Our story

The Sharon Faye Foundation was inspired by the life of Sharon Faye. Sharon’s unrelenting interest in humanity’s plight came from her own struggle to survive in an extremely harsh environment. As a child, Sharon was abandoned, abused, beaten and deemed retarded. As a teenager, she dropped out of school and lived on the streets.

Enduring years of struggle in the search for a better way of living, Sharon learned to move towards the pain rather than away from it. Determined to get an education, she put herself through university with four young children on welfare. This difficult journey led her to a successful private practice in Corporate Psychology, and pioneering a way of engaging emotions for radical healing – Emotional Strength. How she pulled herself out of the quagmire to pursue a different path is a testament to the Emotional Strength she has worked so hard to build. Building Emotional Strength saved Sharon’s life. Helping others to do the same has become her life mission.

‘Emotional Strength is the ability to respond in an open and vulnerable way in the face of intense emotional experience’. Nearly two decades of practical application in private practice has demonstrated that building Emotional Strength is life changing in all areas of business and in life. Grateful for the difference that Sharon’s work has made in their businesses and their lives, a number of Sharon’s clients asked how they could help in getting more people exposed to her work. The Foundation was born from their contributions.

The next chapter of Sharon’s vision is through the Foundation.
The Sharon Faye Foundation is committed to Emotion research in five areas within our community.

Family Health

Education

Business

Law

Politics

For the Foundation, these five systems provide the infrastructure of our community and are regarded as pivotal to the health and well-being of humanity.

Purpose and strategic intent

Purpose

The Sharon Faye Foundation’s purpose is to conduct research into Emotion and demonstrate how Emotional Strength is essential to improve the education of our children, the health of our people, the quality of our leaders, the effectiveness of our law and the value of our economy. This purpose will drive the Foundation’s research and publishing activity in five key areas: family health, education, business, law and politics.

Strategic Intent

The Sharon Faye Foundation’s strategic intent is to:

Introduce the concept of Emotional Strength to the world
Educate various sectors about how Emotional Strength can be used to evolve humanity’s perception of negative emotion
Attract a team of skilled and competent researchers to test the validity of Emotional Strength
Raise the profile of the Sharon Faye Foundation and its humanitarian intent
Publish the findings of research on Emotional Strength in the five key areas of our society (family health, education, business, law, politics)
Demonstrate how Emotional Strength develops healthy culture
Publish quality research to demonstrate that developing Emotional Strength can heal the deepest wounds of humanity
Researchers to develop a map of the process of Building Emotional Strength
Demonstrate how Emotional Strength is essential to improve the education of our children, the health of our people, the quality of our leaders, the effectiveness of our law and the value of our economy.

Vision, Mission & Values

Vision

Healthy Emotion ~ Healthy World

Mission

Test the hypothesis that Emotional Strength is essential to improve the education of our children, the health of our people, the quality of our leaders, the effectiveness of our law and the value of our economy.

Values

Respect
Compassion
Gratitude
Grace
Innovative Intelligence

Sharon’s Influences

My four children, who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.
The first psychologist Jenny, who told me I was highly intelligent.
My mentor Dr Peter Sevastos, who inspired the philosopher in me.
My precious friend Roy Aveling, who is there with me when everyone is gone.
My third grandchild Deikan, who taught me that I am lovable.
My clients, who inspire me.
Dr Sue Cruthers, who taught me persistence on a whole new level.
My staff, who are teaching me about a new experience of team.

Our Team

The team brings a diversity of expertise and experience to the Sharon Faye Foundation. All members of the team share Sharon’s passion for building Emotional Strength and its capacity to change lives for the better. Each member of the team has been personally and professionally touched by Sharon’s work.

