The year was 2017. Vishen, the founder and CEO of Mindvalley, had a grand idea.
What if he took 100+ Mindvalley employees—designers, engineers, marketers, and beyond—and paused the work, the emails, the endless hum of office life… to do something radical?
“We stopped working, we turned off our phones, and we completely immersed ourselves in questioning our current reality and building a new vision for our future,” Vishen recalls.
But this was no typical workplace seminar or a cookie-cutter team retreat. No, no. It was Lifebook at Mindvalley—an experiment in personal growth unlike anything the team had done before.
Over three days, every single employee dove deep into reimagining not just their careers but their health, relationships, emotional well-being, and even the legacy they want to leave behind. And in the days that followed, the ripple effects began to emerge, showing up in ways no one could have anticipated.
That first experience was just the beginning.
Ever since then, Mindvalley has been setting up Lifebook retreats for its employees to inspire transformation, foster purpose-driven growth, and cultivate extraordinary lives.
What is Lifebook?
Lifebook, in simple terms, is like having your own playbook for life. Created by serial entrepreneurs Jon and Missy Butcher, it’s a way to map out the 12 most important areas of your life—from health to relationships to career—and make them work together.
“Jon, at a very early age, decided to be deliberate about the type of life he wanted to lead,” explains Vishen. “He and Missy came up with beautifully detailed visions, beliefs, and strategies for their entire life, and called it their Lifebook.”
So instead of just hoping your aspirations somehow happen, this framework helps you figure out exactly what you want and how to get there—work-wise and personal life-wise. Because here’s the thing: research shows that one of the top regrets people have at the end of their lives is not following their dreams.
Lifebook helps make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s a bit like Jon describes it—a “choose your own adventure” game, but for real life.
By asking four simple questions:
- What do I want?
- Why do I want it?
- How will I achieve it?
- What steps will I take?
You create a game plan that most people take years to figure out on their own.
For Greta Siauciunaite, a former employee who attended the Mindvalley x Lifebook retreat in 2019, this framework helped her figure out who she was during a major transition in her life. “I had it as a guiding star for me for many years after that,” she says.
Since that inaugural gathering in 2017, Lifebook has since been woven into the company’s DNA. And it’s been helping the teams connect personal growth with professional success.
Lifebook at Mindvalley: A workplace retreat like no other
What if there’s a space where the usual hum of office life pauses, and you’re encouraged to create a life you love? This is what happens at a Lifebook retreat for Mindvalley employees—the annual opportunity to step back, tune into what matters, and design a vision for the future.
These immersive experiences are as much about self-discovery as they are about clarity. Over the course of three days, team members work through life’s 12 categories, often uncovering patterns they hadn’t noticed before.
The result? A renewed sense of direction that benefits both their personal lives and their work. After all, one study found that employees who live their purpose at work are healthier, more engaged, and likelier to stay with their company.
As Greta, who’s now a Lifebook facilitator, explains, the overall goal of this program isn’t perfection; it’s progress. “Done is better than perfect,” she emphasizes. And with Lifebook designed to be ever-evolving, employees have the freedom to revisit and refine their life vision as they grow.
Many employees find that the retreat’s structure is key to overcoming common struggles, such as overthinking or losing momentum. The guided environment helps them focus without distraction and encourages them to trust the process and simply begin (consistent with the many glowing reviews of Lifebook at Mindvalley shared by participants).
Greta notes that dedicating this time is a rare gift. “The majority of people,” she says, “will never spend that much time thinking about their lives.”
But at the heart of the retreat is a powerful reminder: everything in life is connected. Small changes in one category can create ripples across others, fostering a sense of balance and alignment.
The ripple effects of Lifebook
In 2010, Vishen attended his first Lifebook seminar—an experience that left him with a hundred-page blueprint for his life. “I thought it was just about goal-setting,” he recalls, “but it turned out to be about crafting ‘magic.’”
Inspired by his transformation, Vishen introduced Lifebook to Mindvalley, giving team members the time and space to step away from their routines and design a personal development plan filled with clarity and purpose.
Bruno Azenha, the engineering manager for Identity & Payments, first encountered Lifebook online in 2022 and found it “enlightening and engaging.” Attending the 2024 retreat in person was “a powerful and intense reinforcing experience,” especially in the Love Relationship category, where he and his partner aligned their vision for the future and strengthened their relationship.
Hadhami Talbi, a partnership specialist in the B2B Growth team, discovered that experience gave her a fresh perspective on balance. She realized she didn’t have to “neglect one area to excel in another.” Her health and fitness journey, sparked during the retreat, became a cornerstone of her transformation.
As for Nik Mahirah Nik Mohammad, a human resources business partner who’s attended six Lifebook sessions, the experience opened new doors in both spirituality and finances. It helped her reconnect with her Islamic faith and challenge long-held financial beliefs, enabling her to achieve life goals she once thought unattainable.
Magic happens when you set the right goals.
— Vishen, founder and CEO of Mindvalley
Remarkably, the impact of these retreats doesn’t stop when the sessions end. By the time team members return to work, they bring with them a renewed sense of energy and actionable insights that ripple outward—shaping how they show up in their roles, their personal lives, and the impact they create.
As Vishen says, “Magic happens when you set the right goals.”
Live vibrantly, naturally
Seventy-two hours is how long the Lifebook at Mindvalley retreats are. But for readers like you, the experience starts with just 90 minutes in the free Lifebook Masterclass—a preview that could shift the way you see your life forever.
Think about it: there are 1,440 minutes in a day. Over a week, that’s more than 10,000 minutes—most of which vanish into scrolling, meetings, and routines that rarely bring clarity or fulfillment.
But in only 90 minutes, you’ll discover your personal Life Quality Score, confront the silent saboteurs of your dreams, and uncover what’s been holding you back.
Breakthroughs like Bruno’s deeper clarity on his values or Hadhami’s newfound sense of balance are just two of many examples proving how powerful the Mindvalley Lifebook experience can be.
Because here’s the truth: your life doesn’t just happen; it’s created. Deliberately and intentionally.
Consider this as your invitation to stop living on autopilot and start building the life you deserve.
Welcome in.
