We do not see the world as it is, nor other people as they truly are,
we see them through the framing of our selective understanding and imaginations.
ROCCO JARMAN
Speaker
VISIONARY
GUIDE
Rocco and his wife live in Western Australia with their untamable daughter. Much of his work is online, but Rocco also travels around the world facilitating retreats, running workshops, guiding transformation experiences and delivering key notes. He is a prolific speaker, consultant, coach, lecturer, writer, poet, podcaster and designer.
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY
Rocco is driven by the belief in limitless human potential and advocates for Stable Mutual Actualization, a philosophy promoting individual and collective well-being without limiting others’ freedoms. A proponent of radical self-honesty and leadership, Rocco is skeptical of traditional academia and politics. He offers a pragmatic approach to personal and societal betterment, bridging the gaps between idealism and tangible action. Unlike conventional self-help, Rocco’s work serves as a concrete path towards healing, leadership, and transformative change.
Much of Rocco’s writing, thinking, offerings and practices reflect his adamant belief that Science and Spirituality belong at the same table.
STABLE MUTUAL ACTUALISATION
Stable Mutual Actualisation is the belief that individuals and communities can pursue their own growth and well-being without compromising the ability of others to do the same. It’s a framework for ethical and sustainable development, focusing on creating an environment where each person’s success amplifies, rather than inhibits, the potential for everyone else to thrive.
– the inevitable conclusion to many of the pressing questions which our current ideologies, sciences, religions and traditions are failing to fully answer.
Our current limits are not our permanent limitations.
Rocco defies easy categorization, a polymath with an eclectic range of talents and deep insights across multiple disciplines. His unorthodox education has shaped a brand of leadership and spirituality that resonates profoundly with those committed to personal and collective growth. Armed with exceptional discernment, Rocco excels in dissecting complex issues in individuals, relationships, culture, and processes. His blend of philosophical depth and expansive knowledge positions him as a compelling catalyst for rapid, pragmatic improvement.
We are all on multiple concurrent journeys within the wider pilgrimage of our lives. Here is a summary of what is relevant to Rocco’s journeys.
PERSONAL
Rocco is a resilient visionary, shaped by a complex past and unwavering skepticism of traditional systems. He channels hard-won life lessons into a profound and actionable philosophy making him a grounded guide for meaningful personal and collective evolution.
HIGHLIGHTS
Born 1975, South Africa
Has lived and worked in South Africa, London and Australia.
Emigrated to Australia in 2008
Personal experience with:
- Violence, Abuse, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety
- Toxic Corporate Culture, Reverse Racism
- Divorce, Grief, Severe Injury,
- Neurodivergence
- Psychedelics.
PERSONAL BIO
Rocco's upbringing in a blended, dysfunctional family amid the turbulent politics of South Africa in the 80s and 90s exposed him to cultural divides, generational trauma, violence, and systemic abuse — elements he recognizes in the world today.
This early experience, combined with the challenges of navigating life with undiagnosed neurodivergence, set the stage for his lifelong skepticism of norms and institutions. Although gifted academically, he was at odds with the monotony and conformity of formal education, often finding himself at cross-purposes with both peers and authority figures—a pattern that extended into his professional and personal relationships.
Embracing an autodidactic path, Rocco has delved deeply into self-study and self-discovery. This inward journey was intensified by an international move from South Africa to Australia and the emotional toll of a punitive divorce. His philosophical drive is also fueled by a profound dissatisfaction with the declining state of global discourse and the evident failure of legacy ideologies and institutions to arrest this decline.
Rocco is happily married, and he and his wife live close to 'the work', raising their daughter in Western Australia.
PROFESSIONAL
Rocco is a powerful straight-talker with a rare knack of rapidly synthesizing and intuiting root causes, be that culture or process, and speaks clearly and inspiringly right to the heart of the challenge, framing the solution by talking to the spirit of leadership.
Corporate
HIGHLIGHTS
He started his 27-year corporate career as a data capturer.
By the age of 24, he was the lead IT and Network Technician for a national passenger transport firm.
At 27, he assumed his first IT Management role.
