Valerie Albrecht
Author Biographer Yoga Practitioner Speech Pathologist
“speaking writing moving – truths stories voices”.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Invitation to: Sharing our Aboriginal History Gathering
This (the second) Sharing our Aboriginal History Gathering, offers space for you to share an event, a person, or your response to something in our Aboriginal history. Please bring books, articles, DVD’s or short U-Tubes that have informed you.
Date: Saturday 24th January 2026
Space: Canberra
RSVP: Valerie 0406025339 for address.
– Looking forward to your sharings. –
OCEANS OF ENERGY in collaboration with the BOB BROWN FOUNDATION
Invites you to the film screening of:
Come along to a screening of the new film ‘Takayna — the Heart of Lutruwita’ in Canberra. Through the power of personal stories, be taken on a journey to the vast and threatened landscapes of Australia’s largest temperate rainforest in the northwest of Lutruwita / Tasmania. This area, known as Takayna, is one of the last wild places on Earth.
‘Takayna — the Heart of Lutruwita’ is an inspiring and hopeful film about the battle to defend Takayna from mining and logging. From frontline activists to Tasmanian Aboriginal community members, scientists and musicians, these people are standing up for its protection.
For bookings:
Eco-Psychology Education Event
I recently had the pleasure of leading a group of our young people, students from Mt Tamborine QLD, in a Nature Journaling workshop. These are special times where I do my best to set the atmosphere for students to deepen their understanding of nature and relationship to it. It is a delicate balance, that intersectionality of Art, Science and Nature. Earlier that day I had been reading Valerie’s book “One Voice Medicine ” and I had laid it on a table as I was preparing for our workshop, Lilly, aged 11 came over and started pouring over the pages of this precious book. I invited her to read a passage to the group to open.
She choose a simple truth on healing “Medicine is in the plants. In the land. Medicine is everywhere.”
Liz Hills
Trek2ReConnect
Podcast Launched: Sustainability and Spirituality.
The invitation to contribute an episode to 2XXFM Fuzzy Logic Science show came shortly after the November 2023 book launch of One Voice Medicine Conversations with First People Healers Australia.
The podcast offers reflective space to consider the relationship between sustainability and spirituality. Is there one? Could practising sustainability nurture spirituality? Could practising some form of spirituality help us to live more sustainably? Could spirituality help us to give right place to all that is losing sustainability?
Contributors from a cross section of professions and viewpoints share their knowledge, perspectives and wisdoms: a Heritage Officer Anthropologist Activist; a gardener; a writer and artist; a priest; a physics teacher, and some Australian Aboriginal healers I have had the privilege of learning with.
Please do accept my invitation to share your sustainability and spirituality reflections through my website www.theoceansofenergy.com
Thank you contributors. Thank you listeners. Thank you Rod Taylor and 2XXFM for the invitation and platform. Music from Tony O’Connor Uluru.
One Voice Medicine Conversations with First People Healers Australia
has been accepted at the
Australian Institute Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Studies
National Conference in Melbourne Naarm. 3-7th June 2024.
This acceptance is extremely wonderful and humbling – especially as one of the healers from the book will be speaking with me. All the talking and listening with the healers over many, many years, can be shared- which is what the contributing healers said they wanted for the book.
Image provided by AIATSIS.
BOOKS
Many Voices One Medicine Conversations with First People Healers as told to Valerie Albrecht
Published by Oceans of Energy
Australia 2026
One Voice Medicine
Conversations with First People Healers, Australia
by Valerie Albrecht
Published by Oceans of Energy
Australia 2022
Reprinted 2023
Thirty Days
by Valerie Albrecht
Published by Oceans of Energy
Australia 2019
The Story Behind The Story
by Valerie Albrecht
Austin Macauley Publishers
UK 2017
Search for Mother Journaling
by Valerie Albrecht
BalboaPress
Publishers 2015
Search for Mother
by Valerie Albrecht
Inkwell Productions
Arizona 2010
STOCKISTS:
(Books also available directly through theoceansofenergy@gmail.com)
AIATSIS Australian Institute Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Studies Library Collection
NATIONAL LIBRARY AUSTRALIA Canberra
NATIONAL PETER PAL LIBRARY SUPPLIERS
ACT:
BOOK COW Kingston ACT
GINNINDERRY CONSERVATION TRUST LIBRARY 1 McClymont Way Ginninderry ACT
NAMADGI VISITORS CENTRE Namadgi National Park ACT
STRATHNAIRN ARTS CENTRE STORE Stockdill Street Strathnairn ACT
THE HIEROPHANT Griffiths ACT
WILDBARK VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE Mulligans Flat Woodland Wildlife Sanctuary 25 Rosenberg Street Throsby ACT
VICTORIA:
SUN BOOK STORE Yarraville VIC
IMAGINARIUM BOOK STORE Dimboola VIC
NEW SOUTH WALES:
BLUE KINGDOM BOOKSTORE Braidwood NSW
THANK YOU MOTHER STORE Bermagui NSW
QUEENSLAND:
STATE LIBRARY BRISBANE Stanley Place South Brisbane
WESTERN AUSTRALIA:
KARRATHA LIBRARY Karratha WA
NORTHERN TERRITORY:
RED KANGAROO BOOKSTORE Alice Springs NT
STANDLEY CHASM ANGKERLE ATWATYE Standley Chasm NT
CALENDAR
Loading…MEDIA
Best launch I’ve ever been to – around the yarning fire with Country all around.
