Jillian Lavender

Catch Jillian Lavender on Do Radio: It’s Not About Trees with John Lunn 16th - 22nd March 2026.

In this episode of It’s Not About Trees, John Lunn speaks with Vedic meditation teacher and author Jillian Lavender about what it really takes to stay steady in a fast-moving world.

Jillian’s journey began in the corporate sector, not on a meditation cushion. What first drew her in was evidence and data. What kept her there was something deeper — a growing ability to trust herself.

She introduces the idea of “adaptation energy” — the inner capacity to meet life’s constant demands without tipping into stress. When that energy runs low, we feel scattered, anxious and overwhelmed. Meditation, she argues, rebuilds it from the inside out.

But beyond better sleep or reduced stress, Jillian describes the greatest benefit as developing an internal anchor — the ability to make decisions from a place of clarity rather than external noise.

In a world saturated with information, opinion and algorithmic influence, this capacity for inner steadiness may be more important than ever.

She closes with a simple but powerful reminder from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:

“The power of light is always bigger than the power of darkness.”

A calm, thoughtful conversation about leadership, awareness and the inner dimension of change.

Jillian Lavender — Bio

Jillian Lavender is a London-based Vedic meditation teacher, author, and wellness expert known for making ancient practices accessible and practical in modern life. She has been teaching people to meditate since 2003, helping thousands of individuals around the world to transform their relationship with stress, clarity, energy and creativity through Vedic Meditation — one of the oldest forms of meditation still in continuous practice today.

Originally from New Zealand, Jillian began her career in senior business roles across Sydney, Paris and New York. It was during this demanding corporate period, as she approached burnout, that she first learned Vedic Meditation — a moment she cites as life-changing, dramatically reducing stress and exhaustion and enhancing her ability to function with greater calm and focus.

After leaving her corporate role, Jillian trained intensively to become a meditation teacher, spending time in the United States and India with her teacher. In 2008 she co-founded London Meditation Centre and New York Meditation Center alongside her partner Michael Miller — centres dedicated to teaching Vedic Meditation to individuals, groups and corporate teams in both Europe and the United States.

Jillian is also the author of Why Meditate? Because It Works. (Hachette, 2021) — a clear, science-informed guide to meditation that busts myths and offers practical pathways to establishing a daily practice — and Do Reset: Meditate. Move Beyond Thinking. Find Clarity. (Do Books, 2025), a concise introduction to using meditation as a tool for resetting the nervous system and enhancing creativity.

Alongside meditation teaching, she consults on Ayurveda, guiding people on health, diet, sleep and lifestyle in ways that support deeper well-being, and speaks regularly about how meditation and ancient wisdom can help meet the demands of contemporary life.