Vishen Lakhiani Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More
Quick Info→
Age: 45 Years
Wife: Kristina Mänd-Lakhiani
Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Bio/Wiki | |
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Profession(s) | Entrepreneur, Meditation Teacher, Activist, Author, and Speaker |
Famous For | Founder of Mindvalley, Keynote Speaker, and New York Times Bestselling Author of "The Code of the Extraordinary Mind" |
Physical Stats & More | |
Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 175 cm in meters- 1.75 m in feet & inches- 5’ 9” |
Body Measurements (approx.) | - Chest: 40 Inches |
Eye Colour | Black |
Hair Colour | Black |
Career | |
Awards, Honours, Achievements | • Every year since 2008: WorldBlu Award for "World's Most Democratic Workplace" • October 2011: Listed in "Top 40 Under 40" of Prestige Magazine • 2015: Won the audience's vote for the best new XPRIZE Idea at XPRIZE's Visioneering Event • 2017: Named the "Most Strategic Entrepreneur" in the SME & Entrepreneurship Business Award, Malaysia • 2020: Awarded the Foreign Founder of the Year and the Bootstrap Badger of the Year at Estonian Startup Awards Vishen has also been invited to speak at companies like Google, Facebook, and the United Nations. |
Personal Life | |
Date of Birth | 14 January 1976 (Wednesday) |
Age (as of 2021) | 45 Years |
Birthplace | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
Signature | |
Nationality | Malaysian |
Hometown | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
School | Malaysian government school |
College/University | University of Michigan, United States |
Educational Qualification | B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (1996 - 1999) [1]LinkedIn |
Religion/Religious Views | Vishen was raised in a Hindu family living in a Muslim country. As he grew older, Vishen outgrew religion and no longer identifies as a Hindu; however, he still believes in God. He said he wanted to explore spirituality as a phenomenon with the power to reconnect with his true nature, and for that he has adopted practices and beliefs consistent with his experiences in the real world. Vishen has raised his son without religion. [2]Medium [3]Vishen official website |
Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
Hobbies | Reading, Photography, and Theatre |
Controversy | Nestlé Milo Sugar Controversy: On 24 January 2018, Vishen posted his video criticizing the Nestle's Milo. In the video, he claimed that the product consisted of 40 per cent sugar. Nestle, soon, issued a clarification and said Vishen's video was misleading. Unsatified with the clarification, Likhiani posted another video with a complete breakdown of the ingredients found in several Nestle products. The company then released another statement of nutritionist Nurul Iliani Ahmad who defended Milo. The entire controversy received a lot of public criticism. [4]Business Standard [5]World of Buzz |
Relationships & More | |
Marital Status | Divorced |
Affairs/Girlfriends | Kristina Mänd-Lakhiani |
Marriage Date | 9 May 2003 |
Family | |
Wife/Spouse | Ex-wife Kristina Mänd-Lakhiani (Co-founder of Mindvalley, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Philanthropist, and Philosopher) |
Children | Son- Hayden Lakhiani Daughter- Eve Lakhiani |
Parents | Father- Mohan Lakhiani (Entrepreneur, export-import at a warehouse, former manager in a department store ) Mother- Roopi Mohandas (Public school teacher) |
Siblings | Note: Vishen is the only child of his parents. |
Favourites | |
People | • Sir Richard Branson • Michael Beckwith • Jay Shetty • Ken Wilber • Arianna Huffington • Steve Jobs |
Place | Tallinn, Estonia |
Quote | “If you want to change the world, change education” by Nelson Mandela |
Thing | Lifebook |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Vishen Lakhiani
- Does Vishen Lakhiani drink alcohol?: Yes
- Vishen Lakhiani is a Malaysian entrepreneur, self-help guru, activist, author, and speaker.
- He is the CEO and founder of Mindvalley and founder of Dealmates (a group buying) and Blinklist (a social bookmarking service). He is also a New York Times best-selling author who works to evolve the education system, work, politics, parenting, and spirituality. [6]LinkedIn
- He was an awkward kid with poor eyesight, bad skin, and Aspergers. [7]Vishen official website
- Lakhiani spent his childhood in poverty. According to him, his family income was $2,000 a month. Vishen had to sleep on a mattress next to his parent’s bed until he was 12 years old. [8]Mixergy
- According to Vishen, his horrible schooling experience in Malaysia was the driving force behind his vision to evolve the education system beyond its traditional rules.
- He moved to the United States when he was 17 years old and lived there for around 9 years. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1999, Vishen interned at Microsoft but quit after just 11 weeks. [9]Vishen official website
- Soon, he moved to New York and joined AIESEC, a student organization that exchanged students across the world to create cross-cultural understanding. Vishen worked there for a salary below the poverty line.
