Real-World Examples of Successful People Who Practice Transcendental Meditation

Famous Examples of Successful People Who Practice Transcendental Meditation

Before getting into studies and brain waves, let’s start where most of us are curious: who actually does this in real life? Some of the best examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation are so public about it that TM has practically become part of their personal brand.

Take Jerry Seinfeld. At the height of filming Seinfeld in the 1990s—long days on set, constant writing, endless press—he quietly kept up a twice-daily TM practice. He’s said in interviews that he’s been doing it for decades and that it gives him “energy, clarity, and rest.” For someone whose job is to be mentally sharp and funny on demand, that’s not a small thing.

Then there’s Oprah Winfrey, who not only practices TM herself but introduced it company-wide at Harpo Studios. She has talked about how transcendental meditation helps her feel more grounded and present in a life that’s basically one long, loud interruption. When a media mogul who has access to every wellness tool on earth keeps coming back to TM, that’s a pretty strong endorsement.

These are just two examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation, but they capture a pattern you see over and over: high performers using TM not as a spiritual badge, but as mental maintenance.

Hollywood and Creative Powerhouses: TM Behind the Spotlight

Some of the most vivid examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation come from the entertainment world, where burnout is practically baked into the job description.

David Lynch, the director behind Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, might be the most outspoken TM advocate in Hollywood. He’s been practicing since the 1970s and credits TM with helping him access deeper creativity without getting swallowed by anxiety or anger. He even started the David Lynch Foundation to bring TM to schools, veterans, and trauma survivors. When a filmmaker known for surreal, intense stories says meditation keeps him calm and clear, it adds a surprising layer of humanity to the myth.

Another example of a successful person who practices transcendental meditation is Hugh Jackman. Between Wolverine-level training, Broadway performances, and film shoots, his schedule reads like a stress test. He has described TM as the “center” of his life and says that when he meditates, everything else works better—focus, relationships, even his workouts. That’s not mystical; that’s a working actor noticing cause and effect.

And then you have Cameron Diaz, who has spoken about using TM to manage stress and stay balanced in an industry obsessed with appearance and constant reinvention. These Hollywood examples include people at very different stages of their careers, but the pattern is similar: TM becomes a quiet, private anchor in a very public life.

Music, Creativity, and TM: From The Beatles to Modern Artists

If you’re looking for historically famous examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation, you can’t skip The Beatles. Their trip to India in 1968 to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi put TM on the global map. You can argue about how long they stayed with the practice, but that period clearly influenced their music and opened the door for Western artists to explore meditation without being dismissed as fringe.

Fast-forward to more recent decades, and you see TM woven into the routines of modern musicians. Katy Perry has talked about using TM to manage the emotional roller coaster of fame and touring. Sheryl Crow has mentioned TM as part of how she navigates stress and creative pressure. These are real examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation not because it’s trendy, but because it helps them show up night after night in front of thousands of people.

For artists, the appeal is obvious: TM offers a way to quiet the noise without shutting down creativity. Instead of numbing out, they’re trying to tune in.

Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs: TM in High-Pressure Boardrooms

It’s one thing for actors and musicians to meditate; many people expect creative types to dabble in this stuff. But some of the most interesting examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation come from business and tech—worlds that are usually more about spreadsheets than mantras.

Ray Dalio, billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates, has said TM is “the single biggest influence” on his life. He started meditating in his twenties and credits it with helping him make better decisions under pressure. When someone whose job is to manage billions of dollars says meditation improves his thinking, people pay attention.

Another example of a successful person who practices transcendental meditation is Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and Thrive Global. After collapsing from exhaustion years ago, she rebuilt her lifestyle around sleep, boundaries, and meditation. She’s spoken about TM as one of the tools that helped her shift from burnout to more sustainable success.

Even in the startup world, where the culture is often “sleep when you’re dead,” TM quietly shows up. Some founders use it to reset between investor meetings, product crises, and late-night sprints. They may not always broadcast it, but behind the scenes, meditation becomes a way to avoid the classic crash-and-burn story.

These business examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation highlight a key point: TM isn’t about checking out of ambition; it’s about staying mentally steady enough to keep going.

Athletes and High Performers: TM on the Field and in the Arena

Professional athletes live in a world of constant performance reviews—every game, every race, every play. It’s no surprise that some of the best examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation come from sports.

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic has talked about using meditation and mindfulness practices (including mantra-based techniques) to stay centered under intense pressure. While he doesn’t always label it specifically as TM in every interview, he’s part of a broader wave of elite athletes turning to structured meditation to sharpen focus and manage stress.

Former NBA players and other pros have also participated in TM programs through foundations and sports initiatives, using it to handle anxiety, crowd pressure, and the emotional whiplash of wins and losses. For them, meditation isn’t a luxury; it’s part of mental conditioning.

These real examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation in sports show something important: the same technique that helps a CEO think clearly can help an athlete lock in at the free-throw line.

Why High Achievers Keep Coming Back to TM

When you line up all these examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation—Oprah, Seinfeld, Lynch, Dalio, Jackman, Perry, and more—a pattern emerges. They use different language to describe it, but the themes repeat:

• Stress relief and calm in the middle of chaos
• Better focus and creativity without feeling wired
• Deeper rest than what they get from sleep alone

Interestingly, some of this lines up with research. Studies funded or promoted by TM organizations should always be read with a critical eye, but there is peer-reviewed work suggesting benefits for blood pressure, anxiety, and stress.

