Living with the Monks

What Turning Off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and Focus

By: Jesse Itzler

Narrated by: Jesse Itzler

Equal parts memoir and road map to living a less stressful and more vibrant life, bestselling author Jesse Itzler offers an illuminating, entertaining, and unexpected trip for anyone looking to feel calmer and more controlled in our crazy, hectic world.

Entrepreneur, endurance athlete, and father of four Jesse Itzler only knows one speed: Full Blast. But when he felt like the world around him was getting too hectic, he didn't take a vacation or get a massage. Instead, Jesse moved into a monastery for a self-imposed time-out. In Living with the Monks, the follow-up to his New York Times bestselling Living with a SEAL, Jesse takes us on a spiritual journey like no other.
Having only been exposed to monasteries on TV, Jesse arrives at the New Skete religious community in the isolated mountains of upstate New York with a shaved head and a suitcase filled with bananas. To his surprise, New Skete monks have most of their hair. They're Russian Orthodox, not Buddhist, and they're also world-renowned German shepherd breeders and authors of dog-training books that have sold in the millions.

As Jesse struggles to fit in amongst the odd but lovable monks, self-doubt begins to beat like a tribal drum. Questioning his motivation to embark on this adventure and missing his family (and phone), Jesse struggles to balance his desire for inner peace with his need to check Twitter. But in the end, Jesse discovers the undeniable power of the monks and their wisdom, and the very real benefits of taking a well-deserved break as a means of self-preservation in our fast-paced world.

Critic reviews

"At a time when stress and burnout have become global epidemics, along comes Jesse Itzler to remind us how important it is to be present, intentional and connect with ourselves and with what really matters. With wisdom and humor, he takes us not just inside the monastery but inside ourselves, toward a life of more stillness, more presence, more patience and more gratitude."—Arianna Huffington

Praise for Living with a SEAL:
It's hilarious!—LeBron James

"This is 100% Jesse. Do it differently and you get different results. That's the way he has operated his entire life and it has worked beautifully."—Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski, Duke Basketball head coach

"Jesse is a risk taker and is always trying different things to get better. Plus, he's fun to go out with."—Tom Brady, New England Patriots, four-time NFL Champion, two-time NFL MVP

"Most of us go through life on auto-pilot. New day...same routine. This guy beamed a "live action hero" into his living room for 31 days to shake up his life. Sometimes you have to have the guts to do something radical to get results."—Dolvett Quince, The Biggest Loser

"Jesse knows what it takes to succeed in business and in life - a Don't Quit attitude! Our US Military embraces that attitude in training and survival, no one more so than the elite Navy SEALs. When my pal invites SEAL into his world, Jesse's life is never the same again! The relationship between these guys is outrageous - it's like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air meets Rambo! But with all the insanity there are strong life messages, hysterical moments, and great lessons to be learned. Like Jesse, this book is a HIT!"—Jake Steinfeld, chairman and founder of Body by Jake

"George Foreman once gave me great advice. When I told him my husband ran 100 miles non-stop he said, 'Sara, don't try to understand a man like that. Just love him."—Sara Blakely, Founder of SPANX, Jesse's wife

"Living With A Seal is funny and compelling with practical wisdom that leaves the reader feeling elevated and empowered. It also deeply impacted my own personal journey to health, fitness and well being."—Cory Booker, US Senator for New Jersey

ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

Jesse is a MASTER STORYTELLER!!! The stories are very engaging and funny, there were places in the book where I was on the floor laughing ... this book has so much humor and yet is also LOADED with simple and profound wisdom, at times I couldn’t decide which one was greater!

Few of my favorite elements in the book were “Billy, the bully”, “Lenny the intern”, monks asking Jesse to “LISTEN”, “If I die tomorrow” and “Mr Sara Blakey”

To deliver invaluable nuggets of wisdom in such a humurous way is so charming!!

Jesse’s first book was amazing... but this one is even better!!!

Love it! Thank you Jesse!

Just listened to this entire book in one sitting on a 13 hour drive home from Saint Louis! Funny, and just a “real guy”- great insights and definitely makes you think about this race called “life”....

#thankful

This book was by far the BEST book I have read to date. Thank you!

Great story

Didn't find much takehome from it but I enjoyed it, I like Jesse Itzler and all of his work.

Really good stuff.

He has a quality about his story telling that definitely keeps my attention. Thanks Jesse