Gavin Wilshen
"I was drawn to participating in the iEvolve programme after going through a period of change in my career. I'd noticed a disconnect between what I was doing day-to-day and where my passions lay. My heart was no longer in my work, family life had become a burden and I needed reinvigorating. Despite being initially sceptical about what I might get from taking part, I found the course thoroughly engaging and I experienced a deep connection with the other participants – well beyond my expectations. I left the course on a natural high – it was very strange but most agreeable. Ultimately, iEvolve has helped me to recalibrate and has set me on a path of new possibility. Whilst essentially I remain the same person in the same predicament, I have been able to loosen the shackles of how I see myself in the world and can begin to dream new possibilities."
Barbara Grantham
"I have had painful issues with my hip and back since March this year, which made me very nervous about embarking on any bodywork at all. I am so glad that I have taken part in two of the series and have now enrolled for a third. My participation has greatly contributed to my healing. The teacher has a depth of experience and brings a gentle energy to his teaching. I feel very supported in the classes."
Lauren Facey
"I remember approaching the Foundation Course with a lot of hesitancy. Questioning whether or not I felt ready to fully bring myself to the programme, whilst dealing with quite a lot of change in my personal life. All I can say is that I am relieved that I signed up regardless and completed the programme. No matter what I had going on there was always space for me to be heard and accepted and that really shifted how I relate to myself and others. The opportunities the course created for me to gain a little more energy and strength were countless - through food, movement, breath work, silence, dialogue, just being. I found once I surrendered to the simple practices of the Foundation Course the benefits were undeniable. It has allowed me to find stillness and peace in my every day life, which for me has been invaluable. "
Galina Petkova
"It took me few minutes to make the decision to do iEvolve. I didn't know what exactly it was but I felt there was something which I want to experience. After iEvolve I felt much more connected to the existence of wholeness, and being part of an amazingly flexible reality. I feel like I always had these concepts of life deep inside me, but I was not aware them.... I feel awakened. "
Debbie Whelan
"Essentially the Coaching service turned my life inside out. Instead of fitting in a bit of well-being (bodywork, cooking, journaling) around my schedule, I now fit everything in around a tailor-made structure where my own well-being comes first. The difference this has made to my energy levels is astounding and has impacted every other area of my life. The overwhelming fear, stress and fatigue has been replaced by calm, coherence and aliveness. It was like having a compassionate but firm guardian Angel that helped me rebuild myself into a more solid, capable human being and has given me all the tools I need to deal more gracefully with being human."
Maike Lehmann Sander
"My coach was amazing. She was totally committed, trustworthy and fully present at every second of our phone calls. Her style of communication was clear and honest. She pointed out things to me which nobody else had done so far in this way. Getting away from myself was impossible with her! This amount of rigour wasn't always easy for me... but truly beneficial and constructive. "
Selina Farnfield
"I wasn't expecting to get as much out of The Foundation Course the second time around. But it works a strange magic, and even more emerges and is revealed, leading me further down the road of transformation. Through the generous sharing of my fellow participants, the support of my coach and the grounding of the bodywork and cooking, I have established a deeper connection with my body, and a greater discernment of the patterns that are trying to run my life. I have a strong foundation on which to base further self-discovery and open myself to greater possibilities."
James M
"The Foundation Course was a perfect journey of self-evaluation, a forensic enquiry into my sense of self and relations with others through ten weeks of joyful experimentation. Cookery, bodywork and dialogue sessions combined to help me challenge my conditioning towards these fundamental areas of being. I found that my learned beliefs and prejudices had shaped my unhealthy relationships with food, exercise and other people. Confronting and freeing myself from these beliefs allowed me to approach daily life in a fresh and exciting way. The coaching structure and buddying up with other course participants meant that I felt engaged and accountable for my commitments, even when I was away from the Institute. I can’t thank the Institute, coaches and support team enough for helping me to find equilibrium across all areas of my life."
Susanne Roche-Iles
"I had a very moving experience of the iEvolve programme. I wanted to feel that breakthrough in my body so I enrolled in the Foundation Course. The course placed a focus on our day to day way of being in life, a new type of awareness which really became my life. During the 10 weeks of the programme I began to create a new relationship with myself and my body. The programme was a roller-coaster of emotions; deep and profound in the beautiful company and safety of a group. Having completed the course I feel I am a bigger person in my own life with a new relationship to my body - I couldn’t recommend the course more highly. "
Sonja Dorau
"When I decided to do the iEvolve programme I had reached a point in my life where I felt that I couldn’t just keep going on as I used to. Even though I was in a good place after engaging in therapy, I feared that this could change for the worse again and felt quite tense sometimes. I wanted to gain consciousness about my actions and decisions, so I decided to give Concord a go. iEvolve was an incredibly intense experience. By the end of it I felt that sharing myself, and the whole experience of the programme with a group of people helped to lift the pressure I put myself under. I no longer feel like I live in a bubbly prison that I can’t escape. I feel free to take important life decisions, and am no longer constantly questioning whether it is actually me deciding or if I am being forced into situations by random circumstances or patterns."
