Dr Botty Dimanov
CEO and Co-Founder of Tenyks

Hello everyone. I'm Dr Botty Dimanov. I hold a PhD in AI from Cambridge [University]. I'm also the founder of a Cambridge University spin-out called Tenyks. Tenyks has been backed by Y-Combinator, one of the most competitive accelerators in the world, and we are on a mission to build the search engine for visual information

However, today I want to talk to you about my experience of working with Doctor Elizabeth English. I want to start with the fact that if you're looking for a ‘get-rich-quick’ scheme, [or] ‘come watch a video and change your life forever in an instant’ – maybe this is not the right place for you. But if you're looking for a truly profound, deep and lasting impact, [one] that's going to stay for you for a long time, and you're ready to truly commit to put in the effort to follow the practices. Well, then maybe you'll find something truly extraordinary for you here.

I worked with Elizabeth for almost two years, and I'm happy to say that even five years after we stopped interacting or continuously engaging, I continue to apply lessons, practices and tools that I developed during our time working together. So it really stays for me on a daily basis. What do I mean by truly deep and profound and lasting impact? I'll give you [this] example. I worked with Elizabeth for two years, and then I went on my own for five years applying the skills, building a business – we’ve managed to assemble a team, raise us a significant amount of money to build our business, and generate traction with customers – and a lot of that has been thanks to applying these skills on a daily basis, in the way we do with our work.

Honestly, many people think communication is about speaking, about saying things. And something Elizabeth has helped me realise is that great communicators, who truly know how to influence people, focus much more on listening, because communication is not so much about what you say communication as about the reaction or the response you get.

So, for example, I've been able to learn how to listen between the lines, to hear what's implied, though not really said …. It's about the ability to truly connect and bond with my team; to defuse tense situation; or to develop a spider-sense for impending dangers or threats; emotional dangers, I mean, that we're able to alleviate and resolve before they turn into huge, insurmountable monsters.

We’re able to hear our customers at a much deeper level; not just what they they need or want.

What are the emotions that they're driving their decisions? And how do they go about choosing different products and choosing different types of solutions to solve their problems? And maybe most important, I've developed the skill to listen to myself: to experience the emotions that are happening within my inner voice, and [to] bring more voices into the room. It's more like a boardroom. We have many different perspectives. And you develop the skill to overcome adversity, which is inevitable in building a high growth startup – [dealing with]  investors, investor rejections, customers, team members who you need to convince to join your company… all of that comes down to the emotional intelligence to keep on going and to keep appreciating the challenges that that life brings your way.

And maybe that's kind of the final piece I'm going to leave you with. Many people underestimate this, but one of Elizabeth's special skills is she's probably an expert on happiness; an expert on finding little blissful, delicious, delightful moments, that you can enjoy and savour throughout your life, regardless of what's happening, regardless of the challenges you might be experiencing, you find new ways to to enjoy and the beauty and the joy in your life.

So today, I hope you made the choice to experience – just experience – Elizabeth's presence and I promise you one thing: It will you stay for you as a shining light for years to come. So hope you enjoy it and looking forward to hearing about your great journey soon. 

John Hughes

AI Researcher, Manager

Hey, I'm John, I'm a research engineer and also an engineering manager. And I've been seeing Elizabeth now for the last almost six months, I think. And, I've primarily been seeing her to help me deal with stress and and also making career decisions, and communicating effectively as well. 

I can honestly say that it's been incredibly transformative, for me. I've learned so much kind of about the inner parts of myself and the values which drive me. And using that, I've been able to navigate my feelings and needs and in tough scenarios. So if you're someone who's experiencing lots of stress, anxiety, and maybe you've got a very tough period of your life, I really think that seeing

Elizabeth is an amazing investment in your future. I've certainly found that it's been a great investment for me in terms of my wellbeing, and [as] an engineering manager, too. 

I think Elizabeth is an is an absolute Jedi of mindfulness. You know, really giving you the space for self discovery. And also having lots of fun, too. [In] every session, I felt very enlightened in some way. And I've had new skills to practice, which is something that that matters to me a lot. Learning and growth is very important to me. 

So maybe I will just go into a bit more about the specifics; about what I've been seeing, Elizabeth for. I think six months ago now I was faced with, with a pretty big career decision. I felt extremely overwhelmed by this. Very anxious, very stressed. I was stuck going round in circles, making ‘pros and cons’ lists and not really getting anywhere. I was pretty miserable. But I had one session with Elizabeth, and after that I really I felt like I was much more in touch with what really mattered to me. We did some visualization around different scenarios and how I felt, and I think the big difference was [that] I was finally listening to what my body was saying rather than thinking about the intricacies of this decision, and that really worked for me. 

Then then we started to delve into some methods to help me deal with just general stress. And again, I've been through a big journey here, really understanding the inner parts of me. Elizabeth provides a great space to focus … with whatever kind of feeling is really pulling you during that day. And [this] really gives you the space to listen to that part, which has been which has been really great. And I’ve been forming a lot of imagery [too]. 

Also general techniques on how to deal with migraines, too. [This] has been very helpful and I'm now more comfortable dealing with my stress and understanding my own needs. That means I can start to understand the needs and feelings of others. And it's all leading into Nonviolent Communication, which is [a process or technique] that Elizabeth has a lot of skills in. So I'm really excited for the continued sessions with Elizabeth to work more on all this, and become a very authentic and effective manager. 

I guess [there’s] just one last thing. I really admire how emotionally invested Elizabeth gets in her clients. You know, she really, really cares. She often sends you warm, thoughtful voice messages. If you need extra support, outside of the sessions, she'll even suggest extra sessions depending on your circumstances. For example, for me, we had a session on interview preparation and the best ways to communicate, during tough questions and [how to] get across your sense of excitement and your values. So this was incredibly useful for me. 