- At the age of 24, Lakhiani moved to Silicon Valley to become an entrepreneur but lost everything. He was broke so he took up a job with minimal pay.
- In 2003, Vishen was fascinated by the power of meditation after attending a class by a group called the Silvan Method. According to Vishen, his meditation practice improved his performance drastically, and he was promoted three times in four months to Director of Sales for a tech firm. Gradually, he started teaching meditation in the evenings. [10]Mixergy
- In the same year, he built a small website called “Mindvalley” to teach meditation and started selling meditation CDs on it. Within a year, Lakhiani quit his sales job and dedicated his full time to Mindvalley. His venture, which he started in Times Square in New York City with $700, became a self-running media company that built websites for authors. [11]Mixergy[12]Vishen official website
- In 2010, Lakhiani started an annual transformational festival called “A-Fest” that takes place in 5-star paradise locations across the world.
- Around the same time, he started his tech company with a $2 million investment that failed 2 years later. During this period, his several ventures failed. [13]Vishen official website
- In 2011, Mike, Vishen’s business partner of 7 years in Mindvalley, tried to kick him out, but Lakhiani made a deal with him and offered him all the profits for the next 3 years.
- After the 9/11 attacks, the entrepreneur faced difficulty in running his business in the US, and the US immigration authorities didn’t extend Vishen’s visa, forcing him to leave the country. Lakhiani and his business partner then moved the Mindvalley headquarters to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Since then, Vishen has been travelling to Manhattan in the US from Malaysia every six weeks. [14]BBC [15]Indonesia Tatler
- In 2013, Vishen started Mindvalley Academy after consolidating all the websites Mindvalley was building for authors and merged A-Fest with Mindvalley. [16]Vishen official website
- By 2015, he was done giving profits to his Mindvalley ex-partner; however, the company was still running on losses till the next year.
- Mindvalley’s course fees range from a few hundred dollars to US$15,000. A certificate of completion after passing the exam costs US$399, while an all-access pass to all Mindvalley quests for a year costs around US$595. [17]South China Morning Post
- According to Vishen, Mindvalley, as of 2021, is a team of around 300 people from 54 countries. [18]Vishen official website
- In May 2016, Vishen published his debut self-help book “The Code of the Extraordinary Mind,” which became a New York Times best-seller the next year. The book hit the #1 spot on Amazon five times, and Vishen twice became the number two author in the world on Amazon Kindle, overtaking JK Rowling and Stephen King. His debut book also won many awards and was featured on several magazine covers in Malaysia. The book has been translated into more than 25 languages. [19]Natfluence
- In three months, the author launched his popular Health Transformation Program called “Wildfit.”
- The same year in October, Vishen launched Mindvalley Quests, his industry-leading learning platform.
- By July next year, Vishen had started his Mindvalley University City Campus in Barcelona, Spain.
- Around September 2018, Vishen tore the meniscus of his knee after he jumped to catch his daughter. He underwent expensive surgery and was advised to rest completely for 4 weeks. The incident happened just before he was about to speak at the UN. [20]Instagram
- In January 2018, Vishen’s controversial video calling out Nestlé for marketing their Milo as healthy went viral on social media that forced the company to issue a clarification. Unsatisfied with Nestle’s response, Vishen posted another video criticising the company a month later. His videos have crossed the 90,000 views mark. [21]Facebook
- On 16 February 2019, Vishen and Kristina Mänd-Lakhiani ended their marriage after 19 years of being together and 16 years of marriage life. They announced the news of getting “consciously uncoupled” at a big celebration with over 50 friends, including their kids, and Vishen’s parents. [22]Instagram
- Lakhiani launched his second book, “The Buddha and the Badass: The Secret Spiritual Art of Succeeding at Work,” in June 2020, published by the Penguin-Random House. The book became number one on the Wall Street Journal Business Hardcover List and bagged the ninth spot on the New York Times How-To list.
- In July 2020, Vishen, along with his children and ex-wife, officially moved to Tallinn in Estonia, Europe from Malaysia. [23]Facebook
- Every Sunday since July 2021, Vishen’s daughter, Eve, trains for 10X Fitness with him at home using elastic bands, which is Mindvalley’s new Health Coaching Certification. [24]Instagram
- Vishen has revealed his goal of transforming the lives of 1 billion people by 2038 on his official website.
- Lakhiani’s upcoming books include “Superhuman at Work” (2021), “6 Phase Meditation” (2022), and “Unfuckwithable” (2022). [25]Vishen official website
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