He spent two years in the UK working on both backend and front-end solution development as well as Business Intelligence.
Returning to South Africa, he co-founded a consulting and software implementation business that operated in Sub-Saharan Africa for six years.
He served as National Services Manager for an international data management vendor.
After immigrating to Australia with his young family, he held various roles, including Services Manager and Senior Consultant in both strategy and technology.
Most recetly he led Agile Programs and Data Provisioning in the Resources and Energy industry.
WHAT ROCCO BRINGS
Rocco is a natural leader skilled in brokering context and value articulation between technical and business stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Known for his rapid comprehension of value chains across diverse industries, he brings a nuanced understanding to every project.
Experience as a Senior Management Consultant spanning multiple sectors.
Rocco has held various technical, project and leadership roles that attest to his ability to get involved, get things done and inspire change.
General
POETRY & WRITING
Rocco has published two books on Poetry and is working on several non-fiction books about his core thesis and philosophies and their applicability to our moment in time.
Poetry Books available on Amazon:
Keeper of the Flame
Stepping Through
PODCAST
Roccos is the host and producer of the Eyes Wide Open Life Podcast, and is a frequent guest on other podcasts discussing:
- Leadership
- Psychological Self-Repair
- Generational Trauma
- The Mature Relationship between Science and Spirituality
- Poetry
- Psychedelics
INTELLECTUAL
Rocco is an autodidactic polymath, unbound by conventional educational norms, who constantly seeks the intersections of science, philosophy, and spirituality. His intellectual rigor serves as both a toolbox and compass, guiding him and others toward disruptive insights and transformative change.
Contemporary
THE SCIENCES
Proudly autodidactic, Rocco has a considerable knowledge and fluency in
- Psychology
- Neurobiology
- Human Behaviour
- Physics
THE HUMANITIES
Rocco is a wealth of grounded and applicable knowledge on ancient and contemporary philisophy and a profound philosopher in his own right.
His work implies a university-graduate-level knowledge and fluency in
- Philosophy & Theology
- Literature, Poetry & Linguistics
- Mythology & Symbology
- Ancient Religions & Syncretism
- Political Science
ANCIENT WISDOM TRADITIONS
Rocco's self-study and knowledge includes:
- Buddhism
- Biblical Hebrew
- Hermetics
- Kabbalah & Jewish Mysticism
- Hinduism
- Shamanism
Development
PHILOSOPHY
Rocco's contributions to philosophy are many, not the least of which is a unified model which reconciles Science and Spirituality, and a model for individual and collective actualisation that is stable, mutual and thoroughly aligned to the flourishing and continuation of our species.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Rocco's contributions to the field of personal development are arguably the most impactful and game-changing.
The frameworks, concepts and practices he has developed serve as a linchpin between ancient wisdom and modern self-help, employing evidence-based strategies to facilitate transformative personal growth.
His unique approach synthesizes psychological insights, neuroscience, and both traditional and experiential wisdom into actionable steps for mental health, emotional intelligence, and self-actualization.
SOCIAL CHANGE
Rocco is a visionary catalyst for social evolution, bringing urgency and nuance to conversations about systemic change. His framework for 'Stable Mutual Actualisation' extends beyond individual well-being to offer a cohesive strategy for collective advancement, underpinned by ethical imperatives and long-term sustainability.
His flagship humanitarian projects speak for themselves.
Browse the Humanitarian Social Change projects.
Why any of this matters to you or your organisation?
If you’re a gifted leader, genius tired of the ‘business-as-usual’ in your personal life, relationships and career, Rocco offers an antidote that is as refreshing as it is effective. This is someone who genuinely thinks differently—thanks to his neurodivergent perspective and multidisciplinary expertise.
From fast-tracking systemic improvements in all levels of performance and wellness, to challenging your most treasured paradigms, Rocco is a powerful catalyst for the kind of change that doesn’t just tweak the dials but re-engineers the whole machine. Perhaps what sets him most apart is his ability to authentically and maturely weave science and spirituality into an ambitious yet actionable framework that aims not just for improvement but for a transformation that lifts everyone and everything it touches.