So if you're if you're someone facing similar things to me, or stress, anxiety [or] trauma; or you just want to learn new tools to help you communicate effectively as a professional, then I highly recommend Elizabeth. She's amazing. Yeah, I'm very grateful for the time that we spent together.

I look forward to what we have coming in the future too. 
 

Sarah
   Interpreter

Hello, I'm Sarah, and I've just completed a mentoring programme with Elizabeth. I knew Elizabeth from a mindfulness programme that I was doing with her back in my fourth year at the University of Cambridge, which had been a total life changer for me at the time. 

And so a few years later, when I was transitioning from one profession to another, I thought I'd really like to give myself the best chance to thrive from the get-go. Elizabeth has been an amazing companion to me in this transitionary period. She's never lectured me. She always responded really flexibly with whatever came up in my life at that point, and has shown me and given me some really good tools that I can use to be kinder to myself and to really be listening to what is actually happening. 

So rather than just improving my resilience or sense of calm, I actually think I grew as a person. I discovered a whole well of creativity that I didn't even know I had before. 

So if you are considering signing up to Elizabeth's mentoring programme, then I can only encourage you to do so. You will be in the best of hands. 
 

Caryn
Mechanical Engineer

I have taken part in a number of Elizabeth's courses and workshops, and I found them to be truly transformational in the way that I approach my mindfulness and meditation practice, as well as day to day life in general.

And what I find unique and special about them is this gentle, compassionate, kindly approach; that there's no real right or wrong when it comes to your experience and what's happening inside.

And so you can use that sense of knowing of what you need in that moment to provide you with the best kind of care for yourself. …

For sleep, for example: even when struggling with poor sleep habits, [or] struggling to get to sleep where you have a self-critical approach where, you’re hard on yourself for not being able to get to sleep. This approach takes the more curious sense of, “Oh, what is it that's here right now?” and, “How can I give that the space that it needs to be able to, yeah, surrender into that rest…” 

When I graduated from university in the middle of Covid times, I started a job working fully from home; no contact with my co-workers in person, just behind the screen. One of the things that kept me so grounded and remembering the good in the world was Elizabeth's meditation practices. When things become overwhelming and you feel isolated and not sure what to do, I found that these practices helped me to be my inner compass and guide about what I truly needed in that in that time and, how I could find resources within myself; within the boundaries of my own home …; to really find that sense of calm, relief [and] support; all of those things that we already have within us.
 

Ella Higgs
Mental Health Professional, Focusing Teacher

Elizabeth taught me mindfulness and meditation in 2015. And she was such a wonderful teacher to work with her. Her skill at teaching, her kindness, her humour, just her overall presence, was really fantastic. If you get the opportunity to work with her, I'd really recommend it. 

In my life, I've gained immeasurable amounts really from learning mindfulness meditation. It's opened me up to receive more joy and pleasure in my life. It’s helped me be able to cope with more difficult emotions, more difficult situations in my life. It's invaluable really. 

One particular example I'd like to share from Elizabeth's teachings is something that has really changed my life. Learning mindfulness and meditation, I really distinctly remember, to this day, the first time that it really impacted my life. It was when I was learning with her, when I was at university, and I was heartbroken at the time (at that naive age, probably thinking that was the worst heartbreak I was ever going to experience!); and I would go for walks by the river every day. I already found that to be a support for my wellbeing. But I really, really distinctly remember the experience of feeling really overwhelmed by the negative feelings and the difficult feelings, and the situation and the heartbreak. But I remember, for the first time, really being aware that I could also be really mindful and present of other things and ground myself in the environment. I remember noticing the beauty and the particular shade of green of the leaves that I was walking past. And you know, to this day, that's something that really enriches my life. Like being able to be so overwhelmed by something and to feel joy and beauty [as well], and grounding and connection to nature (particularly for me). But other things as well. So that's something that Elizabeth’s teachings have really, really changed in my life. 
 

Joshua Gottlieb
        Brand Director

Learning to meditate with Elizabeth has been such a gift. It has helped me be more grounded, more in touch with myself and others, and has given me a greater sense of freedom to engage with whatever comes up within or happens from without – rather than just reacting to it. 

But it's not just been helpful to myself and people around me in these ways. It's also been endlessly fascinating to practice this kind of introspection that returns me to a version of myself I enjoy spending this much time. 

I met Elizabeth almost a decade ago in Cambridge, where she was teaching meditation at [Cambridge] University as part of a study and a study which showed that her teaching has measurable positive effects on well-being. And I can say for myself that I was much less stressed after the course and my grades went up accordingly. 

I've tried a bunch of meditation apps, but it's just not the same. Meditation isn't one size fits all, and it really helps to have an experienced teacher who understands your preferences, your concerns, your strengths, and uses that understanding to guide you towards techniques that are going to make a difference in your life. 

In my experience, a lot of mindfulness meditation, whether in apps or workshops, tends to be either vague and esoteric, which doesn't really resonate with me; or incredibly sterile with the kind of aesthetic of scientific rigour and rationalism. 

What I value about Elizabeth's approach is that it avoids both of those things and is instead grounded. It's tested – without being afraid of poetry, of life, of the fullness of our human experience. And I think this comes from Elizabeth being a real expert and scholar in the foundational texts of this tradition, as well as a published poet. 

There are, of course, many great meditation teachers out there, but I don't know of anyone who’s developed anything like Elizabeth's method, which is a more generative, open way of meditating that doesn't risk alienating you from your own thoughts and feelings, but instead allows you to sense them fully and to have the choice of engaging with them creatively; helping you find new perspectives, helping you figure out what's going on, and meeting it with curiosity and kindness.