Lachlan Brown doesn’t look like your typical meditation advocate. He’s not posting sunrise yoga reels or selling incense in a wellness subscription box. He’s a digital entrepreneur who runs a media company with his brothers. Together, they manage over a dozen websites and bring in more than 40 million readers each month.

But in a recent YouTube interview, Lachlan shared the one practice that helped him go from warehouse worker to building an online empire: meditation—just 10 minutes a day.

“I was a bit depressed, a bit anxious,” Lachlan said, reflecting on his early twenties. “And I found that some of the Buddhist teachings really helped me.”

The story he told in the interview wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t filled with morning routines or tech-bro mantras. Instead, it was the kind of grounded honesty you rarely hear in the startup world—and it all centers around something deceptively simple: sitting still and breathing.

Rock bottom wasn’t a retreat—it was a warehouse

Before the websites. Before the book deals. Before the audience.

There was just Lachlan, a psychology grad working in a Melbourne warehouse.

“I had a decent degree, but I was doing a job I didn’t really like,” he admitted. “At the same time, I was working on side projects—trying to figure out how to make money online.”

That was his grind. Warehouse shifts by day, SEO and digital marketing experiments by night.

During those long days, he turned to meditation and Buddhist philosophy—not because it was trendy, but because he needed something to hold onto.

“It taught me how to quieten my mind,” he said. “That’s really what I needed at the time.”

The myth of the monk: why 10 minutes is enough

When we think of meditation, a lot of us picture monks, retreats, and spiritual detachment. Lachlan’s version is refreshingly ordinary.

He still meditates every day—but it’s not a big production.

“Just 10 minutes,” he said. “Sometimes five.”

It’s not about achieving enlightenment. It’s about keeping your brain from spiraling into overwhelm. And in Lachlan’s case, it’s about running a company without losing your mind.

“If you can learn to meditate,” he explained, “you can develop skills that make you more efficient—which I guess could make you more successful.”

Efficiency, not enlightenment. Presence, not perfection. It’s a tool, not a lifestyle brand.

And honestly? That kind of framing might be exactly what meditation needs right now.

The no-nonsense Buddhist

Eventually, Lachlan’s daily practice—and his personal evolution—led him to write a book: The No-Nonsense Guide to Buddhism. It became a bestseller on Amazon. True to its title, the book focuses on practical takeaways, not esoteric doctrine.

“It’s just about using Buddhist principles in your everyday life,” he said in the interview. “Like learning to let go, quiet the mind, and focus on what matters.”

For Lachlan, those principles didn’t just help with mental health—they gave structure to how he builds businesses, makes decisions, and works with his family.

Speaking of which…

“A brother can never tell another brother what to do”

One of the most surprising things about Lachlan’s success story? He runs his company with his two brothers. And it’s not just working—it’s thriving.

“We have a rule in our company,” he said with a smile, “that a brother can never tell another brother what to do.”

Let’s be real: a lot of sibling-run ventures crash and burn. But for Lachlan and his brothers, it works because of mutual trust, complementary strengths, and shared values.

One brother is a big-picture thinker. Another is a sharp copywriter. Lachlan calls himself the practical one—the guy who stays focused on what’s working and ignores distractions.

And maybe that’s part of the mindfulness too—knowing when to step back, stay in your lane, and let things flow.

Social media, anxiety, and the war for your attention

Lachlan didn’t mince words about the digital age either.

“Everywhere you go, you see people on their phones,” he said. “It takes people away from the present moment.”

As someone who writes about pop culture and has Instagram in dark mode 24/7, this hit hard. He’s right. And he wasn’t saying it in a judgmental way—just observing how mindfulness can offer a counterbalance.

“If people can learn mindfulness,” he explained, “they can enjoy what’s actually happening in front of them.”

He used Saigon as an example—where he currently lives part-time. “There’s always something going on in the streets. But a lot of people miss it because they’re just on their phone.”

It’s not about deleting social media. It’s about making space to notice your life again.

Mental clarity > hustle culture

One of my favorite quotes from the interview was this:

“Nothing good’s going to happen quickly. Everything takes time.”

In a culture where we’re told to hack, grind, and optimize our way to success, that perspective is refreshing.

Lachlan spent years building his business. There was no overnight breakthrough. Just consistent action, showing up daily, and not giving up when things moved slowly.

In fact, he credits meditation for helping him survive those early years: “I think a lot of people give up way too early. But if you can survive early on—and keep focusing on what works—things will eventually get better.”

Final thoughts: you don’t need a new identity—just a little time

Lachlan isn’t trying to become a guru. He’s not building a personal brand around self-help or enlightenment. He’s just a guy who learned how to sit with himself for 10 minutes a day—and saw everything else get better as a result.

And honestly, that might be the most compelling case for meditation I’ve ever heard.

You don’t need to be a monk. You don’t need to change your personality. You don’t need to wait for life to calm down.

You just need to start.

Five minutes. Ten minutes. A quiet breath before the next scroll.

As Lachlan put it: “You’re not going to be fluent in a language in two months. It just takes time. And it’s the same with building a business—or building yourself.”



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