Impermanence

Ninderry, May 2018

“To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance.
A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky, rushing by like a torrent down a steep mountain.”

This poetry by Gautama Buddha is a powerful reminder of the transient and impermanent nature of life. It is an encouragement for all to wake up into the preciousness of a human life and to fully embrace each day as it is gifted to you.

The words of the Buddha sing louder with the recent sad loss of Manu, a loved one in our Zenthai community.

This morning I surfed beautiful emerald green waves, gave a bright coloured flower to my wife and joyously sat in circle within our yoga class with a family of open hearts.

Beauty, colour and family are virtues that resonated from the depths of Manu’s essence and still are alive and well within each day. Today they touched me deeply.

The virtues we live by are the legacy that remains when we are gone.

They remain outside the torture of time and are the light that continues to infiltrate through eternity when the physical passes.

If you have lost a loved one, can you allow yourself to be the vessel through which their light continues to shine?

And finally … what are the virtues that touch your deepest truth?

And … will you spend time today to imprint them upon where you walk and talk?

On this, the best day of your life.

With love,
Gwyn

21/03/201820/05/2019

Prajna

Bali, March 2018

A young Asian girl is sitting cross-legged on the grass, sipping from the deliciously sweet coconut in her lap. Her body is spent from a full day of yoga, dancing, singing and therapy, but a sense of peaceful contentment shines from her face. A soft smile reflects her inner joy and her relaxed demeanour is contagious. She is in a state of ‘satori’— untouched by the fluctuating waves that come from the dreaming mind.

My body exhales deeply as I tune into her profound sense of inner peace and relaxation. Nothing to do, nowhere to go. Everything is here. I see a radiant candle light up in the middle of her chest. Prajna … heart fulfilment. I reflect back to over ten years ago, when I first stepped into the Bali Spirit Festival and experienced the unique and magical, transformational opening offered here. …

I’m here, at a Bali Spirit promotional event, a few weeks before the festival kicks off. As with many gatherings in Bali, there is a profound mystical synchronisation between nature, people and incidents surrounding the occasion.

Symbolic of a magical natural cleansing, a huge rainstorm hits in the morning. It’s reflected on by the local high priest, who also introduces us to the sacredness of this island of the gods and the tangible spiritual vortex that we’re immersed in.

The “108 Sun Salutations” at the Yoga Barn are taking place at the back of the small studio. I am one of nine teachers invited to lead 12 sun salutations from a temporary stage, constructed at the base of the rice fields. It feels like an amphitheatre — with students on their mats, scattered on the grass terraces above us. The top terrace is just below the large studio, where a large group of cheerleaders has gathered.

Huge speakers face out towards the students — amplifying our immersion in the Surya Namaskar ritual of internally and externally bowing to the light within us. After each round of 12 sun salutations, a microphone is passed onto the next teacher, providing a welcome break. The music restarts. A new voice, a new rhythm and a new conversation with the audience. The energy builds and builds.

We have decided amongst ourselves to gradually increase the tempo before bringing it back down to a slower, more reflective pace in the final rounds. As the microphone comes to me — the seventh of nine teachers — it feels like the class is at its peak. As my round begins, the narrative in my mind disappears and is replaced by an untamed and unprecedented form of consciousness.

My hands reach up to sky with a full expression of Yes, followed by a folding forward to a quiet place within. Each round, my heart rises up to a fresh openness — meeting the unveiled chests in front of me. As we stand together after each sun salutation, our hands come together at the centre of our chests in Anjai Mudra. There is a profound sense of unity and contentment permeating through the crowd, well beyond the confines of spoken language.

At the final Corpse pose, it feels as though time has disappeared: I am flying in the open sky, with all my companions alongside me.

When we come back together, our eyes see right through — our hearts’ protection mechanisms have disappeared.

Prajna – the intelligence of the heart has been fully ignited. When prajna leads the way, we become untouchable. Unable to be provoked, it becomes a radiant wakefulness — a gift to take out into our world of various forms and relationships.

The Bali Spirit Festival is different every year. New people, a new location, new teachers and a new audience. However, the core celebration of unity always prevails. The entire island is changing all the time, but Prajna still remains.

The young Asian girl with the coconut on her lap is untouchable. Serenely sitting in a space of beauty and contentment. Prajna is an experience.

