Creative writing and mindfulness workshops For wholehearted schools and thoughtful communities

‍ ‍Inspired workshops

Wonderthoughts and Write To Rise Workshops are an invitation for schools and communities to offer something special: the kind of connection and growth possible when a guide knows how to create emotional safety, self connection and free expression. Witness something magical in these workshop offerings.

WONDERTHOUGHTS WORKSHOP

All The Ways To Let Go

  • Wonderthoughts #1

    Sometimes I drift off into space

    (inner, not outer)

    eyes glazed over

    thinking thinking thinking 

    all sorts of strange ideas

    inventing new words

    discovering new wonders

    I call them my wonderthoughts

  • This signature session, Wonderthoughts: Poems That Bloom, introduces students to free verse poetry through curiosity, noticing and imaginative play. The workshop is interactive, accessible and designed to build creative confidence while aligning with the Australian English curriculum.

    Students explore how poetry works beyond rhyme, experiment with line breaks and imagery, and create their own short “Wonderthought” poems in a supportive and energising environment facilitated by author of ‘All The Ways To Let Go’, Amanda Racanovic (published by Ford Street Publishing, 2026).

  • For Australian school students aged 11 and up (upper primary to early secondary).

    This workshops align with the English Language and Literature curriculum, and their inclusive and sensitive nature allow these workshops to align with student wellbeing and pastoral care philosophies and frameworks.

LATEST WORKSHOP OFFERING

    • Fully facilitated program including all handouts, a Powerpoint presentation and resources.

    • Two signed copies of ‘All The Ways To Let Go’ for your school’s library.

  • Welcome and acknowledgement

    Before we write, we arrive.

    Our workshop begins with a mindful breathing practice where students can slow down and tune into their own thoughts and presence.

    Intention: What Is A Wonderthought?

    We then turn our attention inwards to contemplate and begin the journey into a Wonderthought.

    Reading from ‘All The Ways To Let Go’

    Amanda will share two of her Wonderthought poems from the novel. We consider features of these poems, including short reflective lines, questions, non-rhyme free verse and white space. Students are invited into the world of poetry as intimate thoughts, small musings, whispers and songs.

    The Power of Poetry

    After this discussion and breakdown of features of free verse, students are invited to create their own Wonderthought poem.

    The Wonderstone

    Students are given the opportunity to give voice to their unique and original Wonderthought poem.

    A Fun Activity and Gift

    The workshop concludes with a fun closing activity and a keepsake.

  • To book this workshop, simply click below and reach out to to confirm times and numbers.

book wonderthoughts

write to rise

somatic poetry writing workshop

‘Write To Rise’ is an empowerment-based somatic healing workshop that accompanies Amanda’s healing poetry book ‘Rising In Love’. 

Are you:

  • your own harshest critic?

  • recovering from shame, fear, grief, or stress? 

  • a perfectionist?

  • an over-achiever or people-pleaser?

  • a self-saboteur: do you always undermine or second-guess yourself?

  • prone to anxiety or depression? 

  • feeling disconnected or unable to connect with yourself?

  • afflicted with constant negative thoughts?

  • struggling with self love? 

‘Write to Rise’ fuses a healing yin yoga practice with somatic poetry writing, all beautifully and seamlessly connected through a circle experience. In this circle, participants are invited to lean into parts of their emotive, spiritual and physical bodies in order to unearth parts of their inner narrative – to feel into spaces, and take the time to fully explore and express what emerges. Participants are invited to share in a safe space, to feel heard and be seen into order to activate energetic shifts towards self compassion, self acceptance and self love. 

in this session, amanda will come to your school, community group or mother’s group and provide the following: 

  • A 45 minute yin yoga session, where participants can slow down, tune in to their own bodies, release tension and breathe.

  • A guided meditation and sound healing to to guide participants into a relaxed state to allow for feel greater inner clarity and connection.

  • A 15 minute break to enjoy some refreshing tea and reset.

  • A poetry reading from ‘Rising In Love’, with an empowering talk on why caring about ourselves is integral to caring about the world in which we live, and how it actually helps others when we help ourselves. 

  • A discussion on poetry as a form of writing that supports healing.

  • Opportunities to experiment and play with poetry prompts to guide participants inwards.

  • An invitation for participants to share their poems.

  • Poetry books available for purchase and signing; stickers and prints available for purchase.

book write to rise

We have to nourish in order to flourish.

teacher wellbeing workshops

meditation and restorative healing workshops for educators

When caring too much costs too much: Amanda's Journey from Classroom Teaching to Teaching Teacher Wellbeing

After rising through the ranks of her teaching career and working in some of the most challenging schools across New South Wales and Victoria, Amanda was offered the opportunity to step into leadership in 2009. Instead, she returned to the University of Melbourne to complete her Master of Literature, choosing to pursue her passion for writing and feminist literature.

Nothing could have prepared her for what happened when she returned to the classroom in 2011.

Overwhelmed by dysregulated and overstimulated students, new barriers to connection in an increasingly technology-driven world, and the sheer volume of high-needs demands, Amanda found herself caught in the familiar cycle of trying to do everything for everyone.

Sound familiar?

For many teachers, the cumulative weight of these demands can extend far beyond everyday workplace stress, contributing to burnout, emotional exhaustion and lasting psychological distress.

Amanda's own experience became a catalyst for stepping away from the classroom and into the work of her own healing, and into the worlds of Women's Empowerment, Somatic Healing and Body Poetry. Through these practices, she began exploring new ways to reconnect with herself, restore her sense of agency, and understand the relationship between emotional wellbeing, the body and creative expression.

Today, Amanda brings together her experience as an educator, published writer and wellbeing practitioner to explore what it means to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Tailored to your school staffing needs, reach out to discuss a teacher wellbeing meditation or any of the workshop offerings available below.

Teacher wellbeing workshop offerings

  • In this workshop, your staff will receive an informative session of what Somatic Healing for Deep Cellular Recovery looks like, and how it can be applied through embodiment practices. Staff will learn about:

    • what is ‘soma’ and somatic healing?

    • the vagus nerve and the window of tolerance

    • how to recalibrate back towards a healthy nervous system

    • facia and facial release to release tension and restore energy

    • a practical demonstration and application of tapping, yin yoga, somatic shaking and dance

    • a cleansing meditation and sound healing to finish

  • In this workshop, experience creative writing to release stress and tension and create connection through vulnerability.

    This workshops will discuss the healing benefits of writing as an accessible tool, and offer opportunities to write to empty the busy teacher mind and to pen an original piece, ‘What I wish people understood about teaching…’

  • In this all-too-honest workshop, examine how teaching may well be consuming your whole attention, identity and personal time, leaving little energy for the things that make life meaningful.

    In this workshop, we’ll explore ‘the whole you’, looking at how to protect your ‘you’ time, how to honour your boundaries and say ‘no’, and explore some ways to cultivate self care and restore depleted energy.

enquire about a teacher wellbeing workshop

What Sets Amanda’s Workshops Apart

01 / Experienced expert facilitation

Amanda has over twenty years of in-classroom experience and accreditation in arts therapy, yin yoga, empowerment coaching and meditation. She is present and knows how to hold space, encourage participation, and keep things moving with purpose.

02 / High quality content

Amanda knows how to engage students with high quality, useful and impactful content. These workshops are helpful, relevant and inspirational. This is not meaningless box ticking - this is meaningful content designed to help learners flourish.

03 / Uniquely magical

These workshops were created from a deeply personal place of wanting to support wellbeing and facilitate personal empowerment through the art and power of language. These workshops are highly intentional and infused with symbolism, authentic pedagogy and modelling, and love.