For example, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has supported research on meditation and cardiovascular health. While not every study is specifically about TM, the broader field points toward meditation helping with stress and heart health. You can explore more on meditation and health at NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Similarly, organizations like the American Heart Association have discussed meditation as a possible tool to help lower blood pressure and support heart health. The Mayo Clinic also notes that various meditation practices may reduce stress and improve emotional well-being.

So when you look at examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation and say it helps them feel calmer, think more clearly, or sleep better, they’re not just imagining it. Their experiences sit on top of a growing body of research on meditation and the nervous system.

TM in 2024–2025: How the Practice Fits Modern Life

In the 1960s, TM felt exotic and countercultural. In 2024 and 2025, it’s showing up in a very different way.

You see it in corporate wellness programs, where companies quietly subsidize TM courses for employees who want more than a stress-management webinar. You see it in schools and at-risk communities through organizations like the David Lynch Foundation, which brings TM to students, veterans, and survivors of trauma.

You also see it in the way people talk about mental health now. The stigma has dropped; high-profile examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation are open about therapy, burnout, anxiety, and the tools they use to cope. TM is no longer framed as something mystical—it’s more like mental hygiene.

At the same time, there’s a healthy skepticism in the culture. People want to see evidence, not just celebrity endorsements. That’s where connecting these real examples with reputable sources—like NIH, Mayo Clinic, and major medical organizations—matters. It helps separate marketing hype from actual benefit.

Is TM Only for the Famous and Rich?

When you read long lists of examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation, it can start to feel like TM is only for people with private chefs and personal assistants. That’s a fair concern.

Here’s the reality: the course fee for learning TM is higher than many app-based meditation options, and that’s a barrier. At the same time, there are scholarships, reduced-fee programs, and nonprofit initiatives that bring TM to people who could never afford it otherwise—students in under-resourced schools, veterans with PTSD, women and children who’ve experienced violence.

So while the most visible examples include celebrities and CEOs, a huge portion of TM practitioners are regular people: teachers, nurses, office workers, parents who just want to feel less overwhelmed. Their stories don’t make headlines, but they’re the quiet backbone of the TM community.

If you strip away the celebrity factor, the question becomes simple: does sitting down for 20 minutes, twice a day, to give your nervous system a break sound worth experimenting with? For the real examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation, the answer has been yes—often for decades.

How These Examples Can Actually Help You

Looking at examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation isn’t about idolizing them. It’s about reverse-engineering what works in high-pressure lives and seeing what might translate into your own.

You may not be running a media empire like Oprah or managing billions like Ray Dalio, but you probably know what it feels like to juggle too many tabs in your brain. You may not be playing to sold-out arenas, but you’ve likely had days when your stress level feels like a stadium crowd screaming inside your head.

What these examples include is a simple pattern:

• Make time for a reliable reset (for them, TM; for you, maybe TM or another consistent practice).
• Treat mental rest as non-negotiable, not a luxury.
• Notice how your performance, relationships, and health respond over months and years—not just a week.

You don’t have to copy their exact routine. But paying attention to the best examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation can nudge you to take your inner life as seriously as your outer achievements.

FAQ: Examples of Successful People Who Practice Transcendental Meditation

Q: Who are some well-known examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation?
A: Well-known examples include Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Seinfeld, David Lynch, Ray Dalio, Hugh Jackman, Katy Perry, Sheryl Crow, and many others in entertainment, business, and sports. These real examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation show up across very different careers but often describe similar benefits: less stress, more clarity, and better focus.

Q: Are there any examples of business leaders who use TM specifically for decision-making or leadership?
A: Yes. Ray Dalio is a standout example of a successful person who practices transcendental meditation and ties it directly to decision-making. He has said that TM helps him stay calm and think more clearly under pressure, which is critical when you’re managing large investments and complex organizations. Other executives and entrepreneurs report using TM as a daily reset to avoid burnout and make more thoughtful choices.

Q: Are these examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation backed by science, or just personal stories?
A: The personal stories are just that—personal. But they’re supported in part by research on meditation and health. Institutions like the National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, and the American Heart Association describe meditation as a promising tool for reducing stress, supporting heart health, and improving emotional well-being. Not every study is about TM specifically, but the overall picture aligns with what many TM practitioners report.

Q: Is there an example of someone who started TM after burnout or a health scare?
A: Arianna Huffington is a notable example of a successful person who turned to meditation, including TM, after collapsing from exhaustion. Her experience pushed her to rethink her relationship with work, sleep, and stress. She later founded Thrive Global to promote healthier ways of working, and meditation is one of the tools she frequently recommends.

Q: Do I need to be rich or famous to learn TM, like these examples?
A: No. While many high-profile examples of successful people who practice transcendental meditation get the media attention, most practitioners are regular people. There is a course fee to learn TM, but there are also scholarships and reduced-fee programs through nonprofit organizations. If cost is a concern, you can explore options through TM centers and foundations that work with students, veterans, and low-income communities.