From Courtroom to Yoga Mat: Jonathan Sattin's Journey of Transformation
Manage episode 490157926 series 3527756
When a palm reader told high-powered lawyer Jonathan Sattin to quit his job during a lunch break reading, most people would have laughed it off. Instead, he handed in his notice that very afternoon. This seemingly impulsive decision marked just one pivotal moment in an extraordinary journey from corporate law to founding London's most respected yoga studios.
Jonathan's story unfolds like a masterclass in authentic transformation. Growing up in an idyllic Hertfordshire village with a father who himself pivoted from medicine to filmmaking, Jonathan absorbed early lessons about professional reinvention. Yet his path wasn't straightforward - rebelling against expectations to follow his father into medicine, he chose law instead, building a successful practice while wrestling with inner conflict and anxiety following his father's untimely death at 50.
The universe kept sending Jonathan signals about his true calling. A colleague suggested yoga because Jonathan seemed "a bit weird" - within three months, he had stopped smoking forty cigarettes daily, quit coffee, and abandoned recreational drugs. Later, while emptying trash cans as service work at an ashram in India, he experienced a profound hour of fearlessness and clarity: "Everything I ever have done and everything I ever will do is for my upliftment." Yet even with these powerful experiences, translating spiritual awakening into practical life change proved challenging.
Through failed business ventures, unexpected opportunities, and constant questioning, Jonathan eventually founded TriYoga, bringing uncompromising integrity to the wellness industry. When the pandemic hit, he prioritized supporting teachers over profits, eventually selling the business when value conflicts with investors became untenable. Now, he's creating "Home" - a new wellness space in Primrose Hill designed to foster genuine connection in our disconnected world.
What makes Jonathan's story so compelling isn't just professional success, but his ongoing honesty about wrestling with self-doubt. "When people say 'you've done it before,'" he admits, "I'm thinking 'yeah, but I got away with it.'" This raw vulnerability alongside remarkable achievement reminds us that our dragons - like Jonathan's imposter syndrome - aren't necessarily slain once and for all, but companions we learn to live with compassionately.
Have you been ignoring signs pointing toward your authentic path? Jonathan's journey shows that following those nudges, however uncertain they seem, might lead to your most meaningful work.
This Podcast is sponsored by Onlinevents
Chapters
1. Introduction to Jonathan Sattin (00:00:00)
2. Childhood and Family Background (00:03:48)
3. From Rebellion to Law Career (00:10:51)
4. Discovering Yoga and Meditation (00:18:28)
5. Spiritual Awakening in India (00:26:16)
6. Leaving Law and Creating TriYoga (00:33:07)
7. Pandemic Challenges and New Beginnings (00:38:13)
8. Wrestling with Self-Worth and Closing (00:46:36)
59 episodes