With love,

Gwyn

19/02/201820/05/2019

Ritual – a message from India

ritual-zenthai-shiatsu-bodywork-helaing-australia

Rishikesh, India, February 5, 2018

We are on the edge of the Ganges River and I am inwardly celebrating being in the perfect place at the perfect time. An Indian pundit wrapped in sacred robes has invited me to join him in a Havan, an ancient fire ceremony that honours all the elements that dictate our day. It feels all my luck has come at once with this noble invitation and I bow in agreement as I take my seat beside the two altars he has ceremoniously created on the edge of the Mother Ganga.

One altar is a pyre of kindling, ready to be set alight with several bowls of various spices surrounding the edge. The other altar is an ornate bowl filled with water, surrounded with beautiful bright flowers, sweet smelling incense on a platform with rocks, sticks, cloths, strings and coloured pastes. We sit side by side, a singing bowl nestled on the ground between us and immediately I feel a deep sense of connection and gratitude.

The ritual begins with washing of my right hand in an act of purification, followed by the wrapping of maroon and yellow threads around my wrist. The priest then begins a mantra, a section of various sounds strung together in honour of ancient deities, as well as providing subtle vibrations unifying, healing, opening or removing in a world absent of things. The priest instructs me in various ways to hold my fingers (mudra) to give an added boost to what is unfolding in the ceremony. The mantras change here and there and I quietly attempt to follow the sounds without any need of getting it right.

The process is occasionally interrupted with coloured paste tagged upon my forehead, a chime of the singing bowl or timeless gaps of silence. And the Ganga river blesses us with a fresh morning breeze as its cool purifying water brushes against the adjacent wall.

The pyre is lit with ghee and salt and we begin the fire ceremony. Again the priest instructs me on how to use the mudras to pick up the spices from the small bowls. He joyfully continues with the chanting whilst I ceremoniously and repetitiously toss the organic spice offerings into the sacred fire as we chant “Swa Ha”.

The fire ceremony continues for sometime before he asks me to stand, offering me the bowl of water that has been sitting in the middle of the altar being saturated with sound, prayers and various blessings over the past thirty minutes. He demonstrates how to hold the bowl above my head and pour it back into the powerful river Ganga. Again, we are accompanied by another centuries-old Hindu chant that has been passed down through the many colourful tribes completely devoted to this boundless, indescribable world of Spirit. The final gestures unfold as the smoke rises up, infiltrated with the mantra and prayers, as a gift to permeate into our life as we return to our daily tasks. As the impregnated smoke rises up into the sky, we gather a double-handed stroke to our eyes, ears, throat, chest and arms, symbolising a purifying action with what we see, hear, speak, feel and do.

As I walk away, I bow in in deep respect of what has been offered. There is a notable change. To describe it in words would undermine the richness of the experience — to simply recognise a deeper form of connection, a notable bowing of the head to the heart and a significantly lighter step upon sacred ground.

In a world that is infatuated with doing, it appears daily rituals may be the medicine for the modern world. Simply a time in the day to say thankyou. A time to honour traditions that point to the mystery we can’t see but affects our every glance. A time to recognise all that is pure and vibrantly alive within and around.

With love,
Gwyn

10/01/201810/01/2018

The best version of ourselves … January 2018

2018 blessings to all

As we step into a brand new canvas it is not only a stage for new visioning, but also one for reflecting on the year past. In reflection we are able to access guidance towards where we are now being called to step.

What were your top five experiences for 2017? Challenges and highlights, they are all there to create a better version of ourselves and possibly give insights on how to offer a more positive impact on the planet for the year ahead.

Here are my top five for 2017 …

FAMILY FIRST … with the heart-breaking loss of our dear Nanny June, our family of five came together not only to grieve but to also celebrate our deep bond and full commitment to each other. With the saturation of being, when you are consumed in your passion, I came back to strong realisations: to fully participate at the heart of the matter is to share my unbounded love for my wife Gaia and my two amazing sons – Jye and Keed – and my beautiful daughter Siahn. We took off in a crammed car, without a care in the world, and an intention to simply have fun. We shared four awesome days together, sleeping on one mattress in a small hot tent, laughed ourselves to sleep and generally held hands and hearts in a gesture of family first.

