Marion Miller
Leadership & Life Coach,
Counsellor & Ecotherapist, MBSR Mindfulness Teacher.
I have more than 20 years coaching experience working with clients in private practice, organisations and community. I have extensive experience as a leadership and wellbeing coach with organisations, government, community and education. I'm an ICF Credentialed Coach, licensed PACFA counsellor and a certified MBSR/MBCT Mindfulness teacher and Ecotherapist.
I work with professional clients, students and members of our local community. I'm passionate about helping people define meaningful goals, transform internal barriers, rise above their fears and deepen their awareness. I love helping my clients reclaim an authentic, creative and purposeful path and strong self-leadership.
I have experience in developing organisational strategy, change management, co-design and organisational coaching with diverse stakeholders for the public service. I am passionate about sustainable community development, social and environmental advocacy and transformational experiences.
I'm a systems thinker with a unique approach that is mindfulness centred, holistic, strengths based and creative. I believe we are all intrinsically resourceful given the right conditions and have a social and ecological responsibility to navigate the big challenges of our time with resilience, purpose and deeper connections to the earth.
My Professional Education and Training includes:
• Bachelor of Counselling (Coaching), Australian Colleague of Applied Psychology (ACAP)
• MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) and MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy), Mindfulness Training Institute Australia.
• Advanced Eco-Therapy, International Ecopsychology Society Certified, Dr. Geoff Berry
• Diploma of Sustainable Living, University of Tasmania (currently enrolled)
• Introduction to Eco-Therapy - Online, Wilderness Reflections, L.A.
• Diploma of Coaching, The Coaching Institute of Australia.
• Mindful Self-Compassion Core Skills Training with Christopher Germer, PhD. & Kathleen Cator.
• Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: David Trevelen PhD.
• Trauma Informed Practice in Education: Smiling Mind.
• Aboriginal Narrative Practice Course, Dulwich Centre.
• Mental Health First Aider Accreditation Certificate.
• Meditation Teacher Training, Melbourne Meditation Centre.
• Mindful Leadership and Compassion Masterclass with Emiliana Simon Thomas PhD.
• Environmental Champion Program, Stonnington Council and Port Phillip Ecocentre.
• Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) with Simon d'Orsogna.
• Gestalt Art Therapy for Therapy and Counselling, Helen McWilliam, 2023.
• Cultural Counselling Therapy, Mindfulness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Clinical Counselling Centre.
Professional Projects
• Mindfulness in the Park in collaboration with Boroondarra council and Victoria Walks was a pilot project located at Anderson Park throughout June-July 2022 and is now permanently on the Victoria Walks website.
• Stonnington Environmental Champion 2022. Developing an urban eco-retreat and ecotherapy practice at The Eco Retreat.
• Counselling and Coaching Services for employees at the following organisations YWCA, Rome to Rio, ENS Trading, Bunnings, Coke a cola, Hodylandco, Merrihealth, Australian Environmental Auditors, ASRC, Lort Smith Animal Hospital and Sportsgirl.
• 2019 - 2021 MBSR 8-week mindfulness training followed by weekly group mindfulness sessions and individual counselling and coaching sessions for Bueno Systems.
• 2020 I delivered a series of 20 Leadership Wellbeing workshops to The Supreme Court of Victoria online during lockdown.
• In 2019 I delivered a series of 15 Leadership Wellbeing workshops to Target HQ. I provided coaching videos and articles for their internal community wellbeing publication.
• In 2018 I was on the Coles HQ Internal Coaching Panel and provided mindfulness workshops for staff.
• I self published my first book The Mindfulness Workbook: An 8-week guide to being present in 2016.
• I work as a facilitator in the education sector providing wellbeing and leadership coaching for the DET. I was also involved in facilitating a yearlong leadership wellbeing pilot called the Principal Wellbeing Program Smiling Mind and Work Safe program.
• I helped develop and facilitate Early learning leadership and wellbeing program for the DET with Smiling Mind.
• I co-developed a four year mental health and wellbeing strategy and implementation framework for William Angliss Institute in 2023
• Provider of EAP services and Wellbeing Coaching.
