Who am I?
I help midlife women to transform how they think, feel, and show up in their lives so they can overcome challenges and thrive, using a potent combination of meditation, mindfulness, cognitive behavioral hypnotherapy, and self-compassion.
My ninja skill is bringing together modern science and ancient practices to help you thrive. Everything I do is grounded in evidence-based scientific approaches and sprinkled with the magic of ancient wisdom. My philosophy is simple: sustainable change is a practice. It works best when it fits your unique life and preferences.
Alongside my 1:1 work and group programmes, I deliver talks and workshops for organisations, corporate clients and business communities: with audiences as diverse as the NHS, Ernst and Young, The Cancer Research Council, World Health Organisation (WHO) and across diverse industries and audiences. As I'm navigating my own peri-menopause transition, I bring a wealth and depth of empathy and experience to complement my therapeutic skills and support.
Welcome, I’m Laura and I'm glad you're here.
"I slumped on the floor in front of the washing machine, muffling my tears with the scrunched-up dirty sheets so the children wouldn’t hear them. I was vaguely aware of the clothes strewn across the floor, tumbling out of the washing machine like an accusation.
Yet more evidence of my inability to cope.
I could hear the children calling for me as I struggled to stuff down the overwhelming sense that I was drowning. I knew I would pull myself back together and plaster my mask of coping back in place. I just needed this moment of defeat so I could get battle ready once more.
This was my life.
The effort to be who I was supposed to be, when inside I was struggling, felt both impossible and inevitable. I couldn’t see a way out and it was terrifying. But I knew something needed to change, and I suspected it was me.
The Journey...
Like for most of us, the surface only tells part of the story...
The words “I am nothing” bubbled up inside of me. Alongside it was a deep belief in their truth. When I wrote them down in my journal, they changed everything. Those three words were the catalyst to take action.
Either it was true; and how awful that I was so worthless. Or they weren’t true; and how desperately sad that it felt like the truth.
If you’d known me at that time, when I’d left my corporate career behind to live in Melbourne and care for my family, mostly you would never have known how I felt. I was project managing our house build, volunteering for a charity, active at the kids’ school, busy social life. But on the inside it was so different."
That’s when I stumbled across meditation.
It wasn’t a magic bullet but it began a journey to experience everything differently. Taking me on to study Psychology, Mindfulness, Meditation, Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy and so much more. Building a toolkit and framework for myself to cope and ultimately to thrive.
There are a lot of things about ourselves that only make sense in reverse. That’s certainly the case for me.
Moments like that laundry room meltdown jump out at me. Clamouring for attention and claiming to be evidence of all the ways I am weak. Now I see them as signs of how hard I was struggling, doing my best with what I knew. Each step I took was creating a path to who I am now. Essential even when it was painful.
As a qualified practitioner in Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy, I trained with the UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy. This science-based approach is recognised by the British Psychological Society. I'm accredited and registered with a number of professional organisations (see below). and have continued my professional development with training in Hyno-CBT for Menopause support.
Previously, I studied for a Graduate Diploma in Psychology at Monash University in Melbourne (2015). This sparked my passion for Acceptance Commitment Therapy (often knows as ACT, which is a form of CBT) and training with international expert Russ Harris. This led me to train in mindfulness-based interventions and as a meditation teacher.
I continued my journey by learning from renowned teachers around the world. A highlight being an intimate retreat in California with world-renowned meditation teachers, Sharon Salzberg and Will Kabat-Zinn. Both teachers profoundly impacted my own practice and my teaching, along with the self-compassion research and practices of Kristin Neff and Chris Gerber.
The unique challenges of Covid took my meditation teaching and sharing a step further. As the world was dragged into lockdown, I began showing up each day to offer meditation to anyone who needed it. This led to the creation of Be. Modern Meditation®️. A meditation and mindfulness membership platform featuring digital courses, hundreds of guided practices of Meditation and Breathwork as well as a wide range of wellbeing resources.
Bringing together these practices and experiences, I created the Be. Mindful Mindset®️. A structured programme to help you thrive, no matter what life throws your way. I'd love to share it with you, so do get in touch or sign up to my mailing list to find out more about future programmes and events.
Often it’s only with hindsight that the squiggly lines of our experiences make sense. We realise that without knowing it, we’ve been working towards our purpose - almost like it’s been just quietly waiting for us to arrive.
That’s how I feel about the work I do now. CBT, mindfulness and meditation, Hypnotherapy and practical experience that changes lives. The Be. Mindful Mindset®️has evolved to weave together powerful tools and ways to be in the world so you can thrive. Let's work together to help you get back to thriving.
My approach and qualifications
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(Can’t see a time that works for you? Drop me an email, I read all emails personally laura@bemindfulmindset.com)
You can see the answers to some frequently asked questions by clicking the FAQ's button below.