DEEPENING OF THE ZENTHAI COMMUNITY … from the 19 day flow training in Bali, to the selfless service around the centre, to the incredible mixture of individuals in the nine month program and the endless support with social media, websites, programs, assistant teaching and student support … I can only bow in gratitude. To watch this forest of individuals, with which I am simply part, sink their roots and create an ever expanding canopy of non-judgement, support and kindness is a gift to witness.

ZENTHAI IN EUROPE … bringing Zenthai to Europe to share at Simon Park’s yoga teacher training in the French Alps and then follow up with a Zenthai program in Chamonix at the base of the highest mountain in Europe exceeded any expectations by zillions. I simply fell in love. With the mountains, the people, the fresh air, the glacier-fed streams, the pure prana … the beauty everywhere … I discovered a second home and am definitely back in 2018 …

KOMANGS IN AUSTRALIA … nearly ten years after creating Shanti Agung, our yoga retreat centre in Eastern Bali ,we finally got our beautiful Mr and Mrs Komangs out of the rice fields in a little fishing village, on a plane to spend 24 precious days with us. After years of visa refusals and continual obstacles we finally created a lifetime experience for themselves and us. As I write they are likely at some golden beach getting overwhelmed of how Big and Clean everything is. To offer their gratitude they start each day, sweeping with a broom in their hands. A magical meditation to start the day … such teachers.

WOODFORD SAILING … this year at the Woodford festival, the Zenthai tent of 25 metta-infused pirates, offered therapies over six days to a gigantic group of festival goers. The sync, the joy, the seamless flow, was a testament to our art, based around unity and presence. We all reminded each other again and again the greatest gift you can give to another is simply your full complete undivided attention.

If you have twenty minutes I encourage you to sit and reflect: what were your 2017 top five? If you are being called to share, please do so … I would be happy to read.

As we set sail into this year, can we be spacious enough to hear this dance called life and, by reflecting, let it offer guidance on where it is asking you to walk. May this year be an offering of the best version of yourSelf … that’s never been seen before?

Have a wonderful year

With love,

Gwyn

During 2018, Gwyn will base himself out of Bali working on a second book, whilst offering teaching tours in France and the United States. He still will be overseeing and running the majority of the modules in the 2018 nine month therapist training program at Ninderry. The regular yoga classes and therapy sessions offered by Gwyn will conclude with his final class for sometime on 23rd January. Big welcome to Merryn and Sally who will be doing an amazing job of continuing with the weekly classes and sessions throughout the year.

You might be interested to know, Zenward (Mindvalley) offer Gwyn’s yoga and therapy classes online with a reasonable subscription.

Highlights from the past month – zenthai at Woodford; at last, the Komangs visit Australia; and celebrations for our 2017 zenthai therapists graduation.

Dates for Gwyn’s Zenthai offerings 2017/2018

Jan 20-21 Zenthai at High Vibes festival, Maleny

Feb 24-Mar 14 Zenthai flow teacher training, Bali – click here for more information …

May 10-13 Level one four day Zenthai Introductory

April 1-7 Zenthai at Bali spirit festival

April 20-22 Zenthai at Byron spirit festival

April 26 Zenthai therapist nine month training begins (level one prerequisite), Ninderry

May 3-5 Practice to Therapy – for post grad therapists, Ninderry

June 2-15 Zenthai at Simon Park Liquid flow Yoga, French Alps

July 6-9 Zenthai at Chamonix yoga festival, French Alps

July 10-16 Zenthai Level one and two at Chamonix, French Alps

August 9-12 Zenthai Level one four day introductory workshop, Ninderry

Sept 2-14. Zenthai meets Ayurveda with Gwyn and Kimmana, Bali

Oct 1-22 Zenthai tour of U.S. including Divine Play AcroYoga festival at Portland, Oregan

26/09/201726/09/2017

Prayers for Bali

black-and-white-agung-bali-erruption-gwyn-williams

September 2017 – Continually bowing to the might of Agung …

Please join me in prayer for the safety and wellbeing of the land, the animals and the people in the fragile time in Bali …

Black and white

When I first started coming to Bali thirty five years ago, as a surf-stoked teenager, I vividly remember the black and white chequered cloths wrapped around statues of deities, hanging from sacred sites and worn as striking sarongs by many locals during ceremony.

