MindValley Review (2023): Is It Worth It? My Verdict

More of us than ever are getting into self improvement than ever.

Today I’m going to review one of the leaders in the field, Mindvalley, based on my own personal experience with the platform.

I’m going to cover exactly what Mindvalley is all about, who it’s a good fit for (and who it isn’t), and what to expect from a typical class.

I’ll also reveal how taking 5 of its popular classes — Superbrain, Lifebook, Wildfit, Be Extraordinary, and The M Word — have helped me in my life.

Is Mindvalley worth your time and money?

Read my honest Mindvalley review to find out.

What is Mindvalley?

 

Mindvalley is a company that specializes in producing online self-development courses.

You’ll find self-development experts on a range of different subjects teaching these courses.

The founder of the platform, Vishen Lakhiani, says he wanted to create a space for people to learn all the vital life lessons that you just don’t get taught in school.

I’d say MindValley is pretty unique for two reasons:

1. They have actual experts teaching their courses. Really. Renowned UK psychologist Marisa Peer teaches hypnotherapy. Jim Kwik teaches brain performance. Emily Fletcher teaches meditation. Roman Oliveira teaches intermittent fasting. And so much more.
2. It’s a slick site and they definitely have some of the highest quality content for online self-development courses if you’re looking to improve yourself and your life. I haven’t found anything that really rivals it in terms of self-improvement courses.

Mindvalley programs are all about “transformative learning”. But what does that actually mean?

It’s basically about trying to be the best version of yourself in all sorts of areas of your life.

You’ll find courses on a really wide range of topics including health (for both your mind and body), relationships, business, and spirituality.

CHECK OUT MINDVALLEY’S ALL ACCESS PASS HERE

Who are the instructors?

One of the things I like most about Mindvalley is that it really does bring you some of the biggest and brightest names in the self-improvement and spirituality fields.

Although, chances are you may not have heard of any of them.

That’s because these aren’t A-list celebrities who are selling their course on their name primarily.

Instead these are researchers, motivational speakers, and other experts whose claim-to-fame is their teaching, first and foremost.

I think that’s where Mindvalley excels — in bringing together the best teachers for self-help all in one platform.

Here are a few of their “big name” teachers:

• Jim Kwik — an expert on “mind hacking” and “brain training.”
• Ken Honda — Bestselling author of The Japanese of Making Peace with Your Money
• Robin Sharma — author of the self-help book ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’
• Neale Donald Walsch — Spiritualist and author of Conversations with God

Honestly, the first time I checked out Mindvalley’s courses, I had no idea who these people were — although some of the book titles they’ve written did ring a bell.

But after checking them out, I found out they’re no slouches. These teachers are the real deal.

What classes are on Mindvalley

Mindvalley has over 50 classes (which they call “quests”) and are constantly adding new ones all the time.

These classes are divided into seven separate categories, though you’ll find some quests in multiple categories.

Here are the Mindvalley Quest categories along with some of their most popular courses:

• Mind

Be Extraordinary by founder Vishen Lakhiani is probably the most popular course in this category. It’s an all-rounder, motivational self-help program aimed at helping you to “uplevel your consciousness” — with the end game to become more successful and fulfilled in life.

• Performance

Super Reading and Superbrain, both by Jim Kwik, are standouts in these categories. These courses will give you solid hacks to boost your performance. (I’ll review what it’s like taking Superbrain further down in this article).

• Body

If you’re anything like me and have some pretty terrible sleep patterns, then do yourself a favor and check out The Mastery of Sleep. I think we could all probably use some better rest.

• Soul

Ithink Awaken the Species had me as soon as I read ‘How Society’s Shackles Are Holding You Back’. This course wants you to embrace a higher stage of spiritual awareness in every area of life, so that you can “rise above the social, spiritual, environmental, and political turmoil of our times.”

• Work

Speak and Inspire is a neat and very applicable class that teaches you an actionable skill: public speaking.

