Philosopher – Adrian Emery

A modern philosopher

“Being true to yourself is the highest good.”

Adrian Emery has devoted his life to a single question — what actually makes a human life work. From that question grew LifeWorks: a philosophy of the laws, principles and codes that let life unfold easily, effortlessly and successfully. Author, mentor, environmentalist and keen gardener, he writes and teaches from the Blue Mountains of Australia.

Founder of LifeWorks Creator of TaoTuning Author, The Temple of Understanding

LifeWorks — life is a gift

At the centre of Adrian’s work is a simple conviction: life is a gift, and we are here to enjoy life and be successful — it is our birthright. LifeWorks is his name for the underlying laws, principles and codes that make that possible — a way of living in harmony with the natural order rather than in friction with it.

“Life is a gift and we are here to enjoy life and be successful: it is our birthright.”

From this grew TaoTuning — a coaching modality designed to help others find their life purpose, their ikigai, and attune to the flow of their inner destiny and fate, establishing their life on the firm foundation of cosmic principles. It is philosophy meant not for the shelf, but for the living of an actual life.

Proven in the real world, not the abstract

Adrian’s philosophy was never theoretical. For decades he tested it in the most practical arenas he could find — kitchens, boardrooms and gardens — to see whether these principles actually made life and work flourish. They did.

70s–90s

Founded and ran several thriving health and vegetarian cafes and restaurants along Australia’s eastern seaboard, later gathering that period into The Art of Nourishment (1995) — heralding the idea of cooking with love.

2001

Became a management consultant in executive mentoring, teaching businesses to be built on spiritual principles and harmonious teams — his premise: a happy employee is a productive employee, and culture precedes performance.

2010

Awarded the CSIA Customer Service CEO of the Year, having co-built a multi-million-dollar national company with 11 offices and over 180 employees — the philosophy, proven at scale.

Where he writes today

Sennikatan & rusticspirit

Adrian now lives at Sennikatan, a spectacular garden built over the last 50 years to demonstrate that we can regenerate the Earth. Here he writes, mentors, and prepares others for the great transition he sees underway.

With his partner Marianne he has also created rusticspirit, a boutique woodlands retreat on the edge of Wollemi National Park, where guests come to experience the stillness — and where he offers his 1:1 mentorship in person.

Work with Adrian ›

The wave of change is upon us

“We live in momentous times. Humanity and the Earth are about to go through the most significant spiritual and evolutionary change in their history. Humanity has lost its way and needs a complete software rewrite to reorient its true direction — and all of my work is designed to help prepare for it.”

This is the thesis of The Temple of Understanding, Adrian’s three-part series. It argues that humanity suffers from a ‘software virus’ that blocks the free flow of cosmic creativity, inner joy and unlimited energy that is our natural state — and it offers a way home.

A modern philosopher

LifeWorks — life is a gift

Proven in the real world, not the abstract

Sennikatan & rusticspirit

The wave of change is upon us

Walk the path with Adrian