Dada Nabhaniilananda is a yoga monk, a meditation teacher, a musician, a writer, and of course a lion tamer. In 2006, Dada published his first book, and is now completing his second: a comic fantasy - think of a cross between Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Rings, Monty Python and the Bhagavad Gita.

Dada has positively impacted the entire RocketHub community and is successfully progressing through his crowdfunding campaign. I spoke with Dada about his long journey and current ambitions.

I first learned meditation in 1975 when I was a university student in New Zealand. I quickly realised that this was something that could change everything, and not just for me. I discovered in myself a sense of serenity, confidence and inspiration I'd never imagined was possible. As a musician and writer I also found it really helped me tap into my 'muse' – it took my composition to another level. Yet rather than being thrown off balance by this sudden flood of creativity, I felt connected to a deep, calm place – I seemed to be getting to know a wiser and happier version of myself.

This dramatic shift in my inner landscape led me to re-evaluate my whole life plan. I'd fantasized about becoming a rock star or a fantasy writer, but now I'd finally found a life purpose that actually made sense. So I went to India where I studied under a great spiritual master and was ordained as a monk and meditation teacher. I've spent the last 30 years teaching meditation and using music to inspire people to change their lives through this beautiful practice.

The project I'm funding through RocketHub is the result of two years of research and planning. I will publish a new edition of my meditation book, create a new product, a Meditation Home Study Kit, and promote them both through a 'guerilla' marketing campaign, focusing on radio interviews, online video, blog reviews, mailing lists and affiliates.

We're proud to have your project be a part of the RocketHub community. What inspired you to jump into crowdfunding and become a pioneer in the world of meditation, publishing, health & wellness?

I was inspired by the success of a friend who raised $5000 to publish her first book through a crowdfunding campaign. It has been great being able to talk to her during my own campaign – it's nice to have someone who understands exactly what you're going through because  it's been a roller coaster ride. 

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I agonized over my profile page, especially the video. I drove 400 miles to LA to film a second video, and ended up using the first! But I finally got it out there, and it was slow getting started and I was concerned, but I followed my plan and after a while it began to pick up momentum. Now I'm pleasantly surprised by the response and I'm cautiously optimistic about reaching my goal.  I'm on 38% of my target with 19 days still to go.

Your hard work is paying off and you've built a lot of momentum very quickly. Any advice for Creatives looking to crowdfund a similar project?

Well it wasn't that quick actually, not at first. I'm glad I chose a 60 day rather than a 45 day time -frame, because I more or less wasted the first ten days. I found the articles and advice on the RocketHub site very useful – particularly the idea about starting with a small group of close contacts and getting them to contribute something before promoting to your larger circle. 

You have to find a balance between reminding people (some theory of marketing says that people don't act until they've seen a message seven times!) and bugging them. My solution is to use humor. My reminder messages are really funny, so people seem to forgive you for hassling them. This is where you can use your creativity to your advantage. This approach seems to be working well. 

I've noticed that when I send out a reminder, a bunch of people contribute, but it only lasts for one day. Then nothing. Hopefully this will work every time. Over the next few weeks I have to come up with five more funny messages for my long suffering friends!

I personally called a few key people and that's where two of my larger contributions came from. Personal phone calls can make a big difference, and it is actually nice to have a reason to get back in touch with some old, dear friends. The campaign has also led to some unexpected bonuses. Now someone in India is planning to translate my book into Telugu language (!) and a colleague in Italy wants to publish it in Italian.

I'd like to thank you folks at RocketHub for helping to make this possible for me.

You're very welcome! Thank you for your positive energy and wonderful project. 

Help make this project into a reality.

-Vlad