About Us

Towards a better way of living

Le Riboudin is a company dedicated to the promotion of Mindfulness in our everyday lives, in order to reopen our awareness and joy.  Founded by Simon and Theresa Powell as a result of their own battle against work-related stress and depression, we offer a sanctuary for anyone who wishes to find out about this amazing concept, as well as existing practitioners seeking a supportive and comfortable environment to meditate.

In addition to the spirit, we tend to the body through our collection of slow food.  Visitors can join us for platters of the very finest produce, most of which are also on sale through this website.

Simon is a qualified teacher who moved into industry to pursue his interest in innovation management.  Working as an independent consultant and then as a Director in a public company in the UK, Simon was exposed to the stress of the modern business world and its impact on the family.  When the financial crisis of 2007 killed his company, Simon and Theresa took the opportunity to pursue the dream of living in France, in the hope of a better life.  Armed with an old cat, two children and the proceeds from the sale of Simon's car, the family moved into a tired Norman thatched cottage, set in the side of a hill near the famous town of Etretat. 

Theresa worked in the UK as a midwife and when the family moved to France she commuted for a while before retraining as an English teacher.  Success as a teacher of both children and adults was very welcome, but it failed to fulfil Theresa's caring side to her satisfaction, so she undertook further training in counselling.

Despite many positive elements to their life, Simon fell into depression, and struggled to get out of the hole whilst working as a senior executive in a major manufacturing business.  When traditional psychiatry led to medication and its side-effects, we looked around and discovered the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh and the team at Oxford University.  As a rational atheist, Simon was able to study the scientific evidence and embrace Mindfulness in a way that he could never embrace religious practises.  Together, we have developed our practise, learning to accept and embrace the difficulties that life presents in a way that does not lead to negative rumination.

Having made enough of the journey to be comfortable with ourselves, we have developed courses and retreats for anyone who feels that they lack control in their lives, which is pretty much all of us from time to time.  We won't give you control, nobody can, but we will help you discover an approach to living that will increase your happiness and your ability to function as a partner, parent and worker.