Saundra Schrock

FOUNDER & CEO

Levelhead’s CEO, Saundra Schrock, has had a dynamic and wildly successful career in the financial services industry. From her career beginnings as a bank teller, to her role as Executive Vice President of J.P. Morgan Chase, Saundra credits much for her success to her learning to embrace the main tenets and practices of mindfulness. The dramatic impact these practices had on her life ignited her passion for sharing the practice with as many people as possible. 

Saundra’s career started at Valley National Bank in Phoenix, Arizona as a bank teller, and through hard-work, dedication, and long hours, she worked her way up into executive positions. Like so many others, she believed that the next level could only be achieved by just pushing a little harder, working a little later, or shaving off just one more hour from her personal time to work instead. And even though she was becoming successful, she was suffering. 

In an attempt to enhance her life, Saundra began to apply mindfulness practices into her day to day activities. The change was dramatic. As she describes it, she went from living in a grey world, to one that was full of crisp and brilliant color. With these changes, so did her approach to her career. No longer satisfied with the way things had been done before, Saundra pushed her ego aside and focused on being a servant leader. She slowed down to speed up, and found that her career blossomed even more naturally now that she was channelling her best and most authentic self. She was a more powerful leader, was delivering better results, and was living a much happier and more fulfilled life. 

Business acumen and leadership skills are prerequisites to a successful career in financial services. Adding mindfulness to the mix helped Saundra thrive in that phase of her career, and has made her perfect for the next phase as well. Upon retiring, Saundra began to reflect on her experiences, and those that she’d observed in others. She became focused on finding a solution to solve some of the problems plagued by today’s over-worked, stressed-out leader. This led her to the study of mindfulness and then on to positive psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive behavior. Using her many years of experience and the exciting new research in these disciplines, she has developed practices and tools to assist in transforming individuals and organizations. So began Levelhead. 

An active learner, Saundra graduated from the University of Memphis State with a degree in psychology and is also a graduate of Arizona State University where she acquired her Master of Business Administration. She recently received her Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Grand Canyon University.