A woman with long, wavy hair smiling and wearing a floral blue dress with pink flowers, standing in front of a blurred background of stacked logs.

BRING THE INNER-READ RITUAL TO YOUR COMMUNITY

A woman sitting on a beige couch, smiling and reading a book, with a green painting behind her and a large green plant to her left. A red side table with a red cup and teapot is in front of her.

THE BOOK ENDS. THE EXPERIENCE BEGINS.

These sessions are for readers who want more than an escape - and for anyone who wants to bring that experience to their community.

Whether you're coordinating a school wellbeing program, a library event, a book club or a women's retreat, the Inner-Read Ritual gives your audience something genuinely useful to take home.

It's a simple 4-step practice that bridges the gap between the story on the page and the reader's own inner world, turning any book into a path back to themselves.

Sessions are designed and delivered by Jodie Benveniste, Author-Psychologist and creator of Mindful Romance.

A colorful abstract image with four quadrants of solid colors: orange, red, maroon, and purple, with a black outline of a paper boat over the purple section.

SESSION 01 - ADULTS

THE BOOK ENDS. YOUR STORY BEGINS.

A MINDFUL ROMANCE RITUAL FOR ADULT READERS

We're in our working-on-ourselves era, battling that too much or not enough feeling, trying to fix ourselves with self-help or escape from ourselves through story. That's the Fix-or-Flee Trap.

What we need is a ritual that honours great storytelling and our own heart without feeling like a self-help workshop.

In this restorative 60–90 minute session, participants discover the Inner-Read Ritual: a 4-step practice that bridges the gap between the story on the page and their own inner world.

PARTICIPANTS LEAVE WITH:

  • Their own experience of the 4-step Inner-Read Ritual (R.E.A.D.)

  • A physical take-home guide to use with any book they read

  • A path toward Deep Self-Trust and being the author of their own becoming

SUITED TO: Book Clubs, Library Events, Women's Retreats, Wellbeing Days and Reading Festivals. Available in person or online.

A grid of six colorful squares with a pink background. The top left is yellow, the top right is pink, the bottom left is pink with a black outline of a medal with a star, and the bottom right is orange.

SESSION 02 - TEENS

GET LOST IN THE STORY. THEN FIND YOURSELF.

A MINDFUL READING RITUAL FOR TEEN READERS

Teens already know how to get lost in a great story. This session teaches them what to do when the story ends, and real life comes rushing back in.

In this engaging 45–90 minute session, students discover the Inner-Read Ritual: a 4-step practice that uses the books they already love as a tool for self-understanding. No therapy or self-help vibes. Just story, insight, and a simple ritual they can use for life.

STUDENTS LEAVE WITH:

  • Their own experience of the 4-step Inner-Read Ritual (R.E.A.D.)

  • A physical take-home guide to use with any book they read

  • A new relationship with reading that brings them back to themselves

SUITED TO: School Wellbeing Programs, English or Humanities Classes, Library Incursions, School Reading Events, Youth Book Clubs. Available in person or online.

A colorful grid with four squares, the top left is orange, the top right red, the bottom left dark red, and the bottom right purple. On the purple square, there is a black outline drawing of a house with a steep roof and windows.

SESSION 03 - TEEN WRITERS

WRITE THE CHARACTER. FIND THE STORY.

A MINDFUL WRITING RITUAL FOR TEEN WRITERS

The most unforgettable characters aren't invented. They're uncovered.

In this hands-on 45–90 minute session, teen writers discover how to build characters with real depth, heart, and hidden layers using the same psychological framework behind the Mindful Romance series. No therapy vibes. Just craft, creativity and a method they can use with every story they write.

STUDENTS LEAVE WITH:

  • An understanding of what makes fictional characters feel truly real

  • A character-building framework rooted in real psychology

  • Confidence in your own unique writing voice

SUITED TO: School Creative Writing Programs, English or Humanities Classes, Library Incursions, Youth Writing Workshops, Literary Festivals. Also available for adult writing groups and community workshops. Available in person or online.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“It was incredible to observe such an engaged group of teens responding so enthusiastically to Jodie’s prompts for an age group that can be difficult to capture.”

— Youth Librarian

“It was a powerful way to explore why some books resonate so deeply.”

— Participant

“It was the perfect way to combine the students’ love of books with covert personal development conversations based on issues they can relate to.”

— High School Principal

Book titled 'Never, Not Ever' by Jodie Benton placed on top of a purple spiral notebook on a dark desk, with a purple pen and patterned ceramic bowl nearby.

HOW IT WORKS

1. ENQUIRE

Tell us about your event, the audience, format, location and timing. We'll confirm whether it's a fit and talk through the details.

2. WE TAILOR THE SESSION

Each session is adapted to your audience and context. Length, format (in-person or online) and framing are all flexible.

3. YOU DELIVER AN EXPERIENCE YOUR AUDIENCE REMEMBERS

Participants leave with a practice they can use with every book they read. And with a reason to want to go deeper.

Two books with colorful covers. The book on the left is titled "Never, Not Ever" by Jodie Benveniste, with illustrations of a woman, a cat, and a house on the cover. The book on the right is titled "Everything's Absolutely Fine" by Jodie Benveniste, with illustrations of a woman, a house, and an award ribbon on the cover.

WANT TO GO DEEPER?

The Inner-Read Ritual works with any story.

But in Jodie's books, Never, Not Ever and Everything's Absolutely Fine, the psychological model is embedded in the story and experienced by the characters.

Reading them after the session isn't just more of the same. It's a way to extend and deepen the experience.

That's the Story Advantage, using the stories you love to understand your own inner story, and turning self-doubt into Deep Self-Trust.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair smiling while holding a small cup, sitting at a desk with various objects including a patterned teapot, a pink 'Never Not Ever' note, and a stack of books, in a room with potted plants and a plain wall background.

ABOUT JODIE

Jodie Benveniste is an Author-Psychologist and the creator of Mindful Romance, a category of fiction that uses story as a portal to the reader's own inner world.

She is a registered psychologist (AHPRA), Level 1 trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS), and the author of two YA contemporary novels at the heart of the Mindful Romance Universe.

Her sessions bring together the craft of storytelling and the science of the inner world, giving readers of all ages a practice that is genuinely useful, completely accessible and nothing like a self-help chore.