• I am a committee member and volunteer with Rewilding Stonnington.
Writing & Creative Projects
• In 2014 I created a yearlong street photography series called "Face and space" that took me from the streets of Melbourne to Manhattan, NYC.
• In 2015-16 I project managed several creative productions in the fashion industry including editorials, catwalk & film.
• In 2014 I volunteered for Prahran Mission in the Jenny Bannister Fashion Retrospective fundraiser event. Roles included social media marketing, hosting at the Deutscher & Hackett Gallery in South Yarra and managing the filming the event.
• In 2015 I did freelance writing for Elements; an independent fashion magazine based in NYC.
• I host a video series called On the Cushion sharing empowering tools and practices for wellbeing, life and leadership.
• I now write weekly articles in The Coaching Journal a blog on my website.
• I write and record my own meditations and am a featured mindfulness teacher on the Insight Timer app & share free meditations with millions of users online.
• I self published my first book The Mindfulness Workbook: An 8-week guide to being present in 2016.
Mentors & Supervisors:
Subhana Barzaghi
Memberships & Accreditations
• Current member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
• International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited coaching training (ACAP)
Humans who have inspired my work:
• Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Gabrielle Roth
• Theodore Rozack
• Carl Jung
• Joanna Macy
My Founding Story
I'm the spirited daughter of German immigrant from Hamburg and a rugged farmer from King Island. My life begun on the land in country Tasmania before moving to Melbourne during early childhood; for as long as I remember I have always experienced a deep, sacred connection to nature and was extremely curious about this connection! Like some of my clients I've had to navigate generational trauma and that made me more aware we live in a culture that tends to pathologise and medicalise our disconnection. I witnessed a mother who was a high achiever and led a psychology and neuroscience research project at Swinburne University right before suiciding at age 50. It was a heartbreaking experience in my early adulthood and has influenced my life direction and motivated me to become a leader and strong advocate for systems focussed primary interventions and preventative mental health and wellbeing.
I grew up in the world of mindfulness in Melbourne (before it became popular).
When I was twenty years old my mother took me to an event with a visiting mindfulness teacher from the United States. I learned contemplative practice and in my early 20's I started meditating regularly and exploring the bigger questions of what it means to be human and why are we here? Nearly 30 years on, I'm just as curious, a little older, more compassionate and hopefully a little bit wiser...
I've attended silent Insight mindfulness retreats annually with the insight community since 2010 and sat with some of the worlds leading mindfulness and meditation teachers. I receive mentorship and supervision from some remarkable psychotherapists, Zen teachers and inspirational coaches. I returned to University and graduated as a mature aged student in both coaching and counselling and continue to have a love of learning.
Life experiences that have helped shaped me include a 9-month road trip around the Australian coastline and spending time in indigenous communities in outback country W.A and N.T. Working as an English teacher in a Buddhist temple in Ogaki, Japan and visiting Hamburg my mother's land. I love adventure, being outdoors in nature and cultural travel experiences.
I've the privilege of naturally birthing four beautiful daughters and learnt so much about who I am in the birthing rite of passage and raising them. I share my life with my partner and best friend Richard, a lifelong commitment in learning in love and companionship. I learned to sail at RMYS and helped charter a yacht with my partner and children in the Whitsundays for two weeks. I also sailed aboard a tall ship in S.A. for four days, which was a hairy adventure to say the least! I've hiked the Grampians, snowboarded Gifu and taken a pilgrimage to the summit of Fuji. The best part about all these adventures was being so close to the land and sea.
I love making art and being creative and have since I was a child. I practice yoga and 5 Rhythms dance, enjoy creative writing, and spending time at the beach and wilderness with my family. I am active in local environmental care and protection and volunteering projects. I love supporting my partner on his leadership journey and very proud of him growing a successful sustainability technology company. We are focused on learning what we can about our leadership roles and helping people transition to a more natural and sustainable way of life. We are working toward our dream of establishing a coastal wilderness eco-retreat for landcare, social and environmental wellbeing. I love helping others awaken their authentic self and find the path to a meaningful and more sustainable way of life! Thanks for reading : )
Marion Miller
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