Sharon Faye – Corporate Psychologist
Founder, Sharon Faye Foundation

BA (Psych); BPsych; MPsych (Org); EMBA (UWA); MFRT; MIACN; DipClinHyp

Sharon is the Managing Director of Clear Perceptions and is a practicing Corporate Psychologist with a wealth of organisational and clinical experience. Sharon developed the original concept of building Emotional Strength in business. Sharon’s vision for Clear Perceptions is Healthy Business ~ Healthy World. As an organisational psychologist in private practice, Sharon has been building Emotional Strength in business, with owners, partners and executives for 20 years. Her work is based on her belief that whatever the leaders are experiencing in their business is a direct reflection of their internal world. The first step to developing healthy workplaces is for executives to become aware of their internal world and the unconscious drivers that influence their leadership style, decision making, communication, and workplace performance. Facing yourself and all your defence mechanisms, such as the many layers of denial, is a deeply challenging process. Leaders emerge from this process. Sharon is also the Chair and founding Director of the Sharon Faye Foundation. The Foundation’s purpose is to conduct research into Emotional Strength and demonstrate how Emotional Strength is essential to improve the education of our children, the health of our people, the quality of our leaders, the effectiveness of our law and the value of our economy. This purpose will drive the Foundation’s research and publishing activity in five key areas: health, education, business, law and the political system. Sharon’s dedication to improving the experience of being human originates from her own experience of recovering from severe childhood abuse. Sharon developed Emotional Strength within herself and has dedicated her life to building Emotional Strength in others. Emotional Strength is the ability to respond in an open and vulnerable way in the face of intense emotional experience. Sharon was awarded a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology in 1994, a Bachelor of Psychology from Edith Cowan University in 1995 and a Master of Psychology (Org) with Distinction from Curtin University in 1998. Her research focused on testing the structure of affective well-being. Sharon went into private practice in 2000. In 2008 Sharon presented the concept of Emotional Strength at the International Congress of Psychology in Berlin. Sharon completed an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from the University of Western Australia in 2011 and her research focused on building a sustainable business model in the private sector. Sharon is also a practicing neuropsychotherapist. Sharon lives in beautiful Perth Western Australia, raised four children and has seven grandchildren; she runs marathons and loves good coffee.

Sharon Cork
Director, Sharon Faye Foundation

BComm (University of WA), CA, CFP

Sharon was born in Singapore and educated there until the age of 11 years. She and her family migrated to Perth in 1975 where she finished high school. In 1981, she completed her Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of Western Australia majoring in Economics, Marketing and Middle-Eastern Studies. Sharon commenced her career in the finance industry with the Rural & Industries Bank of Western Australia (now BankWest) as a graduate trainee manager and then the Royal Australian Air Force as an Officer in the Administration core where she had various roles in Air Base financial management and personnel logistics special projects. After 6 years with the Air Force, she practised as an accountant in a country accounting practice in Kojonup. Here she performed accounting duties relating to general tax and specialised in accounting for self-managed superannuation funds. During this time she completed her Accounting Degree through Edith Cowan University (Churchlands Campus) and gained entry in to the Professional Year Program with the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Sharon qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2000 and decided to diversify her accounting experience by undertaking roles as Senior Fund Accountant with Asgard and MLC. In these roles, she was responsible for the preparation of statutory accounts for the Master Trusts. Driven by her deep desire to add value to her clients’ futures, rather than reporting on their past, Sharon decided to become a financial planner. In 2001 she started working in a small financial planning firm in West Perth. She completed the Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning with the Securities Institute and became a member of the Financial Planners Association in 2002. Sharon consolidated and expanded on her financial planning experiences through working with two investment banks until she attained the Certified Financial Planner designation with the Financial Planners Association in 2013. She also holds the Financial Planning Specialist designation awarded to her by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2013. In 2016, she attained a Life Risk Specialist designation from the Financial Planners Association. In 2013, with mentoring from Sharon Faye of Clear Perceptions, and inspired by her desire to create a safe and transparent environment for values driven clients who enjoy achieving their lifestyle goals, Sharon established her own financial planning business, One Energy financial services. One Energy provides Sharon with the freedom to continue to focus on her clients’ best interests every day. Sharon lives in Perth with her partner and 9 year old son. She loves running and playing golf. She is deeply grateful for the significant impact Sharon Faye has had on her as a human being and continues to develop her Emotional Strength with Sharon Faye. Sharon is proud to be a founding member of the Sharon Faye Foundation.

Dr Joel Hooper
Non-Executive Director, Sharon Faye Foundation

BSc (Hons), PhD (University of London)

Dr Joel Hooper spent the early part of his career as a researcher, working at the world-class research centres, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry and at the Chester Beatty Laboratories of the Institute of Cancer Research, University of London. The work focused on topics ranging from the molecular genetics of cardiovascular disease through to the mechanism of action of key proteins during T-lymphocyte development, yielding publications in renowned medical journals such as The Lancet, EMBO Journal and Immunology. In order to pursue broader interests, Joel then worked as a consultant to Sharon Faye at Clear Perceptions on a range of topics including to define with Sharon the concept of Emotional Strength. Following the subsequent 4 years as a Management Consultant specialized on the Healthcare sector, Joel is currently Senior Manager in Global Operations at IMS Health and is a Non-Executive Director at the Sharon Faye Foundation. Joel was awarded a Bachelor of Science majoring in Pathology and Pharmacology in 2001 and a PhD in Biology from the University of London in 2006. Joel lives in London with his partner and daughter. Joel is an avid student of modern art and literature, an amateur artist, coffee lover and tennis enthusiast, and is currently learning Web Development and Smart Device Design. Future projects will focus on harnessing the potential of technology, data and the internet to improve the health of our people.

