Patricia Elliot

My Story

I’m a passionate storyteller and thought leader.  I believe in the power of humour and personal experience to inspire change. As the founder of MindCircles, I’ve spent 20 years promoting wellbeing and personal growth through resilience and courage, using psychologically proven techniques such as my ABC method.

I wear many hats (or as a colleague said about me, ‘What does she no do?‘). I’m a professional speaker, author, mentor/coach, poet, academic examiner, and funeral celebrant. Oh, I even did stand-up comedy, so if my tips don’t make you successful, at least they’ll make you laugh! Laughter is the best medicine. Smile and laugh, they cost you nothing. Whether you’re an individual or business seeking to transform your thinking, I’m here to help.

From a very early age, I felt destined to change the world. This was not arrogance, just an innate feeling. Though unsure how I would achieve this, the sensation never left me.

I would dream about my origins and began writing stories. This creative outlet, I believe, sparked my love for creative writing. Reflecting on it now, I realise that this creative exercise helped me navigate challenging times, including being bullied at school.

I was a quiet child and many doubted my potential. Fortunately, I was quite stubborn, some called it my ‘bloody-minded’ gene. This meant that when told I couldn’t do something, I set out to prove them wrong, and I did, by studying and graduating with degrees in music, law, psychology, and higher education. However, what I value most is my degree from the University of Life.

I’m an avid people-watcher, fascinated by the behaviours and mannerisms of those around me. I’ve always been intrigued by why some people cope better than others. My passion for wellbeing led me to found MindCircles around 20 years ago, offering products and services to improve mental, emotional, and psychological health. This journey culminated in the publishing of my first book, ‘7 Attributes for Success: Inner Success and Happiness’ in 2010. Though I’ve written academic books, this one, my first of many, opened up opportunities to discuss my research and incorporate proven psychological strategies to help people find and forge their own paths.
I’m a very positive person, letting go of past conditioning, and striving to turn challenges into opportunities.

Of course, I’m human and have made mistakes, but I learn from them. I believe our greatest strengths come from our greatest challenges. Little did I know that I would face my greatest challenge with the loss of my eldest son, Bruce, to suicide. I was open about my loss and wrote about my experience in my book ‘The Weight of Emptiness: Comfort and Hope for the Loss of a Loved One’. This book includes stories from others who have experienced loss, and from feedback, I know that, like me, they found writing therapeutic. This reinforced my belief that ‘sharing is caring and helps healing’. I also know that my psychologically proven techniques help me cope and endure life in a hopeful, even positive way, no matter the trauma. This led to the publication of my next book, ‘Resilience and Courage: The Key to Endurance’. 

I have also written my Wellbeing Series of Books, which cover many ‘life’ issues, all available on my MindCircles website and on which I facilitate various workshops.

My talks vary from Strategic Leadership, Transforming Teams, The Lies Past-conditioning told you! all aimed at helping people forge their own path. I also provide tailored talks to suit the needs of my clients and diverse audiences.