How did you become interested in this line of work? (tell us a little bit about your background)

I had a revelatory/numinous experience almost two decades ago when my heart ‘spoke’ to me in a moment of extreme anxiety and ill health caused by a deep sense of my own separation from the world. From that moment onwards I have been working with my heart (beyond our contemporary understanding of the heart as just a biological organ), to get to know my heart’s language better.

This journey has taken me on a profound, spiraling pilgrimage – opening my heart and whole self to an innate inner knowing that I am an integral part of a beautiful, dynamic, living, breathing world. This journey took me to the Schumacher College, Devon, UK, where I gained an MSc in Holistic Science, and onwards to Canterbury Christ Church University where I completed a PhD in transformative learning. The title of my thesis is ‘How can the thought of the heart offer effective ways of engaging with conflict? An imaginal and reflexive study’.

Please share a wellness tip or word of advice that relates to the workshop you will be presenting.

Retune your awareness to your heart, and be willing to let your heart change you.

What or who inspires you? (This could be anything from your mentor to your favorite quote)

I have many scholars who inspire me. Specifically depth psychologists Carl Jung, James Hillman and Robert Romanyshyn.

There was also a documentary on BBC Four a few years ago titled Heart vs Mind: What Makes Us Human?. I love this simple quote from it –

“If we want…a better world, then surely we also have to listen to the heart?” (David Malone in Heart vs Mind, 2016, 58:00 – 58:20)

What personal or professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

There are many accomplishments I am proud of! Specifically passing my MSc in Holistic Science with distinction, and gaining my PhD.

I am also proud of the two organizations that I have founded/co-founded over the past 12 months. Specifically, the Heart Sense Research Institute – www.heartsenseresearch.co.uk– and the Centre for Myth, Cosmology and the Sacred – www.mythcosmologysacred.com. I am very proud of the work these organizations are making possible in the world.