About this Event
The Compassion Salon: Lisa Boden and Friends
Edinburgh Medical School 300, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Tuesday 29 September 2026, 7pm
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 11 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JQ
The Compassion Salon will host Professor Lisa Boden. Kathryn Lovewell and Charlie Heriot- Maitland in a warm and reflective evening of meaningful conversation and shared insight into the importance of self compassion in our lives.
After the conversation, there will be time for discussion and audience Q&A.
The Compassion Salon Linktree
Speakers
Professor Lisa Boden
Lisa is a professional in the field of veterinary public health and population medicine. She holds a Ph.D. in veterinary epidemiology, complemented by a Master of Laws degree in medical law and ethics. Recognised as a UK veterinary specialist by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in the United Kingdom, she is also a Diplomat and past president of the European College of Veterinary Public Health. Professor Boden is the Dean of Veterinary Medicine and Head of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh. She holds a Personal Chair in Population Medicine and Veterinary Public Health Policy and is the co- Director of Policy and Impact at EPIC (the Scottish Government's Centre for Expertise in Animal Disease Outbreaks). EPIC provides policymakers with access to emergency scientific advice and analysis to prepare for and respond to outbreaks of exotic and novel animal diseases. Boden's professional pursuits encompass a wide range of activities. She translates and communicates scientific knowledge, ensuring its ethical application as evidence for policymaking and has expertise in foresighting approaches to foster strategic thinking regarding long-term resilience to One Health threats. Boden founded the One Health FIELD Network in 2019 to improve training, preparedness and response to One Health threats in Fragile and Conflict Affected States, particularly in the MENAT region. She is the founder of the Edinburgh Empathy Place at the University of Edinburgh which is part of the Global Empathy Network.
Kathryn Lovewell
Kathryn is the Founder of Kind Mind Academy, an award-winning international speaker, and a best-selling author specialising in Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) for children, women, and families. A Senior Certified MSC Teacher, she is the author of The Little Book of Self-Compassion and a growing collection of empowering children’s books including The Voices in My Head!, My Inner Detective Journal – Making Friends With Myself, and the forthcoming illustrated title Loving the Me I See. Her work equips children and families with practical, science-backed tools to cultivate a kind inner voice from an early age.
As the pioneering creator of The Booster Way®, Kathryn is leading a ground-breaking movement reshaping family life and classroom culture. Through this innovative framework, she empowers children, parents, and educators to nurture resilience, strengthen emotional literacy, and build the foundations of lifelong wellbeing through self-compassion and inner skill-building.
Kathryn also teaches her signature programme, Compassionate Body, a transformative experience supporting women to make peace with their bodies and develop a more supportive inner relationship. In her private practice, she offers bespoke Compassion Resilience Coaching for high-achieving professionals who recognise that sustainable leadership begins with strong inner foundations.
With a background in Drama and Art Secondary Education, Kathryn’s teaching experience spans schools, juvenile and adult prisons, and community learning settings. Since 2008, she has led pioneering emotional health and wellbeing initiatives across the UK, USA, and Australia, transforming the lives of students, teachers, and education leaders.
Kathryn is a Certified Awakening Joy Facilitator and host of the Global Compassion Coalition’s Compassion Café. Since 2020, she has offered a weekly self-compassion meditation within the Global Circles of Practice for the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion.
Dr Charlie Heriot-Maitland
Charlie is a clinical psychologist, trainer, researcher, and author. Charlie has provided psychological therapies in the NHS, and in 2012, co-founded an organisation called Balanced Minds, which specialises in providing Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and self-help resources for the public, and CFT training and consultation for professionals and organisations.
As a superviser and trainer, he works regularly for the NHS, as well as other organisations across multiple sectors (e.g. healthcare, social care, education, charities). As a researcher he has mainly investigated CFT for supporting people with distressing experiences linked to trauma and psychosis. He has authored a number of academic papers and book chapters on this subject, has given numerous invited talks, and have ran compassion training workshops for thousands of mental health workers in different countries around the world. ABOUT – Charlie Heriot-Maitland
is a literary salon which brings together authors, poets, comedians, musicians and other creatives to share their work and reflect on compassion in contemporary life. Recent salons at Steel Coulson Southside have featured conversations between, novelist Karen Campbell and musician Karine Polwart, as well as appearances by Hannah Lavery, Paul Gilbert, Deborah Ritchie, Ian Rankin, Gavin Francis and many others offering audiences a unique blend of narrative and performance.
The Compassion Salon was founded by Dr Marti Balaam in 2019. Marti is a social entrepreneur, healthcare educationalist, social scientist and author who has worked in health, and social care education for many years. She is currently the student experience co lead for Edinburgh Medical School 300, a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education and Nursing Studies at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Professionalism within the undergraduate medical programme. She is passionate about the power of compassion and how we can integrate it into our lives and work to transform society. Marti works with Global partners to develop programmes of work, share new strategies on compassionate engagement and learn from global and local experiences of how other communities practice compassion.
The Salon Marti says is 'a place for people to connect, inspire, and support using books and prose to reflect on human existence in a fragmented, challenging but wonderful world.
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This event is free and open to all.
Please indicate any dietary or access requirements when you register to attend.
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Photography notice
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Event venue & nearby stays
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 11 Queen Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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