Kristy Arbon

I’m an Australian-born farm girl, now living in the US with my dear American husband. I studied psychology, philosophy, social work and fitness leadership, and worked a number of jobs in Australia from coaching team members in a government department to picking vegetables on an organic farm, before emigrating from my home country to be with my beau (you can see my full CV here). I have always been interested in spirituality, personal growth, physical health and fitness, and an ongoing exploration of my inner and outer world. I first attempted meditation 25 years ago, and have been returning to that still place ever since.

I lived and worked at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies where I learned about the comfort in community and the safety in a philosophy based on ethics and wisdom. I worked for the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, where my online skills developed, and I learned that I could have work relationships that weren’t based on hierarchy or fear. I worked for Susan Kaiser-Greenland on her InnerKids Professional Training Program, where I saw how adults can choose to relate to children, and I started to develop a new way to talk to the child still within me. I attended Internal Family Systems Level 1 training, where I got to speak my whole truth, my ugly, shameful, dirty, sad, tormented truth, and no-one abandoned me – no-one.

I helped out at as many MSC courses as I could, spending precious time with Chris Germer and Kristin Neff, developers of the program, and eventually created the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (CMSC) website with them. I became the Administrative Director for CMSC as MSC became more widespread across the world, answering questions, supporting Chris and Kristin, working on projects.

And then we rolled out MSC Teacher Training, piloted at the place it all began for me, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. And I’ve been teaching as much as I can ever since, to learn to really be with the material, to go deeper into my own experience of being compassionate with myself, and to follow that thread.

When I’m not taking care of business in my role as Coordinator of Live Online MSC for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, I’m traveling, teaching, developing programs, writing blogs, supporting people in their practice and galloping through the internet to learn more. I’m also hanging out with friends and family in St Louis, Missouri where I live; Skyping with more family and other dear ones in my homeland, Australia; walking, napping, stretching or sitting on the porch of the Treehouse, sipping coffee and reading about the lives of other wonderful, courageous adventurers.