← Back to the FrameworkTHE DNA PROGRAMME™ IN PRACTICE
The DNA Programme™
in Practice.
With over 6 decades of experience, Alex continues to explore life through his DNA Programme™.
The experiences listed here show how personal and professional challenges shaped his methodology and projects.
01 / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Learning through change.
Alex’s 45 years of work experience took him from starting as a junior office boy at 14 to running his own business at weekends from 18 to 23, while studying part-time and working full-time as one of the marketing managers at American Express in Brazil.
He then moved from cleaning toilets and washing dishes in London to managing prestigious events at renowned venues serving royalty and high-profile celebrities, helping open Starbucks in the UK and developing a major London social enterprise.
Alex learnt to acknowledge what he didn't know while experiencing intense motion within, between and without him (Dynamic). He observed his thoughts, feelings, and emotions as he learnt to adapt to situations and conditions beyond his imagination (Natural).
Learning through change and adaptation helped him to understand the skills behind strategising what he became aware of (Assessment). These transitions shaped the concepts behind his programme, not as theoretical or academic subjects, but as real-life lived experiences.
02 / PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Awareness through mental health challenges.
Alongside his career, Alex’s mental health journey profoundly disrupted his sense of self and future. Learning to recognise his limits, question interpretations, and adapt his participation deepened his self-awareness and helped shape Dynamic Energy and the DNA Programme™’s theories and hypotheses.
His journey continues. Greater awareness helps him recognise possibilities and work towards turning them into opportunities. By sharing this process, he invites others to look beyond popular “positive” and “negative” concepts, recognise what they are experiencing, and find space to assess before reacting. This is his exploration of the Natural: being present with what is happening, here and now, while discovering what might become possible next.
03 / STUDIES AND RESEARCH
From curiosity to
assessment.
Alex’s relationship with studying began with resistance. Sitting still and reading rarely held his attention; he wanted to discover how things worked and how they felt. Television opened windows onto wildlife, other cultures and people who dared to go beyond the familiar. Learning became more engaging when it offered something to explore.
His studies took him through subjects ranging from medicine to visual communication before he found psychology. Over many years of study and exploration, one question kept returning: how could what he learnt help him understand and participate in everyday life?
The final years of his psychology degree tested that question personally. As a mature student whose first language was not English, despite more than two decades in the UK, Alex felt dismissed and reduced to assumptions about his age and background. He describes experiencing bullying while also learning to live with CPTSD. Completing his degree required persistence through both academic and personal challenges.
These experiences reinforced his conviction that knowledge needs to be considered alongside lived experience. After graduating, he pursued independent research into human development, bringing his studies together with his experience in management, training and life to explore why people do what they do.
For Alex, studying reaches beyond the classroom: it involves observing, questioning and considering how learning can inform what happens next. This relationship between knowledge, experience and participation helped shape Assessment within the DNA Programme™.
04 / EARLY PROJECTS
Foundations of
the DNA Programme™.
Crisis UK — Skylight CaféTraining Through Real-Life Experiences
Alex managed and redesigned the project's entire structure: one of London's first social enterprise projects, which received acclaimed feedback on Radio and TV . A café-based employability programme for people experiencing homelessness and facing complex barriers to work. By combining practical training with individual support, the project helped participants build confidence, skills, and responsibility—experiences that later informed the DNA Programme™.
In its first year, 23 people began training and seven entered employment. Five more reportedly progressed into work or education, including two joining Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Apprentice Programme.
Wits KidsFrom Imagination to Screen
Alex developed and facilitated a school-holiday filmmaking project for young people aged 12–15. With parental supervision, participants created their own stories, taking the lead as writers, directors and performers while Alex helped translate their ideas into practical action.
The project produced five short films, screened for parents and shared online with consent. Supporting creativity, collaboration and the journey from imagination to expression helped inform the DNA Programme™.
Watch the Wits Kids films on YouTube ↗
Applied EducationReal-Life Experiences as Learning Tools
Invited to speak at a state school in São Paulo, Alex shared his journey from a similar social background to working and living in London. Amid classroom disruption, he saw engaged students stand up for their right to learn, together and without violence—an experience that shaped his thinking about awareness and shared participation.
The organising teacher selected eight students aged 18–20 for three weekly follow-up sessions with Alex, connecting from London, using an early DNACe Matrix™ questionnaire and DNA Programme™ guidance. Alex and the teacher coordinated data protection procedures; she later reported improved motivation, self-confidence and clarity about their next steps.
Award in Education and TrainingHuman Stimuli and How We Learn
Delivered in 2022 as part of Alex’s Level 3 Award in Education and Training (NCC), this assessed session explored how stimuli influence learning through practical, interactive activities with six participants and two academic assessors.
It helped refine teaching approaches later incorporated into the DNA Programme™’s educational materials and learning activities.
05 / TESTIMONIALS
What people reported.
Working with Alex through the DNA Programme™ helped me understand my emotions and challenges from a clearer perspective. Over time, I felt more confident, comfortable, and assertive in how I approached what I was experiencing.
What stood out to me was the thoughtful structure of his approach and the way it helped me reflect on my own life in a practical and meaningful way. It gave me greater clarity in facing personal challenges, and I am grateful for the support I received.
— Charm Barret, former Director of The Psychosynthesis Trust
Alex helped me organise my thinking and bring structure to my business idea. His DNA Programme™ approach gave me greater clarity, helped me identify what was relevant, and allowed me to move forward in a more focused and strategic way.
— Amanda Cipullo, Creative Professional
After inviting Alex to speak with my students, a number of them continued with short follow-up sessions using his early DNA Programme™ approach. From what I observed afterwards, they became more motivated, more self-confident, and clearer about their future direction.
— Anita Daspett, Teacher
