Mindfulness is not a destination but a journey.

Learn | Practice | Embody | Love 

We understand that at different points in the course, you may desire guidance and support to enhance your journey. Whether you are just starting or have already completed, our Creative Mindfulness Advisors, who have trained with Louise and closely collaborate with her, are available to support you every step of the way. They are here to offer valuable insights and assistance as you navigate the modules, assignments, and community connections. Feel free to reach out to them whenever you need advice, a listening ear, or guidance as you continue to grow both during and after your studies. They will provide the assistance you need to flourish in your mindfulness practice and build on your qualifications. Our Creative Mindfulness Advisors are here to ensure you have a nurturing experience throughout your journey.

Meet the Advisors

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  • Olive Houston

Olive is an Accredited Creative Mindfulness Practitioner and Teacher and has worked and trained with Louise Shanagher since 2018, completing her Creative Mindfulness for Children training in July 2019 and more recently completing the full Teacher Training program.  During that time, Olive has set up her own business, Mind Yourself, where she regularly offers classes and workshops to children, teens and different groups, in person and online. Olive also currently works as a tutor in Community Education, delivering Mindfulness courses to a wide variety of individuals/learners. Her background includes Nursing in the UK and Ireland and experience as SNA in Primary and Preschools. Olive is also very happily married to Paul and Mom of two teenage children.
Mindfulness has played a huge part in learning how to relate to everything with gentle awareness and kindness. She is passionate about the importance of sharing Mindfulness, in particular the Creative Mindfulness Kids Method, as developed by Louise Shanagher, with a goal of making them available and accessible to children of all ages, everywhere! Olive also promotes the importance of personal practice, and “minding ourselves!” and works hard to invite Mindfulness and self-compassion into her own daily life. As an advisor in the Creative Mindfulness team, Olive offers a space to students to ask any questions they have as they progress through the course and as they prepare to plan and deliver their own classes. She has completed the training, walked the path from student to Practitioner. She is in a position to bring her own experience of the course and current practice together to help guide students as they navigate their way through the training.

Some of the main areas students feel the benefit of Olive's support are as follows:

•    Preparation and delivery of classes, in person and online following completion of course.
•    Delivery of the Creative Kids Method; Mindful Heart Curriculum.
•    Guidance and support throughout the modules.
•    Olives personal experiences of course completion and different tools/practices used which helped her when setting up /planning classes/workshops.

“The Creative Mindfulness Kids training is really a beautiful course and a unique personal journey which will be different for all of us.  I completed my training in person with Louise, but now, I watch the  pre recorded videos regularly and find they are really helping me as I continue to develop my own personal practice. I find each time I watch a video, I learn something else new which I can use going forward in my teaching. The best advise Louise gives all of us is to slow down, welcome the practice into our own lives, and over time, it moves from that sense of doing to get it done or completed, to each moment actually being the practice....it can be subtle at first, but I can say, personally, the way I live my own life has changed enormously over the past few years from when I first met Louise! I understand better now that sense of “coming home to myself” and sitting with that comfortably. A huge part of this training involves personal practice and taking time to develop our own relationship with Mindfulness and that is what will help us be amazing teachers and share the gift of mindfulness. It really is beautiful work. I have experienced many great joys and also some difficult moments and challenges as I follow this path into Creative Mindfulness.  I have always felt a great sense of support and connection within the community of students/practitioners growing here and of course from Louise herself.  I feel very grateful to be in a position now to share my experiences with you as you develop your practice and skills to share with all the wonderful children you meet and work with too”.

You can schedule a call with Olive by emailing her at olivehouston@hotmail.com. If there is something in particular you would like to discuss, you can let Olive know prior to call and she may have some extra resources ready to share with you. Currently, calls can be scheduled to last for half /1 hour increments.
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  • Jackie Farrell

