Our Story
In February 2017 we lost our 19 year old son. The loss was devastating and unlike anything we had ever experienced. We unwittingly became part of a national group of people, who have lost their sons and daughters to suicide.
Seven years on, and our lives have changed as well as our perspective on life and when you are thrown such a thunderbolt, you are forced to look at what really matters. And what really matters for us now, is how we show up for each other.
We are left with a deepened understanding of the need for authentic community that includes places of connection, healing and opportunities for change. This isn’t a time to hide or withdraw, but a time to become curious, to discover our voice, to find our vision and to become who we truly are. The world needs our unique gifts. And it’s for this reason that we decided to create a community interest company called 'The Village Soul Project', as a vehicle to offer opportunities to meet, grow and nourish each other.
The year ahead is looking exciting. We are hosting workshops in Conscious Voice, Mindfulness and Compassion and Family Constellations, as well as having feasts, talks and small exhibitions in Bristol and the South West.
Our website will feature our evolving calendar of events and you can sign up for our mail list to be kept informed.
We have a lovely space in Ashburton that we are happy to offer to groups looking for a place to hire for days, weekends or evenings, call us for a chat or meet for a cuppa.
Anthony or Paloma at thevillagesoulproject@gmail.com
Anthony Johnston
Anthony runs workshops and retreats in the UK and Europe using the natural singing voice and authentic communication as tools for embodied personal expression.
He has been running his Awakening the Voice workshops and Singing in the Wild retreats for over 25 years, in the UK and Europe.
He is founder and musical director of the Borjghali Georgian Choir who have performed in Georgia, Spain and the UK. To see more about Borjghali click here
Paloma Suárez
As a young woman after my Psychology Degree and during my studies towards my PhD I was curious about our human emotional and spiritual life. I discovered while researching Creative Thinking and Motivation that creativity can be learned, having a positive impact in our wellbeing and connecting us to the world and others.
I carried that understanding to my educational practice while working at Bristol University, at University of West of England and now for the Open University where I work in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Languages.
More recently I have trained as a teacher in:
Integrating Mindfulness and Compassion in Professional Practice.
Compassionate Mindful Resilience (CMR)
Life has given me many gifts, some of them through personal tragedy and grief,
I share some of those through my craft, meditations and courses.
You can find me at palomasuarez.org