OLI Wellbeing pays their respects with much gratitude to the Indigenous peoples of the land and sea we live, work and play on, globally. We acknowledge Indigenous peoples ancient connection and stewardship of our planet and the ongoing systemic oppression they continue to endure.

We endeavour to walk alongside all Traditional Custodians of the land and sea with respect, reciprocity and right relations. How this looks will be different with every place and community, but we are committed to our ongoing exploration and relationships.

We also, pay our respects to the ancestors in our own bloodlines who honoured the land and seas of their own lineages in their own ways. We all come from the Earth and when we all connect back to the Earth, we then can to start to heal ourselves, the Earth, our relationships and each other.

Created by global nomad and weaver Anna Durward, Oli Wellbeing is the culmination of a career in systems transformation and operations and a life long relationship with the wellbeing of people and the planet - co-creating with diverse communities, cultural traditions and various healing modalities, globally.

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At the heart of Anna’s work is a passion for weaving diverse peoples, places and ways of being, doing and knowing into a shared understanding that enables co-creative change.

Anna is particularly interested in the intersection between public health, Indigenous health, climate, ethics and diverse healing modalities.

As a white Australian woman with blood ties to England, Scotland and the Netherlands, Anna recognizes and acknowledges the complexities of practicing her work on land she visits and or was born and raised upon, but one which is not her ancestral home.

As such, Oli Wellbeing’s whole team is grounded in exploring different ways of being, doing and learning, always listening to and collaborating with Traditional Custodians in all the work they do in each place.

How this looks, and will look, in practice is an ongoing journey – one which we are all wholeheartedly committed to.

A Letter from Anna

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read my letter to you - I am grateful that you are here.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that was nomadic, deeply connected to nature, adventure and diverse cultures. I have spent most my life on the road traveling, surfing and learning with many incredible natural wonders, wisdom keepers and traditional healers across the globe - a blessing, and an honour.

My passions, curiosity, career and studies have taken me to many places internally and externally.

As a weaver, space holder, systems change co-creator and operations enthusiast, deeply connected to nature, I started of my career in Regenerative Building and Construction. I then found myself on the frontline as a Community Organiser in climate and water justice working with Indigenous communities around the world. What I witnessed in these spaces was all projects were interconnected to mental health and physical health complexities or struggle obstacles amongst Indigenous and Non-Indigenous community members and there was a lack of access to the healthcare they wanted. Consequently, I embarked on studies, practices and work in Holistic Counselling, Traditional Herbalism, Buddhism, Meditation, Regenerative Leadership and Eco Psychology, to better support myself and my communities. Now I have found myself in the healthcare industry, studying Public Health and Indigenous Health where I feel I am bridging worlds within me and around me to meet the emerging collective needs. Something I have been weaving together from past lives, my ancestors and the path I have walked in this life time.

I endeavour to share more about my experiences (with permissions from those I collaborated with) via a book, an art exhibition and a short program that I am currently writing and possibly a podcast. I also wish to support other communities and organisations to bring forth systems change in Healthcare in their local communities if they desire. I wish to do so via consulting services. I am fortunate enough to offer consulting services with an incredible team of systems change agents globally, you can find more information under our consulting section on this website. I have also returned to offer 1:1 and community healing due to demand.

One day my big dreams is to host global gatherings for public healthcare and healing practiitoners, to come together to rest, learn and to share their wisdom together. Another one of my big dreams is to set up a Community Healthcare Center or support an existing healthcare to provide access to place-based healthcare, that considers Indigenous health, creativity, climate and culture in ethical and affordable ways, with integrity.

With over 10 years in the building and architecture industry and 15 years in business operations, I have supported many projects, venues and organisations with start up and scaling over the years and my strength lies in bringing visions to life, from seed to operation, with clear strategies and operational plans that are woven together with values, a systems thinking and change lens, a strong team, team health and realistic timelines and budgets to achieve ones mission.

As I mentioned, I have been fortunate enough to walk alongside diverse communities globally, and now with permission I want to share about all the wonderful people and places that I have been able to connect with and give you the opportunity to connect with them also. I want to give you the opportunity to give back to these communities members if that is possible for you and if their stories resonate with you. Please explore our give back section of the website.

I believe with diversity we are stronger, but this is a humble, decolonized journey that is non-linear and takes a lot of presence and healing within oneself and within our communities. I want to inspire you to realise that when we come together, we rise together. We are not separate.

I am grateful to have met many likeminded souls over the last few years and I am now excited to work on these efforts together.

I look forward to writing and sharing more soon and please feel free to connect if you have more questions.

With love,

Anna