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Suffering and Joy is a community founded by John Richards.

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 We are a diverse range of partners in different parts of the world, developing opportunity

for Leaders to journey out into wild places to listen in nature and learn through community.

 

Our community has led and hosted retreats in Tibet, Nepal, The Himalayas, the Sahara, the Atlas Mountains,

the Mediterranean coast, the US, Italy, Madeira, Cornwall, Scotland and wild South Africa.

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In December 2019, in partnership with Tsering Sangpo Sherpa and 7-time Everest summiteer

Nima Kancha Sherpa, John realised a passionate vision: to bring about the first ever

Nepalese Sherpa-led Leadership retreat in the Himalayas in the towering landscape of Everest.

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His first book on Awareness, Change, Relationships and Fruitfulness, was published by EyeWear

in the UK in October 2018.

 

John's background is 25 years spent in Crisis Intervention and Young People’s Homelessness

with a wide range of organisations as a Leader specialising in Awareness and Development.

 

He continues to focus on the development of 24hr staffed residential communities for vulnerable

young people,  in order to provide a holistic context in which they can safely heal and grow.