The Meaning We Miss: Kelly Corrigan’s Call to Pay Attention
09 Dec 2025
Bestselling author, cancer survivor, podcast host and exclusive APB speaker Kelly Corrigan is calling on readers to reclaim a nearly lost art: paying attention. In a recent essay for Big Think titled “The Spiritual Practice of Paying Attention,” Corrigan explores how simple awareness—of people, moments, grief, and beauty—can ground us during life’s most profound highs and lows.
Corrigan begins in the wild expanses of the Serengeti—“among lions and giraffes,” she writes—only to conclude in the quiet intimacy of her mother’s final moments. It’s in that contrast between the grandeur of nature and the fragility of human life that she finds the common thread: attention.
In the essay, she suggests that attention isn’t a trivial virtue, but rather an essential one. In an era dominated by distractions, constant notifications, and “the attention economy,” Corrigan’s reflection becomes a kind of spiritual epiphany. She proposes that attention is less about productivity and more about presence, compassion, and memory.
One of our most-booked speakers, Kelly has written and spoken deeply about family, loss, motherhood, and connection. Her honest and resonant voice offers a gentle wake-up call: the world won’t slow down, so we must.
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