Deepak Chopra

... on managing stress, being in the moment, and finding joy through entrepreneurship.

-  CHRISTINE LAGORIO-CHAFKIN

A pioneer of integrative medicine and an apostle of the Transcendental Meditation movement, Deepak Chopra is a frequent speaker and prolific author (93 books; that's right, 93!) on physical and mental transformation. He's just negotiated an exit-selling his longtime well-being products-and-services company, Chopra Global, to New York City-based the Healing Co. His most recent book is a guide to the philosophy and practice of yoga called Living in the Light. We asked him how he and other founders-can achieve joy and longevity inside the grind.

You're a physician, scientist, professor, and author, but also an entrepreneur. How does being an entrepreneur fit into your identity and mindset?

For me, an entrepreneur is somebody who's willing to take a risk to actualize their vision. For 30 years, I've held the vision of a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthy, and joyful world. And I take interest in only those areas. If I can see that there's a business opportunity that resolves conflict, that helps us with a sustainable biology, an environment that has social and economic justice, that actually improves the health and well-being of people, and that brings joy to the world that's a good business for me.

Running a company, though, can be stressful. How do you manage it all?