I am an ordained OneSpirit Interfaith Minister and Shamanic Practitioner who has a passion for discovering and facilitating ways to nourish the soul. I have undertaken many years of personal development work in various modalities including Shamanism, Visionary work, inner dance, movement medicine, NLP, reiki, coaching, meditation and many other creative fields. My shamanic and visionary training includes extensive learning in advanced healing techniques, plant spirit medicine and psychopomping and more information on this can be found elsewhere on my website in the shamanism section. I am always seeking both new ways to nourish my soul as well as to deepen techniques and methods that I have found that bring me comfort and a sense of nourishment and belonging.  In recent years this has extended to developing an enthusiasm for helping others to find their own versions of this too.

My professional experience includes working with individuals and groups for nearly 20 years in schools and both statutory and voluntary youth and community work environments. I have a degree in Law (Northumbria University) and an MA in International Studies (Newcastle University) as well as an MA in Youth and Community Work (Durham University). I left my career as a Year Manager in a secondary school to follow a more heart led spiritual path of soul nourishment to spend a year working on what I lovingly call ‘the ministry of me.’

This gifted me the time and space to delve deeper into more of who I am and to discover more of what nourishes my soul as well as facilitating small group work and individual sessions with several others to support them to find their own versions of nourishment. I have been a certified shamanic practitioner for several years and alongside my pastoral work with young people this has offered me the opportunity to work with individuals, families and groups in a variety of settings supporting them to find their own solutions and healing for a variety of issues including; career choices, study, relationships, child protection issues, lifestyle changes, healing, personal and spiritual development, self-esteem and confidence issues, general wellbeing and finding their own version of ‘happiness.’

Following the pandemic I have also delved into the wonderfulness of being a Northumberland County Council Ceremony & Support Officer conducting and registering legal marriages which I absolutely love and which has given me lots of experience and confidence both in leading ceremony but also in understanding the legalities and formalities of weddings in England.

Alongside this I have also been expanding my work delivering Happiness & Meditation Clubs in partnership with Northumberland Recovery College. Following the success of these I also now support Northumberland Recovery College 1 day a week as one of their Recovery College Coordinators.  This offers me the opportunity to make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of my local community in a very different way to the 1:1 and group support I offer elsewhere. An added bonus is that it's a lovely team to work in with lots of opportunities for additional training and networking that then supports my work elsewhere too!

I read a quote somewhere at some point that said something along the lines of 'you should spend at least 3% or maybe even 10% of your income on training and personal development'.  I can safely say in our house this is definitely true and I am lucky that I love being a student of the Spirits and life in general and i'll always use that learning to both develop and influence both me and all those I work with! Perhaps i'll have to write a course or a session at some point called 'course addict 101!' as i'm definitely a little guilty of that!