Instructors Blurbs and Photos

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About Louise Shanagher

Louise Shanagher is a mindfulness teacher & instructor, children's therapist, author and the founder of the Creative Mindfulness method from Co. Roscommon, Ireland. Louise has a BA and MSc in Psychology and further qualifications in Mindfulness, Psychotherapy and Play therapy. Louise originally trained as an Organisational Psychologist and went on to specialize in teaching mindfulness and mindful self-compassion. Louise is the author of Ireland's first series of mindfulness books for children, the "Mindfully Me" series and the "Kindfully Me" series.  Louise has developed "Creative Mindfulness Kids" Practitioner Training. She is also co-author of Ireland's first mindfulness curriculum "The Mindful Heart".
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ONLINE Webinar on the 28th of October from 11am (IST)

Louise's philosophy

Louise is passionate about sharing mindfulness and compassion with others. She has introduced these practices to tens of thousands of people across the globe. She wholeheartedly believes that mindfulness and compassion practices have the potential to transform people's lives and create a kinder world for everyone.  

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About Paul McNamee

Paul is a psychology lecturer, curriculum designer and mindfulness course facilitator. He has worked on the design and delivery of mindfulness and wellbeing courses for a number of years and co-authored ‘The Mindful Heart’ a resource book for teachers introducing mindfulness in the classroom. He has also been involved in organizing mindfulness meditation retreats and family activities and was previously resident manager at a meditation retreat centre. He currently leads programmes introducing mindfulness in the community and in school settings. Paul has a degree in psychology and further qualification in adult education and design. He is a certified mindfulness teacher through the MMTCP programme with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield and is currently completing an MSc in Mindfulness Based Wellbeing in University College Cork.

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ONLINE Webinar on the 28th of October from 11am (IST)

Paul's philosophy

He is passionate about how an understanding of mindfulness and traditional insight meditation practices can give us a deeper sense of connection and oneness with nature. He believes that in this process both our sense of isolation and mental suffering can be relieved as well as helping to inspire action that heals our connection with the earth. One of his earliest inspirations for practicing meditation came from sitting in nature and experiencing the sense of belonging and not being separate. Since then, nature has been a constant support, inspiration and teacher throughout his journey with mindfulness meditation. Having lived for a number of years in a meditation retreat centre where he helped take care of the woodland, he has a particular resonance with the power of the forest to cultivate stillness and understanding. Drawing both on modern mindfulness and ancient insight meditation practices he believes that we can gain a much deeper insight into our internal world by taking the time to be with, explore and learn from the natural world.

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Lindsey Crean

based in Co. Kerry
My name is Lindsey Crean and I am a Creative Mindfulness Practitioner for children and teens and a Mindfulness Teacher and Coach for adults. I offer online and in person classes and am based in Kerry.
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Webinars is starting the 4th of July for 6 weeks

Lindsey's philosophy

My understanding of the philosophy behind Loving Kindness practice is that it reconnects you to your diamond nature and to the diamond nature of all beings around you and it supports and strengthens the qualities of compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity, qualities important for our mindfulness practice and for the cultivation of self-love and self-care. The practice itself involves using phrases of well-wishing as a focus for your attention and offering these phrases to yourself and to people in your life, extending these phrases to all beings everywhere. There are many benefits to practising Loving Kindness such as an increase in positive emotions, life satisfaction, vagal tone (which is a physiological marker of wellbeing), grey matter in the areas of the brain associated with emotional regulation, social connection, and your ability to enter a relaxing and restorative state. It promotes resilience, slows biological aging, curbs self-criticism, decreases your bias towards others, alleviates emotional tension associated with chronic migraines, and activates and strengthens areas of the brain responsible for empathy and emotional intelligence.