Jackie Farrell is an Accredited Creative Mindfulness Practitioner who has worked and trained with Louise Shanagher since 2018. Jackie began her Mindfulness journey in 2018 where she completed ‘The Fundamentals of Mindfulness’ in Athlone IT, delivered by Louise. It was during this year where her love of mindfulness and self-compassion blossomed having noticed and experienced the personal benefits of beginning and documenting daily formal and informal mindfulness practices. Upon completion, Jackie began her Creative Mindfulness Kids Practitioner training and continued to develop her personal mindfulness and self-compassion practices.
Jackie then completed Louise’s beautiful ‘Advanced Mindfulness’ course & set up ‘Mindful Scholars’ in Celbridge, Co. Kildare in order to share her new-found passion for Louise’s Creative Mindfulness Method with everyone. Jackie loves teaching the Creative Mindfulness Kids Method using lots of creativity, art and colour infused with her kind, compassionate presence! Jackie is currently completing Louise’s full Mindfulness Teacher training course. Jackie has always been passionate about promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. Her background is in Secondary School teaching. She has 15 years teaching experience at post-primary level and is passionate about bringing Louise’s Creative Mindfulness Method to schools both primary and post-primary, around the country. Jackie is a mommy of five children and lives with her husband and children in Co. Kildare. She has found mindfulness coupled with self-compassion to be transformative. Her belief is rooted in the power of kindness and in particular, self-kindness. In Jackie’s own words “when self-kindness and self-compassion are incorporated into mindful awareness – this is where the ‘magic’ happens, we learn to love and accept our full selves in a way that is almost indescribable.” Jackie has facilitated many Creative Mindfulness workshops and classes both in-person and online in libraries, preschools, secondary schools, primary schools and after-school facilities since qualifying as a Creative Mindfulness Practitioner in 2019. She has also integrated elements of the Mindful Heart Curriculum into all her Creative Mindfulness classes and workshops.  Jackie is a self-published author and her first children’s book entitled ‘My Busy Popcorn Mind’ was published in 2021. She wrote this book with parents, educators and young children in mind to share her passion for teaching and promoting mindfulness and self-compassion. This book would never have come to fruition if it were not for Louise’s beautiful training courses, in particular her Creative Mindfulness Kids Method, along with her consistent support, advice and encouragement along the way. As an Advisor on the Creative Mindfulness Committee, Jackie offers a safe and kind space where students can ask her any questions about the course, their own personal mindfulness practice, preparing for a class or school visit, creating lesson plans and/or writing case studies or reflections for course completion, delivering lesson plans in school settings or any questions they may have in relation to the training, the Mindful Heart Curriculum or indeed, moving forward having received Certification. Since joining the Creative Mindfulness Community, Jackie has connected with lots of like-minded people, qualified practitioners and practitioners in-training. She has always found great joy in supporting and encouraging others on their own unique path. It is therefore a great honour for her to take on this supporting role as Advisor. She will do her utmost to support and guide fellow students and practitioners on their journeys and share all she has learned along the way - the ups and the downs, the struggles and the successes! Jackie is hugely indebted to Louise, Thomas and many other beautiful souls she has connected with for their help, guidance and kind support and aims to support others in this very same way.

If you wish to schedule a call with Jackie, you can do so by emailing her at mindfulscholars.celbridge@gmail.com. Any specific questions can be emailed prior to the consultation, if wished. Calls can be scheduled for a half an hour duration or for one full hour.

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  • Dee Ryan

Dee has been practicing mindfulness meditation for over 10 years. She is married to Declan and has two lovely children - Morris 14 and Hannah 13. She lives in the countryside in County Clare. She has completed the Full Teacher Training course. She has a BA in Social Care and worked as a Social Care worker for many years, gaining invaluable experience in supporting people in various areas of their life. Her work brought her around the country and further afield to Australia. She worked supporting young men in the probation service in Waterford, Limerick Youth Service, Respite service for children with intellectual and physical disabilities, supporting women and children of the travelling community in Ennis, early school leavers in county Clare, teenage girls in supported accommodation in Limerick City.

She helped recruit for, set up, and manage a community creche in north inner city Dublin. She also worked as a childcare leader and kindergarten manager in Australia. Her main interest has always been in offering quality care to people she worked with and providing authentic support to the most vulnerable. After a spell of burnout and recovery Dee decided to create Present Moment Meditations. There was lots of interest and many of her early attendees still attend her groups. In 2018 She began offering mindfulness meditation classes to Adults in Limerick and Clare; this business has grown over the last few years, greatly due to her further training with Louise Shanagher. Currently Dee is working one to one with Adults and Children, she facilitates ongoing in person and online Groups privately and with professional organisations. She also runs Mindful Parent courses. She is currently undertaking training in children's yoga.

Dee believes it is important to work from your heart as much as from your academic training. She is a regular facilitator on the weekly personal practice sessions and really loves to hold space for others as they learn to meditate and support those growing their own personal practice.

