Jewellery entrepreneur Rosie Fortescue has identified an ordinary activity as her most effective form of meditation: reading. In an interview published October 28, 2026, the founder described a busy schedule split between her jewellery business and Bag-d, and explained why a book at the end of a demanding day helps her quiet her attention in a way that conventional meditation does not.
Fortescue did not claim to practice formal seated meditation. In fact, she explicitly said she finds it difficult. What she values is the sustained concentration of reading, a habit that gives her mind a different kind of work from the constant switching between meetings, messages and business decisions. The distinction matters: a personal ritual can have contemplative significance for its practitioner without becoming a universal prescription or a clinically verified substitute for mindfulness training.
Her account includes a deliberate sequence of daily activities. She prefers to exercise before scrolling through social media, sometimes choosing Pilates or weights at home and sometimes attending a class. She also uses handwritten planning rather than relying entirely on phone notifications, and often prepares clothing and meals in advance when her week looks especially crowded. These are practical habits, not a secret formula for commercial success.
She describes the transition home as particularly important. Reading, music and the simple act of stepping away from work help establish a boundary that an elaborate wellness appointment cannot provide if thoughts remain fixed on unfinished tasks. That is a striking contrast to the popular image of entrepreneurial achievement as uninterrupted availability. Her routine suggests that protecting attention may depend less on adding complex rituals than on keeping certain parts of the day relatively undisturbed.
There is a philosophical dimension to this choice. Contemplative traditions often distinguish between a restless stream of reactions and an activity that invites steadier awareness. A novel is not the same as a religious or meditative discipline, but Fortescue’s language is an example of how people adapt the word ‘meditation’ to describe personal experiences of absorption and relief. Her account should be read as testimony about what works for her, not proof of a mechanism or a recommendation for everyone.
Another entrepreneur recently described the value of deliberately making space for thought: Sara Blakely’s unusual thinking commute. Both accounts illustrate a broader theme: not every productive interval looks productive from the outside. Fortescue’s contribution is to ground that idea in a tangible reading practice maintained amid the demands of running brands.
References
- Hip & Healthy, interview by Frankie Jabarkhyl, October 28, 2026: Rosie Fortescue shares her beauty and wellness rituals.