About — Present Sense
The Team

About Present Sense

A small team of clinicians, researchers and creators translating decades of mindfulness practice into tools that work in general practice, in corporate teams, and for individuals.

Steve Vella

Steve Vella

Founder · Presenter

Steve has been studying and practicing mindfulness for over 20 years. His background as a scientist, producer and actor (including roles in The Matrix, NCIS, Home and Away) inform his practice and teaching, ultimately creating the methodology that is Present Sense.

Steve attends regular classes with shoulin master Serge Martich-Osterman. Other inspirations include: Paul Bedson, Dr Ian Gawler, Diana Winston, Patrick Kearney, Matthieu Ricard, Kevin Farrow and Thānissaro Bhikkhu.

He sees ongoing engagement with participants as key to keep on track and has a particular interest in how students fare once they have completed courses in mindfulness. Steve has observed that there is a common theme in those who benefit, and that is application. This approach is core to the program at Present Sense and Steve looks forward to supporting you on your personal journey to self-discovery, presence and greater happiness at work and at home.

Dr Sne Wadhwani

Dr Sne Wadhwani

Facilitator · Presenter

Dr Sne Wadhwani is the Medical Mindfulness in Practice course co-facilitator, clinical advisor and an experienced clinical leader with 20+ years in general practice.

Dr Wadhwani lectures at UNSW and holds senior clinical director roles in women's health and primary care. She specialises in translating evidence-informed mindfulness into practical, consult-ready tools that work in the realities of general practice.

Elizabeth Lush

Elizabeth Lush

Presenter · Researcher · Accreditor

Elizabeth is a clinician, presenter, and researcher working across major hospitals since 1998. She contributes trauma-informed expertise and is a qualified RACGP CPD accreditor, supporting quality assurance and educational rigour across the program.

Liz has a BASc, Physiotherapy from the University of Sydney and is a Researcher at UTS.

Aidan Corrigan

Aidan Corrigan

Innovation & Strategy Lead

Award-winning filmmaker Aidan Corrigan steers Present Sense's digital storytelling and innovation strategy. From Irish independent cinema to TEDxNewYork through to Conde Nast and Opera Australia, Aidan's portfolio spans film, campaigns for global brands and documentary shorts.

As Present Sense's creative lead he combines narrative structure, UX insight and production judgement to translate Steve's and Dr Sne's practices into impactful media experiences for busy GPs.

Aidan has a B.A.I, B.A. Engineering (Hons) from Trinity College Dublin and a Masters from the Media Business School.

Jim Kennedy

Jim Kennedy

Co-Founder · Operating Partner

Jim Kennedy is the co-founder of Present Sense and an operating partner who brings a data-driven approach and executive experience to our operations and development priorities.

Jim has an MBA from London Business School and BEng (Hons) from JCU.

What is Present Sense?

Present Sense is about learning conscious breathing, movement and mindfulness skills to benefit you in everyday life, and for those moments that matter.
It is about wellness, awareness, and sustaining focus to perform at your best.

 
Present Sense distils 20 years of experience in mindfulness practice into supportive, expert guidance. Steve and Dr Sne use film and story to help you engage in a long-established practice which now, proven by science, helps us to not only suffer less but vitally, to improve our shared experience of being human.  

Present Sense is a unique combination of:
  • Expert direction
  • Guided film and audio sessions
  • Weekly tips and reminders
  • Online access for individuals and teams
  • Self paced, structured program delivery 
How did Present Sense come about?
The idea for Present Sense was born when Steve was asked by Associate Adjunct Professor S. Bernardi to teach mindfulness practices via video to frontline medical staff at a major hospital during COVID. Professor Bernardi knew the benefits of these practices through his clinical and scientific research and wanted to help front line staff who were under tremendous pressure. The practices were viewed thousands of times and Steve realised that there was enormous demand for learning these practices in a way that is different to 'apps', one-off keynotes or ad-hoc training. Steve has since created an engaging, structured full course that will give you skills to keep for life. 
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