For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to presence -

that living awareness beyond the thinking mind. I often used to sit as a small child in silence and observe the world around me; it felt like home to sit in that space of stillness and peace. 

The pragmatic ways of the world taught me to value mind above all else, and like many before me, I forgot how to connect to my inner life authentically. One day aged 6, I found myself on a plane being taken away from the ‘dark cloud’ my English mother felt spreading across Yugoslavia. Landing at Heathrow as war destroyed my country of birth, I knew life would never be the same. My quest for homecoming began there. 

 I spent many years wandering, throwing myself into new situations and academic achievements, looking to belong, to feel validated, to feel at home in the world. Eventually, I got a first-class degree from King’s College London in English Language & Literature and had a high-flying career as an arts producer - all things that felt like a path to success. Inside though, I felt a sense of struggle daily, disoriented by long working hours and high stress. Eventually I reached near-burnout and felt completely out of touch with myself.

But - as we know – we cannot hide from who we came here to be. 

In an unexpected phone call one May day, I found out my best friend Hannah had died. It was a profound, painful wake-up call that changed my life and I knew I had no choice but to live life differently. I gave up my job, went travelling and finally arrived at a meditation centre, feeling Hannah guiding my path. Sitting in my own company in silence for 10 days, I heard my inner voice again and felt a sense of deep aliveness rising up in me. Having spent years looking for home and belonging outside of myself, I realised that I’d been looking in all the wrong places for my belonging and happiness; I saw that home is a place inside, one that could never leave me. 

From there, life changed completely. 

I created and ran an international wellbeing events company - NOW Live Events - for many years, with well-known wellbeing partners like Ruby Wax and Psychologies Magazine. I also qualified as a Psychosynthesis counsellor & coach (BACP), trained as an energy healer and began teaching meditation. Having spent a long time supporting others to share their teachings, I discovered my own passion for teaching powerful self-development tools and have been teaching ever since. 

I’ve now taught thousands of individuals, communities and organisations internationally, from universities and government departments to public services like the NHS and organisations like Pret a Manger. I’m also a regular speaker on panels, most recently at Southbank Centre and AllBright. The best bit is, I still feel giddy whenever I teach, write and connect with people in this way all over the world. 

Ultimately, whether it’s anxiety, destructive behaviour or so many other negative experiences we face, I believe the source of so many of our problems is a disconnection from feeling at home within, individually and collectively. It’s a big question to ask, but I wonder how different the world would be if every individual felt a sense of wholeness inside.

That’s the kind of world I want to help create. My vision is to offer a unique and powerful pathway for us to remember how to find that sense of belonging inside - in our own minds, bodies and emotions - so we can be a source of love and joy in the world. 

Nowadays, when I’m not travelling around the country teaching, you’ll find me in the wilds of Kent with my husband and son, going on nature walks and enjoying rural life. You can find me talking all things wellbeing @jana.nightingale