In 2018 Dr Peta Stapleton, Kate Helder and Emma Harrison founded the Mind Heart Connect Foundation with the aim of creating heart-centred, resilient individuals and communities where people have the resources, skills and tools to cope with trauma and adversity and participate fully in life: communities where people are thriving, not just surviving.
The foundation’s purpose was inspired through the awareness of the Mind-Body-Heart connection and the evidence based practices that are widely used locally and internationally by individuals to build personal resilience and wellness. We are bringing those techniques to the broader community, via service providers and carers, with a special focus on addressing the impact of immediate and inter-generational trauma in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and refugee communities.
Our Board
Kate Helder
Managing Director
Kate has spent over 30 years in private enterprise and has successfully managed a number of businesses. In 2016 she established the events company Mind Heart Connect to raise awareness of the mind body link. As a social entrepreneur, Kate was one of the first in this sector to recognise the unmet need in the community for effective complimentary therapies for frontline care givers. This led to the creation, in 2018, of the Mind Heart Connect Foundation to address this need.
Carolyn Clark OAM
Chair
Over the last 20 years, Carolyn has served the community through extensive and sustained contributions to multiple organisations on a voluntary basis. Carolyn holds a Master of Laws, specialising in Corporate Law, with a particular interest in the governance standards applicable to the Not for Profit sector. Carolyn is a non executive director on a number of not for profit boards including Sacred Heart Mission, Melbourne Girls Grammar School and Prison Network.
Emma Harrison
Director/Secretary
Emma brings many years of fund-raising and marketing experience in the Not for Profit sector. She is active on a number of philanthropic boards in the fields of health, education, research and social welfare and has been involved in the success of social enterprise initiatives in these fields.
Ben Quin
Director/Treasurer
Ben has over 25 years experience as a Certified Practicing Accountant and combines high quality technical knowledge with a diversity of experience as a business advisor.
Dr Peta Stapleton
Director
Peta is an Associate Professor in Psychology, Bond University. She is a world leading researcher in Clinical EFT and the author of 26 published professional journal research articles and five books on this subject. In 2019 Peta was named Australian Psychologist of the Year at the Allied Health Awards. (see Program Facilitators link for full bio).
Our Advisory Board
Dr Lori Leyden
Trauma Healing Specialist
Psychotherapist, trauma healing professional and humanitarian who is known internationally for using EFT/Tapping in her work with hundreds of orphan genocide survivors in Rwanda and survivors of school shootings in the United States.
Dr Taufiq Binjemain
Integrative Medicine Specialist
With an extensive list of qualifications in the medical field, Dr Taufiq is also a Director of the National Institute of Integrative Medicine (NIIM). Dr Taufiq works with expert clinical psychologists to treat patients as a whole, treating the root cause of disease.
Jeremy Blackshaw
Legal Advisor
With extensive corporate practice, Jeremy has advised in multiple jurisdictions across industry sectors, such as health, energy, infrastructure, financial services and consumer brands. He brings expert legal and business experience.
Petrine McCrohan
Indigenous Community Advisor
Petrine has been serving indigenous populations the past 17 years in the Kimberley Region of W.A. Petrine facilitates custodians of country and communities to invite healing and empower their ability to connect with the wider Australian community.
Melissa Eastwood
Strategy & Evaluation
With a Masters degree in public policy, evaluation, psychology and the arts, Melissa utilises this diverse range of skills and expertise within the early childhood and parenting sector. Melissa is also a yoga and meditation teacher who focuses on creating environments for people to flourish.
Sarah O'Donnell
Consumer Advocate
Sarah is an EFT practitioner and leader in the early childhood field, with several years experience in local government departments. Sarah is passionate about ensuring all children are supported and therefore able to achieve their highest potential.