Chris Barnes
"I have been fortunate enough to be able to participate in PIE several times over the past 15 years. Each occurrence has been illuminating and powerful. Not as an abstract concept but as a practical, visceral experience. Thank you. "
Jane Penfold
"I was resistant to signing up for iEvolve for a long time....when a friend talked about Concord I was sceptical.… How wrong I was, and how I underestimated Concord! I took part in iEvolve and then a number of other programmes, I experienced changes in myself which were subtle but profound. I can see I am now much more content and at peace with life, and much happier. I have some distance on issues, and I have discovered myself to be considerably more resilient and tolerant of stress than ever before. I feel very grateful and lucky that I have had the opportunity to do this work and that Concord is there. I would encourage anyone reading this to trust and sign up!"
Raphy Mendoza
""I came to participate on iEvolve, somewhat recognising that my experiences of life (particularly around relationships, work and wellbeing) was repetitive - I was complaining about the same stuff all the time. I could see that I was the common denominator, but I couldn't see what I was doing to have my life be how it was. During the programme, I experienced a moment of profound clarity where I was able to see myself in action in my life. Then came a shift from the experience of life as 'happening to me', to that of life being something that I create each day. Standing somewhere where life is a co-creation in which I'm an active part, I feel a greater responsibility and ownership for the life that I do have. By no means is my life now suddenly instagrammable – and nothing is fixed - but I can legitimately call it my own.""
Blandine Bardeau
"Participating on The Foundation Course at Concord Institute has created a new space for me to be in my life I didn’t know was possible. Through practising the disciplines of bodywork, wholefoods cooking and rigorous self-enquiry, a quiet yet powerful energy was being fed throughout the three months of the programme, a new kind of strength inside my belly I can tangibly feel. I feel that I can live from my heart in a way that wasn’t accessible to me before, and I have more energy to be able to bring into reality the dreams that live inside of me. Above all, I have the tools I need to support and sustain those dreams. Now is the time."
Anne Bogaerts
"During this weekly rendezvous with my body, guided by the calming voice and clear instructions from Gregor, I gently get in touch with my physical self. The soft but fully engaged techniques of using your breath, muscles and joints keep me in balance with the hard and demanding way I use my body most of the time. After every session I feel lighter and taller, as if more space is created. And thanks to the knowledge Gregor shares with us, I find myself filled with wonder at this ingenious system we call our body."
Gorgia Pownall
"I found my coaching service experience to be hugely powerful. By working intimately, one to one with a coach I reached new depths and levels of clarity in my body. The disciplines of cooking and bodywork now feel so woven into my daily life. Throughout I felt simultaneously held and very responsible for my own journey. There was a huge amount of resources in food and bodywork made available that kept inspiring me. I went in with a clear intention of what I wanted, and nothing has necessarily changed but I can see so much more of where I was coming from in the matter of it all."
Richard Devine
"The Foundation Course provided a framework through which I transformed my relationship with myself, with my family, and with Life. Through integrating the bodywork, whole food cooking, and dialogical inquiry systematically and rigorously over 12 weeks, I was able to break through into a new world that was previously unattainable, and even unimaginable. I now stand firmly with a level of internal contentment that my former self would have only dreamed of - along with the tools and practices that enable this dreamy world to be sustained. "
Laura Muresan
"iEvolve sounded like a nice idea as I have always been interested in growing. I said yes, signed up, and then an overwhelming fear came upon me “What have I done?!” Yet, there was an inner trust in my own instinct. I knew I had made the right call, and the moment I said yes things started showing up. By the time iEvolve started I realised I had a lot at stake; my life was running in a circle, same outcomes, different people, having yet another relationship end similar as the other ones, having others show up in my life the same over and over again, feeling powerless and not being able to have a say. The programme shifted my perspective and transformation became a huge part of my life. I now see multiple possibilities where once I saw only one. I feel more aware of who I am and where I am coming from. What I realised afterwards was that one of the main reasons I said yes was because I saw a presence in the person who invited me. They had a “being there now, available” that I wanted for myself. I am deeply grateful to the person who shared iEvolve and Concord Institute with me. It is a gift to be shared forward."
