Who Is Tessa Alexa Stanford?
Tessa Alexa Stanford is a boldly imperfect human on a mission to untangle from the Mental Health Industrial Complex and reimagine how we care for humans and the people who care for them. A creative custodian, speaker, and guide for the times, she’s been rooted in the world of psychology, leadership, and social care for 20 years - walking with vision, humour, and deep reverence for what’s possible. Founder of the Institute for Open-Hearted Psychology and Unspoken Global, Tessa believes in the power of creativity, compassion and humanity’s ability to transform True-Self Suppression into unapologetic expression. She’s here to help individuals, communities and organisations reclaim their creative power and live open-heartedly - no yoga poses required.
Tessa Alexa Stanford
Transformation Specialist | Speaker | Psychotherapist
Tessa works at the nexus of holistic arts, community care and social transformation, and is devoted to supporting visionary leaders and care professionals to bring soul-led, system-shifting projects to life.
Tessa’s work is rooted in the belief that the healing arts are not only personal but profoundly political - capable of transforming communities and regenerating the systems we live within. With a background in psychotherapy and decades of experience in community care, she weaves depth, artistry, and leadership into mentorship containers that honour the full complexity of her clients’ inner and outer worlds.
As a creative custodian, Tessa guides those who are ready to birth new offerings - whether programs, movements, or paradigm-shifting initiatives - through a process of deep self-expression, creative clarity, and sustainable leadership. Her approach is intuitive yet strategic, soulful yet grounded, and always in service of true self-expression and collective care.
Tessa envisions a world where individuals are free to be their truest selves, and where our systems are redesigned to support this truth. She believes that leaders of this new era must first be initiated into their own creative power, visibility, and responsibility - and that this sacred process is never meant to be walked alone.