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Jacqueline Farrell

 Celbridge/ North Kildare/ West Dublin
Jackie is a mam of five, a secondary school teacher and a Creative Mindfulness practitioner, trainer & advisor. Jackie is Well-being Co-ordinator and Mental Fitness Co-ordinator within her school. She is passionate about promoting and nurturing positive mental health and well-being in children, teens, educators, and fellow Creative Mindfulness practitioners. Jackie is a self-published author and a contributor to many online publications.
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 iN PERSEON RETREAT starting the 4th of July for 6 weeks

Jackie's philosophy

Through daily mindfulness and self-compassion practices, Jackie has learned to embrace the richness of every moment, finding solace and comfort in the joy of being and cultivating a sense of warmth and acceptance towards herself and those she encounters. Jackie believes that when we cultivate, nurture, and grow kindness and compassion towards ourselves, this radiates outwards fostering healthier relationships with others and creates a much more compassionate world. Having spent 24 years as a post-primary teacher, Jackie has developed a strong sense of empathy for teenagers while recognising the unique stressors and pressures they face in todays fast-paced, social-media driven world.
Adolescence can be a turbulent time, filled with academic stress, peer pressure, identity exploration and emotional ups and downs. Her empathy for her students and the struggles they face, motivates her to share mindfulness and self-compassion practices which can reduce stress, improve mental health, increase emotional resilience, and enhance overall well-being in teenagers. These practices have helped Jackie navigate challenging times and have been instrumental in her own personal growth and well-being. Jackie has experienced firsthand the transformative power of these practices which has fuelled her desire to share these with others, especially teenagers and educators.
Jackie’s Creative Mindfulness journey began in 2018 upon completion of The Fundamentals of Mindfulness as delivered by Louise in Athlone IT. Jackie instantly fell in love with Louise’s kind-hearted presence and unique style of teaching and sharing mindfulness and self-compassion. Jackie has been practicing and sharing her passion for Louises’s Creative Mindfulness Method using colour, creativity, vibrancy, kindness, and care since then! Jackie is indebted to Louise, Thomas and many other like-minded practitioners who have supported her on her journey and wishes to support fellow educators and Creative Mindfulness practitioners in this very same way!

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Maria Catalina Piñol

Patagonia, Argentina

Maria Catalina Piñol is an Accredited Creative Mindfulness Practitioner. Currently living in Patagonia, Argentina; previously she lived for more than 12 years in Europe, Ireland where she had the opportunity to work in the area of Infant Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention as an Accredited Play Therapist/ Cert. Filial Play & Family Support Worker. Before becoming a Play Therapist she Studied Childcare, Youth & Community Work, Group Art facilitation skills and started the career of Counselling & Psychotherapy. She completed several training courses around Europe such as the Circle of Security and Theraplay. She worked in school settings, family resource centers, domestic violence centers, Counselling & Psychotherapy centers and coordinated a project subsided by the Family Court that specialized in supporting children's mental well-being, child protection, and family reunification. She was a Member of Mallow Infant Mental Health Network, Registered Member of Play Therapy Ireland/IACP/IAIMH and Member of Play Therapy Cork Subcommittee. Over the years she got closer to the contemplative practices initially looking to understand the suffering that we experience in life and decided to train as an instructor in different Mindfulness programs for adults and children. She has completed training in MBSR and other mindfulness nature-based programs. Today she enjoys working closely with Louise supporting the Spanish communities of parents, carers, children and professionals through the Creative Mindfulness Training and helping them.

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 iN PERSEON RETREAT starting the 4th of July for 6 weeks

Maria's philosophy

For me mindfulness is a door to a more loving, conscious and free life.
When we cultivate the practice of mindfulness in our lives we experience ourselves and the world around us from a place of awareness and kindness.  Mindfulness invites us to pause and see clearly, giving us the opportunity to come out of the daily pressures, rush, the automátic, impulsive ways we sometimes get lost in and  respond to life congruently with our deepest intentions and wellbeing.
This does not mean being perfect, this for me means allowing ourselves to be, embrace life with compassion and find peace within ourselves.
The creative mindfulness kids program offers a unique opportunity for adults and children to experience and cultivate mindfulness in their lives,helping them to embody the qualities the practice has to offer in a friendly and loving manner.

