 daily desk calendar, Today I Noticed: A Year of Inspiration and Mindfulness (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2024). They co-facilitate in-person and virtual mindfulness workshops for conferences, retreats, and teams of all sizes.
Recent speaking events include Rancho La Puerta Wellness Retreat (Mexico); The Goodfellow Unit (General Practice and Primary Health Care; University of Auckland, New Zealand); a mindfulness masterclass for The Hivery, CA; and Liberty Road After School Masterclass, CA.
In addition to Today I Noticed, Willow runs her own editorial services business. An internationally published journalist, she develops strategic content marketing and digital campaigns for a wide range of clients including ad agencies, global organizations, coaching and leadership companies, and a variety of other small- and medium-sized businesses.
Willow holds an M.A. from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College (English Literature) and a B.A. from the University of Vermont (English Literature). She’s a self-taught artist who grew up on the South Island of New Zealand. Willow is a determined knitter who tries hard to make her mistakes look like they’re part of the pattern.
Deborah has spent her career in the tech industry in a variety of creative and management roles. She has led multi-disciplinary teams in developing digital products for a broad range of companies, including Marvel Comics, The Late Show, Apple, Ford Motor Company, AOL, HarperCollins, IBM, and Nissan Europe.
Deborah holds an M.A. from Stanford University and a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley. She writes children's novels and dreams of joining the cold-water plunging rage by taking a daily swim in the chilly S.F. Bay (but knows she never will).
Passion
One of our favorite topics is how everyone can benefit from a mindfulness practice—especially one that can be instantly incorporated into your daily life (no meditation pillow required!). That’s why our presentations include an interactive segment for participants to notice something and then write and draw about it . As presenters, it’s deeply rewarding to witness the palpable “a-ha” moment of mindfulness, creativity, and connection that Today I Noticed inspires, whether during an in-person or virtual presentation and with small groups or large conferences.
Best Story
Today I Noticed, a mindfulness practice and book based on the power of paying attention, came about because we weren’t paying attention! In our workshops, we talk about the irony of showing up to see an art exhibit only to find the museum was closed that day—a small but important detail we’d known if we’d been paying attention. Rather than go home, we decided to take an urban walking tour of downtown San Francisco while intentionally noticing what was around and within us. By the end of the day, we felt excited, nourished, and grateful for the little moments that make up every single day—and the Today I Noticed mindfulness practice was born. We are thrilled to share this powerful practice with audiences across the globe.
Origin Story
Today I Noticed began as a two-person creative mindfulness practice inspired by the power and goodness of paying attention. We quickly realized that other people would enjoy and benefit from this accessible yet transformational approach to daily mindfulness. We began sharing our observations from daily life on Instagram. Followers from around the world quickly responded with comments like, “I noticed that, too!” “I feel the same way!” and “I do that, too!” Buoyed by this sense of connection and community, and seeing how quickly and easily people adopted this intuitive approach to mindfulness, we began spreading the word about Today I Noticed through our mindfulness workshops and speeches, a book, podcast and media interviews, and a 2025 daily desk calendar.
Example talks
Today I Noticed mindfulness: Discover a simple, fun shortcut to daily joy, gratitude, and creativity
At Rancho La Puerta, we ran four Today I Noticed talks, including how our mindfulness practice helps us amp up our awe in nature and how it's a simple way to tap into daily joy, gratitude, and creativity. We also led a seminar about publishing: "From a creative spark to a published book—5 lessons to help your publishing dreams come true." Our workshops include an interactive module where participants intentionally practice noticing and then write and draw about their observation.
