Travelling at the moment so not accepting guests. Sorry

CURRENT MISSION

I'm not organised enough to have a mission

ABOUT ME

Me? .... sociable (talkative!), curious, adventurous, spontaneous, loyal, values-driven. If you know Myers-Briggs, I'm ENFP and true to type! I can appear quite serious, but I have hidden shallows!

I'm self-employed, a facilitator and coach with organisations in the area of learning and development. What does that mean? Basically improving leadership skills, teamwork, confidence; helping people be happy and fulfilled in work and organisations to be more effective. I'm particularly interested in leadership and sustainability. I also have my own company, Ballroom2boardroom, which draws on Argentine Tango to explore and change leadership practice.

I spent 3 years in South America, 2008-11, mainly living and working in Buenos Aires but also in Brazil and some travelling around.

Life before that: 20 years employed as a Project Manager and Learning and Development Consultant, working with organisations, professionals and directly with disadvantaged and marginalised young people.

Home in the UK is Kendal, a small but fabulous town near the beautiful Lake District National Park.

I'm a practicing Christian. I mention it only because some folks find that hard to accept.

Oh - and the name Ithaca comes from a favourite poem:
https://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/llee/cavafy.html

PHILOSOPHY

Still evolving...becoming more aware and curious about how we are connected and how we can live well in the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm away from home a lot with work and often have a lodger renting my spare room, so hosting is difficult at the moment.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Saved me from the streets in Buenos Aires a couple of times. CS gave me a great group of friends when I was living in Brasilia, who truly embodied the CS spirit.

Interests

I love:
dancing - salsa, tango, Argentine folklore;
being in the outdoors: cycling, climbing, surfing....
meeting new people, learning new things;
bird-watching;
pottering about in my garden;
snowy mountains;
lazy sundays;
watching films;
good company;
language;
doing stuff that makes me feel alive...

I drum in a community samba band, help teach a local Tango class and I co-host a monthly film club where we screen "films for thinking people" about environmental and social issues and then chat about them over a class of wine and tapas. I like connecting people and seeing what emerges when like minded folks get together.

• birds
• poetry
• folklore
• dancing
• tango
• wine
• coach
• walking
• clubbing
• gardening
• flowers
• movies
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• surfing
• scuba diving
• rock climbing
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Film and music tastes are pretty eclectic; depending on my mood, arty and intelligent or easily digested froth.

Authors - I don't read as much as I should, but when I do, I like well-written novels....John Irving, Jonathan Coe, Rose Tremain, Alice Walker for example

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Einstein (reputedly) said ´there are two ways to live; one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is´

....I´m only allowed to pick one amazing thing?
that´s not a rule I can live with!!!!

Diving with whale sharks...fire-walking....trekking in the Himalaya....knowing that my work has changed someone´s life....too many sunsets to mention....the small things that make me smile everyday....achieving some of my dreams

Teach, Learn, Share

I love exploring what makes us tick - how we can be the best version of ourselves and how we can make a difference in the world. I'm exploring systems thinking at the moment - working with systemic constellations.
Always happy to exchange language skills.
I have a reasonable knowledge of birds and flowers and am starting on dragonflies!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Nepal, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Brazil, United Kingdom

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