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Lyndsie Storer

Mildura, Australia

I am singer/songwriter, children’s author, Creative Mindfulness Practitioner for Children and Preschool Children, Heal Your Life Workshop Leader and Life Coach, (licenced by Hay House), Internationally Accredited Mindfulness For Children Practitioner and Australian Mindfulness Facilitator for Adults and Children. I am currently studying Level 5 Mindfulness Teacher Training, Creative Mindfulness for Teens, Mindful Parenting and Yoga for Children. My own personal development journey sparked a love of wanting help to motivate and inspire others. I have a passion for helping children identify emotions, decrease anxiety, increase confidence and positivity through music, books and mindfulness in a fun and creative way.

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Lyndsie's philosophy

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Clare Foxton

Wexford and Carlow, Ireland

I am a qualified Creative Mindfulness practitioner for preschoolers and children aged 4 – 12 years old. I also have a BA (hons) degree in Early Childhood Care and Education, and I have been working in the Early years sector for over 7 years. I offer in person creative mindfulness workshops for children.

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Clare's philosophy

Experiencing mindfulness for me has been a life changing journey. A journey of self-discovery, and a journey where I have learned to love and accept myself, exactly as I am. Learning to meet myself, others and my surroundings in the present moment with kindness, and without judgement, has led me to inner peace. Many of us are kind to others, but being kind to ourselves is not something we are always very good at. What I have discovered is that being kind to yourself has the ability to completely transform your life. We are all perfect exactly as we are, and practicing mindfulness reconnects you with your true inner beauty. True happiness starts from within. When practicing and teaching mindfulness is to share from an open-heart, with the aim of inspiring those on my workshops to come away with their own tools to support their overall mental health and well-being. Through my teachings I aspire to spark self-kindness in all my participants.

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Emily Wood

Lancashire, United Kingdom

Emily is a Creative Mindfulness Practitioner for Pre-School and Primary age children and also trained to deliver the Mindful Parenting Programme. She is based in Lancashire in the UK and offers classes to children and adults in schools, early years settings, community groups and organisations in person and online. Emily has worked in the field of Early Education for 30 years and works as a Local Authority Early Years Trainer and Wellbeing Lead. She is passionate about her personal and professional development and regularly attends training, retreats, and workshops to support her daily mindfulness practice

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Emily's philosophy

Her mission is to share the gift of mindfulness and self-compassion with children from their earliest years to help them to feel safe, present and connected so that they can grow and flourish.
Emily loves teaching the Creative Mindfulness Method as this enables her to share the concepts of mindfulness through practical, creative, tangible and play based ways! This enables the children to develop their skills to help them to build their attention and awareness, navigate their emotions and cultivate kindness for themselves and others. Emily’s intention is to nurture the qualities of awareness, kindness and compassion to support the positive mental health and wellbeing for all who attend her classes and courses.

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Julie Oudin

Texas, United States of America

I am a certified Creative Mindfulness for Kids practitioner with a specialization in working with preschool age children and their parents, as well as the teachers and schools that serve them.  I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social work, and I have spent much of my career working in the field of early childhood education as a teacher, director, and consultant.  I was born and raised in New York, but live in The Woodlands, Texas, a suburb just north of Houston, where I raised my own family.

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Julie's philosophy

While I came to my formal mindfulness practice rather late in life, I feel as if I have been practicing informally for most of my life, and now that I have arrived here, I feel this is exactly where I was meant to be all along.  When in the company of young children, I have always felt there is nothing more important than the connection made, and the quality of that connection comes from truly being with the children, offering them authentic presence and a deep listening.  I have always been committed to the well-being of all children, believing that each of us deserves to feel special and worthy simply because of who we are, rather than because of any particular accomplishments.  My philosophy is very much in sync with that of my childhood, and adult, hero, Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers Neighborhood, who ended many of his television programs by saying, “You make each day a special day by just your being you.  There is no one else in this world quite like you.”  As a child, I wanted to believe him, and as an adult, thanks to the awareness and self-compassion practices taught by Louise Shanagher and the Creative Mindfulness for Kids team, I finally do.  The journey is an ongoing one for me, but as I move forward, I become more and more committed to these beautiful practices that have the ability to heal the inner child in all of us.  I believe that this curriculum has the capacity to make each and every child feel good about themselves, and in so doing the world will become a kinder and more loving place for all.
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Breda Collins

