What does a Meditation Master eat for lunch? If you were perhaps imagining Mung Bean Stew with a side of Activated Almonds, think again. Today, Luke McLeod, founder of Soul Alive – The Mindful Life App – and the author of the newly released book, Everyday Enlightenment, is out to prove you wrong.

In fact, he’s just demolished a corned beef and haloumi salad sandwich on sourdough in the kitchen of his new family home. It’s located just outside of Newcastle, in NSW, which is McLeod’s heartland – the place where he grew up with a love of surfing and the surrounds of nature.

“I have a pretty basic diet and I try to eat healthily but I’m not one of your diehard health nuts,” he tells Australian Life. “I’m just a regular guy, which is why I wrote Everyday Enlightenment, as a memoir and a guidebook with lots of practice mediations that people can do. I wanted it to be relatable to everyone rather than mystical. I think we all deserve to access the benefits of mindfulness.”

You may have noticed that Luke McLeod looks a little like an Aussie soapie star and you’re almost right. He was one of Sophie Monk’s eager suitors on The Bachelorette in 2017, later surfacing on Bachelor In Paradise where he was a hot property. But that’s all behind him now as he’s found his happily-ever-after with PR queen, Brittany Bennett. They married in February ‘23.

McLeod’s flirtation with reality television dating shows, was no doubt helped along by his ability to centre himself. He has practiced meditation for the last 20 years and has always tried to meet life’s challenges from the lotus position.

All this experience has culminated in his Soul Alive app, which allows Aussies to access different types of meditation to suit their needs, as well as taking classes and joining in group discussions right across the world. It’s sheer bliss.

McLeod specialises in helping people with feelings of anxiety, burn-out and feeling overwhelmed with life through his mediations in a “comfortable and relatable manner.”

He’s practiced and trained in a variety of different Eastern techniques including, Vedic, Kundalini, Zen, Vipassana, and Modern Mindfulness.

Interestingly he didn’t suddenly have an ‘Ah Hah’ moment when seeking spiritual enlightenment but arrived there instead by  studying the lives of some of the world’s most successful people. At the time, he was  keen to get ahead in the corporate world  after studying a business degree at university.

Business is in his blood.

“I found that a lot of these iconic individuals shared a meditation practice and I was fascinated by this is, as I had always thought that meditation was something that only hippies practiced. But people like Steve Jobs and Muhammed Ali – the icons of their industries – attributed a lot of their success to mediation.

”So, I decided that it was good enough for them, I was going to give it a go,” he explains.

The results crept up on him. He set daily intentions and found that he was procrastinating about his work a little less and becoming more productive. Soon meditation became a vital part of his every day ‘feel good’ toolkit.

But then he experienced his annus horribilis, only this took place over three months and not a year. His 10-year relationship ended, he lost a close friend and a family member was diagnosed with cancer.

“I just needed to get away for some me time,” he explains and so he set out into the great unknown.

McLeod points out that he wasn’t necessarily following in the footsteps of author, Elizabeth Gilbert to have his Eat, Pray, Love moment, in a new destination.

“I was kind of hoping that there would be a mythical narrative with me wandering around and suddenly my guru pops up in a clearing, smiling and beckoning to me,” he admits. “But no, that didn’t happen.”

“However while I was away, I was able to unlock some of the deeper, emotional paths that meditation can help with, especially having undergone so much turmoil in my own life.”

He’s put this knowledge to good use and now works closely with athletes, celebrities, and executives who need to find their Om. He also runs workshops for employees in global brands including AMEX, IAG, and Lululemon, helping them to develop a healthy mindset at work.

KIIS radio star, Jackie O is one of his friends and devotees, who he’s helped with his mediation and mindfulness practices, along with some of his dating show alumni.

Luke Mcleod was inspired to launch his Soul Alive app because he saw a gap in the oferings in the meditation space.

“I saw that many meditation apps just left you to you to figure it all out but we take you through it step-by-step. Every class is delivered live with a teacher, so that you get that support, guidance and sense of community to help you on your journey,” he says. “On Soul Alive, you’ll also become part of a wonderful community to talk, socialise and share your experiences.”

Thanks to the pressures of everyday life in 2024, there never has been a better time to download this Aussie app. A whole new experience could unfold for you today.