About Me
My name is Heather and I am an expat, adolescent counsellor and coach, parent educator, yoga and mindfulness instructor and health and wellbeing coach.
I grew up near Philadelphia and have lived in Prague, Boston, Hong Kong, Brussels and London. A mother to three girls, I am an avid runner and exercise enthusiast who discovered the many benefits of a yoga asana practice in 1999 when I was pregnant and living in Brussels and have been practicing ever since. In 2011, I moved to Hong Kong where I found time to deepen my practice and become a certified yoga and mindfulness instructor. I am an experienced 500-hour registered Yoga Alliance member trained to teach a variety of yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices. More recently, I have trained at Duke University’s School of Integrative Medicine to become a health and wellbeing coach, and I have acquired a certificate in whole foods, plant-based nutrition.
I have spent the last 27 years in a helping profession, counselling young adults and their parents through transition and mental health concerns. I enjoy running educational workshops around mindfulness, stress management, parenting and transitional life stages. My expertise is based on my personal experience of spending much of my adult life outside my home country, health concerns that led me to become a yoga and mindfulness teacher and eat solely a whole foods, plant-based diet and my own experiences around life transitions that include not only moves around the world but also physical transitions with the menopause. I have a wealth of experience to share with others facing similar challenges and wanting to make positive changes.
I grew up near Philadelphia and have lived in Prague, Boston, Hong Kong, Brussels and London. A mother to three girls, I am an avid runner and exercise enthusiast who discovered the many benefits of a yoga asana practice in 1999 when I was pregnant and living in Brussels and have been practicing ever since. In 2011, I moved to Hong Kong where I found time to deepen my practice and become a certified yoga and mindfulness instructor. I am an experienced 500-hour registered Yoga Alliance member trained to teach a variety of yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices. More recently, I have trained at Duke University’s School of Integrative Medicine to become a health and wellbeing coach, and I have acquired a certificate in whole foods, plant-based nutrition.
I have spent the last 27 years in a helping profession, counseling young adults and their parents through transition and mental health concerns. I enjoy running educational workshops around mindfulness, stress management, parenting and transitional life stages. My expertise is based on my personal experience of spending much of my adult life outside my home country, health concerns that led me to become a yoga and mindfulness teacher and eat solely a whole foods, plant-based diet and my own experiences around life transitions that include not only moves around the world but also physical transitions with the menopause, I have a wealth of experience to share with others facing similar challenges and wanting to make positive changes.
Workshops
I have presented yoga, mindfulness and stress management workshops to educators and those in industry in Asia and Europe. An introductory mindfulness workshop, for example, usually lasts 90 minutes and introduces the concepts of mindfulness and relaxation. Participants experience several key techniques including deep relaxation, breathing techniques and guided meditation. A full mindfulness course runs once a week for ten weeks.
Past Workshops and Programs (2012-2024)
- HK SPRINT – a holistic wellness program designed to build resilience, awareness and a positive attitude in girls ages 8-13 through running and mindfulness, Hong Kong
- Mindful Relaxation Workshop, U.S. Consulate, Hong Kong
- Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness, 8 week course, U.S. Consulate, Hong Kong
- Bringing Relaxation to Stressed Out Students, East Asia Regional Conference of Schools, Bangkok, Thailand
- A Mindful Moment at Girls Take Charge Summer Programs, Villanova University, Villanova, PA and Pennsylvania State University, Malvern, PA
- Positive Parenting: Positive Discipline for Teens, Canadian International School of Hong Kong, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
- Mindfulness in Schools: Professional Development for Teachers, Canadian International School of Hong Kong, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
- Mindful Meditation and Relaxation Workshop, The Repulse Bay, Hong Kong
- Yoga for Runners, Core Plus Fitness, Hong Kong
- In The Zone, The International School of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Mindfulness for Educators, The International School of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Mindfulness for Parents, The International School of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Positive Parenting: Positive Discipline for Teens, The International School of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Yoga for Stress Management, The International School of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Wellness by Design, Learning by Design Conference, Brussels, Belgium
- Stress Management by Design, Learning by Design Conference, Brussels, Belgium
- Wellness Retreat for Educators, Vielsalm, Belgium
- Detox to Retox, a Series of 5 Workshops focusing on self-care, nutrition and balance, The International School of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Wellbeing by Design Pre-Conference is a one day event leading up to Learning by Design, a biennial event for educators to re-imagine the way schools facilitate learning in a culture characterized by open knowledge systems, inclusive educational communities, and rapid social change, The International School of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Working Alongside Transgender, Gender Variant, and Questioning Young People: A Counselor Collaboration, International School Counselor Association Annual Conference 2019, Brussels, Belgium
- Yoga for the Stages of Menopause, Vielsalm, Belgium
- Understanding the life stages of Perimenopause, Menopause and Postmenopause, Vielsalm, Belgium