Co. Clare, Ireland

Breda has been practicing mindfulness meditation for many years and has integrated it into her life as a mother, in her relationships at work and in her community. She enjoys sharing these practices with people of all ages. She has completed the full teacher training in addition to being a Creative Mindfulness Practitioner for preschool age, children 4-12yrs, teens and mindful parenting. She is delighted to be a Mindful heart practitioner (Irish primary school Mindfulness curriculum) and feels each child should have the opportunity to develop these skills. Breda is honoured to be a member of the Creative Mindfulness Committee and a Trainer for Creative Mindfulness. She is a state registered Occupational Therapist qualified since 2004 - BSc (HONS) Occupational therapy and is an advocate for Lifestyle Medicine.

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Breda's philosophy

Breda has a special interest in health and well-being. She believes each person has value and being kind to yourself and others is vital to happiness. She loves spending time outdoors in nature or playing with creativity. In the same way that kindness is contagious she loves that laughter is too and encourages everyone to make time for fun. Life is challenging and each moment is precious. Therefore Breda believes it is an honour that “we get to do this” and that we are privileged to have the opportunity to wake up to a new moment or a new day. Breda will share mindfulness and compassion based practices with you to help you to live each moment to its full potential.
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Edel Curtis

Co. Limerick, Ireland

Edel first began working with children over 30 years ago, owns her own preschool and afterschool service in Ballingarry County Limerick and also delivers in service training in creches and childcare services. In searching to develop her knowledge on supporting children with their emotional well-being, she studied the Creative Mindfulness Teaching course, developed and delivered by the most talented Louise Shanagher. This has been life changing both personally and, in her work, and she continues to work daily on her own personal practices, which has improved her mental health, anxiety and look at the positives in life. She now shares the benefits that she has truly reaped while doing this course and has developed her own business, “Embrace Me with Edel Curtis” where she teaches the methods of Creative Mindfulness to children, teens and adults.

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Edel's philosophy

Edel truly believes the earlier we provide children with the skills to support them through their emotional well-being, we are setting them up for life to help them understand and express their thoughts and feelings while cultivating kindness, gratitude and friendship. These skills promote positive mental health, general well-being as well as strengthening cognitive functioning, confidence and resilience.
 “If I was told from the very beginning that childhood defines adult mental health, we would take care to be more loving of a child’s soul”. -Lael Stone.
Now that Edel has studied the course and has seen the positive benefits that Creative Mindfulness makes in children’s lives, she feels passionate that it should be introduced as a module in the Early Years Courses. Every childcare practitioner should have the knowledge and skills to support children with their emotional well-being.
Edel has written her first book “Robbie’s Mindful Adventures, My First Day in School” and she iknows there are many more adventures to come in this work.

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Sophia Glatz

Istambul, Turkey

Sophia is a certified Creative Mindfulness Practitioner who is deeply committed to fostering the emotional well-being of young minds. Drawing from her background in primary education, she has personally witnessed the transformative impact of mindfulness practices on students' mental health and academic performance. This firsthand experience drives her staunch advocacy for the integration of mindfulness in schools. Motivated by her insights, Sophia founded Kommodum Kids, an international initiative dedicated to empowering children from diverse backgrounds through mindfulness. Kommodum Kids offers the Creative Mindfulness Method through workshops and group sessions, along with the Mindful Heart Curriculum for educational institutions. In addition to these credentials, Sophia is a certified Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Practitioner and Breathwork for Children Instructor.

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Sophia's philosophy

Sophia's philosophy is rooted in the belief that mindfulness isn't merely a practice; it's an
empowering resource for children to navigate life's challenges with resilience and compassion.
She believes in the significance of introducing mindfulness early in childhood development,
allowing for its effective integration into every aspect of children's lives, from their daily
routines to their classrooms. As a third-culture child herself and having lived in different
countries, Sophia is driven to contribute to the creation of a global community of children that
embraces diversity, nurtures empathy, and champions cross-cultural understanding. Alongside
everyone within the Creative Mindfulness community, Sophia strives to inspire a generation of
mindful, resilient individuals who are equipped to thrive in an ever-changing world.

