LORNA macphail

Leading FromWithin.

Women's health educator and facilitator of The Physiology of Leadership™, holistic practitioner and teacher. Co founder of Women of the New Earth™ and Conscious FLO™, based in Scotland and working with women worldwide.

Sharing my story hasn't always been easy; I'm a very private person. But I share it because I know that when I do, there are women who will see themselves in it. My story is a human story. It is all of our stories. And when we recognise the humanity in each and every one of us, the story of our world will change.

Warm professional portrait of Lorna MacPhail

A human story

At nineteen, I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Two major surgeries and a year of chemotherapy meant that, very early on, I met the reality of being in relationship with my health. Two years later, my father died suddenly, and shortly after that I found myself in the middle of one of the world's worst natural disasters, the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Like many of us, my way of moving through that period of my life was to put it into a little box somewhere and distract myself with having fun and the busyness of work, until eventually, the sense of disconnect and discontent demanded my attention.

At first it was a feeling of disconnect from a sense of purpose, even though I was in a very purposeful career and then in my late 20s I developed inflammatory responses to dust, diagnosed with hereditary high cholesterol and was told I would have to take medication for the rest of my life. As I reached perimenopause my digestive health took a turn for the worse. Something in me knew there must be a more natural way to support my health so I went looking for it or perhaps the solution came looking for me...

THE turning point

Learning to listen

For the past ten years, I have immersed myself in the study of yoga and meditation, learning with a great master, yogi and scientist, in a tradition rooted in the Himalayan technologies of observation. There I studied yoga therapy and the ancient systems that cleanse and detoxify the liver and restore the health of the digestive system. It is through these practices that I no longer live with high cholesterol or allergies. My energy returned, my digestive health was restored, and I connected to a deeper sense of purpose.

What I was learning didn't stay on the mat. I brought it into the classrooms where I was teaching, and went on to join a leadership for change research programme at UCL, where my research took a whole school approach to integrating mindfulness and self compassion into the curriculum, with profound results, and I went on to support other schools in adopting this approach. Alongside this, I trained as an accredited holistic health coach, deepening my study of yoga therapy, nutritional science and Ayurveda: how to cleanse and detoxify the body, restore digestive health and reduce inflammation. And through all of it, The Self Mastery Approach™ was born: an approach that integrates conscious living with leading from the inside out.

Lorna in nature, connecting with native plants

THE SELF MASTERY APPROACH™

Your health was never meant to take second place

The Self Mastery Approach™ is an invitation to live more simply and consciously: not doing everything at once, but taking small steps towards harmony with yourself, with others and with the natural world. We have spent so long separating everything, health from work, mind from body, ourselves from nature, when none of it is separate. Your digestion, your nervous system, your relationships and the environment you live in are one living, integrated whole, and when you learn to work with that whole rather than against it, your energy, your clarity and your sense of purpose return together.

This approach lives in everything I offer. Explore the ways we can work together.

living and leading well

From the inside out

From this work, everything I now share has grown. The Physiology of Leadership™ carries it into how we lead: because how we lead begins with how we live, and when we learn to listen deeply, to ourselves and to each other, we lead ourselves first, then our families, our communities and our workplaces, towards happier, healthier lives.

With Katherine Crawley I co founded Women of the New Earth™, a community for women committed to living and leading well, and with Katie Vance I co founded Conscious FLO™, which brings The Physiology of Leadership™ into organisations.

These days, you'll find me picking flowers in the garden and continuing my journey of learning about our native plants and finding ways to support my local community through education, creativity and health initiatives. Most recently by co founding The Connection Point, a charity supporting stronger communities where every child, young person, and family feels connected, supported, and able to reach their potential.

Two Decades of Practice

My training spans therapeutic yoga, nutritional science, nervous system regulation and coaching psychology, woven with wholesome food, Ayurvedic principles and plant wisdom, over twenty years across education, community development, health and personal transformation.

Lorna is a member of the following governing bodies.

Begin within

If something here resonates, a great place to start is Soft Waters, a free guide to quieting the mind and listening to your body, created with Katherine Crawley, my co founder at Women of the New Earth™.

Start With Soft Waters

HOME | ABOUT | WORK WITH ME | CONSCIOUS FLO™ | THE WELL

The information provided on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, lifestyle, or treatment plan.