“Establishing a gentle and loving acceptance of ourselves is paramount in expanding your ability to hold space for others, this takes patience and returning over and over again to this wellspring of grounded awareness is part of the practice”

Dee has a strong personal practice which has deepened her resilience in managing her own mental health. She understands anxiety and depression from both a personal and professional capacity. She has extensive practice in supporting people around challenges encountered as they go deeper with their practices.

Dee is passionate about supporting you on your journey and hopes to use her experience to empower practitioners to not only provide a professional service as a Creative Mindfulness Teacher but to also develop and grow their own inner sanctuary. Self-compassion is a practice she is passionate about sharing. Dee would love to support you on your mindfulness journey and is very approachable and authentic in her interactions with others.

Dee says she “sees mindfulness as a preventative and restorative resource to support mental and physical wellbeing and living mindfully promotes a deep connection to ourselves and from this deeper connection we can help, teach and offer guidance to others” If you would like to have a phone call or zoom meeting with Dee to explore any challenges you are experiencing in your personal practice contact her by email: kindheartsmindfulclasses@yahoo.com or message on 085 1658 206 to set up a time convenient for both of you.  Dee is on facebook and instagram @present.moment.meditations
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  • Lindsey Crean

Lindsey is a mindfulness teacher and coach for children, teenagers and adults and works in one to one sessions and groups with all ages. Her background has been in adult education and she began her creative mindfulness journey in 2020, when she was looking for tools she could use in her parenting during the stressful and isolating time that was the Pandemic.
She started training in the creative mindfulness method with the idea of passing on the exercises to her son, but soon realised how much she needed and benefitted from this method. Wanting to go deeper into the practice, she completed the mindfulness teacher and coach training with Louise through the Life Practice Academy.

She has facilitated workshops for Mental Health & Well-Being Week and for the Moya Festival in Kerry, as well as classes in mindfulness for parents.

What Lindsey really appreciates about Louise’s training is the way in which it empowers people to attune to and resource themselves so that they are able to support their own mental and physical well-being. It is an empowering approach and a philosophy of teaching that Lindsey aspires to bring to her classes and one to one sessions.
Lindsey attends both Louise’s online retreats and workshops, as well as Sangha Live’s retreats as part of her continuous professional development and is dedicated to deepening her personal practice.

If you would like to discuss anything related to your own personal practice, you will be given a safe, kind, compassionate, non-judgemental, and confidential space where you can explore what has come up for you and identify what your needs are.
Please contact Lindsey at lindseycrean@gmail.com
or phone/text 087 630 2155 to arrange an appointment via ZOOM.

Testimonials

What our students say about them

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"Jackie gave me invaluable help and support to prepare me for my mindfulness classes. I was nervous about a few factors about a class I had coming up and Jackie gave me such great advice and tips about different things I could do, and more importantly she gave me the boost in confidence I needed to be able to do the class.  After speaking to her I felt all my nerves melt away and I was ready to teach my mindfulness class from a calm place within. Nothing I asked Jackie was too big or small, she was able to guide me in her lovely compassionate way. I have so much admiration for Jackie, she has a truly beautiful gift"
-  Hayley

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"Hello, My name is Adele Rice @mindfulnesswithadele.

I have my children's Creative Mindfulness completed.  Very soon after completion I had been contacted by a school to deliver mindfulness sessions to primary school children, I was delighted to have been contacted, although I did feel myself panic a little.  I was so delighted to know that I could contact one of the advisors on the team. I made contact with Olive Houston back in June of this year as I felt I would like to chat with someone who had experience in sharing the work of the Creative Kids Methods. I was sent an initial questionnaire so that she would have information gathered in advance. Olive had extra resources available for me and points already made out before our call had happened.  Olive's dedication to this role is fabulous. This contact was the best thing I had done.  Olive was so welcoming to me and made me feel very comfortable right from our initial contact.  Olive's passion for her role as an advisor shone through, she had such a warm, caring approach and immediately made me feel at ease. Olive spoke with me on the phone, followed up by emails and messages, and she showed such  interest in what I was asking for guidance with. Olive always explained to me about the importance of my own personal practice and how to look after myself when I felt overwhelmed by being approached by schools. With Olive's help, kind listening ear and guidance together we had a clear plan for what I wished to bring to the school.  Olive made me feel so excited about bringing the amazing work of Creative Mindfulness to schools and I came away feeling very confident and reassured. I have since made further contact with Olive in October and again my time spent chatting and emailing was invaluable.  Olive truly leaves no stone unturned in this role and has even checked in with me following my delivery of classes in schools.
I loved having my sessions with Olive and feel that she has even become a friend.  This community is amazing, anytime I chat with Olive I feel so warm inside and so at ease, I have made a lovely connection with Olive, she has a fabulous manner and I would never hesitate to use the service of the Advisors again. It is a 5 star from me!!  The advisor role is a fabulous addition of support and guidance for us all.

