It is wonderful to see participants from all over the world start to gather for The Mighty Heart® Facilitator Course starting this September. In these turbulent times I am truly heartened to know that facilitators will be undertaking this transformational training, and taking the essential skills of heart-centred leadership into their communities and beyond.
Dates and details for the course can be found our eight module course on The Mighty Heart website. And if you feel moved to apply for the course please write to Sophia on contact@mightyheart.co.uk with a short bio and location.
To give a little taste of the course, I would love to share this moving testimonial from one of recent graduates.
A New Chapter begins by Kayoko Nemoto
“It’s time for me to take a stand. At last, I’ve made the decision to change my life in a big way. I’ve awakened.” — from my journal, Spring Equinox 2025.
What was it that awakened me? It was one sentence from Dr Scilla Elworthy during The Mighty Heart online course: “Don’t die before you take a stand.”
Those words hit me like lightning—clear, fierce, undeniable. They echoed in my heart: Don’t die before you take a stand… Don’t die before you take a stand… I felt the weight of them, and I knew—I didn’t want to leave this world without standing for what truly matters to me. That moment became the turning point of my life.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Kayoko, and I am a Japanese banker living in Japan. For the past 24 years, I’ve worked at the same bank, which is also the largest bank in Japan. In 2022, after a particularly intense and difficult project during the pandemic, I found myself exhausted, burned out, and longing for space to breathe. I did something uncommon in Japan: I took a two-year sabbatical.
It was a leap into the unknown. At first, I was scared. But during those two years, I met extraordinary people—peacebuilders, changemakers, hearts full of courage and clarity. And among them, I met Scilla. Her books, her teachings, and her community became a big lighthouse during my inner storm.
Through those connections, I began to see a different possibility for
my life. I had always admired peace workers from a distance. I respected them deeply—but kept myself apart. I told myself “They have their path. I have mine. I’ll support them from the sidelines. I can donate. I can care quietly.”
But a quiet voice inside began to ask: “How long will you stay on the
sidelines?” For years, I clung to my comfort zone. My job was secure, my position well respected. My life was stable. But stability can also be a cage if we’re too afraid to step beyond it.
Then Scilla’s words came again—this time, as a call I couldn’t ignore:
“Don’t die before you take a stand.” And I knew: I want to live life fully. I want to stand for something real. I want to be a peace worker!
So here I am—back at the same company, but not the same person. I’ve made my decision. I will leave my job with gratitude and grace, to begin a new chapter. This year, I will move to the UK to take the course in Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford. I want to bring my skills in project planning and management into the field of global peace building. I want to
serve in a way that spreads compassion, understanding, and courage.
This path won’t be easy. But it’s mine. And it’s worth walking. To Scilla I say: Thank you, so, so much. Your words lit the fire in me.
Without them, I might never have found the courage to step into my calling.
And to you who are reading this I say: If you’re standing at a crossroads, wondering whether to follow your heart—I hope my story reminds you that it’s never too late to choose a new path.
Let’s talk.
Let’s listen.
Let’s stand for something, together.
With love and courage,
Kayoko Nemoto
Photograph © Jonathan Bachman/Reuters
Lone activist Ieshia Evans stands her ground while offering her hands for arrest as riot police charge towards her during a protest against police brutality outside the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana, U.S. on July 9, 2016.