• Entrepreneurship

Although Hero. Genius. Legend comes under the entrepreneurship category, after taking this course, I’d actually say it’s a really good all rounder that you can apply to your entire life. It’s all about creating better habits to achieve more in life. It might sound simple, but if you apply what you learn, it makes a profound difference.

• Relationships & Parenting

Conscious Parenting Mastery is a standout for this category. A course that helps you realign your parenting methods to best raise a family

I think what’s really interesting about Mindvalley is that the classes all exist on a spectrum between practical skills for everyday life and something more esoteric.

For example, Money EQ and Super Reading offer you pragmatic tools and exercises.  Awaken the Species and Energy Medicine deal with some quite philosophical concepts that some people could find a bit more “out there” compared to traditional teachings.

It’s worth noting that some of the esoteric classes do veer away from accepted scientific fact and get into quasi-religious, quasi-sixth sense stuff (there are classes which say we all have ESP). Whether those types of topics resonate with you or not is going to be a personal thing.

If you want to find out in minutes which is the best Mindvalley course for you, Ideapod has created a fun Mindvalley quiz. Take the quiz here.

CHECK OUT MINDVALLEY’S ALL-ACCESS PASS HERE

My experience with Mindvalley

I’ve always had an interest in growth, which is why I started Hack Spirit in the first place.

I also have a psychology degree and pretty much devour anything I can get my hands on that helps me tap into mindset hacks.

Like probably a lot of people, the Covid 19 pandemic made me feel like I should be making better use of my time. I guess big things like that always shake up your world and make you re-evaluate.

I want to be more productive and live a better version of my life, but I’m also a bit lazy at times too.

Overwhelm and procrastination mean it feels a lot easier to binge watch Netflix than get down to the real work.

A library of personal development classes to choose from seemed the perfect motivation — and honestly, it has been too.

I’ve learned a lot of new information, ideas and practical self help tools from using Mindvalley.

I’m not sure if I believe in overnight miracle cures, but what I will say is that my overall quality of life does feel better thanks to the programs I’ve taken so far. So I hope that continues.

Mindvalley programs I’ve taken and what I really thought of them

I’ve taken quite a few of the Mindvalley programs by now, which is why I feel confident in giving a general overview of the Mindvalley platform.

To give you a better idea of my own personal experience, I’d like to dive into 5 of the courses I’ve taken in full in more detail.

Rather than a run down of the curriculum, I’ll be focusing on my actual results from finishing the programs.

Superbrain:

I’d heard of Jim Kwik’s bestselling book ‘Limitless’ before I took his course on Mindvalley, which definitely piqued my curiosity.

I also love being able to tangibly measure progress and results.

The practical skills being promised by this program — like the perfect morning routine for optimum brain performance and memorization techniques — sounded right up my street.

My results after doing Superbrain

I came away from Superbrain with science-backed techniques to learn things faster.

Like I said, I love a good hack, so I found them really interesting and useful.

Anecdotally the program certainly seemed to improve my focus and reduce those episodes of brain fog that I think most of us experience sometimes.

CHECK OUT SUPERBRAIN HERE

Lifebook Online:

After doing my research on Mindvalley, I quickly saw how Lifebook Online was one of the programs that a lot of people were talking about.

When I found out that this course can even end up being free (if you sign up, do all the required work and then apply for your refund) I was even more intrigued.

It also seemed like a good program for tackling all areas of your life — including health, finances, spiritual life, love relationships, parenting, career, and more.

My results from taking Lifebook Online

I found Lifebook Online a really practical goal-setting program.

It gave me a much clearer idea of what I wanted in different areas of my life and made me think about the changes I’d need to make to get there.

It was pretty inspiring and I felt an instant motivational boost from taking the course.

I’ll be totally honest, whilst I haven’t stuck to all the plans I made, I have kept working towards a lot of them.

If, like me, you worry you might lack some of the follow-through to stick to the goals you carve out during the program, there is a graduate membership called Lifebook Mastery to hold you accountable and help with that.

CHECK OUT LIFEBOOK ONLINE HERE

Wildfit:

I wasn’t unfit when I decided I wanted to do Wildfit with Eric Edmeades. I work out, but my diet isn’t always the best and it got a lot worse over lockdown.

