The people who
hold the space.
Expert practitioners with many years of lived experience. These are the people you will move with, breathe with, and be truly looked after by.
Our Approach
Not credentials for
show. Experience you can feel.
Every person on this page has walked the path they now guide members along. They know what it takes — not from a textbook, but from living it. That is what qualifies them here, as much as any certificate.
The Founders
Two people who believed
something better was possible. So they built it.
James Darlington
Co-founder of Sanctuary Penarth. Strength and conditioning coach with 30 years of experience in physical training and performance. A specialist in male longevity, conscious movement and the bodies innate ability to heal and balance itself.
Cora Darlington
Co-founder of Sanctuary Penarth. Feminine empowerment & menopause coach, facilitator and author with over 25 years of experience guiding women through their most powerful rites of passage.
Team & Instructors
In-House · 03Joanna Bardol
Wellbeing educator, yoga teacher and co-founder of The House of IO. Joanna works at the intersection of movement, breath and ancient wisdom to support whole-person health.
Hugh Leach
A Penarth-born strength and conditioning coach with a Sport and Exercise Science degree and four years of commercial fitness experience. Coaching built on care, science and high standards.
Lesley Dancey
Yoga teacher and massage therapist with a background rooted in elite gymnastics, coaching and education. Lesley brings a lifetime of movement knowledge and warmth to every class.
Visiting Practitioners
Guest Practitioners · 02Michelle Victoria McGrath
Sound practitioner, energy alchemist and children’s wellness author. Michelle brings transformative sound immersion sessions to Sanctuary monthly, rooted in her own journey through loss, grief and profound personal transformation.
Jane · Find Your Balance
Founder of Find Your Balance. Clinical reflexologist rooted in nervous system regulation and whole-person healing. Jane holds monthly pop-up clinics at Sanctuary, bringing genuine care and deep expertise.
We don’t teach what we’ve read about. We teach what we’ve lived.