Get to Know Todd Perelmuter
What would make a young, award-winning Creative Director at the world’s largest ad agency quit his prestigious job in New York and walk away from it all?
I had everything the world says you should want — an incredible job in New York City, awards, money, a luxury apartment, and a life that seemed perfect from the outside. I was climbing the professional ladder with a bright future ahead.
Then, everything changed. One of my closest colleagues took his own life, leaving behind a wife and children. It shook me to the core. How could someone who seemingly had it all feel so lost? Why did this happen?
I started looking around at the people I knew. Those who once appeared joyful, the life of the party — slowly, their masks began to fall away. Behind the smiles, I saw the hidden weight of stress, depression, sadness, grief, loneliness, and trauma. It was clear: having the “perfect” life didn’t protect anyone from suffering.
That moment sparked a deep, urgent question inside me. I needed answers — not about success or status, but about life itself. About meaning. About peace. So, I made the unexpected choice to quit my job and leave it all behind.
For the next nine years, I traveled the world, seeking wisdom from shamans, monks, gurus, and tribes across 35 countries. I immersed myself in 16 spiritual traditions and studied countless meditation and healing practices. My journey culminated in a 50-day silent solitude in a remote forest in New Zealand — a transformational experience that forever changed me.
Now, I’m back in New York City with my wife, carrying the lessons, love, and light from my journey.
Everything I’ve learned — the tools for calmness, contentment, and real happiness — I share freely through podcasts, films, books, and more.
If you’ve ever looked beyond the surface and felt the weight of stress, sadness, or loneliness hiding behind the masks people wear, these free books can help you take the first step toward freedom and inner calm.
My Most Recent Books
Step out of the separate, lonely existence and into the infinite, eternal oneness of the universe. See through the illusions of fear, stress, anger and jealousy when you discover the truth you’ve always sensed but never knew.
Every great love story starts with one person — ourself. Coming back to our center, finding our balance, and discovering who we truly are is the epic journey we were all born to go.
We never forget our loved ones. But we can move forward in a new way that keeps their memory alive, honors them, and recognizes that nothing can ever truly be lost.
Put down the baggage of guilt, shame, regrets, and past mistakes and step into the peace of the present moment. Rewrite your future and free yourself from the past
Path to Peace Newsletter
Because mental peace shouldn’t be the last thing on your to-do list.
In the Media
Free Meditation to Over 15,000 Frontline Workers During COVID Crisis
In 2020, as the pandemic gripped the world and New York City became its first epicenter, EastWesticism stepped forward and offered free meditation classes to first responders, essential workers, and medical teams carrying the weight of the crisis.
Over 15,000 people joined these sessions, finding moments of relief and inner steadiness amid the sirens, uncertainty, and fatigue. The initiative was featured in the news as a beacon of hope in a time when the world desperately needed it.