Hi, I’m Richard Edwards FRSA, BSc (Hons), a consultant, coach, and trainer based in Cardiff. Bringing a therapeutic, psychologically informed and mindful approach to supporting people living or working with complexity. Helping individuals, groups, and organisations to realise their potential, and turn toward difficulties, by improving focus, clarity, creativity, compassion, and connection. A qualified mindfulness teacher, and a registered change management practitioner and consultant. I am happy to work on Zoom or face to face, to suit your needs.
I provide the following services:
- 1-1 mindfulness & coaching sessions – helping to manage stress, anxiety, change, trauma, addictions, pain, & managing long term health conditions.
- Management Coaching & supervision
- Group Mindfulness Training – specialising in Mindfulness for Stress, and Mindfulness for living with long term health conditions
- Mindful Leadership Training – 1-1 or to a team
- Management & Change Management consultancy
My Message
Taking a mindful approach to managing your personal and professional life isn’t about being passive and simply watching life go by. Developing skills to focus your attention and awareness, and learning to compassionately turn towards difficulties and barriers, rather than ignoring or avoiding them, helps to put you in control of your life – where you are, right here, right now – and empowers you to make choices, to respond rather than react, and immerses you proactively in your journey.
“This really has helped me through an incredibly difficult time in my life, and it has helped shape the person I want to be moving forward.”
“I now have tools to be able to cope with life’s ups and downs. I am confident in the knowledge that these practices will nourish me and help me to ease pain and distress, allowing for a life more balanced.”
“As regards my working environment, which can often be very challenging and confrontational, the skills development around ‘reacting and responding’ was especially useful. Being able to recognise how my body is reacting to an event emotionally, gives me the opportunity to ‘take a breath’ and choose how to respond to it, rather than possibly reacting negatively because of an adrenalin rush, fear, anger, etc.”
Background
Currently the director of the Mindfulness Initiative and before this was the CEO of Huggard, a homelessness charity, based in Cardiff, working with people experiencing homelessness often living with complex and compound trauma. I am an APMG registered Change Management Practitioner and a Breathworks accredited Mindfulness Teacher and have brought these skills together to bring a psychologically informed and mindful approach to my coaching and training style which is based on clarity, focus, creativity, connection, and compassion.
Experience
I have worked in the Third Sector for over 30 years, trained as a Citizens Advice Bureau adviser, and have subsequently worked as a training and development officer, manager and CEO. I have spent time working in a County Voluntary Council providing advice and support to Third Sector organisations on a whole range of issues from HR and governance to fundraising. I have sat on the board of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), been Chair of Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC), Chair of the Wales Association of County Voluntary Councils (WACVC), and was a founding trustee of FareShare Cymru. I am a fellow of the Royal Society of Art and volunteered for a number of years with the Welsh Ambulance Service as a First Responder.
Leadership
I have extensive experience in numerous leadership roles. I advocate for how mindful leadership supports personal and workplace wellbeing, facilitates transition, builds motivation and excellence while supporting a psychologically safe environment and informed working practices.
Personal Journey
Having worked extensively in complex and challenging environments under pressure, I have met difficulties along the way with personal experience of stress, depression and anxiety. Living with chronic health conditions, together with a hearing loss and tinnitus, I have found taking a mindful approach to my work and personal life has enabled me to manage better and sometimes thrive.
Your first session is on me
