I'm Emma and my passion is the language of compassion.

A language that, when put into action in how we communicate in our intimate relationships, has the potential to unlock a way of connecting to ourselves and each other that is deeply loving, accepting and meaningful. For more than seven years, I’ve dedicated my time and energy towards learning and teaching Non-Violent Communication (NVC). I have offered dozens of online and in-person workshops, mediated conversations between couples and created and hosted community healing spaces like the Empathy Cafe, a weekly gathering where people could come together for learning and practicing the skills of deep listening.
 

What inspired my NVC journey
The principles of NVC, or Compassionate and Authentic Relating, entered my life at a time when my relationship with a partner reached a breaking point. I had just left my job, flat and community in London and was about to move to Greece together with my partner when something unfolded that left both of us, in different ways, feeling judged and unheard. The way I had engaged with life up to that point would have caused our relationship to crumble, as so many do in the modern world.

It was at this juncture that he shared with me a video of a training offered by Marshall Rosenburg, the psychologist and teacher who founded NVC. Within minutes, I felt my heart being pierced by Rosenburg’s description of a way of relating to myself and others that was unlike anything I’d encountered before. I was transported to a different way of being in the world — one where the language of life is compassionate and honest, a vast departure from the language of judgement and blame that’s become so woven into the fabric of our societies and families that we’ve lost the ability to see it. And as a consequence, we have forgotten how to speak from the heart, which is our natural language. I somehow intuitively knew that I would spend my life living and sharing this language.

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The transformative power of NVC in my life:

My personal journey of living these principles transformed how, first and foremost, I related to myself and, from this place of greater integration, has enriched the quality of intimate connections in all areas of my life. It deepened my bond with my partner so much so that, even when we eventually separated four years later, we were able to maintain a meaningful friendship. It has allowed me to cultivate a more spacious and caring space to spend time with my parents and it has invited deeply nourishing friendships into my life. Finally, it has empowered me to step fully into my purpose of supporting the co-creation of a new paradigm for humanity, where our systems embody the language of compassion and honesty.

And ultimately the narrative that I keep coming back to is the recognition of my own humanity and understanding that I have been born into a world

Perhaps the most profound change for me has been an acceptance of my own humanity: The knowledge that even though I will continue to make mistakes and behave in ways that I regret, the lens of compassion views every unfolding (within myself and others) as a gateway to meeting needs.

The path that led me here

From a young age, I've been a natural mediator who sought to bring harmony to the relationships around me. As an art teacher for seven years, I taught various forms of art to almost every age bracket, from dozens of 3- to 11-year olds to groups of teachers to adults with learning disabilities. And as a sculptor, I have learnt that in order to mould a piece of art, we need to really be willing to be vulnerable, curious and open to getting the clay under our fingers. 

We can see relationships, too, as works of art – perhaps our foremost art projects – and I'm here to teach you the techniques to create and nurture bonds where compassionate honest communication can flow more naturally. 

Beyond NVC

Beyond NVC, my unique way of working has been informed by various modalities that complement and expand on the possibility for understanding the complexity of human relational experience. These teachings, listed below, have enabled me to hold spaces where I meet people on all levels of their human experience: mind, heart and body.