Goodness in Leadership, Work and Life

About Us

The Demeter Institute was an initiative developed in 2021 around the bold idea that we needed a different way of leading and living – one based on the simple idea of goodness.

Working towards Wisdom and Goodness

When the Demeter Institute was created times were tough. Covid 19, war, climate change, economic problems all coalesced with forceful impact. The time had come to rebalance and restore greater wisdom and goodness into leadership, work and life.

The Demeter Institute has brought together a team of professional people who share a common purpose – renewal of the intrinsic value of goodness and wisdom.

We will support you to take a different path to growth

• Growth for goodness with goodness.
• Growth that preserves and fosters your relationships with people and the natural systems upon which we all depend.
• Growth that enables you to learn more effectively, make respectful connections, reason well, and act ethically in your personal, professional and communal life.

The Demeter Institute’s Growth for Goodness Principles

Balance
Balance has been important to the notion of flourishing for thousands of years. Aristotle advocated for a golden mean – finding the best solution to any dilemma through ethical values, careful reasoning and communal responsibility – with sensitivity to the specific context.

Every situation is different
Aristotle did not believe in setting hard and fast rules when planning what action ought to be taken each time, every time we faced a dilemma. What he did believe was that being a person of good character is essential to making important decisions with a high level of moral integrity.

Virtue Ethics
Over the past fifty years there has been a revival of interest in Aristotle’s approach to ethics and flourishing which has persisted as the foundation of wisdom from ancient to contemporary times.

There are active communities around the world supporting that renewal, with the Jubilee Centre at Birmingham University in England being an important centre.

Virtue Ethics is about the development of character and of character strengths.

Demeter: The Good Goddess

The Ancient Greek Gods were notoriously fickle and unreliable. One of the exceptions to this was Demeter.

Demeter was revered as the ‘good goddess’, the one who represented fertility, was dedicated to motherhood and taught people how to cultivate the land.

First Coach
Demeter was perhaps one of the world’s first adult educators and life coaches. She taught humans how to cultivate the land and, building on the experiences of Persephone, they together developed mystical rituals around the transition to an after life. Participants emerged empowered to tackle and overcome the toughest challenges life.

Well known attendees included Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Marcus Aurelius, Augustus and many others.

Eleusis celebrated the gift of abundance with all its possibilities.

The Demeter Story
For an extended and fascinating account of the legend of Demeter, download our booklet Demeter – The Good Goddess to read about her role as the great goddess of antiquity alongside Gaia, the first goddess of creation.

Our Professional Commitments

Evidence-Based Practice
As highly qualified and experienced professionals, we are committed to evidence-based approaches to coaching, counselling, storytelling and learning that have a strong research basis and academic merit. To these we add our own intuitive judgement formed from long experience in our work.

Thoughtfulness
Our own learning and development is continuous so you can be confident that we are providing you with the most relevant, contemporary and thoughtful support that is tailored specifically for you.

Practical and Useful
Theory and practice are knitted together to ensure that we provide you with the best possible learning and development journey that is matched to your own aspirations.

Compassion
In holding ourselves and our clients to high ethical standards, we will practice with compassion, kindness and humility.

If you would like to know more about The Demeter Institute or have any questions, please contact us.