This is what I need for my patients from other cultures.
I’ll think about that when I go walking in the mountains.
Your book launch was fantastic and so peaceful outdoors around the fire-pit.
It was lovely to be there – I loved sitting around the fire, being ‘on country’ as your book was celebrated. It’s an amazing thing to have brought to fruition, and I really honour the integrity of the whole journey of the book.
One Voice Medicine on the Canberra RiotAct Bookshelf
featured in Change, renewal and healing help sort out the world.
Ancient wisdom is to be found in Valerie Albrecht’s One Voice Medicine. Valerie Albrecht has conducted conversations across country with traditional healers and brings them to us more or less as transcribed into this photograph-rich text.
Her purpose is to inform western practitioners of ways to approach Australia’s First Peoples in order to provide effective health care, especially in remote regions. It encourages respectful professional listening and mutual learning between traditional and modern western health providers.
The author’s meticulous approach to this field research work and her multiple consultations with Australia’s First Peoples have resulted in a work of great practical value and of refined visual beauty.
6th May 2023
Photo credit Geoff Vivien Ngaarda Radio.
Synchronicity: A Personal Experience with Input from Jung and Science” at the Canberra Jung Society 7h July.
Sydney Book Launch at Green Door Health 10th June – a warm gathering of old yoga friends and new readers.
From the Blue Mountains NSW “The Story Behind The Story” event on May 26.
One attendee, now a happy new reader, spent many years on a Hopi reservation next to where I was with Elroy on his Navajo reservation!
The Story Behind The Story at The Hierophant Bookstore Canberra May 7
The Story Behind The Story book launch Bungendore Festival
Tilba Festival April 15
At Miss Rubys Bookstore Braidwood March 5th Q & A. “What are Elroy’s daily ceremonial practices?” How do the Navajos live as one with their land?” “How did you write the story with the language challenges?” Fabulous discussion! Thank you Jenny Boyes fellow author for hosting.
Here’s What Happened at Tilba on the 17th March with The Story Behind The Story… Thank you to Martin at Radio Ear FM Moruya, Robin for helping make a fabulous space and hosting, Merryn for having her Creations Gallery in Tilba and to all those who purchased and now hold The Story Behind The Story – welcome to the growing network of The Story’s wisdoms. Thank you also to Noi for sharing about Indigenous healers from her country – Cambodia.
Australian Book Launch: The Story Behind The Story: Biography of A Navajo Medicine Man. Smiths Alternative Book Store Canberra 20th February 2017
Introduction by Rita
Metzenath Australian Institute Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Studies friend.
Geraldton WA Streeties Aboriginal Corporation
Search for Mother INkwell Productions Pathways to Wholeness Presentation April 2011
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Search for Meaning Conference
Pacific Northwest Spirituality Book Festival
Saturday, February 5, 2011 – 9:00am–5:00pm
Seattle University Campus
Free and Open to the Public
Valerie will speak at 1pm on Mother – A Reflection of Gods’ Love.
KTVL Ch 10 Oregon March 26 2010
BIO
Valerie Albrecht has brought together her professional qualifications, skills and experience in writing, public speaking, speech pathology, yoga and natural therapies to the work of biography, story writing and story-telling. She is passionate about offering a voice for those aspiring to tell and write their stories.
Valerie has a Bachelor of Speech Pathology and has worked for over 45 years for optimal communication and quality of life across demographics and service delivery models – metropolitan, regional, remote in health, education, Indigenous communities and in Global Aid organizations. Her aspirations for holistic health led her to also study and practice as a Yoga Therapy and Life Story practitioner. Her books concern equity and inclusion of particularly First Peoples’ healing, medicine philosophies and practice and the human longing to connect deeply with self, others and the Divine narrative.
Her hope is for us to overcome our divides in ways of looking, particularly at health approaches, cultures and religions.
2026
This year will see the publication of Many Voices One Medicine Conversations with Traditional Healers in Australia, Arizona, South Dakota and Guatemala. These many voices conversations are accompanied by photos of the healers’ Country – connection to Country, nature, land and spirituality being at the core of the one medicine of Indigenous healing knowledge. My hope is that the cross continent and cross discipline conversations, knowledge and research shared in Many Voices One Medicine calls and inspires us as practitioners to shifts, initiatives, inclusions and actions toward inclusivity of medicine traditions in our medicine and healing practices. It’s also about us, as individuals moving within all traditions to enable our own health, wellbeing, and wellness, to find our own best medicine and healing. Further, Many Voices One Medicine is about the health of the natural environment which gives us both medicines and healing. Watch this calendar for the launch!
