My Lineage and Teachers

My Family

My first and greatest teachers are my family and my country. Growing up in Northern Ireland during the years leading up to the end of and right after The Troubles taught me a lot about what it means to live in a stable society, a divided society, and the nature of trauma at an individual and collective level. In particular, growing up alongside my sister (Sara), who has Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, taught me that “normal” is a point of view. Her kindness, compassion and immediacy have changed the lives of more people than I can count, and helped me to better understand my own neurodiversity* as a key source of strength and creativity.

*Check out The Reason I Jump to find out more about the radical way that people like my sister see the world, and the truths lying beyond "normal” that so many in society are blind to.

Western Psychology

I saw my first psychologist in 2006 while struggling to process certain aspects of my experience as a teen. Later, in 2009, I took myself to a freudian psychoanalyst and spent almost a year in that work. While helpful, I often felt like I was taking two steps forward and two steps back. I later worked with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for a time, finding it useful but ultimately unable to get at the root causes of my struggled. In 2010, I discovered Greek Philosophy (Stoicism and the writing of Marcus Aurelius in particular). This was the first time I encountered the notion that I had some control over the reactions I had to external stimulii, and to the thoughts that arose in my mind. I began crafting my own little practice (that I’d later come to name meditations), including shifting my awareness from one sound to another until all other objects of my experience faded into the background as I commuted to my job in Perth CBD.

While in Sydney, I came across Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This was a game changer. For the first time I learned to accept the reality of myself and my thoughts, my past and my being. That acceptance created an opening for an organic unfolding to something more sustainable than I’d previously had access to.

From 2016 - 2019 I was a client of Nigel Denning, a psychologist and long-term student of renowned Buddhist psychologist (and Harvard professor) Daniel P. Brown.

In 2019, I began working with Somatic and Trauma (particularly early childhood and birth trauma) Psychologist Annie Brook, first as a client and later training with her to better understand pathways to healing pre-birth, birth and early childhood trauma and attachment issues.

Zen Buddhism

My first real spiritual love was Zen Buddhism, which I discovered while living in Sydney, Australia in 2014. Prior to that I’d been studying Greek philosophy (Stoicism mostly), but this is where things really started to make sense for me. I studied in the Diamond Sangha Zen lineage with Kirk Fisher from 2016 - 2018.

Ashtanga Yoga

I began practicing yoga in 2012 prior to moving to Australia. Until 2017, it was something I did mostly for the physical benefits, but in 2017 I discovered Ashtanga Yoga and I fell in love. From 2017 - 2019 I practice with Amanda Ferris at Mysore Melbourne, before relocating to Europe for a time and practicing with Romana and Sascha Delberg. I travelled to Mysore in 2019 and practiced with Tara Mitra (a long-term assistant to Sarasvati Jois), before relocating to Aotearoa and becoming a steady apprentice to Mike Berghan, who’s humility inspires me every day. In 2019 I travelled to Boulder, Colorado to take part in Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor’s month long teaching intensive, and occassionally practice with Peter Sanson when he’s in town.

Embodied Flow and Tantrik Yoga

Since 2021, I have been studying and practicing in various Tantrik Yoga schools originating in Non-dual Shaiva Tantra. My primary teachers in this space have been Kara-Leah Grant, Sarah Hon and Adel Kingham (both of RISE Yoga), themselves having studied and practiced with Christopher Wallis (Hareesh) and Christopher Tompkins.

Regenerative Design and Development

Discovering regenerative design and development was - first and foremost - a spiritual homecoming. It was the first time I realised that my work in sustainable design and engineering was not an act of mechanical manipulation, but could be a part of the evolving breath that brings life to me and all other living beings.

In 2016, I took part in Regenesis Group’s The Regenerative Practitioner, travelling to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Alongside that I took part in the inaugural facilitator training for the Living Environments in Natural, Social and Economic Systems framework. Over the coming years, I put my learning to practice on a range of projects, collaborated with others to bring The Regenerative Practitioner to Australia (now in it’s 3rd year) and continue to work with Bill Reed of Regenesis Group.

Complexity and Living Systems

In addition to those noted above, I’ve been heavily influenced by systems theory, complexity theory, Gregory Bateson’s approach to living systems and Maturana and Varela’s theories of autopoiesis and the Santiago Theory of Cognition.

Those interests have led me to study and practice with Margaret Wheatley and more recently Nora Bateson.