The longer tale…

Hi there, I’m Tessa!

Welcome to this lil’ corner of the internet where you’ll find my ancient stardusty heart-filled love notes and the realness and rawness of my inner-world.

Here you can also access the portals to Unspoken Global and the Institute for Open-Hearted Psychology which exist to support us in transforming True-Self Suppression, living open-heartedly, and creating systems, structures and social narratives which support our thriving wellbeing here on Earth.

For those who are new or who do not know some of the paths I’ve travelled to get here…

At heart, I am a small town Country Queensland gal (Wakka Wakka Country, Nanango) who’s always had big dreams and always worn my big ol’ heart on my sleeve.

I graduated with an Honours Degree in Psychology in 2011 from the University of Queensland (Australia). After becoming disillusioned with modern psychological approaches to mental health and overall wellbeing, I resigned from my 8-year career in the Community Sector.

During my career, I had specialised in Holistic Wellbeing Interventions, Trauma Assessments and Staff Development. I completed additional study (in Health Science, Nutritional Medicine, Emotional-Regulation and Neurobiology of Complex Trauma) and worked with various disadvantaged populations (within fields of Child Protection, Early Intervention Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Asylum Seekers and Refugees, and Alternative Education).

Somewhere along the line I got massively burnt out whilst people pleasing, overachieving and trying to help everyone else in the world but me.

Despite doing what society had told me to do, I felt lost.

I also felt like something was missing from the world and particularly the world of psychology.

Since a child, I felt like I was “too emotional” “too sensitive” and “too deep”… This world didn’t make sense to me and I constantly felt confused by the way things were.

When my mother died from cancer when I was age 10, my confusion and pain only intensified. For so long, it felt like I was searching.

Modern Psychology felt… hollow.

It was only after taking my own quest into the unknown I found the answers I was seeking.

In 2016, I began my personal quest to seek deeper answers and create the change in the world I knew I was truly here to create. 

For me, it all came back to the power of our heart.

I had to uncover a whole new approach to life and being of service in order to thrive on this immeasurably paradoxical, beautiful and heartbreaking planet we call Earth. 

I ultimately had to learn in order to create genuine and sustainable social change we must be willing to have the courage to be who we truly are, the courage to open our heart, and the courage to be the change we wish to see in the world.

I’ve since founded the Institute for Open-Hearted Psychology (formally Academy of Authenticity and Emotion-Mindset Institute) where I work at the intersect of psychology, embodied love and global wellbeing.

I now blend my love for creativity, innovation and human transformation into supporting my clients via specialised education and mentoring services.

In the Level 1 of my work, my team and I support our clients to a) understand emotions differently and experience a life of true wellbeing beyond suppressed emotion and unresolved trauma b) express their unique open-hearted leadership to create tangible social change in their own unique ways. 

In Level 2, I train leaders and aspiring coaches through my Open-Hearted Psychology Mentor Certification to become great mentors and help contribute to revolutionising the Mental Health Industry with Truth, Courage and Love.

In 2025, I will be focusing on the elevation and acceleration of systemic change through the power of individual courage and transformation. I will be expanding my innovative population-wide wellbeing initiative - Unspoken Global - throughout Australian cities and building a team of Regional Ambassadors to initiate this model in their own home towns.

Looking within can be confronting.

Yet, in my experience of having tried all of society’s solutions for “health and happiness” for my own struggles and suffering - coming home to my true self has been the only pathway of authentic liberation.

One where our joy, our grief and entire spectrum of our humanness gets to exist.

I’m truly grateful and humbled to now offer this pathway of healing and evolution to others.

As Ram Dass said, “we’re all just walking each other home.”

Let’s put our walking shoes on.

Tessa xx