Yoga classes continue at Jindalee Aged Care Facility in Canberra which I have had the great pleasure to be offering there for about eight years now.
Life Story also continues at Jindalee Aged Care. It is incredibly heart-warming to hear life stories from times past, times nearly forgotten, from other countries and cultures, and from those who don’t often interact verbally.
2025
This year continues to see the growing distribution of One Voice Medicine: Conversations with Traditional Aboriginal Healers. Recent outlets in the ACT are the Ginninderry Conservation Trust, Strathnairn Arts Centre and Wildbark at Mulligans Flat. In Victoria, One Voice Medicine is available at Imaginarium, Dimboola. The book documents traditional medicine conversations with First People Healers around Australia with accompanying photographs of the healers’ country. It has a strong educational voice and is seeing its way into health and education institutions and training bodies nationally – such as the Benchmarque Group who conduct training courses for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health practitioners and Liz Hills’ work on Country with TrektoConnect. The conversations are about why it is vital for practitioners across sectors to embrace First People’s healing knowledge.
Yoga classes on offer are weekly Hatha based seated and remedial classes at various Canberra Aged Care facilities, the over 55’s Club Canberra and the LDK Amberfield Facility. Home based individually tailored classes are also available.
Life Story Telling has restarted at the Jindalee Aged Care Facility – very exciting and much appreciated by residents.
This year will see my speech pathology practice closing – a major life milestone after 50 years in the profession.
Please see the calendar for events and classes and do contact me if my services can support you!
2024
This year excitingly sees the growing distribution of One Voice Medicine: Conversations with Traditional Aboriginal Healers. The book documents conversations with First People Healers around Australia with accompanying photographs of the healers’ country. It has a strong educational voice and is seeing its way into health and education institutions and training bodies nationally. The conversations are about why it is vital for practitioners across sectors to embrace First People’s healing knowledge.
Yoga classes on offer are weekly Hatha based seated and remedial classes at various Canberra Aged Care facilities and at the over 55’s Club Canberra. Home based individually tailored classes are also available.
Family focused speech pathology continues at my one day a week practice.
Please see the calendar for events and classes and do contact me if my services can support you!
2023
This year excitingly sees the publication, launch and distribution of One Voice Medicine: Conversations with Traditional Aboriginal Healers. One Voice Medicine is a culmination of nine years of conversations, learning, listening to and working with community accepted Aboriginal healers around Australia. The conversations are about why it is vital for practitioners across sectors to embrace First People’s healing knowledge.
My upcoming book in progress concerns the concept of ‘homed’.
Canberra Heart Stories and From A Dream to a Book writing workshops are both happily ongoing.
Yoga on offer is: weekly Hatha based seniors seated and wheelchair classes at Canberra Aged care facilities and home based individually tailored sessions.
Well-being focused speech pathology continues at my one day a week practice.
Please see the calendar for events and classes and do contact me if my services can support you!
2022
This year I am excited and proud to launch Heart Stories in Canberra at Rise Sanctuary. Heart Stories is a curated story telling space for people to connect and explore the ‘heart story way’ of being with themselves and being together in community. Heart Stories are personal stories told from people’s own experience that usually shed light on bigger themes and offer connection with the story teller on an emotional level. Heart Stories invite the listener to draw meaning from the story into their own lives, thus the ‘heart story way’ can enrich, offer purpose, wisdom, hope, and perhaps lead us to new and inspiring personal and community directions and actions.
Restorative and seated yoga continues at Aged Care facilities in Canberra, at Rise Sanctuary and home based by referral.
Look up Eremos Australian Journal of Spirituality April 2022 for my article Food and Spirituality and watch this space for upcoming 2022 book launches!
2020/2021
Valerie continues to write, now having four published books, to practice Speech Pathology as a Clinical Supervisor and to teach Yoga in many locations in Canberra where she currently resides.
2019
Valerie continues her work teaching yoga in Aged Care Facilities in Canberra, at the Australian Institute Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies, as Clinical Manager and Speech Pathologist at Horizon Therapy Services Canberra and with her involvement with ANTaR ACT a NFP for Justice, Rights and Recognition for Australia’s First Peoples. The year also saw her complete a new book “Thirty Days” concerning the passing of an elder which is her fourth published book.
2018
Yoga classes continued at Aged Care Facilities in Canberra and at the Australian Institute Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Studies. Valerie is also Clinical Manager at Horizon Therapy Services Canberra where she supports Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy clinicians in their practice as well as delivering therapy to clients challenged by communication. “The Story Behind The Story – biography of a Navajo Medicine Man” was released in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.
2017
Valerie taught Yoga at Mura Pathway to Wellness, Canberra, various Canberra Aged Care Homes and the Australian Institute Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Studies. Her writing course “From A Dream to A Book” was on the curriculum at Canberra University Evening College. Life Stories sessions continued through Canberra RSL facilities where she mentored and crafted the life stories of many inspiring people. Most excitingly, “The Story Behind the Story – biography of a Navajo Medicine Man”, her third book found a UK publisher Austin MacCauley to be released in Australia in January 2018 and in the US in July 2018.