Over the years I have heard many varied perceptions towards this cloth by bemo drivers, priests and locals – all seem to reference the struggle we face in the world of duality. The light and the dark, the like and not like, the good and the evil, the shadow and the radiance. … the ‘us and them ‘

I am not unlike you, unconsciously placing lines in the sand around the world we see outside. I also notice that when I sense a lack of harmony from the inside, the more it feeds the outside … and vice versa. This mirror is a difficult one to accept. It’s much easier to blame the rock-n-roll circumstance; the single-eyed, controlling politician; or the impatient truck driver for the apparent lack of harmonious integration.

Yet when I step aside and see — giving space to really see — there is an allowing for something more integrated than black and white to step in.

Last night, at one-am, we were on motorbikes fleeing a potential volcanic eruption. With another 10,000 villagers, we were in fearful states of not knowing if disaster was about to strike. It was not an easy mind state.

A flat tyre on the busy highway had us looking for something magical to jump in and help out. Knocking on a door at one o’clock in the morning had four Balinese guys awake and changing wheels in a wonderful example of joyfully helping out another human being. In thirty minutes, and after lots of thankyou’s, we were back on the road. In that precious moment, the black and white of division and separation was instead completed. In its place was simply one human joyfully helping another.

This morning our beautiful Balinese friends headed back to their village, returning to be with their loved ones — brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews — who did not evacuate. There is the call to now cease their past differences, join forces and ‘do this thing together’. Does it really need a potential catastrophe for us to step away from the unconscious conditioned worlds of separation, into our innate world of harmonious integration?

Maybe my natural inquiry into the black and white cloth in Bali many years ago was a sign, asking us to “wake up and look a little deeper, beyond our world of separation”. Maybe it was asking us to be at harmony with the ups and downs, the light and the dark, the shadow and the radiance. By simply embracing the spectrum we can come a little closer to a more unified state of togetherness … inside and out.

Now more than ever I feel the planet is asking us to not only look a little deeper, but, like the midnight mechanic, to act from this fresh new integrated sense.

Everyday is an opportunity.

With love,

Gwyn

26/08/201726/09/2017

Connectedness in vulnerability

Connectedness in vulnerability

The Talking stick.

Is it an Indian tribe thing? Is is a hippy thing? Maybe. Does is matter? I actually love offering this and being part of this experience during special occasions. Why? Because it opens your heart and when you open your heart you get better.

This a simply a heart sharing circle. A chance to be Perfect in your Complete imperfection. A chance to share without reservation around rules and regs.

‘A conversation that comes from the middle of the moment. ‘

The power of talking stick is in the simplicity and the attention to really listening.

Sit in a circle around a fire and pass around the stick. Only one speaker at a time, everybody listens. There is a lot of space in between sentences and people, where we simply are silent and integrate. No words of approval or disapproval, suggestions for solutions or murmurs of judgment.

Last week during a Circle a young, special, innocent Japanese student shared an embarrassing and obviously lingering incident that had occurred when he was only five years old and was still being obviously played out in various parts of his life. The sharing was very powerful and a very courageous act of vulnerability. My heart became incredibly expansive and pounded with compassion. There were tears welling in the eyes of many in the circle and raw emotion was tangible with human beingness, alive in its pervading brilliance.

For the next minutes I could feel all hearts were pumping with the same intensive, connected rhythm. This was an opportunity to experience a wonderful connection that only raw vulnerability offers. Compassion and connection alive to the core.

Hours later, I reflected how unfortunately rare this experience is. How so many hide in the fear of exposure, noisily sharing the big suitcase of all the things they know to gain some sense of control or approval. We sacrifice a real connection when we only relate in this half mast state. Maybe today is the day we say we don’t know, gain the courage to be really vulnerable and simply share yourself without any thought about how others may perceive you.

The beautiful thing about this state is we all get a chance to really feel the truth around unity. When vulnerability steps in, it carries it’s best mate of deep rich interconnectedness.

Beyond the delusion of separation is us really doing it all together.

With love,
Gwyn

06/08/2017

Buoyancy

July 2017

I am sitting in awe in the French Alps, transfixed on the snow-capped peaks of Chamonix and the the lush valleys of the surrounding green, fed by an untold numbers of pristine clear streams.

