“As part of a Health Employee Initiative, we invited Victoria to come speak to our group on the fundamentals of Mindful Self Compassion. Victoria’s gentle, kind approach to the course had set all of us at ease, and found her content very relatable. Feedback was very positive and overall the workshop was thoroughly enjoyed by those both in the intimate in person group setting as well as those joining in remotely. Victoria left the group to practice with some basic mindful self-compassion tools in our daily life. Thank you Victoria for sharing your passion with us. We welcome you back again!” - Claudia Burke, Specifications Coordinator, APPLEGATE

“Victoria is not only an incredible teacher but a true voice of compassion. When struggling to find my own compassionate voice, I’m always reminded of her deeply calming and kind tone. She not only embodies tender compassion but also shows courage and fierceness in sharing her own life journey. With great maturity, lightness, and intuition, she is mindful in her response to all questions and does not shy away from encouraging her students to dig deeper into the compassionate experience.” — Kate, Cayman Islands 

“This 8 week MSC course with Victoria has been life-changing for me. Victoria is a living, breathing example of embodied mindful self-compassion. It was a joy to come to class each day to learn from her clear wisdom and skill as a teacher, mentor, and authentic, loving being. She taught the material at a pace that I could easily absorb and understand. I still hear her gentle, soothing voice in my mind and heart as I learn to embrace and apply MSC practices into my own life each day. I see the gentle nudges of this work manifest in new ways within me constantly. My inner voice/self-talk has truly softened. I am so grateful and relieved to have these practices and know they will be with me for life now. Thank you Victoria.” —Mary, Ferndale, WA

“I am so glad that I took the Mindful Self-Compassion class with Victoria. She is an incredibly skillful, gifted, and compassionate teacher, and creates such a warm, safe and welcoming environment for everyone. The class felt like an oasis in the midst of a difficult time and I am grateful for Victoria’s sensitive, compassionate insight and guidance throughout. The tools and skills she taught are really transformative, yet also simple enough to be incorporated in the middle of challenge. Each class felt like being welcomed home, to myself and to community. Learning how to approach myself with compassion and affection instead of with self-judgement and doubt really is life altering. Each meditation and exercise that Victoria led with such care, felt very meaningful and profound. And the silent retreat was an absolute treat for me. I am so deeply grateful to Victoria for her gentle guidance and care, and will carry the experience and insights from this class with me throughout my life.”—Kristina, Georgia

“Mindful Self Compassion has taught me that I am my greatest critic. Because of Victoria’s kind and gentle tutelage, I now pay attention to my self-talk and notice when I am being harsh. This allows me to change the rhetoric and be more patient with myself. Holding myself with love and compassion has led to more positive outcomes. I have taken this class twice with Victoria and highly recommend it.”—Farooq, Laguna Beach

"I am a resilience coach and meditation teacher and I have been in many trainings and programs, to be honest, this unique 8 weeks program was one of the BEST that I have ever taken. I initially started this course to get to know the method to see how it works and eventually bring it to my clients during coaching and meditation sessions, and then I started to dig deep and heal some wounds for myself. It was a place to come, arrive and be and feel compassion, allowing, acceptance and common humanity! Your energy, tenderness and smile made the sessions sweet with loving kindness…the wisdom and your deep knowledge help me to understand key things about myself. Thank you so much”—Anisa, Switzerland

“Being able to focus and understand compassion for oneself is a very important life skill. Without it, anxiety and stress will take over. In this self compassion class with Victoria, I learned how to give myself more compassion and accept the stress I was feeling. We learned about techniques that help self compassion heighten and personal stresses die down. Being a part of a class with people who were there for similar reasons is both enlightening and inspiring. With an amazing and patient teacher like Victoria, I was able to completely be myself and flourish in the class.” —Olivia, Irvine (age 17)

“The 8-week mindful self-compassion course was truly a momentous experience. Victoria created a warm and accepting space with her beautiful and wise teachings and her openness in sharing her own journey. I was relatively new to MSC and after seeing the power of opening up to a kinder part of myself through the daily practice circles, the 8-week course seemed to be the next natural progression into embracing self-compassion. I was overwhelmed with the richness of material covered and the sweetness of feeling involved in accessing a soothing, compassionate voice. I could not be happier to have begun my adventure into mindful self-compassion with the wonderful Victoria and fully encourage everyone to offer themselves the gift of this experience.”—Eleanor, UK

“Victoria has a profound regard for others. She is an exceptional teacher with an open heart and she is passionate about sharing Mindful Self Compassion. She creates a safe space for gentle exploration of difficult emotions and situations that we all encounter in our daily lives. She has encouraged me to be curious about who I really am and what I might need at any given moment with compassion. Thank you, Victoria from the bottom of my always opening, softer heart.”—Nancy, Colorado

“Victoria is able to create a warm place for both experienced meditators and for those meditating for the first time. She meets you where you are in your practice with encouragement and support. If you are looking to be in the moment, relieve stress and anxiety, I highly recommend Victoria.”—Steve, Irvine

