By Steve ConleyFounder, Academy of Life Planning We are suffering. Not by accident, but by design. For too long, society has operated under a playbook of separation—a legacy of half-mindedness, linear thinking, and systems that prioritise profit and power over people and planet. The results are visible everywhere: polarised communities, broken trust, mounting inequality, and … Continue reading Time to Change the Playbook: From Half-Minded Exploitation to Full-Minded Healing
Tag: mental-health
🎯 Rebuilding Trust After Financial Exploitation – From the Inside Out
“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” – Swedish Proverb For over a decade, I’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Transparency Task Force in the fight for a financial system people can trust. Before that, I was deep inside the system itself—Head of Investments at HSBC and … Continue reading 🎯 Rebuilding Trust After Financial Exploitation – From the Inside Out
🔍 Another Regulator. Another Excuse. Another Victim Left Behind.
When the FCA refuses to act on clear evidence of fraud, it’s not just a bureaucratic failure—it’s a betrayal of public trust. Victims like Paul Birch warned the FCA as early as 2017 that a so-called adviser, John Maurice Pye, was fraudulently claiming FCA authorisation. Internal FCA emails acknowledged the evidence. So did the Chartered … Continue reading 🔍 Another Regulator. Another Excuse. Another Victim Left Behind.
The Hollowing of Responsibility: What McGilchrist’s Lectures Reveal About Institutional Failure in Financial Redress
By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning In recent years, countless victims of financial harm have encountered a devastating pattern: institutions that once promised protection now offer only deflection. When the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) tells a victim to “contact the Slovakian regulator,” and that regulator says “only in person,” while HMRC claims “we only … Continue reading The Hollowing of Responsibility: What McGilchrist’s Lectures Reveal About Institutional Failure in Financial Redress
Justice & Recovery Hub: Turning Tragedy into a Movement for Change
Today’s Sunday Times shares the heartbreaking story of Colin Chudley, a 68-year-old man driven to despair after losing his entire life savings—£260,000—to a sophisticated and coercive financial scam. Despite his efforts to recover, Colin was overwhelmed by the stress and died suddenly while canoeing, just weeks after the fraud was uncovered. Colin’s story is tragically … Continue reading Justice & Recovery Hub: Turning Tragedy into a Movement for Change
Justice & Recovery Hub: Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Justice
Every year, thousands of individuals across the UK lose their life savings, pensions, and financial security—not to accidents or bad luck, but to corporate financial crime. These crimes don’t just devastate bank balances; they fracture trust, health, and hope. While support exists for victims of small-scale scams, no dedicated national service has focused on victims … Continue reading Justice & Recovery Hub: Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Justice
Psychopathic Traits in Financial Services: Prevalence, Impact, and Regulatory Responses
By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning Author’s Note: A Personal Prelude In December 2007, just months before the Global Financial Crisis erupted and Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) became one of the most infamous taxpayer bailouts in history, I was made redundant from my role as Head of Savings and Investments Strategy. … Continue reading Psychopathic Traits in Financial Services: Prevalence, Impact, and Regulatory Responses
Your Money or Your Life: The Silent Crime That Steals Your Future
For every saver manipulated. Every pensioner misled. Every dream deferred by a smile in a suit. They didn’t point a gun.They didn’t need to. They used a prospectus.A policy.A polite phone call. This is the perfect crime—played out in boardrooms, bank branches, and brokerages. No blood spilled. Just lives unravelled. Slowly. Silently. And worst of … Continue reading Your Money or Your Life: The Silent Crime That Steals Your Future
Discovering Our Talents: Turning Adversity into Purpose through the GAME Plan
In the Academy of Life Planning’s GAME Plan—Goals, Actions, Means, Execution—the Talents session plays a pivotal role in the “Goals” stage. It follows the Personal Values Assessment, where individuals explore “Who I Am.” In Talents we explore, “Why I’m Here.” Together, these form the cornerstone of authentic living and purposeful planning. The Talents session answers … Continue reading Discovering Our Talents: Turning Adversity into Purpose through the GAME Plan
Restoring the Soul of Psychotherapy: A Conversation with Andrew Hartz of the Open Therapy Institute
In a recent episode of Calm Conversations, Benjamin Boyce sat down with psychologist Dr. Andrew Hartz, founder of the Open Therapy Institute (OTI), for an enlightening discussion that went far beyond the surface of psychotherapy. They explored the gaps in modern mental health care, the secularisation of soul work, and the urgent need for a … Continue reading Restoring the Soul of Psychotherapy: A Conversation with Andrew Hartz of the Open Therapy Institute
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