In his early twenties, midway through a Sports Science degree, Andy Puddicombe made an unexpected decision to travel to the Himalayas to study meditation. It was the beginning of a ten-year journey that culminated with ordination as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Northern India.

The Transition

Andy's transition back to lay life in 2004 was no less extraordinary. He trained briefly at Moscow State Circus, then returned to London where he completed a degree in Circus Arts while drawing up early plans for what would become Headspace.

Meeting Rich Pierson

Andy started a meditation clinic in London after returning to lay life. Rich Pierson, who had burned out at an advertising agency, became a client. The two clicked and Rich went from client to co-founder.

Building Headspace

Together they launched Headspace in 2010, combining Andy's decade of meditation expertise with Rich's marketing and business acumen. Andy became the voice of all things Headspace.

The Impact

Andy's TED Talk "All it takes is 10 mindful minutes" has been viewed millions of times. Headspace has grown to serve tens of millions of users and is featured in Netflix documentaries.

Recognition

Andy has been featured in Vogue, NYT, FT, Entrepreneur, Men's Health and Esquire. "Andy Puddicombe is doing for meditation what Jamie Oliver has done for food" - New York Times.