I completed my BSc Psychology and my MSc Health Psychology with distinction at University of Westminster in London. I researched the effects of perceived parental verbal eating messages during childhood on intuitive eating behaviour[Lv1] , our ability to listen and respond to our bodily signals of hunger and satiety to guide food and drink intake, in adulthood. I learned to conduct psychometric tests, lead cooking seminars and guide relaxation techniques including Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Autogenic Training in clinics for eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating and obesity. Slow Food employed me as a food educator and cooking instructor to encourage healthy eating in nursery and primary school settings.

For my MSc, I investigated links between connectedness to nature and physical, psychological and social wellbeing, quality of life, self-esteem and self-confidence[Lv2] and found that feeling connected to the natural world around us improves just about any health and wellbeing outcome there is! Alongside, I delivered environmental awareness workshops for Global Action Plan, ran cooking classes for deprived communities in Hackney and worked as a vegan chef in a health restaurant.

I was offered a scholarship at University of Sheffield to research media influences and childhood obesity. I applied my academic training to designing dental health campaigns for the Ministry of Health, reviewing healthy eating apps for health insurances and running dental health workshops for children, staff and parents in nursery settings. I must have spoken at countless outreach events, conferences and training days. After five years of designing, producing and testing healthy food advertising to encourage healthy eating behaviour in nursery children, I was awarded a PhD in Developmental Psychology. I opened a vegan pop up cafe and, with the help of a fantastic volunteer group, ran donation-based breakfast and supperclubs to connect people from all walks of life through healthy, yummy and fair food.

And then I found dance. Through a Tinder date at a local dance class! I’ve always loved dancing in clubs, briefly worked as a club dancer even, and had taken a bunch of ballroom classes when I was younger. But what kicked off my partner dance journey was Swing Dance: Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa. Then I found Blues. Really quickly, Fusion Dance followed. I tried Tango and Zouk, dove head first into Contact Improvisation and got hooked on Ecstatic Dance, 5Rhythms and Biodanza. Finally, my dance journey took me to Mexico where I learnt about Aguahara, dancing in water. I started teaching Fusion Dance from my living room, offered online events throughout the pandemic and went on to teach workshops at festivals and retreats in Europe and beyond.

Ever since, I travel, train, dance and grow and simply love sharing my learning experiences with others! I love designing teaching materials and workshop plans, holding space and co-creating events. I find it fascinating to understand how our minds, bodies and hearts work. I apply a diverse range of modalities to facilitate group processes that help you to get them to work more in synch.