The Higher Life

Jacqui Lewis is bringing meditation to the masses —  with her feet on the ground and her third eye on her finances, she tells Amy Molloy

- Amy Molloy

Jacqui Lewis has to cancel our Friday afternoon interview when a “massive hurdle” hits at the last minute (a sick daughter combined with a huge weekend course that she’s hosting). As she’s the co-founder of The Broad Place meditation centre and “school for creativity, clarity and consciousness”, it is surprising — and reassuring — to hear that even Zen goddesses feel the pressure. “Oh, absolutely,” she insists. “As a teacher, I used to feel nervous about admitting I’m not superwoman. People think, ‘Oh, but you teach this beautiful thing, so you must be a perfect human.’ However, I’ve realised that you can’t escape humanity — or your limits — and, actually, they need to be celebrated.”

How busy can the life of a meditation teacher be? Extremely, when your aim is to spread peace and make a profit. The 35-year-old is among a new breed of “spiritual entrepreneurs” who want to help people live more consciously but also create an ambitious business empire. “To love what you do is not enough,” Lewis explains. “I see a lot of people transitioning from the corporate world to passion projects, which they treat like hobbies. Then they crash and burn because they’re not applying financial sensibilities.”