Today I Noticed: A creative mindfulness practice for primary health care professionals
We led a mindfulness webinar for general practice and primary health care professionals at the Good Fellow Unit in Aukland, New Zealand. Participants learned how to feel more present and grateful, more focused and efficient, more empathetic and connected, and how to share Today I Noticed with their patients in a clinical setting. https://www.goodfellowunit.org/events-and-webinars/today-i-noticed
Today I Noticed: What we’ve learned as mindfulness founders, authors, and speakers
Deborah Huber and Willow Older conducted a master class for a group of entrepreneurs, writers, and creatives for the Hivery in Marin County, CA. They discussed the what, whys, and hows of founding and growing their creative mindfulness practice, Today I Noticed. In this master class, the founders and friends explored some of the pivots, pitfalls, and wins of their Today I Noticed journey and offer tips and inspiration for turning creative visions into reality.
A surprisingly simple mindfulness practice that even fidgety preschoolers can master
Deborah Huber and Willow Older spoke at MindBe's international Preschool Mindfulness Summit (2024) about the benefits of the Today I Noticed mindfulness practice for preschool children. Today I Noticed is a fun, simple, and creative mindfulness practice that even fidgety preschoolers can master and benefit from in minutes.
Speaking Engagements
Empowering Women 2024
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions
Topics
Best Story
Today I Noticed, a mindfulness practice and book based on the power of paying attention, came about because we weren’t paying attention! In our workshops, we talk about the irony of showing up to see an art exhibit only to find the museum was closed that day—a small but important detail we’d known if we’d been paying attention. Rather than go home, we decided to take an urban walking tour of downtown San Francisco while intentionally noticing what was around and within us. By the end of the day, we felt excited, nourished, and grateful for the little moments that make up every single day—and the Today I Noticed mindfulness practice was born. We are thrilled to share this powerful practice with audiences across the globe.
Origin Story
Today I Noticed began as a two-person creative mindfulness practice inspired by the power and goodness of paying attention. We quickly realized that other people would enjoy and benefit from this accessible yet transformational approach to daily mindfulness. We began sharing our observations from daily life on Instagram. Followers from around the world quickly responded with comments like, “I noticed that, too!” “I feel the same way!” and “I do that, too!” Buoyed by this sense of connection and community, and seeing how quickly and easily people adopted this intuitive approach to mindfulness, we began spreading the word about Today I Noticed through our mindfulness workshops and speeches, a book, podcast and media interviews, and a 2025 daily desk calendar.
Example talks
Today I Noticed mindfulness: Discover a simple, fun shortcut to daily joy, gratitude, and creativity
At Rancho La Puerta, we ran four Today I Noticed talks, including how our mindfulness practice helps us amp up our awe in nature and how it's a simple way to tap into daily joy, gratitude, and creativity. We also led a seminar about publishing: "From a creative spark to a published book—5 lessons to help your publishing dreams come true." Our workshops include an interactive module where participants intentionally practice noticing and then write and draw about their observation.
Today I Noticed: A creative mindfulness practice for primary health care professionals
We led a mindfulness webinar for general practice and primary health care professionals at the Good Fellow Unit in Aukland, New Zealand. Participants learned how to feel more present and grateful, more focused and efficient, more empathetic and connected, and how to share Today I Noticed with their patients in a clinical setting. https://www.goodfellowunit.org/events-and-webinars/today-i-noticed
Today I Noticed: What we’ve learned as mindfulness founders, authors, and speakers
Deborah Huber and Willow Older conducted a master class for a group of entrepreneurs, writers, and creatives for the Hivery in Marin County, CA. They discussed the what, whys, and hows of founding and growing their creative mindfulness practice, Today I Noticed. In this master class, the founders and friends explored some of the pivots, pitfalls, and wins of their Today I Noticed journey and offer tips and inspiration for turning creative visions into reality.
A surprisingly simple mindfulness practice that even fidgety preschoolers can master
Deborah Huber and Willow Older spoke at MindBe's international Preschool Mindfulness Summit (2024) about the benefits of the Today I Noticed mindfulness practice for preschool children. Today I Noticed is a fun, simple, and creative mindfulness practice that even fidgety preschoolers can master and benefit from in minutes.