Living Medicine is the recognition that something lives us,
and that something is always on our side, even when we don’t think that it is.
That something—that’s always on our side—is love. We live in a vast universe of LOVE
ABOUT US
We are Amy Phillips and John Stoddart. We figure we must have come into this world with some kind of soul contract that neither of us could have crafted with mere imagination. We’ve known each other for almost fifty years, through numerous relationships and unpredictable twists and turns.
We each have a lifelong dedication to health and wellbeing. We both love to leave things better than we find them. We take great joy in sharing what we’ve learned with others.
Working together under the umbrella of Living Medicine—an initiative that is much larger than ourselves—provides both a focus and a kind of contract through which to unite our personal expressions. Our centre offers a hub of connection where many come together to share knowledge, wisdom and skills. We do our best to embody the basic tenet that it is only through doing our own healing work that we can help heal the world.
ABOUT AMY
For as long as I can remember, I felt an urgency — a quiet compulsion to heal my inexplicable sorrows in preparation for a future I could not yet see. A while ago, I realized the urgency had faded. In its place: a steady inner knowing that I'm ready.
The last forty years have been dedicated to personal development, in-depth therapy (aided by intermittent psychedelic sessions), trainings, workshops, healing circles and groups too numerous to mention. The most rigorous by far was achieving the designation of Integral Master Coach™ in 2011. A current focus on pre and peri-natal development touches every aspect of how I now understand resilience, belonging, and transformation.
My professional life as a project manager has evolved in parallel. I have an intuitive talent for what I call “chaos management” — making sense of complexity and helping projects, people, and systems move toward coherence. Whether supporting major construction projects at UBC or overseeing the restoration of our home, I love bringing things to life.
I’m actively unifying my worlds of work and healing. Writing is a consistent companion, a way to find clarity, express creativity, and meet myself honestly. I love to learn and recite by heart the poetry that stirs my soul. I have a deep devotion to caring for the many animal friends I’ve had throughout my life, currently two delightful cats who complete our family.
ABOUT JOHN
My life has taken a winding path through many adventures and many careers—first responder, filmmaker, teacher, Integral Master Coach™ and health activist. The thread through it all is a deep commitment to learning, creative expression, and service.
Three enduring enquiries animate my work and life choices: how culture influences our collective and individual identities; how we share ourselves through communication, language, and media; and how we cultivate true health and wellbeing.
I love to create sacred living spaces. I’m a wood whisperer, transforming reclaimed wood into objects of beauty and use. I hold music as a form of medicine and find joy in creating food that heals as much as it delights.
My own long healing journey through chronic illness has given me a lived understanding of what it means to cultivate optimum health. I created the Lasting Health Program to support others in regenerative healing grounded in lived experience, through both individual and group offerings.
Today, my work continues within our Living Medicine project. I co-host our podcast series that includes my divinatory piano improvisations—sound journeys as medicine—and I’m writing That Was Then, This Is Now, a forthcoming Substack series on living in this world but not of it.