I came to Victoria’s 8-week MSC Course having regularly attended her online public offerings for the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion during this last year of Covid, when she so generously supported (and continues to support) so many in this community…You could not wish for a warmer, more inspiring, uplifting or radiant guide along the way. Her great gift is to create a safe, friendly, and loving environment….holding each member with tenderness and compassion, modelling at its very best, both compassion for self and others. She embodies both and draws everyone into her (metaphorical) embrace, giving us hope that all of us can learn these skills as well, and that as she likes to say, "drop by drop the vase will be filled”. And though she is an extremely experienced practitioner and teacher (wearing her deep learning lightly) and conveys the more conceptual “meat” of the course with great skill, I think I learnt most simply from witnessing her in action, from listening to her consistently gentle vocalization and from hearing her sharing occasionally, her own journey so bringing to life a true appreciation of “common humanity”.—Julia, Hungary

“I had the pleasure of learning self compassion practice with Victoria. To see how Victoria fully embraces self compassion as a modality of healing allowed me to break down walls that were 50 years in the making. Victoria is well-studied, compassionate and a nurturing teacher. I am happy to continue the journey of self compassion with Victoria as a guide.” —Summer, Laguna Beach

“Victoria has changed my brain… something I didn’t think possible. Having suffered from anxiety, fear, and many other heavy energies, Victoria has taught me how to pause in these moments, and offer myself compassion (which helps me move to happiness with ease). Moreover, she has taught me how to find the right mindset to meditate. Through her teachings of self compassion and guided meditation, I now know that my mind will wander in meditation, and that this is normal and okay. All I have to do is gently bring it back. So now, instead of getting frustrated and giving up, I am able to complete and grow my meditation practice, which has drastically shifted my mindset and whole life for the BEST! I can’t recommend Victoria enough!”—Frances, Laguna Beach

“Victoria is a conscientious and loving teacher, with a deeply matured understanding of the MSC practice. It is clear that MSC has changed her life over years of practice which is important as a model of what MSC can offer to help others in their suffering. Her comprehensive recaps of sessions, ongoing availability through personal email, and leading free semiweekly MSC meditations online further reveal her deep commitment to helping others get the most out of MSC.”— Bill, New York State

“In this challenging year, I’ve learned to find silver linings for which I am extremely grateful: the most profound event was finding MSC online meditations seeking comfort by connecting with others and where I met Victoria. After several months of daily practice, I realized I wanted to take the MSC 8 week workshop with her. My decision made, everything fell into place as she warmly welcomed me to the course. Victoria struck me right away as a kindred spirit, sharing her story honestly while teaching us how to bring self compassion to ourselves and others. Her teaching style is gentle, patient, and comprehensive. An attentive listener, Victoria led us through the course with varied activities and meditations to add to our toolboxes. Those 8 weeks were life changing for me. I am deeply thankful to have Victoria as my teacher and friend.”—Susan, Washington

“A day does not go by where I do not utilize the skills Victoria taught me through her Mindful Self Compassion Workshops and Coaching. And a day does not go by where I am not keenly aware of how drastically different my inner dialogue is from before I began my practice with her. Gone is the constant criticizing and doubting, that has been replaced with a steady stream of love, patience, and self compassion. This is not to say there are not still hard times because of course there are, but one of the gifts Victoria has given me is that I know the storms pass….and I have a say in how I react to them….most importantly how I see myself in them. I am a more grateful, calm, and loving sister, aunt and friend….Victoria is truly one of the most treasured people in life.”—Andrea, Laguna Nigel

“This was one of the best classes I have taken recently. Victoria is an excellent teacher and one of the most loving and compassionate people I know. I would highly recommend this! Practicing Mindful Self Compassion has been a life changer for me. One silver lining of the pandemic!”—Linda, Connecticut

“Taking the MSC workshop with Victoria was exactly what I needed. It covers so much more than I expected. It helps me to come back to myself and give myself what I need. It helps me to go through challenging times with more awareness, kindness and compassion. A lot of buried emotions came up; Victoria and the group helped me to hold it with compassion. Victoria is kind, available, knowledgeable and willing to transmit her tools. She creates a safe space where we were all welcome to be exactly as we are. I’m really grateful for having had the opportunity to take this workshop and I would recommend it to everyone. I’m still using some of the tools every day. Thank you for creating this community and giving us the opportunity to still practicing together after the workshop.”—Lenka, Belgium

“Victoria holds a special place in my heart. Each class of the 8-weeks MSC course is crafted with care, science, and infused with love and gentleness. Victoria is one of these teachers who walk the talk and truly embody what they are eager to share. What touched me the most and made me grow even more is her vulnerability and humility to share her story. It brings the material to life and makes teachings relatable and engaging. Expect a profound transformation when taking her class! I am beyond grateful for Victoria, she held me so gently; she lives and leads from the heart. Thank you for this gift.”—Edith, Rhode Island