The Evening Standard recently printed a fascinating story about increasing numbers of City workers who are abandoning their highly paid jobs to start alternative therapy businesses (Get well on the way to enlightenment).
I worked in the City for many years, and managed a colleague who went on to start his own business Sacred Moves in New Zealand, inspired by yoga and ecstatic dance. So I am intrigued by this seeming contradiction of ‘heartless’ business ethos and Zen like approaches to life.
We already see many clients in the Business & IP Centre who are starting complementary health or life coach related businesses, so it will be interesting to watch for an increase in those from a corporate background.
Extract from Get well on the way to enlightenment by Stephanie Theobald
Kowal, of English, American and Ukrainian descent, is one of a new breed of City types who have found corporate life too stifling and have dared to do something about it.
“I was surrounded by people with lots of money who didn’t have the contentment of knowing where to channel it,” he says, adding that his city pals are now starting to come to Evolve. “They start out sceptical and end up sheepish when they see how our treatments work.”
However, according to Alison Pothier, a former top-level investment banker for JP Morgan and UBS, there is still a stigma attached to appearing too “out there” in a City environment.
“A huge number of City people are into this stuff but they’re not out’ about it. I used to meet with colleagues behind closed doors for sessions.”