About
My name is jo (she/her), and I am a facilitator and somatics practitioner, born on Bunurong country and currently residing on Wurundjeri country in Melbourne, Australia.
With a varied background in education, community development and social policy, my work now focuses on projects and responses that cultivate experiences of resilience, dignity and belonging for people and communities.
Trained in somatic, trauma-informed and mental health aware practices, I am especially curious about the relationship between embodiment and wellbeing, and the ways in which dominant institutions such as schools and workplaces can be transformed into sites of wellbeing and care.
I am also the Founding Director of Collective Being, a non-profit organisation dedicated to democratising access to wellbeing services.
Training & Qualifications
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Master of Education (Youth, Equity and Social Change), University of Melbourne, 2018
Master of Teaching , University of Melbourne, 2011
Post-Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary), University of Melbourne, 2009
Trauma-Informed Facilitation, Liz Scarfe, 2017
Positive Education, University of Melbourne, 2013
NeuroCoach Training, Frazer Holmes Coaching, 2013
Cultural Awareness and Anti Racist Training, Ecumenical Migration Centre, 2012
Trauma Informed Educator Training, Berry Street Trauma-informed Education, 2011
Micro-Counselling Skills for Educators, Foundation House, 2011
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Somatic Experiencing Practitioner In-Training - Level 1, 2022
Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate, Embody Lab, 2021
Somatics, Trauma & Resilience, Strozzi Institute, 2021
Moving & Soothing, Australian Childhood Foundation, 2021
Neurobiology of Self-Care, Australian Childhood Foundation, 2021
Rooted & Embodied 12 Month Somatic Immersion, 2020-2021
My Grandmother's Hands Embodied Book Club, Resmaa Menakem, 2020
Traumatic Stress and the Breath, Jane Clapp, 2020
Embodied Boundaries, Jane Clapp, 2020
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Mind Module, Embodied Flow (100 hours), 2019
The Embodied Self: Restorative & Yoga Therapy Teacher Training, Gena Kenny, 2019
Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) Facilitation 300hr Training, 2018
iRest Level 1 Teacher, Integrative Restoration Institute, 2018
Vinyasa Krama (40 hours), Rod Stryker, ParaYoga, 2018
Trauma-Informed Yoga for Youth Training, YogaED, 2018
Reaching In, Reaching Out, New Leaf, 2017
Certificate of Ayurvedic Yoga (150 hours), Balarama Chandra, 2015
Certificate of Vinyasa Teaching, (50 hours) Jenni Morrison Jack, 2014
Mindfulness Education Fundamentals, Mindful Schools, 2014
Advanced Diploma of Yoga Teaching (350 hours), Australian Yoga Academy, 2011
Current and Past Projects
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Collective Being is a nonprofit organisation located on sacred Kulin Country in Victoria, Australia. Our skilled team support the physical and mental wellbeing of individuals and communities through our innovative, evidence-based somatic wellbeing program model.
Our vision is a world where everyone has access to the resources, tools and support that they need to be well.
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Following a decade in the non-profit and social justice sector, I have been consulting in the fields of service development, policy and strategy for the past five years. As a strategist and consultant, I have worked across diverse programs and projects, most often seeking to build bridges between research, policy and practice.
This work has included projects spanning youth homelessness, work and employment, out of home care, family violence, social inclusion, asylum seeking and refugee rights, women’s financial wellbeing, housing and education.
Consultancy has included projects for the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Regional Arts Victoria, St Martins Youth Arts, the National Transition to Work Community of Practice, White Lion, Family Life, and the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) Australia.
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Building on a background in education and secondary school teaching, I have designed and facilitated a diverse range of programs and content over the past 15 years - from yoga and meditation through to life skills, mathematics, workplace readiness, and arrival support for people seeking asylum.
As an embodiment, meditation and somatics facilitator, I have been teaching for 11 years, including most recently as a lead trauma-informed yoga teacher trainer for Yoga for HumanKIND.
For the past five years, my work has focused on the notion of Rest, and exploring the intersections between burnout, systems and embodiment practices.