"Success to me is about feeling content and fulfilled"
Luke McLeod Tweet
Founder and Director of Soul Alive: the Mindful Life app, Luke McLeod is one of Australia’s most exciting and refreshing thought leaders on meditation & mindfulness. His down-to-earth and practical approach to mental health has led him to work with and speak on behalf of some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies including AMEX, EY, LinkedIn & Telstra.
He is an ambassador for Lululemon and the host of the popular podcast ‘Show me your soul’.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Luke McLeod: Based in Sydney, Australia I started Soul Alive in 2019 as I felt that the meditation apps that were out there had little emphasis on interaction, support and building a community. All essential elements to really learning how to meditate and stick with it.
Soul Alive brings the connection & community you’d find at a local studio into the palm of your hands. With live-streamed classes each and every week where you can chat & interact with your teacher and other members. It’s the perfect way to learn, experience and enjoy meditation. Plus there’s a full content library to access at any time to help you with any occasion.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Luke McLeod: The biggest lesson we learnt was to get comfortable with change. You don’t know what might happen next so the ability to adapt and respond quickly is crucial.
The other lesson was more of a reminder. To remember to take time to look after yourself. To prioritise rest & recovery.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Luke McLeod: Focus on where people are putting their attention. Social media has become such a huge part of everyone’s life so making sure your brand/business is on there talking with your community is so important.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Luke McLeod: The wellness industry has really shifted to embracing online more which I think is a great move. It enables you to reach more people and can also lower your overheads. Just be sure to do what you can to maintain your community.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Luke McLeod: Don’t sweat the small stuff and it’s better to share a product/service that is 80% fixing a problem then waiting for it to be 100% ready, because all that time you’re waiting for it to be perfect, you could have been getting great customer feedback.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Luke McLeod: There will certainly be a return of more face-to-face service but those that are offer both to their customers will have an advantage.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Luke McLeod: It varies. Some days I’ll have to be in front of the laptop all day. Others, I can be teaching meditation all day .
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Luke McLeod: I think the biggest challenge is fighting for peoples attention. The more you’re in front of your potential customer the more likely they’re going to follow/buy from you. This is why having a very active social media if you’re a B2C business is so important.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Luke McLeod: I’m really interested in stoicism. It’s a visually been around for a long but I think it’s making a resurgence, which I think is a great thing.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Luke McLeod: I think a lot leaders feel the same way about their leader/manager and that’s why everyone else feels this way. This leaves a lot of responsibility for those at the very top. The founders and CEO’s. They really need to be encouraging everyone around them to find the passion in what they are doing and create a comfortable and safe environment to share how everyone is feeling.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Luke McLeod: It would be the ability to communicate Soul Alive’s mission to everyone on earth. Through the use of social media.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Luke McLeod: Success to me is about feeling content and fulfilled. Enjoying life with loved ones and helping others realise/do the same..
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Luke McLeod for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Luke McLeod or his company, you can do it through his – Instagram
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