Meet the team - Soulful Concepts
349778
page-template-default,page,page-id-349778,eltd-cpt-1.0,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,moose-ver-1.1.1, vertical_menu_with_scroll,smooth_scroll,blog_installed,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.10.0,vc_responsive
 

Meet the Soulful Concepts Team

We are avid philanthropists, global explorers, travel experts and environmental conservationists, who believe that travel helps life be lived to its fullest. For us, every trip is an opportunity to connect, grow and learn. We created Soulful Concepts to enable people to travel responsibly and give back to the communities and places they visit.

Belinda Shillcock

Co-Founder & Director

Belinda is a travel enthusiast who has 20 years of travel industry and NFP experience. Her passion for travel is closely linked to her vision for global equality and so she has focused on making her career a cross-pollination between the two industries.

 

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Belinda is most at home in Asia. She continues to finds herself drawn back to the vibrant flavours of the East, which she first experienced in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2000. Since then she has called Vietnam, Laos and Thailand home, and has watched each of these unique countries develop and evolve over years. Her travel philosophy is that there are always new hidden gems to explore and interesting people to meet!

Fun facts

Favourite country: Cambodia

Favourite food/cuisine: Vietnamese, especially a noodle soup called “Pho”

Favourite Travel quote:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbour, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover.” –Mark Twain

Best travel experience: Spending a month looking after ocelots, giant baby anteaters, pumas, monkeys, wild pigs and much more as a volunteer at an animal refuge in rugged Bolivia.

Kristen Briggs

-Co-Founder & Director 

Kristen is a passionate philanthropist who loves to explore and discover new places. Originally from Ulladulla, along the NSW south coast, she has spent her time travelling to some of the world’s most remote destinations, including the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the dense jungles of Central and South America, and the blue depths of many oceans.

 

She believes travel fuels the soul and opens your eyes to what is important. This is a philosophy she has applied to her fundraising work, having raised over $150,000 for a number of charities in support of causes that are close to her heart. Her travel philosophy is that every new experience allows you to grow, learn and ultimately appreciate the simple things in life.

Fun facts

Favourite country: Guatemala

Favourite food/cuisine: Japanese and cheese!

Favourite quote: We must accept infinite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Best travel experience: Trekking through and surviving the remote jungles of La Mosquitia Honduras.

Amanda Howle

-Fundraising & Partnerships Manager 

After her first charity challenge in 1999, Amanda was hooked. Amanda has since trekked the Inca Trail, Mt Kilimanjaro and the Great Wall of China.

 

Born in Wales, Amanda started her career in the fast-paced world of corporate London before moving to Australia in 2003. With almost 10 years’ experience in the NFP sector, she recruits and motivates supporters to push their limits and raise money for charities close to their heart.

 

Since 2010, Amanda’s work helped raise over $3 Million, twice climbing Kilimanjaro herself, alongside other fundraisers, passionate about protecting human rights.

 

Amanda believes that if you’ve ever fancied running a marathon or climbing a mountain– you must do it for charity. We don’t have to be Bill Gates to change the world. There is no better motivation to keep you going than knowing you are making a real difference in the lives of others.

Fun facts

Favourite country: Wales

Favourite food/cuisine: Homemade, Panfried Gnocchi

Favourite quote: Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t; you’re right – Henry Ford.

Best travel experience: Cycling through Cambodia’s back streets, knowing a hot, tasty, traditional cooked meal was just around the corner.

Chris Zinon

-Head Guide, Trek Yuin Country

Over the last twenty years Chris has explored the world, working and pursuing his passion for outdoor adventure, specifically climbing, hiking, snowboarding and surfing.

These activities have taken him to some of the more remote corners of the globe, providing natural rewards that are truly unforgettable, and are the reasons why he loves to share these incredible experiences with others.

Chris has worked in the outdoor industry for 15 years and holds qualifications from the Australian Climbers Instructors Association, The British Mountaineering Council, Avalanche Canada as well as holding current wilderness and advanced first aid certificates.

Fun facts

Favourite country: Chile

Favourite food/cuisine: Thai food

Favourite quote: 

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not Man the less, but Nature more.

Best travel experience: Hiking through Patagonian wilderness

Jacqui Swift

-Fundraising Specialist 

Jacqui started her career working for a digital marketing agency in Singapore and with South East Asia at her doorstep she fell in love with the vibrancy of the East and the discovery of travel.