Louisa Chowen
"My coach was intuitive, sensitive and fierce in her clarity. She felt like my mother tiger when I was lost and scared, needing someone to be brave and strong to help me roar. I trusted her completely with my well-being and desire for me to be truly free. Anyone who gets the chance to experience some powerful committed coaching will not forget it. "
Raphy Mendoza
"As a coach, I was an ally who walked alongside my coachees, looking at areas where they were wasting energy or not being fully responsible in their lives. To hold another accountable for what they say they’re going to do meant also holding myself accountable. My experience of being a coach was that it was a great privilege. Standing for another person's dreams also allowed me to stand for the fulfilment of my own dreams. "
Anne Bogaerts
"My intentions for participating the Coaching Services were big, … I was struggling with one of the most existential questions: “Why am I here, what is my purpose?” and a more practical matter: “I want to consume alcohol more consciously”, coming from the promise I made myself, to nourish myself and others from the heart. Just subscribing got me in a personal process; Am I doing this right, am I living my life, is this how concord approaches life, am I doing ok, how is my wellbeing, Lots of questions and lots of judgement towards myself. Together with my coach, we defined my intention to a fully emotional expression of myself. Due to the feedback from my coach and the journaling on certain matters of my personal life, my bodywork and nourishment, I became aware of so many patterns that are wired into my habits, thoughts, behaviour and even my body. During this program I learned to slow down, nourish myself with care and warmth, I integrated new habits and for the first time in many years something very important changed. I could feel the difference between making yourself watch your diet and bodywork and energetically sense what your being needs. There were moments of grief thinking of leaving my old self behind, moments of anger and wishing I hadn’t subscribed for this event. But only now looking back to this period after several months I realize how big the impact has been. During this period my father became very ill and a short while after I ended the coaching services my father passed away. Thanks to some very important foundations I reinstalled and the support of concord I consider this period as one of the most intense, human, powerful and beautiful moments of my life."
Ales Marek
"The effect of participating in Power, Intent and Evolution was a profound one. I came out of the programme, especially the first time around, with all my senses amplified and having a clear vision for the year ahead of me. The programme took me on a magical journey. As I got more clearing inside me thanks to the dialogue sessions, I started experiencing strong visions and impulses. Thanks to the top level leadership of the facilitator my visions got grounded into a real life tools that I took home with me. This is a programme which I participated in twice. I liked the outcome so much, and I also wanted to peak behind the scenes a bit, that I took part in the production of the event on two other occasions. "
Sam K
"The Foundation Course: Helped me to more frequently and easily access the energising realisations of the IEvolve programme. It weaved a new understanding from my mind into my body. It had been a long time since those two parts of me really connected. It allowed for a new way of thinking to develop into a new way of being. The three disciplines of dialogue, bodywork and cooking provided a day to day framework which created the room to recognise and be with old habits and patterns, as well as the strength to then control and manage them. I believe this course has helped me regain my power. It breeds a kind of practical, grounded mindfulness. I have finished it with a lot more room and time for others as a result. The same power of the group’s energy exists, as it did for IEvolve and yet it is also beautifully supplemented by 1 on 1 coaching from those that have been on this journey before. In only 10 weeks I reconnected with family members, changed the shape of key relationships in my life for the better and learned to love myself too. Thank you. "
Danny Schmulevitch
"The Foundation Course was an adventure of inquiry and discovery about the nature of the mind and the heart. It brought me great presence, open-heartedness and authenticity - not merely for myself, but in connection with those I love. It also brought me a greater acceptance, calm and stability within the turmoil of my everyday life, and deepened all the practices that support my wellbeing. Thank you Concord and all involved. "
Sam K
"I Evolve: I arrived at the Concord 2 years after the breakdown of my marriage. I had spent a lot of time reflecting. A lot of time on “self-help”. Life was stable but I felt there was still a lot I didn’t understand about my own patterns of behaviour. I still wasn’t truly comfortable in my own skin. I couldn’t shake a sense that I was living a life that wasn’t really my choice. I Evolve shocked me, in the best possible sense of that word, into being able to see the undesired repeated episodes in my life from a perspective outside those historic ways of being. It brought an awareness of a different way of seeing myself and the world around me. The power of the group – there with the same intentions, as well as the excellent guidance and energetic drive of the Concord team, allowed for an honesty and truth to emerge, despite all my usual resistances that look to protect what is familiar. Truths that have plenty of warts but also bring tenderness and freedom with them and their acceptance. As I completed the course I can only describe a sensation akin to a rebirth. Not so much a “fix” as an awakening to so many more possibilities for life ahead. "
Tim Crowther
"Whereas iEvolve cracks open the seed, The Foundation Course provides a hot house for it to grow and gain strength. It is a highly practical programme that nourishes body, mind and heart and breaks up fixed patterns of being and thinking. Having a coaching call each week allows you to uncover in detail your way of being and keeps you on track to make significant and healing differences in your life and relationships. And the rich soil of this hothouse is also comprised of the other participants - journeying with an aligned, loving and non-judgmental group is extremely powerful."