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Olive Houston

Co. Louth, Ireland

Olive is a Creative Mindfulness Practitioner, Trainer and Mindfulness Teacher. As an Advisor to students
and fellow practitioners, she also offers support as they complete their Creative Mindfulness courses.
Olive has her own business, “Mind Yourself” where she regularly offers classes, workshops and retreats
to children, teens, and adults, in person and online. Her wish is simply to offer a space for everyone to
feel welcome, safe, where they feel they belong. Her background includes Nursing in the UK and Ireland,
Special Needs Assistance support in Primary and Preschools and has also worked as a tutor for many
years in Community Education, delivering Mindfulness courses based on the wonderful trainings of
Louise Shanagher to a wide variety of individuals/learners..

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Olive's philosophy

Olive is passionate about the importance of sharing Mindfulness, and particularly the Creative Mindfulness Kids Method, as developed by Louise Shanagher, with a goal of making it available and accessible to children of all ages, everywhere.  Olive believes that every one of us has so much value and we are all so deserving of the experience of feeling safe and loved.  While Olive works with a wide variety of individuals, in both group and individual settings, the intention as she prepares for a class or session is always the same. Creating a space that is warm, inviting, where everything belongs, is very important. When we feel safe, we can begin to relax, and allow ourselves to settle, to pause and just be.  It is from this space we can begin to really grow our mindfulness practice and kindness toward ourselves and others.  The Creative Mindfulness trainings have really helped Olive grow her own awareness and compassion practices and now more than ever, she wishes to support others as they are invited to develop theirs. If we can invite children from a young age to practice mindfulness and cultivate self compassion, we are offering them skills and tools which will be of great value to them for their life to benefit their physical, mental and emotional health.

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Dóra Majoros

Dubai, UAE

Dora is an Accredited Creative Mindfulness for Children practitioner trained by Louise Shanagher. As for her educational background, Dora has a BSc and MSc in Psychology and an MSc in Special Education. She is a Cognitive Behavior Therapy Practitioner and an ABA Therapist, and she is completing her specialization in Cognitive Behavior Play Therapy. She had the opportunity to gain valuable experience working in a Therapy Center and collaborating with an institute offering therapeutic interventions for children. She has been based in Dubai since 2017, where she was working in the Inclusion Department of a primary school, supporting children with individual needs in identifying and overcoming their learning barriers. She is the founder of KidPower, a company that specializes in fostering mental well-being and emotional resilience in children through the unique method of Creative Mindfulness developed by Louise Shanagher. The Creative Mindfulness for Children is an indescribable, high-value professional training where Dora had the opportunity to not only gain incredibly deep knowledge about Mindfulness using the most recent neuroscientific studies and applying a wide range of high-quality practices, but with the amazing guidance of Louise, she dug deep into her personal practice.

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Dóra's philosophy

Dora Dora truly believes that working with children is a privilege, and she has learned something very important from every single child she has had the honor of working with. She would especially highlight the blessing of being the mom of her two amazing children, who are making her life full of love, kindness, and compassion. She finds that Mindfulness practices are incredibly beneficial not only for the mental well-being of individuals but also for families, larger communities, and the overall mental health of our society. Among all the amazing benefits of Mindfulness, Dora would emphasize the importance of becoming more aware of our own emotions, thoughts, and sensations through Mindfulness practices. She believes that supporting children to develop the skill of recognising their own emotions will help them to acknowledge the emotions of others. This is the key to developing empathy, and empathy is the pillar of emotional intelligence. If children can learn and practice this complex ability from a young age, they will be naturally predisposed to kindness, compassion, and tolerance.

“Empathy is the glue that binds societies together, fostering understanding and harmony.”
(Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, 1984)

With the beautiful tool of the Creative Mindfulness method, Dora would like to help the children foster awareness, self-compassion, and emotion-regulation and support them in developing empathy, kindness (toward themselves and others), and emotional intelligence. If we can help one child improve his or her mental well-being, maybe one day this work will have an impact on a whole generation, and through that generation, this world might be a much better place to live in.
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