Originally born in Perth, she realised how lucky she was and wanted to make a difference. Swapping the corporate world for fundraising, she now has 12 years of experience in the NFP sector raising money for international and local charities.

Her work and passion for travel has taken her to diverse locations around the world. From the golden pagodas of Myanmar to the sandy deserts and pristine coast line of some of the most remote communities in Western Australia, Jacqui has been privileged to work with philanthropists, individual fundraisers and giving circles, and truly believes that change can come about from the actions of a group of committed and caring individuals.

Fun facts

Favourite country: Philippines

Favourite food/cuisine: Italian, a simple bocconcini, tomato and basil salad with olive oil

Favourite quote: “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better” – Albert Einstein

Best travel experience: Swimming with the Whale Sharks in the Philippines.

Christine Drew 

– Travel Manager – Campaigns 

With a love of both travel and philanthropy, Christine feels she has landed her dream job as she combines her two passions and gets to help others do the same!  Christine is a firm believer in standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves. She has put this into action by personally supporting a variety of charities and causes including hosting an annual charity fundraiser for 6 consecutive years and being a team leader for a local Chapter of Days For Girls Australia to name a few.

 

She has also travelled to a number of destinations throughout Europe, Asia, and the Pacific yet finds satisfaction in the simplicity of being in nature whether it’s walking along the beach, hiking, sitting around a campfire or just being out under the stars.

One of Christines dream holidays is to travel the world watching her children play cricket for Australia one day! [Dreams come true for those who work while they dream!]

 

Fun facts

Favourite country: Scotland

Favourite food/cuisine: Curry or a Margherita Pizza

Favourite Travel quote: I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ~ Mother Theresa

Best travel experience: Serving in Fiji on a school mission trip with my husband and children.

Bradley McAndrew

– Digital Marketing Coordinator

Growing up on the New South Wales’s Central Coast, Bradley’s love for travel began when he and his family would take camping trips to all reaches of Australia. After high school, he became hooked on experiencing new places and cultures, with a 2-month adventure across the USA, Canada, and Alaska, as well as a solo journey to Japan, under his belt.

 

His interest in the creative side of business studies led him to completing a degree in marketing and media. Thinking up strategic and creative strategies to help people connect with organisations is a passionate endeavour of his. His dream of working in the travel industry and promoting the wonders of exploring new destinations makes him right at home with Soulful Concepts.

 

Fun facts

Favourite country: Japan

Favourite food/cuisine: A mouth-watering burger stacked with ingredients.

Favourite Travel quote:

“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” – Christopher McCandless

Best travel experience: Standing at the Arctic Circle in the freezing temperatures of the Alaskan Winter and seeing the magic of the Northern Lights come to life.

Magdaliene Hadjielias

 Fundraising Coordinator

With years of experience as a Social-Worker and a mental health clinician, Magdaliene knows how to
work with individuals and groups in the community to achieve the best possible outcome. She is
motivated by the desire to create healthy, inclusive, connected and sustainable communities.


Magdaliene has worked across Melbourne and Western Australia for various NFP, government and
private organisations to improve the overall wellbeing of individuals by empowering them to maintain and support their own mental health journey.


Along side working professionally as a social worker, Magdaliene has been successful in establishing two
private businesses and is highly proficient across a broad range of capabilities, with communication
being key to her achievements. 

 

Fun facts

Favourite country: Greece

Favourite food/cuisine: Home- made chicken soup

Favourite quote: “Let go of having to heal yourself by yourself…you are supported and you are loved”- Leigh Fortson

Best travel experience: Walking through the tea plantation mountains in Sri-Lanka

Zach Morton

Graphic Designer 

Zach is an avid world traveller and passionate designer who has always been drawn to explore the world outside of his immediate surroundings. He had firsthand experience of the life changing power of travel when his passion for graphic design was ignited by the amazing art scene he experienced on a working holiday across the UK. This exposure lead him to undertake studies in the field of Graphic Design, in Australia, and pursue a career as a designer.

 

Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, Zach now lives in Sydney, Australia. He continues to be lead by a desire to see the world around him and find exciting ways to combine his love of travel with design.

 

Fun facts

Favourite country: Canada

Favourite food/cuisine: Mexican

Favourite Travel quote:

“Don’t cry because it is over, smile because it happened” – Unknown

Best travel experience: Walking the Camino de Santiago across Spain