Tess

Qualifications

• Accredited mindfulness teacher with Breathworks. Qualified to teach Breathworks 8-week Mindfulness for Health and Mindfulness for Stress courses
• Training module completed in mindful movement.
• Trained facilitator in the Work That Reconnects (Trainer – Chris Johnstone, co-author of Active Hope)
• Masters’ degree in Ending Violence Against Women and Girls – trauma specialism.
• BA in Politics and Philosophy.

Tessa has been practising mindfulness since 2012. As a social justice researcher/campaigner, she became overwhelmed, exhausted and dispirited by the extent of suffering in our world. For Tessa, mindfulness has been the key to unlock greater compassion and capacity to hold suffering, to live with more love and joy, and to develop a healthy balance of care for self and others.

Tessa trained as a mindfulness teacher with Breathworks, qualifying in 2022. She is trained to deliver their award winning 8-week mindfulness courses for health and stress. She adheres to both Breathworks and BAMBA good practice guidelines. Tessa explores mindfulness in both a secular and Buddhist context, and previously ran a monthly event at the London Buddhist Centre on social change.

Today Tessa primarily offers tailored secular mindfulness courses for social change-makers including people working in the charity and social enterprise sector and people involved in community work and activism. She runs bespoke courses for teams and organisations. Her work draws upon the Breathworks material as well as the Work That Reconnects, a model of burn out prevention developed by Joanna Macy and colleagues. She is passionate about the overlaps between personal growth and systemic change.

Tessa also works as a research and evaluation consultant for the Third and Public sectors, specialising in violence against women and girls, homelessness, mental health, diversity and inclusion, racial and climate justice. She aims to bring her knowledge of these issues into her mindfulness teaching approach, centring inclusive and trauma-informed practice.

She has a young daughter who is her little teacher in present moment awareness and her constant invitation to deepen her mindfulness practice—testing her patience, presence, and compassion in the most beautiful and humbling ways.

In the future Tessa hopes to expand her offering for change-makers and to work alongside specialist organisations to share mindfulness with underserved groups. She’s also keen to keep exploring mindful parenting and find ways to support mindful parenting communities.