Mike Lim
"The Foundation Course really helped me appreciate my body and its needs. I found that if I threw myself in to everything on offer that I felt very well and stopped getting caught up in everyday issues and the normal worries that go through my head. It was a joy to be with others who’ve made a similar commitment to looking at and working with their everyday lives. After finishing the course, I have fundamentally changed my attitude towards food and looking after my body. "
Johan Bogaerts
"Reading a book or going to a therapist can, if you are lucky, help you understand who we are, how we function. What made JumpStart unique is that in one week, not only did I understand transformation with my modern mind, I also experienced it with my total body. Empowered by the group conversations, the food and the bodywork sessions, I was able to open my heart. The experience helped make a fundamental and sustainable shift in my life; towards myself, my family and work. JumpStart made me feel true transformation - true love, during the course and still today. My thanks to all who made this wonderful experience and shift in my life possible. "
Lumi Thring
""My friend invited me to iEvolve when I was in a really tough place in my life. Health issues were affecting my ability to work and I was in a relationship that wasn’t serving me. Underlying this was a deeper question that was always there and occupied a large chunk of my time and energy was “why am I here in this life and what on earth am I doing?!”. iEvolve was a place that I could bring all of that to the table, discover a new relationship with my health, relationship and these questions. I experienced a sense of freedom. I remember, on the Monday after the weekend, walking in the woods and experiencing how alive everything was and knowing that, whatever this work was, I needed to continue to take on my life and get underneath the stories and narratives that had a deep hold on me. Nearly five years on, I can honestly say that participating in iEvolve has placed me more fully in my life and able to engage with what life brings." "
Chris Barnes
"The online Tensegrity series are a literal "life saver" for me, keeping me doing Tensegrity through the week with all the associated accompanying health and well being benefits. Charlotte is a dedicated and passionate instructor. "
John Scally
"iEvolve shifted the paradigms of how I see things. I experienced an amazing group and individual experience which produced positive change. I loved the references the course uses. The weekend has a pace and a dynamism that lifts the soul. Less worries, more joy, doors opened. I have more purpose, more taste for life, more appreciation of what I have and more joy in the moment. '"
Jane Penfold
"HeartSpace has made me much more aware of life’s opportunities and riches than ever before - my life is exciting at a level that I didn’t imagine possible. I feel more able to tolerate high levels of stress in my life, and I have a new ability to take things in my stride. I also have more emotional energy and much more compassion - in particular for my mother and sister."
Anna Legaspi
"My coach created a space where it was possible to access what is within me, whether I liked it or not. I am ever so thankful that my coach was available and present for me. He did a remarkable job and I truly felt his intention to assist and guide my transformation. Because of him, I found out that what I really knew about myself is only a part of who I am. I had access to something far greater than myself and my coach opened the door to this world. "
Carissa Bub
""I came to iEvolve looking for a breakthrough that would progress an on-going commitment to become a more conscious being, capable of making a real contribution to others and thus living a life worth living. The three day and one evening event was exquisitely run. I felt nurtured and nourished from head to toe by the content, food and group I participated with, whilst importantly having the space and stillness to safely let go. What happened next might be best described as touching bliss. Something shifted inside, an opening emerged and has remained. I feel less gripped by life and the experience of committing to my life making a difference deepened. Priorities have changed and life is a little more effortless. I highly recommend iEvolve to anyone who wants to expand their consciousness and is tired of how they are living life.""
John O'Donnell
"I was recommended iEvolve by my partner and found it tremendously powerful. The course offers a safe space to feel vulnerable, which is important in diving deeply into one’s past, one’s presumptions and one’s experiences and bear oneself to the depths of reality, looking through a focus that otherwise would not have been possible. It enabled me to come back to the surface reinvigorated, refreshed and rejunevated. The course was led with challenge but in a safe and caring way. And because no stone was left unturned I realised that the things I’d blamed others for or been challenged by were, in fact, deep-set patterns in my own life. iEvolve is a revealing process, valuable to me and I’d highly recommend it. "
Paul Byers
"Coaching is a commitment to making a difference in someone’s life. As a coach at Concord, I have experienced the extraordinary privilege of working with people and listening to them open up about the realities of their life. All the coaches I have worked with at Concord have been motivated by a sense of being of service, and in so being of service they get to work on the challenges that they themselves face. It is only through putting our personal selves to one side that we can truly coach another. That training is what sustains our own development and access to power in making and seeing the world the way we wish it to be. "
Helen Leonowitz
"I decided to participate in iEvolve after realizing that while I thought things looked alright from the outside, I was not living a fulfilled life that nurtured the real me. So many years had been spent building emotional walls that I didn’t even know who the real me was. iEvolve provided a safe space to tear down those walls. Guided by facilitators, and supported by a community of participants, we explored honestly what restricts our potential. The ties that bound me began to unravel and reveal a true essence. It was a truly profound journey. I felt that I had experienced my spirit on a different plane and that different perspective was the beginning of a journey that is changing the way I live life. "