About Joe

I’m Joe Davis, founder of Soul Place, and I’m passionate about helping people discover a spirituality that feels spacious, honest and life-giving — whether or not they consider themselves religious.

My own journey has taken a few twists and turns. I was born in Gillingham in 1965 and, after leaving school, worked for Marks & Spencer while running a youth group and playing in a rock band. My first band was called The Headaches, which probably tells you everything you need to know about our chances of making it big!

In 1988 I moved to London and began working with the charity Oasis Trust. Over the following years I worked in local and national youth work, trained at Spurgeon’s College and was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1994.

For many years Christianity and church life were at the centre of my world. But over time my faith changed. Certainties became questions, boundaries became less important, and I found myself increasingly interested in a spirituality that was bigger than any particular religion or institution.

That journey eventually led to Soul Place.

Today, I’m still an ordained Baptist minister, but I’m much more interested in creating spaces for people than persuading anyone what to believe. I believe spirituality can belong to all of us. It can be found in silence and conversation, in grief and joy, in walking through woodland, watching birds, standing beside the sea, sharing food, noticing beauty and paying attention to this extraordinary business of being alive.

Through Soul Place I offer retreats and reflective days for individuals and groups, birdwatching and spirituality days, grief walks, and one-to-one opportunities to explore life, spirituality, faith and the questions that don’t always have easy answers.

My approach is deliberately non-religious and inclusive. You don’t need to believe in God, subscribe to a creed or belong to a church. You simply need a willingness to slow down, pay attention and explore what brings meaning, connection and life.

I’m married to Rachel and we have two grown-up children, Mike and Sophie. Family matters enormously to me. I also love reading, walking, nature, cooking, good conversation, the occasional single malt whisky, and dreaming up new ways of helping people connect with themselves, with one another, with the natural world and — whatever the word might mean for you — the Divine.

Soul Place has grown out of my own journey, and my hope is that it can provide a welcoming place for yours.