About Me:

“Masterful, heart centred facilitation. Humour, grace and wisdom married to deep understanding. Super trustworthy” Karen, Climate Change activist and Interfaith Minister

Hello,

In the short term, while this site is in development, here are some excerpts from bios of mine to give you a flavour of my experience, skills and training, plus testimonials. Do please get in touch if you have questions!

“Toni Spencer is a true wise woman.  She models many of the qualities of leadership needed in this new era of human history:  vision, depth, an ability to hold vulnerability and strength in harmony,  embodied richness and compassion.  Her voice and presence are much needed in the darkness and opportunity of these times.” Justine Huxley, CEO, St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace

Bio

Toni’s work as a facilitator, poet and mentor seeks to enable a deeper and more diverse engagement with the ecological, cultural and social issues of our times. She creates spaces where grit, grief, messiness, and laughter are welcome and where new kinds of wisdom and power can emerge.

Some of Toni’s recent work includes: Radical Ecological Pedagogies (From the Roots Up) with ULEX and facilitating for Mycelium Group. For more details see Toni’s LinkedIn.

She is a Deep Adaptation Advocate and has been offering spaces to explore this since 2018 including a new course re-designed for the Covid era Living Deep Adaptation as well as Kissing The Void; Deep Adaptation and the Creative Spirit, and a presentation with Jem Bendell for Bristol City Council.

She is a curator at The Emergence Network, leading on Vulture: Courting the Otherwise in a Time of Breakdown and is  a tutor and mentor on Call of the Wild and professional trainings with WildWise.

Toni has taught on the faculty of Schumacher College (Educational Practice, Ecological Facilitation as Leadership, Embodied Eco-literacy, Sacred Activism, Ethical Entrepreneurship) and at Goldsmiths, University of London (EcoDesign).

With a BA in Fine Art and an MSC in Responsibility and Business Practice, she has trained in a diverse range of practices alongside many years of ‘living life as inquiry’.

Previous professional work has been with organisations including Encounters Arts; the Transition Town Network; Forum For the Future; the Social Venture Network; Attainable Utopias; Wallpaper* Magazine as one of the founding editorial team; Wink Media and as a welder, interior designer, waitress, cook. I also set up and ran ‘The Feral Kitchen’ for a while teaching foraging and feeding folk wild food!

“I appreciated your humour and creativity. The aspect I had never really contemplated before was the idea of a ‘safe space’ as a truly open place that has to be constructed and tended to. It made it possible for everyone to find themselves without resorting to social constructs. Very very powerful.” James, Architect (KTV participant)

Trainings and modes of working:

Some things I have trained in and weave in to my work include:

The Work That Reconnects (Including training directly with Joanna Macy)

Presence work and embodiment, through many dance and movement teachers, meditation including numerous solo silent retreats. In particular Movement of Being, Authentic Movement.

‘Nature Connection’ This is central to my work, picking up approaches from many modalities and in particular through that relationship itself.

Process Work:  a number of intensives and short courses (and many years of Trustee meetings!)

Permaculture Diploma and many years of foraging, exploring alternative low impact living, some food growing with others and an instinct for ethical adaptation.

Plus a few years of Landmark Education in mid twenties, time in ceremony with visiting indigenous elders, international travel, soul work, improvisation and much more.

My Masters Degree offered a fantastic grounding in Deep Ecology, systems thinking, global ethics, action research, participatory education and more.

Colleagues and Networks:

If you’re interested to work with me, I bring a broad and brilliant network of people I collaborate with. These include business and organisational consultants; grass roots community organisers; artists; educators; scientists; therapists and more.

“…With the majestic Toni Spencer – whose teachings, gentle facilitation and red-haired midwifery of yearning and possibility granted a deeply appreciated authenticity to our explorations…”  http://bayoakomolafe.net/project/entangled-with-the-world/