As a heart-centered business, Heart Sparks strives to make a deeply positive impact through everything that it does.
We approach our work through a social justice lens because we know that’s what makes it phenomenal. Active inclusion and equity makes everything we do deeper, vaster, more creative, safer and ultimately so much better.
At its core, Heart Sparks is vibrantly propelled by its vision, values and commitment to justice. We drive these passionately through our every interaction and everything that we offer.
Our Values
– Authenticity –
We believe that every being is most beautiful when their expression is a reflection of their truest self. We act with complete authenticity in all areas of our business and view vulnerability as a strength.
– Equity –
We believe that liberation is only achievable when both inclusion and equity are prioritised. We strive to provide accessible and equitable services, products and opportunities that do not discriminate and we are committed to a path of continued improvement, learning and unlearning. We take responsibility for ourselves, for unpacking our privilege and for our role in dismantling systems of oppression. We show up for this work at all costs and welcome feedback openly.
– Integrity –
We act with the utmost integrity at all times, in all circumstances. We operationalise our values and remain accountable to them always.
– People –
We love working with people and we value the innate worth and presence of every individual. We want the very best for everyone who comes into contact with our work.
– Connection –
We actively seek and welcome meaningful relationships and collaborations with aligned individuals and organisations. We pride ourselves on building authentic, deep connection, both internally within ourselves and externally with others.
– Passion –
We are highly passionate about everything we do and we only offer services, projects and invitations that spark our hearts. If it’s not a ‘heck yes!’ then it is a ‘no, thank you.’
– Growth –
We believe that we are lifelong learners and commit to continuously stretching ourselves to learn and grow. We step outside of our comfort zone consciously and with intention, understanding that discomfort, fear and loss are crucial emotions on the journey towards any sustainable development.
– Kindness –
We are active advocators for kindness. We view kindness as a meaningful pathway to unity and equity, and display and promote it openly in our work.
When Engaging With Us You Will Never Receive:
Gaslighting (pretending that your lived experience is not true)
Shaming
Ignorance around the external constructs and systems that impact our collective experiences, such as patriarchy, capitalism, white supremacy and more
Spiritual bypassing
Cultural appropriation
Neutrality or ignorance towards the presence of oppression, abuse or injustice in our communities.
Our Commitment to Justice and Equity
Heart Sparks acknowledges that our primary workplaces sit on lands stolen from the Wathaurung, Woiwurrung, Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, as well as to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our broader communities.
We have been waiting many years for the Australian Government to sign a Treaty and commit to justice and restitution for Aboriginal people, who continue to live with the ongoing effects of colonization today. We acknowledge that the lands we work on were forcibly taken from them and we have committed to pay 1% of our income in rent to Aboriginal people in Victoria via Pay the Rent. We stand in solidarity with First Nations people in Australia and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.
We welcome folks of all ages, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, body sizes, spiritual and religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds to our work, particularly those who hold an underrepresented identity such as Indigenous, Black, Brown or a Person of Colour, folks who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, pansexual, gender fluid, transgender or queer, and/or those living with a disability.
Johanna only facilitates and accepts invitations to events, interviews, gatherings and stages (whether online or in-person) that are inclusive and safe for as diverse a representation of people as possible. We prioritise safety for all people, in all of our spaces, with priority given to those people who hold an underrepresented identity. This has not always been the case and for that we issue a standing apology. We remain committed to doing and being better and we openly recognise our role as an organisation founded by a white, cisgendered and able-bodied Australian woman in removing barriers and dismantling systems that are designed to do harm.
This website has been intentionally resourced to ensure it is easier to use and more accessible for people living with disabilities, underpinned by the strong belief that every person has the right to live with dignity, equality, comfort and wholehearted independence.
We take the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) seriously and continue to invest time, resources and money in training and software that improve Heart Sparks’ compliance. At any time while on this website you can activate a specialised accessibility menu by clicking the ‘person’ icon that appears at the bottom right-hand corner of the page. Please wait a moment for the menu to load in its entirety upon selection.
We continue to regularly improve the accessibility of this site and all areas of our work with the understanding that it is our collective obligation to allow seamless, accessible and unhindered use of our services for folks living with disabilities. Despite our efforts, some of our content, processes and invitations may not yet have been adapted to the most effective accessibility standards. As we continue to learn, develop and evolve, we welcome you to contact us directly here and let us know what we can do better to support you. Johanna welcomes all feedback and notification of accessibility issues with an open mind, loving heart and commitment to service.
We acknowledge that any price-point can create instances of unspoken authority and exclusivity, and also real feelings of isolation and segregation for those who are unable to meet it due to socio-economic barriers and/or natural disaster. We offer ongoing Heart Grants and Bushfire Recovery Grants to those experiencing lived accessibility barriers to our work.
Heart Sparks stands for inclusion, equity, diversity and anti-racism and we are committed to the personal, organisational and systemic work required in order to create true justice and equity. We are actively undertaking ongoing personal and professional development specifically in addressing privilege, bias and anti-racism, and our staff and regular contractors will continue to have paid training and learning opportunities provided for them.
To date we have undertaken training, development and learning initiatives from brilliant educators such as Andréa Ranae, L’Erin Alta, Desiree Adaway/The Adaway Group, Sharyn Holmes, The Wellbeing Connexion , Annie Gichuru/Uplifting Studios and Rachel Rogers. We have also signed The Pledge.
We proudly support the work of Kiva through providing micro-finance loans via their online platform to women across the globe, with a focus on projects that enhance women-led business prospects or provide enhanced accessibility to culturally-appropriate education pathways for young people.
The Operalisation of Our Vision, Values and Commitments
We are committed to actively and consciously operationalising our values as a means of adding real-time accountability to our commitments and measuring the true success of our work. Our values will not gather dust on the office wall, nor remain fancy words on a website. We continue to strive to live and breathe them through every aspect of our work, every conversation we have and each decision we make.
We welcome you asking us about our evolving processes, practices and measurements in relation to this. We also welcome you holding us to account on our commitments by providing your feedback to us directly here at any time.
Want to know more about
Johanna herself?
Learn more about Jo and her personal
journey to Heart Sparks, here.
