For over two decades, Dr. Manijeh Motaghy has been helping people and organizations rediscover the intelligence of life itself. As the creator of the Mindful Life Optimization (MLO) methodology and author of It’s Not Easy to Be Human, she’s guiding a global shift toward conscious, life-intelligent leadership.

Her work bridges science, mindfulness, and systems thinking—empowering entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers to thrive with inner development rather than burnout. Through MLO, Dr. Manijeh teaches that true success isn’t about striving harder, but about aligning with the natural intelligence that makes life—and leadership—work effortlessly.

“When we stop fighting life and start learning from it, everything flows. Leadership becomes less about control—and more about alignment.”

From Mindfulness to Systemic Transformation

Dr. Manijeh’s journey began with a simple yet profound realization: human beings often work against the very intelligence that sustains them. To bridge this gap, she developed the Mindful Life Optimization (MLO) methodology—a comprehensive framework for personal, organizational, and planetary well-being.

MLO, she explains, “is a five-stage process designed to develop, transform, and optimize life across three domains—systemic, environmental, and human experience.” Within these domains lie 60 lessons that teach individuals and teams to cultivate a reliable inner guidance system, enabling conscious decisions and sustainable results at every level of leadership.

“It’s about evolving from managing tasks to mastering awareness,” she says. “When leaders understand how life itself operates, they lead with flow, not friction.”

Life-Intelligent Entrepreneurship

Having coached countless professionals and organizations, Dr. Manijeh has seen firsthand how life-intelligent entrepreneurship transforms outcomes.

“The Mindful Life Optimization method leverages the natural intelligence that conditions our experiences and governs our results,” she explains. “Entrepreneurs learn to shift with change instead of resisting it—to refine their intention, remain objective, and act with flexibility.”

The result? Greater efficiency, team cohesion, and fulfillment—without sacrificing well-being.

“Change is not the enemy,” she reminds. “It’s the rhythm of life. Founders who learn to move with that rhythm find resilience where others find resistance.”

Balancing Drive with Well-Being

In today’s culture of hustle, Dr. Manijeh challenges the idea that ambition must come at the cost of health or humanity.

“Growth is healthy when ambition doesn’t deplete the company, the environment, or a person’s vital energy,” she says. Through MLO, founders learn to analyze impact before taking action, asking: Will this decision sustain vitality—or drain it?

Routine self-reflection, patience, and strategic balance help founders achieve what she calls “sustainable success”—where growth fuels both innovation and integrity.

“There’s always a better choice,” she notes. “One that eliminates burnout and builds trust instead.”

When Stress Becomes a Signal

Stress, ego, and fear are inevitable parts of entrepreneurship—but Dr. Manijeh sees them as opportunities for awakening.

“The warning signs are subtle,” she says. “Reactive decision-making, sleepless nights, loss of empathy, overcontrol—these are signals, not failures.”

MLO trains leaders to detect these patterns early, pause, and redirect. “By learning to notice presence, impact, and self-respect, they begin to lead from peaceful knowing rather than pressure.”

“You can’t lead well from a place of fear. MLO teaches you to lead from awareness—and awareness always knows what to do.”

Turning Challenges into Intelligent Growth

When Dr. Manijeh founded Perfectly Here, her intention was simple: to create a space where mindfulness could meet modern life. Eighteen years later, that vision has grown into a global movement—though not without challenges.

“Limited resources, uncertainty, and change often tested our principles,” she recalls. “Many similar organizations folded. But MLO kept us aligned with integrity, patience, and purpose.”

Each obstacle became a classroom for deeper understanding. “Every challenge was an invitation to practice what I teach—to reframe, refocus, and rise wiser,” she says. “That’s the real meaning of optimization.”

Restoring Self-Trust and Vision

At some point, every founder questions their path. Dr. Manijeh calls this “the dark night of entrepreneurship.”

“MLO helps leaders navigate those moments by building an inner compass,” she explains. “Instead of pushing harder, they learn to listen—deeply—to themselves, their teams, and to life. From that grounded clarity, innovation and trust naturally return.”

“When you stop forcing outcomes and start cooperating with life, success becomes inevitable.”

Innovation with Foresight

Far from restricting creativity, MLO enhances it. Its lessons refine how leaders approach invention—aligning purpose with care.

“When creators understand the systemic effects of their ideas, they design innovations that are bold yet ethical,” she says. “It’s innovation with foresight—beneficial for all stakeholders, including the planet.”

Preventative Accountability: A Culture of Integrity

Through her Preventative Accountability Model (PAM), Dr. Manijeh equips organizations to lead with integrity from day one.

“PAM teaches leaders to take responsibility before harm occurs,” she explains. “It’s a nine-step process for self-analysis, impact analysis, and foresight.”

By embedding these principles into company culture, leaders reduce mistakes, waste, and burnout—building systems rooted in transparency and trust.

Optimizing One Billion Lives

With a mission to optimize one billion lives by 2042, Dr. Manijeh believes entrepreneurship and technology are key partners in this vision.

She collaborates with organizations working on sustainable living, ethical innovation, and education—each aligned with MLO’s three domains. “We train leaders to develop the inner maturity and ethical intelligence needed to create life-affirming systems,” she says.

Her next frontier? Partnering with investors to integrate life-intelligent AI—technology designed to protect, serve, and sustain humanity.

Making It Easy to Be Human

At the heart of her mission lies a simple, profound invitation: to make being human easier.

Through her book It’s Not Easy to Be Human and its companion community, the Making It Easy to Be Human Club, readers gain access to guided discussions and real-time applications of MLO lessons.

“It’s a space for reflection, shared growth, and support,” she explains. “Being human becomes easier when we live in alignment with how life truly works.”

Members can even form their own focus groups—from Making It Easy to Be a Mother to Making It Easy to Be a Startup.

“It’s not easy to be human,” she smiles. “But together—we can make it so.”