ZOË BRÂN

Zoë was born on the edge of the South Wales valleys and grew up and was educated in the Wye Valley. She now lives in London with Arlu, a five year-old lurcher.

By the time Zoë decided full-time academic research was not for her, she had a degree in English Literature, Language and Medieval History from the University of St Andrews, a Masters in Publishing from the University of Leeds and a Social Policy and Cultural Criticism doctorate in HIV/AIDS from Cranfield University. She had also lived and travelled in Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America.

Since 1995 Zoë has published seven books, on subjects as diverse as sex and Bosnia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund and a Writer in Residence at the University of the Arts. Zoë has created courses and lectured in Creative Thinking and Writing, Travel Literature and Journalism at several London universities, including City, Middlesex and Roehampton.  She also teaches courses of travel writing and travel photography with photographer Grace Lau.

Zoë is currently working on a book of travel literature about the Via Appia Antica, the great road that led from Rome to Brindisi in ancient times, much of which still exists. For more details of this, other publications and Zoë's most recent magazine and journal articles see links to Books and Travel Articles.

Zoë has taught women and men who describe themselves as 'refugees' from undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Creative Writing. As a result of this, she began to reconsider what creativity is, not just in writing, but in other fields too.  Where does it come from?  Can anyone have it?  How can it be harnessed? How can we become more creative in our working lives, regardless of what kind of work we do?  With these questions in mind, Zoë developed Creative Guidance, a system designed to provide career help for individuals wishing to experience and express their creativity more effectively. CG draws on Zoë's skills, from the academic and intellectual, counselling and personal, to Kundalini yoga and shamanism.

Since 1998 Zoë has trained and worked as a counsellor, healer and psychopomp in the Core Shamanic tradition. She is also a qualified Kundalini yoga instructor accredited by KYTA, the international Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association. She has completed a Level 2 (Advanced) course in Kundalini Meditation and is currently studying and practicing the meditative healing art of Sat Nam Rasayan.  For detailed information on:

Core Shamanism: healing, journeying skills, soul-retrieval, psychopomping and ceremonial work;

Kundalini yoga instruction: classes, one-to-one teaching, meditation and breathwork for enhanced creativity, and Sat Nam Rasayan healing:  http://www.kundalinishaman.com/