The Poetry Business School

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

–Robert Frost

A unique and extraordinary business book, The Poetry Business School is both an inspirational take on how to do business better – with more collaboration, communication, and creativity – and a beautiful gift book of inspiring poetry. The narrative journey takes the reader through the dialogue, mentoring relationship, and shared poetry between Mark Constantine OBE, Co-Founder and CEO of LUSH, and Deborah Alma, Founder of the Poetry Pharmacy. Green Door Project Founder and Business Psychologist Kate Downey-Evans offers additional business advice.

Over the course of this book, what emerges is an inspirational and constructive creative pathway for other businesspeople at their own individual stages along the journey, for both business growth and personal development, remembering that business, at its heart, must be a creative act and a communication of ideas.

In essence, that combination of poetry, awareness of our well-being and that of those who work with us, and business practice introduces the potential road map for a harmonious blend of emotional intelligence, creativity, leadership, and meaningful connection. Embrace ‘Business as a poem’ and discover how to listen to your intuition, overcome fear, embrace risk, avoid burnout, and turn vulnerability into strength – all through the creative power of poetry.

As professionals recognise the power of poetry to enrich their personal lives and enhance their contributions to the workplace, a new paradigm emerges – one where the art of language becomes a catalyst for holistic success.

Deborah Alma is a UK poet, editor and bookseller. She has worked using poetry with people in need and taught at both Worcester and Keele Universities. From 2012, she 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.

She is 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.

She is co-author of The Poetry Business School with Mark Constantine and is editor of the Poetry Pharmacy series with Macmillan, in 2025.

Mark Constantine OBE is a British entrepreneur who 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.

Today, Lush operates in 50 countries with over 850 shops, 38 websites shipping worldwide and a global network of native apps, broadcasting channels and digital communities in over 30 languages.

Kate Downey-Evans is a qualified Business Psychologist, with over fifteen years of experience in some of the world’s largest corporations, including Bupa and HSBC. In 2019, Kate launched The Green Door Project to help both individuals and organizations discover their hidden diamonds, unlock their potential and achieve the extraordinary.

With her in-depth understanding of the science of human psychology and experience in business, Kate helps her clients to see what they are capable of, to find the freedom and fulfilment that they have been searching for.

Contributing to both personal and business growth, Kate has an impressive portfolio of work within large, multinational organizations, as well as in indigenous communities, in countries such as India, Mexico, Argentina and Indonesia. From her experiences, Kate is a firm believer in that everyone has potential to do incredible things, you just have to open the door and look inside.