I’m filled with an incredible amount of new found buoyancy. I am not completely sure if it is from hanging out with a dear friend and master of Asana for three weeks, where breath and movement has been a continual focus … or is it from the boundless prana that is being consistently fed by this beautiful mountainous area and snow fed streams. Or perhaps it is simply that my eyes have been reopened to a new found wonderment in the simplest of things. I guess it is a mixture of all, but surely this fresh buoyancy has definitely enriched this remarkable ride we label as life.

The buoyancy that sees a skip in your step as you walk down the street; the buoyancy that allows the trek to be a dance up and down the mountain track; the buoyancy that sees a unique beauty in the face in front of you as lift each other up in presence; the buoyancy the evolves from a deep sense of detachment, knowing that each moment whether blissful or awkward , light filled or heavy, will pass with time. This buoyancy instigates a gracious thankyou, by noticing a light fresh offering in each brand new day.

With love,

Gwyn

ps. registrations are now open for zenthai flow training in Bali 2018

25/05/2017

Essentially You

May 2017

I’m witnessing a deep loving in nature at the moment — a gentle discarding of the old, allowing a synching with the essential core. The trees are dropping coloured leaves, as they appear to focus on the life force coursing through the centre of their trunks; the birds have a softer chatter and appear to be effortlessly gliding on the calmer winds; the faces I see in the street appear to affirm this yearning to be immersed quietly in the inner environment.

Life is calling us home to what is really important. … what is essential. We find opportunity to question what is really at our core, in the centre of our trunk … what do we really value? Are we spending our time and attention on the parts that are truly at our innermost calling?

It appears that, for many, freedom is commonly high on the value list, so it’s possibly a good time to ponder “is Freedom here”? By simply looking at nature we notice it is really saying “take off the back packs: less is more”.

To invite freedom we are asked to think less, eat less, talk less, argue less, need less and feel freedom more. There’s a call to stop ‘the argument’. As we give freedom back to the world, everyone and everything is free to be as they are. And as it is.

Phew!

Maybe you can feel a shedding of skin, a lightening of the load, and gliding on the gentle breeze, as you truly stop the argument and give this gift of freedom back to the world.

The wonderful revelation for us, as we give this freedom back to people, is we get less concerned how we appear to them. Letting go of a constant need to be seen as someone, to simply revealing all we are, creates a new-found inner energy — no need for bright shiny leaves, no hiding under pretty feathers, just pure and raw in our true essence. This is freedom.

As we shed our skins at this time of year, the one thing I really love is the simplicity of it all. And if it’s still getting complicated, it is a good indication that you are off track.Take a good look at life. Our best teacher, a big exhale never felt so good.

Blessings,

Gwyn

Abby-Bower-Zenthai-shiatsu-therapist-sunshine-coast-queensland

Abby Bowyer

~ Zenthai Shiatsu Therapist ~ based around Gympie and northern Sunshine Coast

ph :: 0448 958 504
e :: abbybowyer2809@gmail.com

Abby has always been drawn to movement-based and hands-on therapies. An explorer of creative expression through the hands and the heart, her background in dance and theatre fuelled her curiosity; for how the human body moves; and how we express ourselves within the world.

Through studying various massage therapies and meeting inspiring mentors along the way, Zenthai Shiatsu fell ease-fully into her awareness and to her heart. Abby fell in love with the space Zenthai offers to connect on a deeper level and to witness and support the body’s innate ability to heal.

Forever a student she is always looking to dive deeper into bodywork, and how we as human beings can connect to the people and world around us through movement, through massage and through loving touch.

WHERE CAN I FIND ABBY?

You can find Abby around the Gympie and North Sunshine Coast areas. She currently offers massage and movement classes within various retreat spaces, and can often be found practicing within different clinics and yoga studios. Phone or email to make an appointment.

ABBY SAYS…

“Movement has always felt like my first ‘language’. A language that can express all that is felt within us and outside of us. When words are unable to convey what is alive, movement can communicate that which cannot be spoken.

Bodywork is such a wonderful supporter in this conversation; as it becomes a dance between the giver and receiver, communicating through movement and through touch.

