More Positive Me

Stephanie DarkesMy name is Stephanie Darkes, in the past (amongst other things including, forklift driving and welding) I’ve run a live music venue and my own digital marketing / PR company, taught drama and dabbled in radio. These days, I write for several publications and blogs, including a column for Exeter Life. when I’m not writing, you can find me getting nerdy over bands and the festival I co-organise or attempting to channel Felicity Kendal in the allotment and Nigella (pre weight loss) in the kitchen in our new country-city abode.Home - Exploring Exeter and Discovering Devon

Leigh Rundle​I knew I loved horses before I had the words to express it. They were my life until I left home and became a journalist, employed by the BBC for 27 years. As a journalist I was driven by a desire to communicate.Then it was through words. Now its the unspoken language of the horse which brings with it the potential for total transformation.​Alongside my journalistic career I co-founded and became Director of a Community Interest Company called Confidence Through Comedy working with ”hard to reach” groups under the age of 16 using Comedy to reframe past experience and build the confidence needed to bring about positive change.​I am a Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming(NLP) and trained in Equine Facilitated Practice. Over the past 10 years I have worked with hundreds of different clients, many from disadvantaged backgrounds. My role is to help people access the resources within themselves to move forward in their desired direction.​I have been very involved with the charity Key4life, which was set up to tackle reoffending among young men in the UK. As a Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming(NLP), I was one of the team responsible for Behavioural Change work in prisons and in the community.  In 2018 I trained in Equine Facilitated Learning (LEAP model) and subsequently ran weekly workshops with clients in Glastonbury, Somerset. I now run my own practice in Exeter combining Equine and NLP Interventions working with private and publicly funded clients. During my time with the BBC ,wherever possible, my focus was on social and environmental issues. I left in March of 2019 after taking a two year career break. Before joining the BBC, I worked in newspapers and BBC and Independent Radio.https://equafinity.co.uk personal development with the help of horses

Nicky Dunn – CEO“I have always been interested in business. Through an ambition to have my own business in my mid 20’s, I founded Mango Personnel that offered a fresher approach to recruitment. I created a culture where people felt comfortable and trusted our work and I was hugely proud of our achievements.I embarked on an incredible cycling trip in November 2016 to Vietnam and Cambodia – (I was not a cyclist), call it a midlife crisis, but I needed a challenge in my life, and in doing so we raised over £16,000 for three cancer charities. Whilst sitting outside a Siem Reep restaurant in Cambodia, I needed another challenge and wanted to fulfil people’s lives on a personal level.Finding love and companionship is hard and now loneliness has become an epidemic and technology hasn’t helped. I decided to combine a matchmaking service with local social event, bringing people together in a safe and enjoyable environment.Pi Society have successfully matched 130 couples in long term relationships around Devon. The age range that we have matched is from 33 to 87! Not only that, we have also forged new friendships and great relationships with local businesses through hundreds of events including walks, supper nights, kayaking trips, author evenings, specialist evenings and so much more.”Contact Nicky : nicky@pisociety.co.ukPersonal Matchmakers | Pi Society