Beginning your journey of a thousand steps

Changing perspectives - opening doors

Greg Lovell, founder of Shared Mile

Therapy is about you, but it’s also about the relationship. You need to know who you’re working with. The work asks a lot of you. Feeling confident in a therapist who has walked the walk is the most important aspect of successful therapy. Studies suggest it’s 80% who you work with and 20% how.

I set up Shared Mile for a host of reasons. First, my own experience of therapy over many years, which supported me in ways medication could not. Also, a sense that therapy doesn’t always speak to the people it should. It’s a sector full of warm, kind, caring people. But it’s also held back by the cliched images of oil burners and cushions - lovely in their way, but for some people, the antithesis of how they see themselves.

A quick intro to Shared Mile

A little about me

I’m an ex-lawyer who worked in the City of London for an international law firm. I’ve run my own retail business and consultancy, managed mental wellbeing programmes for ASICS, stood for parliament, had children, explored the world, been awarded a Masters in philosophy, written unpublished novels, volunteered in the Calais “jungle”. And I’ve attempted suicide, tried every antidepressant going, travelled to Peru to experience the brutal medicine that is ayahuasca and 5-MeO-DMT (the toad). You can read about it in detail in this article.

And in recent years, I’ve committed to recognised therapy training, spending three years completing the CPCAB accredited Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.

I want to be honest from the beginning - these experiences (and many others) shaped me. Shared Mile has grown from those foundations. The winds, storms, and sunrises of a life lived. Coupled with my professional qualifications and an ongoing commitment to continued professional development and learning.

Therapists talk about “congruence”. It means being an authentic version of yourself in the space. That’s what you’ll find here. No judgement, no jargon, no life hacks, no fads, no warped idea of what success means. I hope it speaks to you, and you choose to speak to me.

“We’re all products of our environment - our history, genetics and culture. But we’re also shaped by the modern world; the systems that govern us and the ideas that bombard us. Let’s walk through all of that together, judgement left at the door…”