Barefoot Doctor, also known as Stephen Russell, is a highly popular teacher of T′ai chi, Taoism, Chinese medicine, meditation and philosophy. For two decades now, he lives just like the asian barefoot doctors, traveling in hard-to-reach areas of the United Kingdom and healing people. He is specialized in personal-crisis management, and also one of the founders of personal development movement in the UK. 

He wrote 13 books in the spirit of Taoism, interpreting, simplifying and teaching this great system of meditation, medicine, martial arts and creativity. His interpretation of taoism is pure and simple, and this is the reason why millions are following him from all around the world. His lectures, seminars and public speeches are also very popular.

Stephen Russel started to learn oriental philosophy and hands-on healing as a child, at age 11. Later he started studying tai chi, yoga and Chinese medicine, as well as psychoteraphy with RD Laing. As he grew up, he finished he studied shamanism in New Mexico, living with Native Americans for 4 years. Since 1983, his main preoccupation is to devise innovative ways of teaching ancient life-management techniques and wisdom. He hoped that this way modern people can be influenced to live a simple, more harmonious life.

In the eighties he was practicing acupuncture, and in his free time, he was organizing and performing workshops, seminars and experimental performance events, composing healing music and teaching Tai Chi meditation. Since 2000 he dedicated his life to book-writing, media and running his site, which now is a virtual clinic and an online Taoism training school.

He still finds time to work with people, organizing all sorts of talks, seminars and musical events all around the world. His latest 8-week online course is the School For Warriors, where he teaches the principles of personal power.