The monk who created a $250 million app

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The monk who created a $250 million app

Warm-up

Have you used a meditation app?

Vocabulary Match

focused -   - religious man
stressed -   - deep thinking
meditation -   - software
monk -   - awareness
mindfulness -   - worried
app -   - concentrated

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Andy Puddicombe is from Bristol, England. He was born in 1972. Andy decided to become a ________ in his early twenties. After a serious accident and the death of several people close to him, he felt a strong need to find peace.

He travelled to Asia to learn about ________. Andy trained as a Buddhist monk for over ten years in countries like India, Nepal, and Thailand.

In 2010, Andy started a company called Headspace with his partner, Rich Pierson. Headspace is an ________ that teaches meditation and ________. It has become very popular around the world. The app helps people to feel less ________, more ________, and happier. Today, Headspace has millions of users in many countries and continues to help people find calm in their busy lives.

Quiz

  1. Where is Andy Puddicombe from?
  2. What did Andy decide to become in his early twenties?
  3. What company did Andy start in 2010?
  4. What does the Headspace app teach?

True or False

  1. Paddington Bear was born in 1972.  T  |  F
  2. Andy trained as a Buddhist monk for over ten years.  T  |  F
  3. Headspace helps people feel more stressed and less focused.  T  |  F

Conversation

Andy: What about a business that promotes wellbeing?
Rich: I like it. Maybe something online?
Andy: An app for meditation could work.
Rich: Yes, accessible meditation for everyone, anytime.
Andy: Let's call it Headspace.
Rich: Perfect. Let's make meditation mainstream!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever tried meditation?
  2. Would you consider becoming a monk?
  3. What do you do to feel less stressed?
  4. Have you ever used an app to learn something new?

True Story Answers

Andy Puddicombe is from Bristol, England. He was born in 1972. Andy decided to become a monk in his early twenties. After a serious accident and the death of several people close to him, he felt a strong need to find peace.

He travelled to Asia to learn about meditation. Andy trained as a Buddhist monk for over ten years in countries like India, Nepal, and Thailand.

In 2010, Andy started a company called Headspace with his partner, Rich Pierson. Headspace is an app that teaches meditation and mindfulness. It has become very popular around the world. The app helps people to feel less stressed, more focused, and happier. Today, Headspace has millions of users in many countries and continues to help people find calm in their busy lives.

Vocabulary Answers

monk → religious man
meditation → deep thinking
app → software
mindfulness → awareness
stressed → worried
focused → concentrated

Quiz Answers

  1. Andy Puddicombe is from Bristol, England.
  2. Andy decided to become a monk in his early twenties.
  3. Andy started a company called Headspace in 2010.
  4. The Headspace app teaches meditation and mindfulness.

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Further Reading

https://yourstory.com/2023/07/andy-puddicombe-headspace-journey

More "True Story" Lessons

ESL Lessons: True Stories