‘We are committed to offering a series of retreats that provide a true learning experience led both by our dedicated tutors, and participants ‘own motivations and skills´’
Cristina is from Cartagena (Murcia) and has worked as a Modern Languages teacher in Liverpool, developed her own business and delivered numerous workshops on personal development. Darren has been running social enterprises for years and has a long history of community and business development, as well as delivering workshops in a range of cultural and social issues.
Cristina and Darren met originally in a professional capacity, through a common colleague who suggested they would work together on a project of support for New Migrant Entrepreneurs in Merseyside. The programme, combined sessions on specific business support (with Darren) and sessions dedicated to coach the participants (by VIDA team) so that they gained positive awareness of the cultural differences and believed in themselves so that they could succeed in a new environment.
´The connection between us grew quickly far beyond ´just work’; as well as becoming good friends, we also realised we had very similar passions about learning and personal development. Both of us believe in people and believe everyone can achieve their full potential in the right environment and circumstances.
We want to encourage this to happen and that is why we have established our own retreat and brought in people we knew could deliver amazing courses for people to up skill quickly, hungry for learning, development and connection’
Cristina
I am a very positive and dynamic person with a passion for cultural understanding and self-development.
My experience and background since I moved to Liverpool in 2008 are in education and coaching, having worked as a secondary school teacher, academic mentor for university students, and workshop manager and facilitator in projects related to self-development and addressed to migrants in Merseyside.
In my experience, the most successful lessons and workshops are those in which participants and facilitators somehow connect with each other. I believe that the process of learning happens better when individuals acknowledge their own skills and feel in a comfortable and safe environment.
I am aware that, many times, the quick pace of our lives requires that we use our time to do too many different things, taking our attention away from our own skills and of those who are surrounding us.
I am very excited to start the venture of NaturallyBossRetreats and be able to offer a series of retreats in which people can share their interest for a specific skills as well as finding space to connect with themselves and others.
Darren
I have a lifetime of working in business and community development, have established and run many social enterprises and community groups. In addition, I have helped guide, advise and support hundreds of businesses. I have been told by others that I am ‘someone who makes things happen’.
I am a strong believer in people, and have worked a lifetime with marginalized groups and individuals, and sincerely believe that given the right encouragement and guidance people can achieve a lot.
I have attended many courses but always left feeling so much more could have been achieved, I have also been disappointed by the lack of effort put in to break down barriers between different people from different cultures and countries.
I know like many others, have been dragged away from what I truly want to do by the rush of life, leaving me little time to reflect or catch up, or revisit the skills and plans I had. Like many other people there are so many things I want to do, but never have the time or the space to do these things. I hope the courses, the vibe, the surroundings enable others to revisit the areas they have always wanted to work on and develop.
I too, like Cristina, am very excited by our retreats and have been involved in selecting carefully our tutors, based on their experience, skills and approach to educating and facilitating.