by LUSH and the Poetry Pharmacy
The Poetry Business School
By Deborah Alma, Mark Constantine OBE, with Kate Downey-Evans CPsychol
Publication date: 13 March 2025
Hardback £14.99 / eBook £9.99
Publisher: HarperCollins – Harper NonFiction
“This book is a breath of fresh air. It offers a new perspective and shows you that business doesn’t have to be all about the grind or the numbers… It’s a great reminder that business is often a creative act, a form of expression and a way to communicate your ideas with the world.”
– Holly Tucker MBE, Founder of Holly & Co and Notonthehighstreet, UK Ambassador to Creative Small Businesses
When the Poetry Pharmacy in Shropshire made it to the finals of the Independent Awards, it caught the eye of LUSH Co-Founder and CEO Mark Constantine, as members of the Lush team had been on the judging panel. Mark contacted founder Deborah Alma to say how much he loved the concept of her business. This was to be the start of a unique mentoring relationship and business collaboration rooted in a shared love of poetry. The Poetry Business School narrates the journey to the opening of a new Poetry Pharmacy in London. Mark and Deborah share their conversations, insights, anxieties, business acumen and creative process alongside specially selected poems throughout six illustrated chapters. Each has coaching guidance from business psychologist Kate Downey-Evans:
Business as a Poem – On listening to your body, the value of intuition, the strength in being vulnerable and of living with uncertainty
Business as a Nightclub – On avoiding burnout, coping with pressure, and achieving perspective
Business as Creativity – On overcoming fear of finance, and looking to the future
Business as Neighbourhood – On working with people, and leadership
Business as a Garden – On growth, scaling-up and ruthless prioritising
Business as a Journey – On taking risks and authenticity
The Poetry Business School presents an inspirational and useful creative pathway for how to do life and business better – with more collaboration, communication, and creativity. The combination of poetry, awareness of personal well-being and that of colleagues plus business practice introduces the potential road map for a harmonious blend of emotional intelligence, creativity, leadership, and meaningful connection. By embracing ‘Business as a poem’ it is possible to learn how to tune into intuition, overcome fear, embrace risk, avoid burnout, and turn vulnerability into strength.
As businesses are starting to recognise the power of poetry to enrich personal lives and enhance contributions to the workplace, a new paradigm emerges – one where the art of language becomes a catalyst for holistic success. The Poetry Business School provides an all-encompassing model for this, interweaving creative business insight with poems for all.
“I wanted readers to be able to share Deborah’s journey. Most entrepreneurs like to see how far an idea will go using various measurements – it’s the entrepreneurial spirit! It has been interesting to work with another entrepreneur and say the water is lovely, come on in. Deborah is a lovely business companion to do so with.’’
– Mark Constantine, Lush Co-founder and CEO
“Although it might seem that the worlds of poetry and business are miles apart, I’m convinced that poetry has a significant role to play in developing a more philosophical engagement with the working practices of the corporate world, and in helping businesspeople in both their thinking and in navigating any uncertainties.”
– Deborah Alma, Founder of the Poetry Pharmacy
about the authors
Mark Constantine OBE co-founded Lush with five friends and creative confidants in 1995. Mark is a trichologist, perfumer and part of Lush’s product development team creating hair, skincare, and body creams along with transformative spa treatments. Mark is also Lush’s CEO and the driving force behind the business.
In the 2010 Queen’s New Years Honours list, Mark and his wife Mo Constantine both received OBEs for their services to the beauty industry. Mark has been named five times since 2010 as one of London’s 1000 Most Influential People in the ‘Environment’ and ‘Business Brains’ categories by The Evening Standard newspaper.
Deborah Alma is a UK poet, editor, and bookseller. Since 2012, Deborah has been the Emergency Poet, offering poetry on prescription from her vintage ambulance. She co-founded the world’s first walk-in Poetry Pharmacy in Shropshire with her partner, the poet James Sheard, in 2019, which now has a second branch inside Lush Spa Oxford Street, London.
Deborah is the editor of Emergency Poet, an anti-stress poetry anthology; #Me Too, which rallies against sexual harassment; a women’s poetry anthology, Ten Poems of Happiness from Candlestick Press and co-edited with Dr Katie Amiel. These Are the Hands – Poems from the Heart of the NHS. She is also editor of National Trust: Nature Poems. Her first full collection Dirty Laundry is published by Nine Arches Press. Deborah is also the editor of the Poetry Prescription series, publishing in 2025.
Kate Downey-Evans CPsychol is a.Chartered Business Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working with some of the world’s most successful organisations, visionary entrepreneurs, and inspiring leaders in the social sector. Passionate about unlocking human potential, Kate seamlessly blends commercial intelligence with deep expertise in psychology and neuroscience
to drive transformation and performance. Kate believes in transforming business as a force for good. She is a designer of innovative development experiences, a facilitator, and a coach, with specialisms including ADHD, resilience, and women’s empowerment. Kate is passionate about creating cultures where business and wellness adapt and thrive in today’s ever-changing context – bringing the latest neuroscience in mind-body wellness into the business space.
The Poetry Business School will be available from Thursday 13th March 2025 in LUSH shops in the UK & Ireland, online and in bookshops nationwide.
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