In this candid interview, Jillian Lavender shares her journey from corporate life to meditation teaching and explores how resetting daily can transform stress into clarity, balance and impact.

You transitioned from a high-powered career in publishing to full-time meditation teaching. What was the turning point that made you take that leap and what lessons from your former life still guide you today?

The transition to becoming a full-time meditation teacher was gradual. It was a process. It wasn’t a flick of the switch; however, it was grounded in a very clear sense of what I wanted to do. I had a clear goal, which was to be teaching meditation rather than running an international publishing company. But the process was a gradual letting go.

When I finished my training to be a meditation teacher, I had a period of time where I was still doing work within my old corporate role and I was building up the meditation business.

The point when I realised I needed to let go of the old role was when it started to get in the way of me doing what I needed to do. There was just that moment where I had to take that leap.

What lessons still guide me today?
 I think it’s that sense of being flexible—you know, not being locked into “this needs to happen on this day or this month.” I have a goal and I’m clear about it but not being attached to the timing or the way that it’s going to play out.

Being flexible, being adaptive—is really the key. It’s important to have a sense of direction. It’s important that we put our attention on the things that matter to us, and that we move in the direction of doing the things that really give us a sense of purpose.

And in my experience, that has moved me in the direction of it being less about what makes me feel better, and more about: how can I have more of an impact for other people? That’s really where the growth has happened. It’s not about me. It’s about: how can I bring this knowledge to other people?

Read the full interview with BlueSkyFriday here.