About Us

Who We Are

Oneness Central Coast Australia (OCCA) is a not-for-profit wellbeing community based on the Central Coast, NSW. We bring together two powerful streams of knowledge — the O&O Academy’s globally recognised courses in awareness, inner growth and wellbeing, and over 30 years of Australian counselling, training and coaching experience.

Our founder Filiz Niyazi has spent over 20 years studying deeply with the O&O Academy, attending in-depth courses that explore awareness, human transformation and our capacity for genuine inner peace. She has combined this with three decades of professional experience as a counsellor, mental health trainer and wellbeing coach in Australia — and together with six passionate co-founders, she has created OCCA to bring this unique combination to the Central Coast community and beyond.

We work with individuals, families, community organisations and workplaces — helping people move from stress, and overwhelm to a calmer, clearer, more connected way of living.

What Do We Mean By Awareness & Consciousness?

You may have seen the word “consciousness” used on this site and wondered what it means. Here’s our simple answer:

Consciousness is simply your capacity to be aware — of yourself, your thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and the world around you. Most of us move through life on autopilot, reacting to stress without realising we have a choice. Growing your awareness means learning to notice what’s happening inside you — and in that awareness, finding the space to respond differently.

This is not about religion, belief, or anything you need to accept or adopt. It’s a practical, learnable skill — and it’s at the heart of everything we do at OCCA.

The Science – Why This Works

Why This Works — The Science in Plain English
When you’re stressed, a small part of your brain called the amygdala — your brain’s alarm system — fires up and takes over. It’s designed to protect you from danger, but in modern life it can get stuck in the “on” position, keeping you in a constant state of tension, anxiety, reactivity and exhaustion.

OCCA’s approach helps calm the amygdala — quieting that alarm — and allows the thinking, creative part of your brain to take over again. Over time, with practice, this becomes your new normal. Your brain actually changes. You become less reactive, more clear-headed, and more able to experience life from a place of calm, peace and openness.

This isn’t just theory — it’s based on the well-established science of neuroplasticity: the brain’s proven ability to rewire itself through repeated experience and practice.

And this is where OCCA goes beyond ordinary stress management. Once you learn to calm your inner state, you naturally begin to open up to the positive wellbeing states within you — peace, joy, love, inspiration, enthusiasm and deep connection. Instead of being trapped in cycles of stress and disconnection, you learn to access these states and sustain them in daily life.

The OCCA Ripple Effect

When one person finds genuine inner calm, it doesn’t stay with just them. It ripples outward — into their family, their workplace, their friendships, and their community.

A calmer parent raises calmer children. A calmer leader builds a calmer team. A calmer community is a kinder, safer, more connected one.

This is the OCCA Ripple Effect — and it’s why we exist. Every person who is open to learning is not just changing their own life. They are quietly changing the lives of everyone around them.

Our Commitment to the Central Coast & Beyond

OCCA is deeply rooted in the Central Coast community. We work in partnership with local libraries, colleges, universities, community groups, and corporate organisations to make sure our programs are accessible to everyone — regardless of background or budget. Our online programs also reach participants across NSW and beyond.

We are building a movement of wellbeing — and we warmly invite you to be part of it.

The Founding Members of OCCA

Filiz Niyazi

President & Co-Founder
Filiz brings together over 30 years of Australian counselling, mental health training and wellbeing coaching with more than 20 years of deep study with the O&O Academy. She is a Registered Mental Health Trainer, ACA-accredited Counsellor and certified O&O Academy trainer — and she founded OCCA to make this unique and powerful approach available to everyone across NSW.

Carol Hood

Vice President & Co-Founder
Carol is a coach and therapist with a PhD in digital suicide prevention and a background in health psychology research. She is trained in a range of therapeutic modalities, including Rapid Transformational Therapy and meridian tapping, and her deep commitment to evidence-informed wellbeing and human flourishing makes her an invaluable part of the OCCA founding team.

Fiona Pennington

Secretary & Co-Founder
Fiona has spent 15 years with Lifeline as an active Crisis Supporter and trainer — work that reflects her deep, genuine commitment to the Central Coast community. She specialises in crisis support, trauma response and mental health training, and brings both quiet compassion and rigorous quality to every program and initiative that OCCA delivers.

Tim Goble

Treasurer & Co-Founder
Tim brings over 30 years of community service, natural therapies and organisational leadership to OCCA. As Wesley Mission’s Operations Manager, he combines professional expertise with a genuine passion for energy healing and meditation, championing practical, accessible wellbeing tools — believing that simple, effective practices can create real hope and transformation.

Louise Elgood

General Committee Member & Co-Founder Louise brings twenty years of experience in youth, family and addiction services — plus a decade of Lifeline crisis intervention — to the OCCA founding team. As both a counsellor and a carer herself, she combines genuine clinical knowledge with deep human compassion, giving OCCA a grounded, real-world understanding of what people truly need to heal.

Sharon
Dalla-Vecchia

General Committee Member & Co-Founder Sharon is a holistic wellbeing practitioner and community facilitator with a deep personal commitment to trauma recovery and conscious living. Drawing on her own healing journey and years of community work, she brings a whole-person approach to OCCA — nurturing mind, body and spirit with warmth, authenticity and genuine care for every person.

Teresa Lynch

General Committee Member & Co-Founder General Committee Member & Co-Founder
Teresa is a registered nurse and holistic health practitioner with over twenty years of experience in meditation and transformational study. She mentors facilitators and oversees program quality at OCCA — ensuring every program is delivered with genuine care and rigour. Teresa’s life’s work is empowering people to create lasting, meaningful change in their everyday lives.