I also had started to notice a link between some low energy levels and when I wasn’t eating as well.

I’d heard some hype about this Paleo-influenced health program and wanted to see what an optimal diet could do for my overall quality of life.

My results from taking Wildfit

This was the biggest time commitment of all the Mindvalley courses I’ve done — 3 months in total.

Overall, I’d say it was worth it. It made me way more conscious about what I was putting into my body and helped me with the discipline to choose the right foods for.

There are many parts of the program I’ve stuck to afterward, but as a low-carb diet, there are also parts I knew I would struggle to keep up.

They were never going to get me to give up coffee.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WILDFIT HERE

Be Extraordinary:

This Mindvalley program is from the platform’s creator, Vishen Lakhaini.

I’d read his book The Code of The Extraordinary Mind (a New York Times bestseller) and found it impressive — which was enough for me to want to try his course too.

Plus it’s all about redesigning your life to fulfill your potential, be more successful and happy, and who doesn’t want that.

My results from taking Be Extraordinary

There were quite a few humble, but powerful things I came away with from this program.

It really sank in for me that goals are great, but enjoying the ride on your way there is more important than the final destination.

I also realized how much control I have over how I feel and react to situations.

CHECK OUT BE EXTRAORDINARY HERE

The M Word:

Meditation wasn’t a new idea to me, but probably like a lot of people I’ve struggled to be consistent with it.

You know what it’s like, you might go through phases of being quite disciplined for a while, but then fall out of the habit and find yourself back at square one.

I also was never sure if I was doing it right. Most of the time I just felt like I was thinking with my eyes closed, rather than reaching any particular state of zen.

But I am convinced by the scientific research that shows what a regular meditation practice can do for you.

My results from taking The M Word

This course gave me the kick-up the ass that I needed.

I’m not saying I never miss a day now and then, but the simple framework I learnt has made it easier for me to create a meditation practice that fits into my life.

Since I’ve established that, I definitely feel a lot calmer, more patient and I think I have better focus too when it comes to concentrating at work.

But the biggest win for me was improving my sleep. As an insomniac, it really helped me relax before going to bed.

CHECK OUT THE M WORD HERE

How much does Mindvalley cost 

There are two ways to access Mindvalley courses.

You can either buy digital access to whichever individual course you want to take, or sign up for a yearly Mindvalley Membership (which can end up saving you quite a lot of money if you plan on taking more than one course at some point).

Mindvalley Digital Access

Mindvalley classes aren’t all the same price, but generally are between 300 and 400 dollars.

Let’s take a look at Conscious Uncoupling.

For digital access, this class runs $399. That’s a pretty standard Mindvalley class price.

When you purchase digital access, you get:

• Lifetime access to the course across all digital devices
• Computer, phone, tablet
• Access to the Mindvalley discussion boards and groups — for this class only.

The class runs 35 days, though you get to keep the materials and access permanently — so you can take it again.

Let’s be honest, for most of us, that’s a pretty steep price for a single course.

But it’s definitely a good solution if you’re looking to take just a single Mindvalley program, and aren’t put off by the price tag.

If you’re really into your personal development, or are determined to work on yourself more this year, then the membership is probably a better option for you.

What’s the Mindvalley Membership?

I think what Mindvalley has done is pretty clever from a marketing point of view, but it also works out good value for the customer too — so it seems win, win.

To tempt you into taking more than just one program with them, they also offer a yearly membership.

The Mindvalley Membership costs $499 annually (which can actually be cheaper than some of the individual programs brought alone).

For that, you get one year of unlimited access to the vast majority of their courses — over 50 “quests”.

There are a couple of exceptions though that you will want to be aware of. Be warned, the Mindvalley Membership doesn’t include Lifebook Online or Wildfit.

That’s because these are so-called “partner programs”.

It sucks a bit if these were the courses you were most interested in taking.

But overall there are so many classes included with a Mindvalley Membership that it might not even be a problem for you.

