About

Freda Wells

I’m a mum, wife, learner, connector, communicator, uplifter, curator, weaver, founder of Goodlife Collective, and idea-landscape-explorer. I was very fortunate to grow up in Nelson, Aotearoa New Zealand - surrounded by mountains and ocean.

At 17 I fled familiar horizons to spend a year in Europe for a year on a Rotary Scholarship. Meeting people from nearly 20 countries, I continually saw more of our human sameness than difference, and sensed the huge need for healing - for shifting our collective narrative, from differences to commonalities, from competition to cooperation, from fear to possibilities and hope.

It was in Belgium that I first experienced yoga; all in french, in a 400-year old church, but the gentle home-coming down from a busy mind to feeling more in my body, left me feeling more grounded, present and calm - planted a seed.

That year in Belgium also inspired a double degree in French and Psychology, which I graduated with from Otago University with in 2001 - complemented with papers in philosophy, design and environmental science.

My career has focused on communications and engagement, and I am currently a Senior Engagement Advisor in government. I also channel my creativity and curiosity into side projects to shape a more constructive collective narrative, including The Kiwi Diary (founded by Annabel Wilson) and Goodlife Collective - a platform to build connection, agency, and our collective potential.

I completed her 200YTT in 2019 with a true master of yoga Nico Luce.

I continuously aspire to return to the four principles that Nico set out as the ground rules for our yoga cohort: from the book, ‘The Four Agreements’: “Be impeccable with your word”, “Do not take anything personally”, “Do not make assumptions”, and “Always do your best”. I’ve been teaching yoga regularly ever since.

If you’d like to explore practicing yoga with me, reach out at hello@goodlifecollective.org.