For episode 188 of the Metta Hour podcast, Jason Garner joins Sharon to talk about life, practice, finding meaning, and refuge.
Jason is a spiritual seeker, author, and previously a Fortune 500 company executive. He spent the first 37 years of his life working his way up from flea market parking attendant to CEO of Global Music at Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter. After several significant losses in his life, Jason turned to yoga, meditation, martial arts, and eastern philosophy to learn a different way of being in the world. In 2014 he wrote the book “And then I Breathed,” chronicling his unique journey. In this conversation, Sharon and Jason speak about:
• Bringing spiritual practice to the music business
• Finding meaning in life to help navigate challenging times
• The inner resource of meditation in times like COVID
• Everyone’s inherent “inner okay-ness”
• The courage to show up as a human
To learn more about Jason, you can visit his website jasongarner.com and love4live.org
Finding the Spiritual Path
Welcoming Fortune 500 executive turned spiritual student and author, Jason Garner, to the Metta Hour, Sharon invites him to share how he transitioned from the stress of business life into yoga, meditation, martial arts, eastern philosophy, and breath. Explaining the “never enough” drive that was put inside of him at an early age, Jason describes his relentless obsession with work and how the catalyst of the death of his mom opened him to spirituality.
“I had a horrible diet, no practice. I think probably I would have worried myself into a tumor in my stomach like my mom. And I think in many real ways meditation saved my life.” – Jason Garner
Tami Simon joins Sharon to talk about spirituality in the workplace on Ep. 154 of the Metta Hour
Music Industry & Finding Meaning (8:01)
Sharon asks Jason to share about balancing his spiritual life with his career working in the concert promotion business. Through this lens, Jason explores how spiritual practice helps inform his work life by keeping him steady and open-hearted. From here, they dig into the inspiration behind his book, … And I Breathed, My Journey from a Life of Matter to a Life That Matters, how he found meaning through finding practice, and how the pandemic affected the music industry and music lovers.
“‘Work can be your practice’ always felt cliche to me, but it’s my experience. I can be in that world in a different way. I can show up and deal with the ups and downs and all the craziness that comes in the music business, but I can show up with a practice, be steady, be there with other people, and have an open heart.” – Jason Garner
Richard Wolf & Raghu discuss the intersection of music & mindfulness, in Ep. 447 of Mindrolling
Inner Okay-ness, Ram Dass, & Collaboration (22:22)
After talking about Buddhism’s ‘inner goodness’ as an ‘inner okay-ness,’ Jason reflects on the time he met Ram Dass at a Maui retreat and how Sharon unknowingly gave him the perfect advice. From here, they discuss collaboration versus competition.
“When I’m sitting, I can just be friendly with myself. I don’t have to be so hard, I don’t have to be so judgmental. And when I am, I can be friendly with that. I can bring this sense of okay-ness to practice.” – Jason Garner