Meet Our Founding Team

Each member of the founding team has a deep connection with the Oxford community and has established mindfulness and wellness as a cornerstone of their career. 

SOPHIE MACLAREN 

Managing Director
I started Estia after 6 years living in Jericho and missing an elegant dedicated practice space with expert teachers, and a community of dedicated practitioners. I found my neighbours, students and colleagues did too- so we created ESTIA wellspace. 

​Sophie Maclaren. Sophie has been a dedicated mindfulness and yoga practitioner for over 20 years and founded several businesses in this field. Based at Oxford University she leads programmes on mindfulness, leadership and workplace wellbeing, and coaches students and staff. Globally she works with leaders and organisations on establishing mindful workplaces that promote human and organisational flourishing. 

PARHAM VASAIELY

​Strategy and Partnerships
Parham has been Director of Autonomous Vehicles
for ​Jaguar Land Rover where he introduced an award-winning mindfulness programme for employees by Kalapa Leadership. He knows first-hand the benefits of mindfulness for leaders and organisations. Now based in Germany, his parting gift to the UK was to help establish ESTIA- a beautiful place for daily mindfulness practice in the heart of Oxford. 

SELMA STUDER

Communications 
​MBA Oxford (2015-16)
I built a career around telling corporate stories and worked in Philadelphia, Paris and New York City. I then pursued an MBA at Oxford University.Throughout this journey, I’ve experienced and witnessed how modern society imposes immense stress and anxiety on so many individuals. We all have limited capabilities, time, resources and awareness to deal with this burden.
My personal mission is to help individuals lift some of this weight and find more space in their minds and hearts, less pain and tension in their bodies, and greater balance in their lives overall. That's why I've helped to found Estia in Oxford and GONG in London. 

Meet Our Wonderful Trainers and Practitioners 

We have selected a team of practitioners with deep personal knowledge and expertise, who embody what they teach. 
 
Our senior practitioners have 10,000+ practice hours, and we require a minimum 8 years dedicated practice experience in one's field.