Uplifting Society Through Business: Interview with MBA Graduate Momone Maley
Summer in Iowa is marked by the roar of the cicadas and the skyrocketing stalks of corn. At Maharishi International University, it is a time when we are not only preparing for the arrival of our new students but also reflecting back on our recent graduates. One beautiful sunny day, I had the chance to interview this year’s outstanding MBA student award recipient, Momone Maley. Upon arriving at our meeting Momone gifted me a small bouquet of freshly picked lemon balm and chamomile. “Just hang it upside down and in a few days it will be dry enough for a perfect cup of tea,” she said. This thoughtful gesture is just a small representation of her compassionate nature.
As an actor in Chicago, Momone’s auditioning strategy was very different from that of her competitors. “Instead of trying to play the game – where I was psyching other people out or you know killing them with kindness or whatever” she reflects, “I would just kind of observe people and check in with myself. I could tell when I was sitting there that that person wants this a lot more than me.. it feels like that person needs this.” When Momone would get offered the part, she would think back to the waiting room at the audition and how her being cast in the role was affecting all the other people who had auditioned. She felt that “instead of adding something to the collective consciousness that [she] was taking something away.”
Stepping away from the entertainment business, Momone focused her attention on her spiritual practice. One winter she was complaining about her chronic joint pain when her yoga instructor suggested she turn to Ayurveda. “That’s when I first heard about TM and Maharishi,” she remembers. “From there I read every single book on Ayurveda that was in the public library in Chicago.” Continuing her research, Momone discovered MIU. Because her “ultimate goal is to live in an off grid community,” she was ecstatic to learn that the university offered a Sustainable Living degree. However, after taking all of the classes offered in the Soil Track, she “realized that if [she] was going to do any kind of work in soil that [she] was going to probably be an independent contractor or going to start [her own] business.”
“What’s really important to me is that I feel like I’m contributing to the collective consciousness, the future survival of our species, and the wellbeing of generations after me.” To be able to achieve this goal, Momone thought that the best way would be to study business. “You need knowledge of the business world and the economy because that’s what’s driving everything in this world right now for human beings and for most other species on the planet.”