Interview by Mary Mckeone
Stacey Medalyer has lost count of how many Insight seminars she has participated in and assisted on. Born in Whitechapel (within the sound of Bow Bells) she was introduced to Insight twenty-five years ago, a shy nineteen-years old living at home. She has been involved ever since. What appeals to her about the organisation is its inclusivity. ‘There is space for anyone, it doesn’t matter what their background is,’ she says. Feeling she belongs is important to her. When she did Insight I as that shy teenager, she was she says at times overwhelmed with much of it going over her head. ‘I didn’t really understand it intellectually, but something touched me deeply and I knew I wanted Insight in my life.’ Looking back, she realises she discovered during Insight I, ‘that the world was a much bigger place than she experienced before. My eyes were opened, and I saw there was a place out there for me.’
‘A place out there for me,’ swiftly moved to, ‘I have a place out there,’ when she did Insight II, a few months later. Insight II gave her a better understanding of who she was. And if Insight I opened her eyes, Insight II gave her the ability to see.
‘It gave me hope and possibilities.’
Hope and possibilities are something Stacey is still experiencing. Within two years, she left her job and went to work for the Insight office as staff. She did Insight 3, followed by Leadership and in the late ‘90’s created the first Kids Seminar in the UK. She also began assisting on seminars, something she still does today. But back then, assisting took her to the US, Siberia and Israel. It was when assisting in Israel that proved a major turning point and was one of her biggest life lessons. Like many people, Stacey found dealing with big emotions challenging. However, during one of the exercises an assistant was required to take part to make up an uneven number. No-one volunteered. In fact, with regards this exercise, Stacey didn’t think she had any further work to do on it. As no-one had volunteered, names were put in a hat and it was Stacey’s name that was picked out. It proved to be a very emotional exercise for her but through feeling safe and supported, she learnt that experiencing big emotions did not need to be frightening. ‘It was so freeing for me,’ she says. ‘I knew I could go deep and survive it and from then on, I was able to participate 100 percent.’
It is clear speaking to Stacey that Insight has had a formidable influence in shaping who she is today. Before her twenty first birthday, she did a Tony Robbins seminar in Hawaii which she says she would never have done before doing Insight. When working with special needs children in an International school in Surrey, she suddenly found herself without a job when the father of the American family she was working for was unexpectedly made redundant. As she had always wanted to work in an orphanage, she took advantage of her situation and after fundraising and sorting her affairs in the UK, went to volunteer in an orphanage and teach in China for three months. Would she have taken those risks had she not been involved with Insight, she wonders aloud? Although there is no way of knowing for sure, she thinks probably not. What she is sure of is that through her work with Insight she gained a confidence and belief in herself which allowed her to take risks that helped her grow as a person.
Today, Stacey is a humanistic therapist with children, teenagers, and adults. At the core of humanistic therapy is the importance of being your true self so you can lead your most fulfilling life. Alongside this is the belief that because everyone has their own inner wisdom, they can make right choices for themselves. Stacey acknowledges the impact of Insight’s teachings and says that for her the most important is that we always have a choice, no matter what the circumstances. This, she believes, gives us a great sense of freedom. As someone who likes to get things done, she loves, too, that Insight’s teachings are contemplation in action: going within is important but so is taking specific action. With twenty-five years under her belt, she plans to continue being involved aware that no two seminars, no matter how many times you take them, will be the same experience. As co-Team Captain on the recent online Insight I seminar, she has become an ardent fan of the online experience. ‘It is,’ she says, ‘one of the greatest blessings of Covid that we now have the opportunity to go global with this very important work.’
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