On my podcast Today Dreamer, I explore ways to cultivate the practice of presence by sharing conversational space with a wonderful array of wise humans on mindfulness, philosophy, transformation and service.
Through these conversations, I intend to help listeners move closer towards wholeness and encourage experimentation with practical ways of integrating doing, dreaming and being into everyday life.
I believe the ripples of these conversations may have the potential to amplify a blossoming of the emergent world story in our current moment of collective reshaping. The chats on the show embody a special focus on helping individuals enliven the connection with themselves, other humans, animals, plants, minerals and fungi that make up the natural world as a whole for the benefit of all beings.
I'd like to humbly invite you to tune in and join us on this journey of inner and outer exploration, presence and ever-deepening practice.
My Background
I was first introduced to visualization-based meditation when I was 8 years old. My mother would take my brothers and I to play with the children of a lady who made unique candles in the forest. As kids, we just called her the “Candle Lady”. It was at this natural sanctuary of art, play, freedom and creation where I encountered my first meditative experiences, going on extravagant imaginary adventures in which I have come to realize many magical seeds were planted.
My late mother was a respected spiritual teacher who provided support to countless people who crossed her path and growing up in her presence taught me many lessons. These were transmitted often through storytelling, gentle encouragement, formal guidance and my own quiet observation as she tended to countless clients around the dining table. She worked closely with the Tarot for over 45+ years which was a skill passed down to her from my great-grandmother in Eastern Europe around the mid-’70s. (To find out more about my own background and offerings in the art of Tarot click here.)
Between 2011-2013 I dedicated myself completely to the study of creativity, reading all that I could on get my hands on, and immersing myself in learning as much as I could from my lecturers and peers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). In 2013 I also graduated from the AWARD School for aspiring creatives and after a 6-month internship working for what was the world’s most awarded ad agency at the time, I managed to land my dream job as a Creative Consultant at a well-renowned creative agency. The agency harnessed the power of the creative spirit, technology, and culture for branding purposes. During our time there, my creative partner and I were awarded many accolades including one of the most esteemed in the industry, the Cannes Lion Award from The International Festival of Creativity. However, many aspects of my personal story were crumbling apart during the time and this accomplishment, in particular, marked a major turning point in my journey. It felt like a highly superficial form of success as it highlighted a deep intuitive feeling of major misalignment between my inner values and outer actions.
Listening to the calling of my Soul, as scary as it was, led me to leave the space entirely, selling most of my possessions and departing from home for an indefinite period of international travel, which ended up lasting two years. This period of slow travel through the Americas and parts of Asia, intuitively zig-zagging my way into newly discovered inner and outer terrains, marked a distinct beginning to a period of deeper inner work, reflection and spiritual initiation in my life.
I began the Good People Effect podcast in 2017 which was focused on the old proverb "you become the sum of who you surround yourself with". In 2020 I started a meditation studio focused on an open exploration and creative experimentation with meditation. My aim was to offer students the opportunity to play with and delve into a wide array of meditative styles within a safe, supportive and sacred container. That same year the podcast also evolved, becoming more concentrated on helping people cultivate their own practice of present moment awareness.
My offerings are a creative blend, integrating my ongoing meditative journey, the teachings of my ancestors and spiritual guides, acquired learnings around the creative process and my own ever-evolving practice of concentration and embodied presence.