What we do
Steered by creative director Kathy Scott, The Trailblazery designs and produces live events, learning experiences and collaborative cross-disciplinary projects that tackle wicked problem solving. We offer creative mentorship programmes for people who want to ignite and blaze a trail in the world. We have a proven track record of successfully challenging public engagement through the delivery of immersive meaningful experiences and innovative design practices, on and offline.
We have hosted over 1500 trailblazers at live and virtual events, reaching audiences attendees of 350,000+ people. We have received national and global media attention, with a media reach of 3M people in Ireland to date. We have further impacted another 2.5M people around the world, increasing awareness of the story and spirit of Ireland, Irish culture and the importance of being both Irish and global citizens today. We have conducted social research and are the custodians of a unique library of human stories and experiences. We join the dots that exist at the cultural intersection of creative imagination, social activism, collective wellbeing and the living world. We are drawn to the future pull of human possibility
who we work with
The Trailblazery first took flight as a creative gathering for people who blaze trails in their own spectacular or intimate way. Since our inaugural event at The Office of Non-Compliance in 2011 we have gathered a collection of provocative and inspiring stories from thousands of people with brilliant minds and courageous hearts. We have taken The Trailblazery on tour around Ireland inhabiting government buildings, historic prisons, decommissioned courthouses, masonic lodges, university campuses, abandoned warehouses, festival fields and sacred spaces.
The Trailblazery catalyse pioneering projects that capture public imagination and promote cultural wellbeing. We collaborate with a host of brilliant partners-in-crime across all industries, spaces and sectors worldwide. Together we create trailblazing experiences that inspire curiosity by asking big questions that nudge humanity forward and explore what it means to be alive in our world today. We believe that amazing things happens when people collaborate to bend the arc of history in the direction of a world that works for everyone. Thank you to all of the great humans - partners, sponsors, stakeholders and clients who have blazed trails with us.
Our Story
The Trailblazery was originally created by Kathy Scott, Clare Mulvany and Ciara Cavanagh as a response to a need for deeper human connection and belonging in our society. Our first live event took place at The Office of Non-Compliance which was part of Dublin Contemporary (2011). We wanted to build a trailblazing community so we created a platform to stir things up. We accepted the call to adventure and the story unfolded.
The initial events hosted by The Trailblazery were the start of a nationwide conversation that culminated with We Need to Talk About Ireland – a live event televised on St. Patricks Day and broadcast around the world via RTÉ and The Washington Post.
Since 2014, Kathy Scott has led The Trailblazery mission and collaborated with an inspirational team of cultural creatives in Ireland and beyond. The next chapter of The Trailblazery story evolved when she sensed that our audiences wanted to participate in expressing and sharing their own stories so we expanded our repertoire to validate this and in 2016, Census of The Heart was born. We conducted our own human research into the emotional state of the nation 100 years after the Easter Rising and built a unique repository of knowledge that holds the intimate hopes, regrets, fears and dreams of over 12,000 people on the island of Ireland.
In 2018 in response to #MeToo and #Repeal we founded Moon Medicine - a circle that invites women to rise and lift each other up along the way. In 2019 we designed Moon Medicine Academy an online training programme for women ready to blaze trails, which has expanded our Irish women’s circle to include women from all over the world. In 2019 in the light of the Climate Crisis and Extinction Rebellion we curated two sold out immersive Solstice Learning Experiences in the heart of the Dublin Mountains. In 2020 in response to the crucible moment of lockdown we launched HedgeSchool - a virtual home school rooted in Ireland that invites people around the world on a collective learning experience to find our shared humanity and resource our collective possibility as global citizens.
The current chapter of our story involves creating learning experiences on and offline for trailblazers of the future. We have worked with thousands of torch bearers across the cultural spectrum and have gleaned many valuable learning’s, insights and aha moments along the way. So, we offer a range of creative mentorship services to empower people to blaze trails by nudging humanity forward and calling in a brave new world.
The Trailblazery plays a significant role in sharing the story of Ireland at home and abroad.
This is part of our DNA.
