I am a wounded healer and mother of two grown-up daughters, married to gardener and fellow conscious dancer Julian Godfrey. We live close to Durham city in the northeast of England with our labrador, Bramble.

Several challenging circumstances and events shaped my path as a soul healer. As a child I was constantly bullied by my older brother, setting the psychological stage for later choices. In my early twenties I met and married a talented but deeply wounded man, who quickly became violent towards me. He committed suicide, leaving me pregnant with his child. One more relationship and couple of years later I found myself a single mother of two, determined to get a handle on my life before the drama exceeded the credibility of a soap-opera plot. To better understand the significance of these shaping forces, you can read more about my childhood and my first marriage in forthcoming blog posts.

The arts have always been my method for processing experience and expressing myself albeit unconsciously at first. As a child I dreamed of going to drama school, at school I lived for art lessons and sang in the choir, and in my teens I sang in a band and made my own clothes. I started dance classes before I can remember and have always danced in some form. In 1997 I discovered 5Rhythms®. Unlike the hours of technique-focussed classes, it lit up my whole being and gradually transformed my life. This inspired me to offer the work to others. I went on to train with 5Rhythms® founder, Gabrielle Roth in the US between October 2000 – October 2001, and have been teaching ever since.

Conscious dance has become the anchor for my life. When I need to process my emotions, I dance. When I want to connect authentically with other people, I dance. When I need inspiration, I dance. More than this though, the 5Rhythms® themselves have given me a framework I can apply everywhere in life. There is deep security in understanding that while the duration and content may differ, the consistent order and energies of the rhythms will indicate what is required of me and when. Flowing is the time for inward focus; staccato invites connection, structure, and action; chaos requires surrender; lyrical is where I expect joyful serendipity to open up; and stillness gives the space necessary to rest, assimilate, and reflect. This knowledge helps me to meet challenges that might otherwise seem insurmountable.

Alongside teaching 5Rhythms, in 2001 I co-founded the Bare Toed Dance Company with colleagues Lynn Campbell and Jo Templey. Specialising in creative movement and aerial dance in community and school settings, Bare Toed works with a variety of groups to help them connect to themselves and others in meaningful, joyful, and embodied ways. See the Bare Toed pages for more.

In 2012, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, I started my first undergraduate degree, seeking credibility and a platform from which to advocate for the movement work I could see was transforming more lives than my own. This led to a master’s and culminated in a PhD from which I graduated in July 2026. My e-thesis can be accessed via Durham University’s e-theses repository.

I have continued to prioritise my personal and professional development by regularly upskilling. See Trainings, Qualifications and CPD.

Explore

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• What other dancers say — testimonials from participants
• Open Floor — my history with the practice and how it informs my work
• Trainings, qualifications & CPD — certifications, study and ongoing development