If you have your eye on a few Mindvalley programs, a membership is already going to save you quite a bit of money.

I also like the fact that you can enroll in as many classes as you like at once. I’ve done a couple at a time before, just to keep the learning varied and interesting.

CHECK OUT MINDVALLEY’S ALL-ACCESS PASS HERE

What’s it like taking a Mindvalley course?

I want this review to really give you a feel for what it’s like to take a Mindvalley course, before you have to part with any cash.

I’ve already spoken a bit about Superbrain, so using it as an example, let’s do a mini personal tour of a typical Mindvalley program, so you know exactly what to expect.

Before the course starts:

There are 5 warm up videos to work your way through before properly starting the Superbrain lessons.

All the Mindvalley courses I’ve taken have some kind of short intro video content — although this course had more than usual.

In these, you learn exactly what to expect during the program and how to get the most out of it.

You also get to know your teacher, in this case Jim Kwik, a bit more and hear some of his story and why he’s an expert in this field.

They’re nice little motivators that gear you up for getting started. It certainly got me quite excited to dive in.

In the Superbrain introduction we’re told that success has 2 parts: 1) just showing up 2) playing full out.

This is a reminder that, even though we’re promised the program is going to be fun, we still have to put the effort in to get the most out of it.

Another feature of all Mindvalley programs is “The Tribe”, which you’re always encouraged to join before the course begins.

This is a global online community of fellow learners who are taking the course at the same time as you. The idea is that it gives you greater accountability and support.

Jim Kwik backs this up by pointing out that  “learning is social not solo” and that we all learn best when we learn with other people.

Lastly, at the start of the program there is usually some sort of “growth survey” to fill out.

This is just a short and simple questionnaire, so that you can measure your progress from where you started and after you’ve finished the course.

What you learn in Superbrain

The driving force of Superbrain is improving your memory, improving your focus, and learning new skills faster.

Jim Kwik refers to those mind blips that I think most of us have occasionally as “senior moments”.

You know, forgetting where you put things or walking into a room and wondering what you were going to do.

Memory doesn’t seem the most rocknroll of subjects to try and improve. But Jim Kwik makes a good case for why it’s so important — there is no learning without memory.

Rather shockingly we were told that we lose about 80% of information just 2 days after we’ve been told it.

“There’s no magic pill but there is a magic process” — and Superbrain aims to give you that “magic process” by teaching you new practical tools every day.

The promise is that this will then impact of 4 key areas of your life:

• Your levels of intelligence
• Your levels of influence
• Your level of impact
• Your levels of income

How are Mindvalley programs structured?

Superbrain is a 30 day program. Typically Mindvalley courses can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months.

As with Superbrain, Mindvalley programs typically have short daily video content — typically between 5-20 minutes.

Although not all courses are structured this way (For example, Energy medicine has one long 60-90 minute video each week, along with a couple of shorter ones) most are, and for a good reason.

This “micro learning” is specifically designed to help you better absorb and retain information.

Also for that reason, you can’t usually skip very far ahead in the course, and you’re encouraged to keep pace with the rest of your class.

Once you’ve watched your daily video, there is usually some kind of practical task you are set — a bit like homework.

For Superbrain there were around 2-4 tasks a day. But don’t worry, these are short and I personally found that they fit easily into your day.

Mindvalley programs are all split up into a number of “parts”. These parts typically include one weeks worth of daily lessons and can cover several topics.

For Superbrain, there were 8 different parts to the program (how many parts each program has will largely depend on how long it runs)

Example of Superbrain parts:

Part 1: The Fundamentals

Part 2: Lifestyle

Part 3: Remembering Long Lists

Part 4: Remembering Names

Part 5: Vocabulary and Languages

Part 6: Memorizing Speeches and Texts

Part 7: Numbers

Part 8: Lifestyle Integration

Who is Mindvalley for

• It’s essentially for anyone who has an interest in self improvement and wants to make positive changes in any area of their life.

• If you are a curious person and enjoy learning new information and skills. Eternal students will love this platform.

• Procrastinators or those who suffer from overwhelm — this could be the gentle push you need to finally take action.

