ABOUT
Petrea King
Petrea KingN.D., D.R.M., D.B.M., Dip.Cl.Hyp., I.Y.T.A.
Petrea King is CEO of the Quest for Life Foundation which she established in 1989. She is a well-known author, inspirational keynote speaker, teacher and facilitator. She is also qualified as a naturopath, herbalist, clinical hypnotherapist, yoga and meditation teacher.
In 1983 Petrea was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and was not expected to live. Meditation and the integration of past traumatic experiences, including the recent suicide of her brother Brenden, became paramount in her recovery, much of which was spent in a monastery near Assisi in Italy. She has been meditating since the age of 17.
Petrea has counselled individually or through residential programs and workshops tens of thousands of people living with cancer and other life-challenging illnesses, grief, loss, trauma and tragedy. She is at the forefront of wellness education and is a frequent lecturer at medical and other conferences. Petrea sees crisis as a catalyst for personal growth and understanding and as an opportunity for healing and peace.
More than 125,000 people have attended residential programs or counselling with Petrea and her team since 1985. She also lectures and conducts workshops around Australia and internationally.
Petrea has written 9 best-selling books: Quest for Life ~ A handbook for people with life-threatening illness, Spirited Women ~ Journeys with Breast Cancer, Sometimes Hearts Have to Break ~ 25 inspirational stories of healing and peace, Your Life Matters ~ The Power of Living Now; 3 children’s books, You, Me & the Rainbow, Rainbow Kids and The Rainbow Garden; and a recipe book, Food for Life. The Your Life Matters book is also available on a double CD with Petrea narrating and she has produced more than a dozen relaxation and meditation practices on CD, including one for children, Rainbow Connection. Her books and CDs are available through our online shop and CDs also through iTunes.
Frequently featured in the media, Petrea has been a regular guest on ABC Radio Sydney for almost 20 years – on Richard Glover’s Mid-Week Conference and Nightlife. In 2003 she was celebrated on Channel 9’s This Is Your Life and has been featured on Australian Story, Compass and many other television productions. An acclaimed documentary was jointly commissioned by Channel 4 (UK) and the ABC called Quest for Life – A Year in the Life of Petrea King in 1990.
Petrea has received the Advance Australia Award, Citizen of the Year and the Centenary Medal for her contribution to the community and has been nominated for Australian of the year each year since 2003 as well as being a NSW finalist for Senior Australian of the Year in 2011.
Petrea lives with her partner Wendie Batho in Bundanoon, NSW.
Articles about Petrea King
- Hope and Healing – Petrea’s Story
- World AIDS Day: Petrea King on 1980s Australia
- Petrea’s Recipe for Happiness
If you are interested in Petrea speaking at your event, please fill in our Speaker Booking Enquiry Form.
Petrea provided an inspirational opportunity for our Leaders to take a moment and reflect on – who and how they impact our working environment at TasNetworks. Petrea’s honesty, authenticity and ability to contextualise deep learning through the eyes of the modern leader was profound.
“Thank you for the compassionate thoughtful way you worked with our Nepean Staff Family. You touched many hearts & lives in your very special way & shared your wisdom & ‘love’ as I knew only you could. Thanks for taking time to honour our team by sharing with us in our time of need.
I’ve received many emails from team members, sharing their gratitude for the beautiful, supportive, helpful & practical messages you shared with us collectively. As you know it was extremely timely & I’m truly grateful that you fitted us in at short notice. It meant a lot to us.
Petrea facilitated our Catholic Education Office Spirituality Day ‘Living Hope – Hope and Healing for Ourselves and Community’. It was an exceptional day which addressed the challenges we can face in life both personally and professionally. Her deep wisdom is an expression of her own journey and her gifted ability to walk with others in pain. ‘Living Hope’ was a day that connected authentically into the human experience. She shared and listened to stories with great presence, acceptance, humour and compassion. It moved us at the level of the heart and also provided a wonderful collection of practical tools to navigate this world in which we live.
Her insights reminded us of the value of responding to life rather than reacting, of bringing our best selves to challenging situations, of becoming mindful of our language and of prioritizing those activities that replenish us. Essentially it was a day to support us in living more consciously the life to which we aspire. Petrea commented, ‘Hope is not just an attitude. Hope has to have legs.’ Petrea certainly gave hope legs on this day.
Petrea is a gifted facilitator, story-teller and companion who engaged our community in a most profound way. It was a day that aligned so beautifully with the message of Jesus and God’s deep desire for us to live life to the full (John 10:10). We are so very grateful to both Petrea and her wonderful team who created this day with such sophistication and graciousness. We wish Petrea and the Quest for Life Foundation the very best in their vital and life-changing endeavour.
I just wanted to say thank you for the forum at Moss Vale Public School. We should all be grateful that this very busy lady (who is recognised internationally for her skills) found the time to speak to us. I have known about Petrea King for many years and heard of her amazing techniques and what she has learnt from life and from her studies. My mother had the opportunity to hear her speak on two occasions and Mum always said if you ever have the chance to listen to Petrea, in whatever capacity, don’t miss out! Well, mums are always right, and Petrea King is an amazing woman and her speech was one of the best I have ever heard. I recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to hear Petrea speak takes the chance to listen and learn from her.