Reconciling Dharma & Dollars
Something unusual happened last week.
I was scheduled to interview someone with the most meditation and teaching experience of any podcast guest I’ve had.
Jessica Morey has been meditating since she was 14. She teaches in the Theravada Buddhist lineage at places like Insight Mediation Society and on the 10% Happier app.
Coming onto the call, I was nervous.
My insecurities about not following a lineage and teaching meditation before any formal training were front and center.
I feared our conversation would expose me as the rogue meditation teacher I am.
We got on the call, and lo and behold, things take an immediate left turn.
The first thing she says is, “I have hesitations about being on this podcast and promoting the business of meditation.”
(Cue heightened nervous system activation!)
I fumbled a response, showing my understanding, saying I know how a podcast with “Business of Meditation” can come off.
As I mentioned in my interview with Prasanti Paz, if Ram Dass heard the title of my podcast, he’d say, “This is the problem with modern spirituality!”
I understand the landscape I walk, and it’s precisely this understanding why I walk it.
I aim to be a voice documenting my spiritual & business journey in a way that explores what it means to do this work with love and integrity.
Learning to make a living doing what I love has been an enriching journey. (I’ve also sometimes lost my way, focusing more on hitting numbers and forgetting why I do this.)
Which is why I want to help people connect to their vocation and make meaningful revenue in the process. (And not just another guru guaranteeing 5-figure months.)
Back to our convo…
She then asked me how I grapple with the “business” of meditation.
I explained that we each have a gift to share with the world, that business can be a vessel for spreading that gift, and that resources can be regenerative to the people and causes that matter most.
She didn’t seem thrilled.
I thought we might abort the podcast, and I would have to sit with “WTF JUST HAPPENED???” the rest of the day.
Luckily, I asked her if she would be interested in making the topic of our discussion about money and meditation.
We hit record.
Here’s what happened.
I highly recommend that anyone who meditates or calls themselves a teacher checks it out.
Jessica stresses the importance of intention multiple times.
It helped me check my intention with what I put out in the world.
I feel aligned as ever with why Meraki Mastermind exists.
If you don’t know what that is, Meraki is a group I run for Meditation Teachers, Coaches, Creatives, and Wellness Practitioners.
Meraki (meh-RAH-kee) is a Greek word for doing something with passion, soul, creativity, or love.
It’s the essence of putting “something of yourself” into your work.
It's different from a course or program.
A mastermind evokes the energy of:
A rising tide lifts all ships.
We are the average of those we surround ourselves with
Environment is stronger than willpower.
To go fast, go alone, to go far, go together
Abundance mentality: When one person succeeds, we all succeed
You can listen more about what a mastermind is in my podcast, The Power of a Mastermind Group
It's an intimate group of about 12 people.
The next cohort starts September 4th.
If you want to learn more about it, send me an email.