Everyone who steps into our workshop room brings their own experience. An emotional backpack of mosaic stories, hardships and histories - some, more traumatic than others.

But the weight of trauma demands a special kind of care: far beyond empathy, we must show up with a deep sensitivity and respect that fosters non-triggering, inclusive spaces.

Rachael Dietkus knows this better than most. As a social worker-designer and the first trauma-informed subject matter expert at the White House, she’s been at the helm of understanding some big, complex social issues - from masked gun violence, to how racism shows up in healthcare.

This week, Rachael teaches us her craft of trauma-informed design, peppered with brilliant anecdotes, thoughtful insights and guidance - there’s lots to learn, think about, and apply. 

Find out about:

• What it means to facilitate with trauma sensitivity
• The importance of rejecting rigidity to make space for deep, meaningful conversations 
• The key difference between therapy and facilitating therapeutic exchanges
• The importance of eliminating the element of surprise when dealing with complex issues
• How to foster safe spaces that don’t demand a vulnerability of participants 

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Links:

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Connect to Rachael Dietkus:

LinkedIn

Website

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What can we learn about ourselves when we silence the world outside, quieten our voices, and make peace with discomfort, in the knowledge that everything in life is impermanent?

At the end of October, I stepped into my fifth silent Vipassana retreat to ask myself that question once more. I left my voice, my phone, my negativities, and my niggling thoughts at the door for 10 days, committing my mind and body to the ancient Indian practice of ‘seeing things as they really are’.

Come with me for a special, soul-searching episode, as I bring you into the inner workings of my mind during the retreat. I share the wisdom I found along the way, and why practising mindful, non-reactive observation forms the roots needed for effective facilitation, leadership, and life! I hope you enjoy.

Find out about:

• The ancient 2500-year-old method of Vipassana meditation
• Why leaders and facilitators who do the inner work can face conflict with confidence
• What Vipassana can teach us about managing our personal triggers
• Why letting go of sensation, emotion, desire and the need to control, builds a resilience for life

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

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Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Myriam Hadnes:

LinkedIn

Learn about Vipassana

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Burning Man is the ultimate expression of radical, creative trust. As 80,000 people from all over the world gather in the Nevada Desert, they join together on a blank canvas to co-create a utopia of art, community, culture and human spirit - leaving no trace that the event ever happened.

In this sprawling temporary city of interactive installations, music, dance and expression, how do you grant creative freedom with the trust that everyone will keep the cultural essence of Burning Man alive?

Rob Blakemore, the regional contact for the UK tells us all in this fascinating conversation! With collaboration, emergence and participation at the heart of this enigmatic event - facilitators, get ready to be inspired.

Notes:

• The 10 principles of Burning Man that defined its ethos
• What facilitators can learn about the event’s experience design
• How Burning Man embraces a culture of participation, radical enablement and experimentation
• How to foster trust in people while giving them the freedom to exploring new ideas
• The concept of non-transactional, non-judgemental gifting

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LinkedIn
Burning Man
Mind Blown

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Are facilitators just salespeople in disguise? We’re not on commission, we’re not driven by a desired outcome, we don’t have a product, and nor are we in a numbers game… and yet, the longer I spoke to Alan Versteeg this week, the more I realised just how much we have in common.

And if you still don’t believe me, Alan is here to change your mind - after all, this is where he shines! Alan has been selling perspectives to people for many, many years, inviting them in to  realise new ideas - rather like that of a facilitator.

Learn how Alan masters the influence of persuasion, how he’s perfected the art of authenticity to build trust, and why he believes the buy-in of a group is actually your secret sales pitch.

Find out about:

• The intersection of facilitation and sales: from trust to perception and psychology
• Alan’s 26-year sales experience in selling perspectives
• Why leaders need to master buy-in if they are to inspire new perspectives
• The importance of appealing to someone’s values - not their ideals
• The 6 Ps of persuasion

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Links:

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Download the 6P Cheat Sheet

Connect to Alan Versteeg:

LinkedIn

Website

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What is your inner calling? For many facilitators, it’s to build spaces of deep, life-affirming connection. After all, facilitation is more than just its methodologies and its tools; it’s about doing the soul-searching inner work to understand ourselves better, for participants and facilitators alike!

For Jutta Weimar, founder of the Berlin-based Facilitation Academy, her calling was a gift. She joins me for a big, warm hearted episode brimming with self-awareness, healing and connection, as she shares the inner game that has defined her outer facilitation game.

A beautiful and inspiring way to spend an hour of your day! Please press play and join us.

Find out about:

• How do we create the structures for freedom to take place?
• Why we learn as much from participating as we do from practicing
• We can make fairer spaces by understanding other people’s obstacles
• Authority projections, what they are and how to overcome them
• How to be your authentic self, to invite others into their authenticity

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

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Links:

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Connect to Jutta Weimar:

LinkedIn

Website

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There is great richness to be found in human connection - when we know how. To truly see others, to step into vulnerability and to find hidden reflections in ourselves.

Maria Arpa is an absolute powerhouse of inspiration. From mediation to facilitation, she’s made it her life’s purpose to change the path of others for the better: working with people in extreme poverty, areas of knife crime, and social deprivation to overcome conflict, seek peaceful dialogue, and find connection they never knew possible.