Who is Mindvalley for not for

• Anyone looking for quick and easy “magic fixes”. Learning always takes motivation, effort and a certain amount of dedication. Positive change is rarely effortless or instant.

• Self help sceptics. A healthy amount of scepticism is ok, but if you think the self improvement industry is nonsense, it probably goes without saying, Mindvalley isn’t the place for you.

(If you’re wondering which of the 50+ Mindvalley courses you should begin with, this fun new Mindvalley quiz by Ideapod is perfect for you. Take the quiz here).

CHECK OUT MINDVALLEY’S ALL-ACCESS PASS HERE

The pros and cons of Mindvalley

Pro’s

• Most of the programs are structured in very digestible bite sized chunks of micro learning. It was specifically designed this way as the optimal way to learn.  

• When you enroll in a Mindvalley course, it’s quite addictive. The video lessons are insightful, practical and very high quality.

• There really is something for everyone, no matter what your beliefs, lifestyle and interests, you’ll find courses perfect for you.

• You are learning from the best in the industry. Course teachers are credible and experts in their fields.

• Within the personal development field, there aren’t really any other platforms that offer what Mindvalley does. They are the industry leaders.

• There’s a 15 day money back guarantee for both individual courses and the Mindvalley membership, so you can try it out for yourself risk free.

Con’s

• The cost. When bought individually, the programs set you back quite a lot of money. Several hundred dollars certainly isn’t pocket change (although the membership is much better value for money).

• The commitment of time and effort varies a bit for each course, but generally you need to put aside around 30-60 minutes a day. But this is the case with learning anything, so it’s not necessarily a con, but something to be aware of.

• The program marketing can be a bit cheesy and over the top at times, but I guess that’s marketing for you in general. Don’t let it put you off as the courses themselves are way more down to earth.

CHECK OUT MINDVALLEY’S ALL-ACCESS PASS HERE

What are the alternatives to Mindvalley?

MasterClass:

MasterClass is another online learning platform, where famous faces teach you the subjects they are most known for.

Here are some of the biggest differences between MasterClass and Mindvalley:

• Masterclass has very well-known stars and celebs teaching the classes —people you’ll definitely have heard of — like Ron Howard, Christina Aguilera and Gordon Ramsey.

• Masterclass courses are more on the skills side of personal development — for example cookery, photography, singing. It’s good if you are looking specifically for “creative” classes.

• MasterClass is cheaper at $180 a year for a membership (with access to 90+ classes)

Udemy:

Udemy is the biggest online learning platform around, with a whopping 130,000 online video courses. 

Here are some of the biggest differences between Udemy and Mindvalley:

• Udemy is hard skills based
• Course prices vary widely, but can be incredibly low — as little as $12.99
• Quality varies depending on the course, but they tend to be lower budget and from regular teachers, rather than leading experts of household names.

Out of the Box:

Out of the Box isn’t an online learning platform unlike the others. Instead it’s a singular comprehensive personal development program created by Ideapod.

Here are some of the biggest differences between Out of the Box and Mindvalley:

• Out of the Box is a 16-week online workshop hosted by shaman, Rudá Iandê, for people who want to achieve success in life — but not necessarily in the conventional way.

• Out of the Box is a self-exploration journey that goes far deeper to help you get to the heart of your own desires, fears, obstacles and emotions.

• Out of the Box is less about practical tools and more of a spiritual personal development journey.
• Out of the Box is more expensive at $895.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUT OF THE BOX HERE

Verdict — Is Mindvalley worth it?

Not every course is going to be to your taste, but with over 50 to choose from, plenty will be.

Mindvalley really is the leader in this field, and creates high-quality content.

If you put in the effort and do the work, I’d say many of the programs do have the potential to change your life.

For me, that means it’s definitely worth the price tag, particularly if you opt for the Mindvalley Membership.

Since using Mindvalley I’ve discovered practical hacks and helpful tools that really have improved my life in lots of small but significant ways.

CHECK OUT MINDVALLEY’S ALL-ACCESS PASS HERE