Over the past ten years we have engaged with thousands of people across the globe, activating the spirit of our times so that we can take better care of ourselves, each other and this place we call home.
Kathy Scott
Creative Director
Cultural Activist. Creative Entrepreneur. Connector
Kathy is a cultural activist and creative entrepreneur dedicated to creating provocative experiences that animate the spirit of our times. Her greatest mission in this life is to nudge humanity forward by inspiring people to rise and lift each other up along the way.
She is the creative director of The Trailblazery which was founded as a response to a need for deeper human connection and belonging in our world. She is also the founder and creator of Moon Medicine - a transformational women's space for inspired living, Moon Medicine Academy – an online empowerment training programme for women globally and Hedge School - an award winning cultural project that invites people around the world on a collective learning experience to find our shared humanity and resource our possibility as global citizens.
Kathy is a writer and curator with a passion for guiding intimate and large-scale immersive experiences that foster greater kinship and reciprocity with our selves, each other and the living world. These journeys are crafted to connect culture with consciousness and are sweet medicine for the soul.
She is a qualified coach and offers a creative mentorship programme for cultural creatives and visionary leaders to activate and elevate their trailblazing enterprise so that they can create a future that works for everyone. She has trained with Thomas Hübl at The Pocket Project – a global movement dedicated to deepening our understanding and integration of collective and intergenerational trauma. She recently completed an intensive year studying with Dr.Gabor Maté in the field of Compassionate Inquiry.
Kathy is a senior yoga and meditation teacher with 20+ years experience and trained formally in Sivananda, Anusara and Kundalini methods. Her work is trauma informed and sensitive.
Kathy holds a Masters in Arts Criticism and Cultural Policy from London City University and has completed cultural leadership development programmes with Clore Leadership and Common Purpose. She was creative-in-residence in the field of Neurohumanities at Trinity College Dublin in 2018
Other cultural enterprises include the ireland : iceland project - an ongoing collaborative creative project connecting the islands and people of Ireland and Iceland, Pilgrimage Project and Wonderlust - a bespoke cultural stage at Body&Soul Festival. She has received funding awards from the European Union,The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, The Arts Council of Ireland, UNESCO, Fáilte Ireland, Dublin City Council, Culture Ireland and others. She has written for and been featured in The Huffington Post, The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, BBC, RTÉ, Irish Central and more on cultural affairs. Kathy Scott official bio ↠
In her own words…
“I work and play with a host of trailblazing artists, activists, creatives and cultural provocateurs around the world. I have been described as a weaver of worlds and moonlight as a curator, producer, storyteller, teacher, student, writer, mentor, communicator, strategist and creative consultant.
I have always been a bit of a rebel with a cause. When I connect the dots I realise that my sense of purpose and service really comes alive in times of crisis and change.
I believe that we were made for these times and we are the ones we have been waiting for.
Thanks to a few dark-nights-of-the-soul I discovered the power of yoga and meditation to heal and effect transformation both inside and out. I took a few roads less travelled, trained as a teacher in the Kundalini, Sivananda & Anusara yoga methods and somehow found my way home.
Connecting people and places is one of my favourite things. This known as tracing in Ireland and is part of my DNA. I have discovered that this is also a cultural past time in Iceland.
I am passionate about my homeland of Ireland and downtime involves reading actual books, listening to podcasts, dancing, forest walks and wild swimming. I also have a penchant for long baths, remote lighthouses and the silvery moon.”
Our People
There are many great humans who have helped to shape the story of The Trailblazery from those early days to now. Meet The Trailblazery people.
Press enquiries
For interview requests + press-related enquiries contact us at: hello@thetrailblazery.com
About The Trailblazery ↠
About Kathy Scott ↠
Recent Media
FEATURED IN
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photography and film credits
PHOTOGRAPHY
Matteo Nazzari: @matteo.nazzari
Indigo: @indig0
Brendan Canty: @brendanfeelgoodlost
Beverly Skillings
Kylie Woon
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Tadhg O'Sullivan
Pat Collins
Gavin Fitzgerald
Myles O’ Reilly
Frank Delaney
Shane Serrano
Brendan Canty