I will always remember the first time I came across Zenthai Shiatsu. After hearing whispers and heartfelt tales, my curiosity was alive and I felt the pull to discover more. It truly was a ‘pull’; a gravitational pull, causing me to slow, to stop and witness this beautiful dance that was happening right before my eyes. It was an incredible collective of movement, presence, intention and focus within the treatment tent at Woodford Folk Festival. This language felt familiar, almost like coming home, and offered the space to have deeper conversations with others and with myself.

For me, Zenthai offers many gifts; through its threads and through its approaches to supporting the body’s own innate ability to heal and evolve. It offers opportunities for acts of courage; to dive into the courage it takes to break old patterns and create a new dance and rhythm within ourselves. Taking a moment of time within the momentum of life to pause, observe and find new space and possibilities within your whole being.

Zenthai is a practice and a constant source of teachings and discovery. I have deep respect for its ever evolving nature and its heart centred approach to living, wellness and cultivating relationship and vitality.”

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING…

“In meeting Abby Bowyer it is immediately apparent that words like; gentle, kind, compassionate, caring, engaging come to mind. All the benevolent qualities right there looking at you.

This becomes even more evident when Abby engages with you in conversation with a friendly warm smile & absolutely beams through in her work as a ZenThai Shiatsu practitioner.

A ZenThai Shiatsu session is not easy to describe though incredible to experience. Personally I felt understood & cared for and felt Abby was beautifully in tune with working with what I needed each session. Always feeling more balanced, more spacious & deeply relaxed after each session. Like I’d received the most giant uplifting hug.

Abby’s love & connection to others & her passion for sharing her craft fuses together to create an incredible healing experience.

So grateful for you Abby.”

– Trudi Hellmuth- Owner/Yoga Teacher at My Yoga Studio

“I have had Bodywork with Abby over several years and every time is a new and nourishing experience. Her gentle strength allows me to go deep and her nurturing energy creates a safe space for me to breathe in awareness, open and release all that is no longer needed. It is always an honour to dance with Abby either on the Zenthai mat or on the Ka Huna table”

– Jacque Smith-Bodyworker and Facilitator

Adam Buchanan

~ Zenthai Shiatsu, prenatal Zenthai Shiatsu, wellness coach, sound healer, reiki, movement therapy, life guidance, based in Brisbane

m :: 0418988634

w :: www.zenithholistichealing.com.au
e :: contact@zenithholistichealing.com.au
fb :: www.facebook.com/ZenithHolisticHealing/
Address: Redhill, Brisbane

Adam has an innate capacity for listening to others and supporting their journey – the mind, body and spirit – thanks to his past experiences with chronic health concerns and many years of community work in Brisbane, Mexico, and Zambia. Adam has an extensive knowledge of Western biomedicine, Eastern medicine, and reflective belief structures such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Shamanism.

Where can I find ADAM?

Adam’s Zenith Holistic Healing practice is in Red Hill, Brisbane. The treatment space is clean, calming, filled with plants, with a therapeutic atmosphere and energy that’s conducive to healing. For clients who are unable to journey to his Red Hill practice, Adam offers mobile treatments. He also operates a stall at several markets around central Brisbane and loves a good chat.

ADAM says…

“My desire to aid others in their healing journey is rooted in my own healing journey. I have experienced several chronic health conditions including epilepsy, anxiety, and a rare life-threatening cardiovascular disease. Overcoming these experiences has empowered me, enabling me to connect with others on truly empathetic levels.

The healing I have found extends across numerous avenues of mind, body, heart and spirit, and includes biomedical interventions, yoga, tai chi, meditation, philosophic inquiry, and spiritual journeying.

My belief in helping others has led me to many forms of social support work, including aid work with homeless and abused women, ESL teaching with Brisbane-based asylum seekers, and children and adults in rural Zambia and Mexico, student mentoring and general assistance at Buddhist temples and yoga institutions.

I am an artist and musician and thoroughly enjoy using these mediums to help others heal, while also invoking in them joy and creative self exploration. The personal insights that can come from these mediums can be truly profound. Indeed, we are not isolated beings, rather we are intrinsically fused to the physical and spiritual universe around us.“

What others are saying:

“Calming and relaxing atmosphere, Adam is a great therapist, caring, understanding and a really good listener.”

Robyn – Retired nurse

“Adam is an amazing therapist and healer. I suffered from severe pain in my lower back and shoulders until I started therapy with Adam. His therapy has become a must for me.”

Mollie – Business consultant