Thank you Louise & Thomas for making this possible."
- Adele Rice

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"I recently booked a one hour session with Olive and it was amazing. Olive was extremely helpful and supportive. Olive emailed me prior to the call and asked what questions I would like to discuss. This gave a clear focus and structure to the call. Olive explained the information that I was looking for in detail to me. I benefitted hugely from the call and as my journey continues, I will be availing of this service again. The ladies who are in the advisor roles are so experienced and knowledgeable and offer a wealth of information."
- Bernadette Woods

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"The session with Dee has really helped me to focus on what I need in order to support myself in my journey as a Creative Mindfulness Practitioner. I found the session brought a greater sense of clarity of my future goals and a deep sense of connection to the sacredness and importance of this work. It was  a very empowering and uplifting experience. Thank You Dee!"
- Lindsey

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"For the past year I have put off asking for help. Trying to sort it all out myself when what I really needed was someone who would  listen to me and who could help me unpack the muddle of  procrastination I was swamped in. For the life of me I  could not  identify the mental or emotional blocks I had to finishing my Full Teacher Training course. I had even convinced myself  I was happy enough to learn all I could from the Tuesday night Webinars without finishing the course. Well, this morning I attended a one hour advice clinic online with Dee Ryan and in that hour not only did we get to the bottom of my procrastination, I had the most important discussion of my career to date and here I am now refocused in my commitment to completing my studies once more. I'm feeling so happy and inspired again thanks to Dee for being the professional she is, listening to me and knowing instinctively what was needed to help sort this difficulty out once and for all. In the  hour spent online with Dee, I found her to be a very warm, supportive, professional advisor, who also has a lovely sense of humour. Dee herself has journeyed the Full Teacher Training pathway and the Creative Mindfulness for Kids Course and is well aware of the kind of obstacles that can be encountered on these journeys. Now I know there is a wise, kind-hearted Mindfulness Advisor I can connect with for advice if I ever need help again on my journey to become a full-time Teacher of Mindfulness.  I've got such a lovely feeling of happiness now that I'm back focused on my goal again. ❤ ♥. Very best wishes, and kindest regards,"
- Catherine Hannon Kennedy

"I recently had the opportunity to have an Advisor Call with Olive Houston, and what a lovely and beneficial experience it was!  I initially reached out and requested the time with Olive for two reasons:  first, I am in the midst of doing my 1:1 work with adults for the full Teaching Training course, and after a couple of sessions, a number of things came up for me, not only questions  about how to handle certain issues that arose, but also feelings within me that I thought best to address before I proceeded; and second, I am preparing a small presentation for preschool directors on the benefits of mindfulness, and I wanted a bit of help with this as well.
Olive quickly arranged for a time that was convenient for us both, and sent me an insightful questionnaire ahead of time, which also seemed to serve two purposes.  Of course, it allowed her to see some of what I was grappling with, but I also found that the questions themselves brought a lot of things to mind for me, including almost some answers that I had deep within.
During our time together, Olive created a beautiful and safe space where I felt free to ask questions and reveal areas where I feel a little less sure of myself.  She listened with her full presence, offered just the right amount of feedback and shared from her heart, but always in a professional manner.  She has a tremendous amount of experience herself to draw from, and yet, somehow always made me feel as if I was or am not only enough, but more than enough.  I felt both my confidence and my heart swell during our conversation.  She answered a number of my questions directly, and yet left me with the feeling that I had many of the answers already within me.  I felt guided and encouraged by someone I admire greatly.
I left our call feeling energized, excited, and tremendously supported.  Oftentimes during the week that followed, I noticed gifts from our time together continuing to surface.  It made an amazing difference for me, and I am already looking forward to our next connection.  I am feeling enormously grateful for this experience."
- Julie Oudin