Guiding us through learnings from the streets of London, prisons and social neighbourhoods, all the way to the corporate corridors, this episode packs a powerful punch! It’s an exploration of humanity, hope, and the healing of the self.

Find out about:

• Maria’s Dialogue Road Map method of communication
• How we can support groups to have vulnerable conversations
• Why what you see in others is a reflection of yourself
• Expressing and recognising the language of needs
• Why we must create specific spaces to change the system

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Links:

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LinkedIn

Website

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How can you create the life of your dreams, where your work not only pays the bills, but brings you daily joy, creative fulfilment and purpose?

Possibilitarian, artist and author Dave Gray joins me in this episode to introduce us to the art of the possible. He generously shares his life’s lessons in business and creativity; from building his $10 million agency, to becoming an accidental author of 3 books, and his creative community brainchild, the School of the Possible.

A rich, expansive conversation, filled with inspiration, with lots to savour and apply in your own business!

Find out about:

• What becomes possible when you take away the label of facilitation
• The pitfalls of not having an external meeting facilitator
• The structures and rules needed to fulfill meeting roles
• How to apply standardised practices while still allowing room for emergence
• Why empathy maps can act as your north star
• The constraints you should put in place for starting a business

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Links:

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Connect to Dave Gray:

LinkedIn

Website

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Have we forgotten how to play? Applied play theorist, strategist, and consultant Minna Taylor, certainly thinks so!

As an actor and theatrical voice coach in a past life, Minna has made it her life’s purpose to invite creative expression, deliberate play, and the power of surrender into people’s lives. She now helps organisations to excel in the infinite game of work, showing them that play is not the pursuit of frivolity, but the spaciousness to think, to create, to adapt, and exist with ease.

Minna brings beautiful, articulate thoughts, intelligence and effervescence to some big ideas: from psychedelics to psychological safety, the industrial revolution, to decentralising your ego. What a joy to speak with her!

Find out about:

• The multi-layered notions of play - and its misconceptions
• Why play is both the absence of control and the opposite of performance
• The need for play in the corporate world
• Why we must dismantle belief systems in society to make space for play
• The importance of embedding learning into an organisation with integrity and intent

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Links:

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Connect to Minna Taylor:

Linkedin

Website

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A conversation is a delicate dance between two people. From one to the other, stories slowly unravel, surprises are met, ideas come to life, and life is learnt as words flow freely between us. But to make a conversation great, we must relish the silences, the questions, and the spaces in between - because it is only with curiosity and presence that we can take the conversation to places we never imagined.

This week, I am in conversation with me, myself, and I for a special solo episode on the lost art of conversation. As a facilitator, podcast host and experienced conversation partner, I share my wisdoms, tips, non-negotiables, and ingredients for a great conversation.

I hope the irony is not lost on you!

Find out about:

• My 3 rules for effective question asking
• Why the follow-up question is the most important question of all
• The beautiful importance of silence in conversations
• The power of the word ‘and’ to open the door to a new perspective
• Why do we stop having great conversations with our loved ones?

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

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Links:

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Connect to Myriam Hadnes:

LinkedIn

Website

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Corporate training doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it can be playful, curious, a little bit magical, and dare I say it - fun. And this week I am joined by the creative magic of not one, but two brilliant guests who are here to tell you how: Simon Edwards and Ian Byrne.

Hailing from the worlds of game design and facilitation, we delve deep into the wondrous realm of learning in all of its curious, human forms. Together, they share the eureka moments of their immersive experiences, the evolution of leadership in L&D, why ancient Vipassana meditation has the power to overcome ego, and the art of giving radical candor.

Tune in and get ready to learn!

Find out about:

• The two halves of an organisation: the informal and the formal
• The role and limitations of AI in organizational change, learning and facilitation
• Recognising the cultural differences of engagement
• Action learning: how to turn theoretical learning into reality
• What we can learn from neurodivergent thinking
• The power of pausing to listen to your body

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

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Links:

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Connect to Simon and Ian:

https://mindblown.io/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindblown-adventures/

https://www.facebook.com/MindBlown.io

https://www.instagram.com/mindblown.io/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-edwards-93312318/
https://living-systems.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/icbyrne/

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Defiant slowness: it’s a salve, a rebellion, and a lifelong endeavour when we have been taught to live fast, 100mph lives. Because only when we turn down the speedometer, can we be present enough to think deeply, connect to ourselves, bond with others, and experience the joys of simply being.

It’s why Marike and Clinton relish slowness in their facilitation practice, carving out interludes that delight in the details, welcome appreciation into the room, nurture real relationships, and create the breathing space for intention.

We explore the beautiful macrocosm of slowing down in episode 286. Woven with wonderful stories, aha! moments and words you will want to press pause upon, Marike and Clinton bring a rich, eloquent perspective to facilitating with thought.

Find out about:

• Why slowing down can help us to be more thoughtful, purposeful and connected
• How to address difficult participant behaviours with curiosity, rather than judgment
• Why genuine, deep relationships often comes at the price of discomfort
• The importance of delighting in the details, both inside and beyond the workshop space

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Connect to Marike and Clinton:

Marike Groenewald

Clinton du Preez

Website

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