ABOUT

It is time for a more conscious world, where we have greater respect for ourselves, each other and our natural environment.

I am Hamish, a leadership and life coach, facilitator and breathwork practitioner. I support individuals and teams to step into more purposeful, resilient and compassionate leadership for people and the planet. 

My Philosophy

I believe our true nature is love, peace, joy, gratitude and equanimity.

If we can first relax, look inwards, quieten our minds, listen to and be compassionate with our whole selves, then each of us truly has the opportunity to:

• Understand who we are and what matters to us

• Connect to something bigger than ourselves

• Listen to our intuition rather than our expectations

• Embrace our fears and trust in Life

• Live simply and sustainably

• Recognise our self-imposed limitations and help others do the same

• Respond to our challenges with greater resilience, creativity and courage

• Find ease in our relationships and appreciate our differences

• See the gift and beauty in everything

In a society obsessed with certainty, status and accumulating material wealth, we have lost our sense of adventure. We have disconnected from our natural world and all the wisdom, energy and joy it has to offer. Nature is paying the price and so are we, with our ill health, exhaustion and endless conflict and fear. 

Our separation from nature is an illusion, as is looking outside of our own selves for happiness. I should know; I have spent much of my life doing that. Forcing our will on the world without first looking inwards is a fool’s game.

My Story

I have been coaching people for ten years towards a more conscious way of being; one with less stress, more presence, ease and joy.

My story to this point has been full of adventure, which has taken me to my own limits of fear, dissatisfaction and anxiety.

The British Army and an MBA

At the beginning of my working life I joined the British Army, where for seven years I  experienced extremes of conflict, courage and camaraderie, as well as the privilege and responsibility of leadership. This led me to my next adventure in business and an MBA at IE Business School in Madrid. 

Education, healthcare and leadership

During the MBA I worked in South Africa, where I established a learning programme for young disadvantaged people to become entrepreneurs. I then moved to Singapore followed by India and then the Philippines and led several businesses offering affordable, quality healthcare and education. And when I moved back to the UK, I worked as a leadership consultant developing teams towards high performance.  

Through these experiences I learnt the power of aligning values and culture in organisations and the importance of having a purpose that is exciting and has integrity. 

Disconnection

There came a point when I felt demotivated, disempowered and directionless. I was on a treadmill, following other people's dreams, confined by fear and tamed to a life of comfort and restricted growth. I was not being true to myself and found the courage to step into something that was more me.

Reconnection - rivers, mountains, rituals and solitude

Now my path is deeply informed by my experiences in nature, which I find to be the most profound teacher, guide and friend with whom I continue to grow, expand and trust. My time with the indigenous Achuar in Southern Ecuador showed me the power of rituals to revive; racing unsupported down the Yukon river as part of the longest canoe and kayak race in the world taught me the importance of trusting and following flows; an adventure down the Burro Burro river in the jungles of Guyana reinforced that I have nothing to fear but myself; and during 28 days of solitude in the Colorado mountains, I observed how everything, both inner and outer nature, is constantly changing, and how we must sense it, surrender to it and adapt accordingly. 

These experiences have shown me the natural world as an interconnected and sentient being. The more I see things this way, the happier I am. One of the most valuable lessons has been learning to get out of my own way, while also, and rather paradoxically, really listening to and trusting myself – my whole self.  This is now what I love to help others do.