Belonging. Community. Growth.

Counsellor, Wilderness Rites of Passage Guide, Facilitator

Kia ora I’m Bear Heart, your guide into soulful living.
My hope is that in joining us in this work we all become brighter, more authentic and connected people. You’ll learn the essential skills to tend the garden of your own unique life, and how to grow the fruit that sustains your own sense of belonging

Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand

A smiling man with long dark hair, a beard, and hoop earrings, wearing a patterned shirt and a necklace with a green pendant, standing in a lush green outdoor setting.

Upcoming Events

Featured
HeartBeat: Connecting Men in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Jul 25
Mount Pleasant Community Centre
HeartBeat: Connecting Men in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Mount Pleasant Community Centre

Looking around for a deeper sense of brotherhood in your life and more connection beyond the mundane? This is for you. HeartBeat is a fully facilitated experience of connection, see you there

Mount Pleasant Community Centre
Good Men Make Tracks GMMT: Rites of Passage
Sep 12
Tui events park
Good Men Make Tracks GMMT: Rites of Passage
Tui events park

A powerful weekend of Rites of Passage for adult men held within intergenerational community. Explore your own life stage and how to meet the modern world as a man

Tui events park
International Men’s Day 2025 Ōtautahi Christchurch
Nov 16
Mount Pleasant Community Centre
International Men’s Day 2025 Ōtautahi Christchurch
Mount Pleasant Community Centre

A free annual celebration, promoting connection and positive mental health practices for men. A day of workshops, presentations on men’s topics, shared kai, and building brotherhood

Mount Pleasant Community Centre
Join a Men's Circle
Apr 1
Join a Men's Circle

Let me know that you’re seeking a men’s circle and when a place opens up I can let you know!

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it…
and embrace them”.

- Rumi, plus addition by Tara Brach

The Vision: A thriving community of wild, free and beautiful people

There’s a place here for you at this hearth, all you need is to take a step.
Join us in re-visioning what it means to be a human in this modern world and take a meaningful step towards creating it together!

While most of my work is for everyone, right now I’m focused on men’s work: grappling with the social norms and expectations we as men have been raised with.

Men gathered around a campfire at a winter men's retreat in New Zealand
A group of men in front of a waterfall during a winter men's retreat in New Zealand
People sitting in a circle around a campfire inside a large tent at night during a Wilderness Rites of Passage event in New Zealand
A campfire with flames surrounded by rocks at night.
A large group of men intentionally meeting for men's work sitting in a circle. It's in a spacious, modern room with wooden walls and large windows.
Two men sit on a carpeted floor, engaged in an honest, open hearted conversation, while two others sit apart in the background, having a separate discussion.
Two men sit on a rug, holding hands and facing each other, in a room with wooden walls. One man has long hair, a beard, and wears a faux fur vest. The other man wears a hoodie pulled over his head. Three other men are sitting in the background, obser
People dancing and socializing in a large, warmly lit, wooden-walled room with high ceilings and large glass windows at dusk.
A group of people standing with their hands over their hearts, participating in a gentle moment of silent connection, in a room with wooden walls.
Four men sitting in a circle, smiling and engaging in conversation at an indoor gathering or event.
Three men sitting in a circle participate in an activity, with the man in the middle placing his hand on the shoulder of the man on the left, who has his eyes closed.

  • "One of the most meaningful weekends I've had in a long time. It was structured well and everything felt very grounded, opening and purposeful from start to finish."

    - Tom, The Man I Am Retreat

  • "It was so good to be with just men! We had so much fun and it was refreshing to have honest conversations for once"

    - Anonymous, HeartBeat community gathering

  • "I went to this men's retreat to challenge myself & to look deeper inside myself. I experienced all that and more. A perfect blend of nature, adventure, relating, depth and brotherhood, 10/10 would go again."

    - Nate, The Man I Am Retreat

  • It's a welcome reprieve. Feeling silly? Feel free. Letting that undercurrent of anger come up to the surface? Let it be. Wishing to reconnect with your childlike self? Sure, go ahead. There were no expectations, preconceptions, nor judgements on us

    - Jose, HeartBeat community gathering

  • "One of the deepest experiences of my life. The personal growth over the short space of one weekend was incredible. Building such supportive community and brotherhood was invaluable for me."

    - Elias, The Man I Am Retreat

Follow us on social media

“I see softness in you… and I’m learning to allow that in myself.” Real words, spoken between strangers at Heartbeat #5. When tāne gather with open hearts, something shifts—inside and out. We share stories not for solu