Tristan Stein
Writer/Researcher, Sharon Faye Foundation

BA, LLB, MA

As a writer for the Sharon Faye Foundation, Tristan gets to combine what she loves doing most: learning about people and putting their stories into words. Tristan’s interest in other people’s stories is what drew her into a career in the media. A former journalist, she has worked in Australia and the United Kingdom for newspaper publications including The Daily Telegraph and The West Australian, as well as in television news and as editor of West Australian lifestyle magazine, Scoop. After having her first child, Tristan’s interest moved to finding out more about her own family and its origins. Following a stint at the Perth International Writers’ Festival, she plucked up the courage to start writing fiction herself. Having worked in print journalism, she thought it might be a natural transition. It wasn’t. Writing a novel was more challenging than she ever imagined. It was also deeply rewarding. Tristan holds a Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Creative Writing from Murdoch University, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia. Her interest in storytelling extends to myth: her Masters thesis included a consideration of fairytale motifs in contemporary Australian fiction. A keen ocean swimmer, Tristan lives with her husband and three children by the beach in Perth. Tristan is committed to building Emotional Strength and the Foundation’s goal of making a difference in people’s lives. She is in awe of the courage many people exhibit in their everyday lives.

Ashlea Castledine
Company Secretary, Sharon Faye Foundation

After 15 years in office administration, working her way up to bookkeeper and Executive Assistant positions, Ash finally found a place where she could combine her technical administration and accounts skills with her passion for helping people, mental health and making a difference. When Ash was offered the position of Sharon Faye’s executive assistant at Clear Perceptions and the Sharon Faye Foundation, she knew this was the opportunity she had been waiting for to fulfil her soul. Ash’s passion for helping others and mental health began when she experienced and overcame depression and anxiety during her twenties. Along Ash’s personal development journey, she discovered a love for fitness and the amazing impact it has on people mentally and physically. Ash was drawn to dance fitness and she now teaches two KONGA (part of The Jungle Body) classes per week. Ash also enjoys tennis and getting out on her stand-up paddle board whenever the sun is out and the wind is down. Ash has two younger sisters who she is incredibly close with and loves spending time with them whenever she has the chance.

Dr Susan Cruthers
Patron, Sharon Faye Foundation

MBBS

My interest in Emotional Strength came from the experience of seeing the difference it made to a friend’s life over a short time. I’ve seen people go through years of therapy, but I’d never seen anything like that. I couldn’t believe it, so I asked her what was going on and if I could be involved. I’ve had an involvement and interest in mental health as a counsellor and client, but I’d never seen anything that hit the mark like Emotional Strength. My interest in being involved in the SFF comes in part from personal experience with mental illness and in the mental health system, which, while well-meaning, was not able to offer me what I needed. The more I got into the system, the more I felt it was at odds with what I needed. Sharon Faye used her influence and Emotional Strength to show me there was a better way. With Emotional Strength I was able to get out of the mental health system. While well-meaning, the mental health system didn’t have the tools to meet my needs. Emotional Strength was the tool that I needed. It’s hard to say how Emotional Strength has changed my life because I can’t imagine having the life I had before. Was I really that person? It crept up on me. I became a different person; a person that I quite liked and a person with possibilities. It has been very empowering; bringing out the ‘me’ that I always knew was there. I’ve lost the bits that weren’t really me, the artificial safeguards. I’ve regained something rather than finding something new; I’m the same person, but I’m the person I always wanted to be. Emotional Strength has been life-changing for me and I can see how it could be life-changing for others. When I’m around mental health patients, I’d love them to have access to my experience. I wanted to be part of the Foundation to help enable Emotional Strength to become available, not just to a limited number of people, but to everyone. It is incredibly exciting and exhilarating being a part of the Foundation. I would have loved being able to share Emotional Strength with people I have met in the mental health system and with others who were experiencing anorexia. To start, I had no idea what being patron would entail. As I see the Foundation growing, I’m getting an idea of how I can be a part of it. I feel the time is here where the Foundation is starting to find its feet and becoming a part of the community. It is a great space to be in, both in terms of its physical and philosophical space. I worked in hospitals for thirty years rather than going out on my own because I loved working in a team and connecting with others. The Foundation offers the same sense of team. It has a healing environment. My hope for the Foundation is that Emotional Strength can become available to the world, and that it becomes more a part of the cultural mainstream. The highlight for me so far was the publication of the Emotional Strength paper. This was a moment of acceptance and validity when the work and the Foundation became ‘real’.

Our Brand

Rationale

Harley Spick, Art Director, Milkable Brand Agency

The concept came from my own personal experience, where I found in that 1 hour meeting, Sharon was able to connect with me at a very deep emotional level. Sharon was able to identify what was holding me back, and through a deep feeling of love, I felt an overwhelming release of inner tension, and by doing so gained an experience of emotional strength.

The design concept uses the heart to symbolise love and the journey of life from birth and its pure state, through to the point where an individual learns how to deal with their inner self, and engage in life from a position of emotional strength to realise their full potential.

We have used the colour of purple in the brand, which is a colour that represents wisdom, peace and independence.