The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 15 – Trekking Back to Nepal: Roots of Success to Significance with Rob Follows

Guest Bio:

Rob Follows is the founder and chairman of STS Capital Partners, a global M&A firm, and a conscious leader dedicated to philanthropy and spiritual growth. A Canadian entrepreneur, Rob sold his marketing services business in 1996, leading to a transformative hiatus at Nepal’s Kopan Monastery, where he learned meditation and purpose-driven living. As a YPO member and mentor, Rob’s journey from corporate success to significance inspires others to balance business with impact, guided by affirmations, meditation, and a commitment to making the world better.

Setting:

Recorded at the Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, where ancient stupas and vibrant maroon-robed monks create a sacred backdrop, this episode hums with the Himalayas’ spiritual energy. Smoke and Rob, partners at STS Capital, share a reflective dialogue amidst the monastery’s serene power, enriched by their recent day spent connecting with welcoming monks, whose warmth and wisdom amplified the experience.

Summary:

Smoke welcomes Rob Follows to the Kopan Monastery, where Rob’s spiritual journey began in 1996 after selling his business. Rob recounts arriving in Nepal with $800, giving it to a dying guru who directed him to Kopan, where he studied meditation under Lama Lhundrup (Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Lhundrup Rigsel). A serendipitous return in 2018 on the 31st day of Lama Lhundrup’s passing sparked a mystical connection, reinforcing Rob’s belief in divine timing. He shares how this experience, coupled with mentorship from business titan Bill Merritts, shaped his philosophy of balancing success with significance. Smoke and Rob discuss practical tools—affirmations to reprogram the subconscious, pre-sleep meditation for theta-state clarity, and vision boards for manifestation—while emphasizing love and intentionality as leadership cornerstones. They explore how clearing emotional “hairballs” through conscious practices fosters health and purpose, drawing on Bruce Lipton’s Biology of Belief. Set against Nepal’s spiritual resonance, where Smoke and Rob engaged with current monks under the guidance of Khenrinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi, the monastery’s abbot, this conversation inspires leaders to align heart and mind for impact.

Learnings:  

• Affirmations Rewire Beliefs: Daily affirmations shift subconscious patterns, fostering positive change.  
• Meditation Enhances Clarity: Pre-sleep or walking meditation accesses theta states for deep insight.  
• Vision Boards Manifest: Visualizing goals aligns energy with outcomes, driving success.  
• Intentionality Shapes Impact: Clear intentions guide purposeful leadership.  
• Love Overcomes Negativity: Bringing love and light clears stuck energies for health and harmony.

Universal Truths:  

• Consciousness is Health: Clearing emotional blockages through awareness restores ease, our natural state.  
• Divine Timing Guides: Synchronicities reflect a universal plan.  
• Love is Transformative: Love dissolves fear and negativity, uniting all.  
• We Are Spiritual Beings: Our mission is to remember our divinity through practice.  
• Intentionality Creates Reality: Focused energy shapes lives and impact.

Examples:  

• Kopan Meditation: Rob’s 1996 training under Lama Lhundrup, from 4 AM to 10 PM, built lifelong meditation habits.  
• Guru Encounter: Giving $800 to a dying guru led Rob to Kopan, showing trust in divine guidance.  
• Lama Lhundrup’s Return: Rob’s 2018 visit on Lama Lhundrup’s 31st death day, mistaken for his reincarnation, highlighted synchronicity.  
• Vision Boards: Rob’s boards from a decade ago manifested goals, as did Smoke’s spiritual and professional boards.  
• Monk Interactions: Smoke and Rob’s recent conversations with Kopan monks, under Geshe Thubten Chonyi’s leadership, deepened their connection to the monastery’s living wisdom.

Smoke Trail Threads:  

• Consciousness (Episodes 1, 9, 11, 13): Rob’s awareness aligns with Smoke’s awakening, Steve Hershberger’s map, Ivan Rados’ health, and Chris Clements’ action.  
• Forgiveness (Episodes 7, 8, 13): Rob’s release of corporate stress ties to Luke Wallin’s enemy forgiveness and Chris Clements’ liberation.  
• Presence (Episodes 2, 3, 8): Rob’s meditation echoes Sarah Fruehling’s breathwork, Jack Maxwell’s living now, and Liv Fisch’s holding space.  
• Love (Episodes 12, 13): Rob’s love and light meditation connects to Elizabeth Funk’s uplifting solutions and Chris Clements’ love over evil.  
• Surrender (Episodes 7, 11, 12)