Over the years, both through my work and my personal life, I have gradually come to realise that I am quite a spiritual person. That does not mean I approach my work in an ungrounded or unrealistic way, not at all — my professional work is still based around experience, psychology, communication, relaxation techniques, and more than 26 years of working with people from all walks of life.

However, on a personal level, I do believe there is more to human existence than we fully understand. Through years of reading, listening to interviews, exploring different ideas, and reflecting on life experiences, I have become increasingly open-minded about spirituality, consciousness, and the possibility that human beings are more than simply biology alone.

Many ancient cultures and philosophies explored ideas about the connection between mind, body, emotion, and wellbeing thousands of years ago. Interestingly, modern science is now discovering increasingly complex links between areas such as the brain, nervous system, emotions, stress responses, and the gut.

For example, the enteric nervous system (sometimes called the “second brain”) is a complex network of nerves within the digestive system that plays an important role in communication between the gut and the brain. Research into the gut-brain connection has become a fascinating area of modern science and psychology.

That said, you absolutely do not need to be spiritual to work with me. Many of my clients are spiritual, many are not, and both are equally welcome. My role is never to impose beliefs onto anyone, but simply to offer support, empathy, understanding, and a calm environment where people can feel comfortable being themselves.

To me personally, spirituality is less about religion and more about compassion, self-awareness, kindness, personal growth, and trying to leave the world a little better than we found it.