The Team
John Osborne hughes
Founder/Director
John is a London based stage and screenwriter, director, acting teacher, spiritual psychologist and wellbeing coach. He is the creator of the internationally acclaimed ‘Spiritual Psychology of Acting,’ and the exciting new ‘Know Yourself, Be Yourself’ training programme.
Over a career spanning 30 years, John has worked on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor and theatre director, and has enjoyed commercial and critical success as a writer, director and producer with his own award winning theatre company, Miracle Tree Productions.
He has taught extensively in London, New York, Los Angeles and Berlin, and teaches masterclasses to universities and drama schools. He has trained some of the UK’s brightest actors, who have gone on to work in Hollywood, Bollywood, international feature films, Netflix series, soap operas, West End, Broadway, Royal Court, Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre productions.
Dr. Arianna Bianchi
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Bianchi is a Swiss-based Biomedical scientist, actress and entrepreneur, with an enormous passion for exploring the interconnectedness of the world. She holds a PhD in Regenerative Medicine from Newcastle University, UK, and has 10 years of professional experience in the fields of stem cells, longevity, cancer, and chronic inflammation, within international academic institutions and the biomedical industry.
Ariana is the author of multiple, peer-reviewed papers and patents, with her work recently featured in 'The Guardian,' and she is currently developing her own Biotech company.
She also has a great love of art, theatre and film and has been training as an actress, graduating from the Spiritual Psychology of Acting course in 2022.
GaURAV JANI
Chief Financial Officer, Producer
Gaurav is a NYC based consultant with over 14 years of experience working in banking. He consults some of the world's biggest banks and helps them solve their most challenging business and technology problems. Gaurav brings his business expertise to Awakened State, and serves as the Chief Financial Officer.
Gaurav is also intensely passionate about spirituality, theatre and film. He has served as an executive producer on two short films. In addition to taking acting classes from the Spiritual Psychology of Acting, Gaurav has also studied under several acting studios in New York, including Stella Adler, Terry Schreiber, and the Barrow Group. He combines his love of spirituality and acting with his business experience to help Awakened State's mission of increasing the level of consciousness in the world.
Daniel Prendergast
Project Manager
Daniel is a trained actor and stuntman, has a background in media and music production, and qualifications in advertising and psychology. The amalgamation of these skills has helped him to develop and launch numerous projects, all of which have been centred around enlightening and empowering individuals, to bring greater joy and wisdom to the societies that they inhabit.
His ability to visualise and create authentically has led him to opportunities ranging from Public Speaking to Creative Consultancy.
The combination of ancient teachings and the potential of the human mind have been the source of his inspiration for almost a decade.