Marc was the founder of Soul Projects in 2008.

He was born in London England in 1980, and lived in the South-East of England with his English dad, Finnish mum and younger brother for most of his early childhood.

He graduated from Loughborough University in the year 2003 with a degree in Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying.

At this point in his life, he then felt a vital change was necessary for him to make, as he could feel there was something very important missing from his life.

By listening to his heart and by following his curiosity to explore this strange feeling; that there was something more about the world than just survival, he took the giant step into the world, and into the unknown.

He then spent the next 5 years travelling the world in search of answers and truth, into finding out what this feeling he had always felt, might actually be.

During this period of his life he had opportunities to live and work with many different cultures. Which acted as a strong reference point for him, and had the eventual effect of highlighting clearly the strengths and weaknesses of his   own culture.

He has spent time studying Vipassanā meditation in Thailand, and the internal martial arts in China. He has also become a keen snowboarder, surfer and skydiver.

He has worked as a research assistant, scuba diving instructor and expedition leader on a handful of global conservation expeditions over the years, including in Tanzania, Fiji, Honduras and Mexico.

In 2007 he wrote his first book (The Spiral of Your Life, Part One, Stepping Out Into the Unknown), that was based upon his own travel experiences and the songs that he wrote with his guitar whilst on his travels, about this very transformative and
eye-opening period of his life.

All these experiences gave him the vision, dream, and ambition, of one day eventually setting-up his own projects, to help spread a positive message to other people out there in the world, that might find themselves in similar situations, or with similar feelings as he did not that long ago himself.

His adventures eventually brought him to Guatemala in 2008, where he then, dazzled by its beauty and positive energy, felt the moment was right to simply go and make this dream happen!

Hence the creation of Soul Projects Guatemala, and of our first expedition here in
San Marcos La Laguna.

PEACE

“We are all floating pieces of ‘driftwood’ in the same ‘sea of energy.’ Evolving together, on a journey of self-realisation and self-discovery.”

(Soul Projects, 2007)

Lindsay grew up in the white mountains of New Hampshire, USA.  She graduated from Plymouth State University in 2007 with a Fine Arts Degree in Graphic Design.

From a young age she has always loved art, diving into her thoughts, and coming out with any expression she wished. All she needed was a pencil and something to draw on.

Art is how Lindsay expresses herself, and how she experiences life in every color imaginable. It is a part of who she is.

Painting is her true passion; as she tries to convey how something makes her feel or how she can make others feel, through her interpretation. Trying to capture all the beauty of this world in her imagination.

Growing up in the dense forests of New England, Lindsay has also always felt a strong connection with nature, as she was often outside, hiking, swimming or snowboarding. Nature holds some of the most beautiful surprises that one can experience, and she has always loved being a part of that.

Yoga found Lindsay in 2003, and over the past year and a half, Hatha Yoga has become a very deep spiritual practice for her, as it is a way to connect with the Earth, challenge herself, and quiet the mind.

To Lindsay Yoga is not just about postures to help advance the body, like it is commonly treated in the western world, but a way of life; an ancient spiritual teaching that can be applied to all aspects of life.

She has always had the aspiration to get out there in the world, and experience as many different cultures and ways of life as possible. The unique history and wisdom of each culture has always been something she wished to learn from.

Over the past three years Lindsay has managed to glimpse some very different ways of life: throughout Europe, Brazil, and Japan, and learned a lot about herself through each experience.

Lindsay’s deep desire to teach art, connect people with nature, learn from other cultures, and help people in any way possible, is what brought her to Guatemala in early 2008 to help start-up Soul Projects. As that is what a large part of the project is about.

SPREAD LOVE AND BALANCE

“If you want to know who I am, don’t ask me my name, or where I live, or what I like to eat, or what clothes I wear, but ask me what I am living for, in-depth, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully that one thing I want to live for.”

(Soul Projects, 2008)

Staff Opportunities

Soul Projects are always looking for other free spirited, open minded, energetic and adventurous travellers to join our project team in the field, as staff, all year round.

The only physical prerequisites that we ask for, are that you are in general good health & physical fitness, and that you are able to commit to the project for the minimum of atleast 6 months.

A good strong POSITIVE attitude, flowing energy and giving nature is what we look for most in our staff.

Someone with an eagerness to learn and grow, to follow their heart and live their dreams, and want to help others do the same is far more important to us than any formal qualifications.

Useful Skills & Experience

Given the nature of our expeditions, the skills & experience that we would find especially useful in a Soul staff member, would be the following:

A First Aid & CPR certification of some sort. Wilderness First Aid Training would be an advantage.

A Motor Boat Driving Licence e.g. RYA Level II. With experience of dropping off and picking up scuba divers.

A PADI Divemaster or Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor Certification with teaching experience!

A Yoga Instructor with teaching experience!
Please note: It is not necessary to have an official certification e.g. from the Yoga Alliance.

Meditation (e.g. Vipassana) and an Internal Martial Arts appreciation, understanding and some teaching experience would be useful e.g. in Taijiquan, Qigong, or in another similar art like Capoeira or Reiki.

Previous travelling & backpacking experience, and work on other similar volunteer projects in developing countries would also be a distinct advantage.

Expedition experience, hiking, camping, love for the outdoors, experience leading groups, living & working in the forest, in the mountains or on the beach, in more natural isolated environments would come in very handy.

A certain level of proficiency of the Spanish language is very important in all our staff members, but is not necessarily essential!

Love for kids & experience with teaching English and the Creative Arts to children of various age groups, and with disabilities would also be an advantage. With lots of creativity, imagination, energy and patients thrown in!

A Full Driving License with 4x4 Off Road Experience.

What are the Benefits of Joining us as a Staff Member?

All of your living expenses, including food, lodging and transport are covered while you are on the expedition.

There is the opportunity to learn & practice Yoga, Meditation, Taijiquan and Qigong regularly for free.

There is the opportunity to gain valuable experience teaching English and the Creative Arts to various groups of Guatemalan children, some with disabilities, for free.

There is the chance for you to study and continue to practice your language skills, by having a Spanish language class every week for free.

There is also a small inter-expedition allowance that will be given to you after the completion of each expedition, paid in local currency.

But most importantly of all, you …

…are able to play your part in making the project a success, in helping us spread our positive message to the world, and raise global consciousness & love for our beautiful planet.

…have the opportunity to learn and grow with other travellers of the world, gain useful work experience and life skills from the training that you will receive in helping us to manage the project.

…have the chance to connect more with nature and explore your inner self, whilst being active in helping others and doing good. Allowing you to make your positive difference to the world through changing people’s lives!

All in all, giving you a very internally rewarding, memorable, deep and growthful stepping stone to your life.

Please Note: We often recruit our staff from our previous viajeros if this is possible. So if you are planning to join one of our expeditions and are interested in staying on as staff afterwards, please write to us and let us know prior to the expedition that you join, to receive any information about current or future opportunities on the project.

So if you feel a connection to us and the project, and feel that you have what it takes to join the Soul team here in Guatemala and help run the project, why wait? Get stuck in NOW and email us!

"PEACE UNDER PALM TREES FOREVER"

(Soul Projects, 2009)