A Facilitator's Journey: Real Life Stories

This episode is about decision-making in our businesses, the frameworks we use to say yes or no to work and how becoming more conscious in our decision-making is important to cultivate. In this engaging conversation, Jo Cook shares with Kirsty her journey from being a trainee journalist to having a multi-income stream business. Jo shares her experiences transitioning from journalism to self-employ...

In this engaging conversation, Kirsty Lewis and Chad Littlefield explore the evolving landscape of facilitation, the impact of AI, and the importance of community and collaboration. They discuss the challenges faced by facilitators in a changing business environment, the significance of positioning and value, and actionable advice for those starting out in the field. The conversation also highligh...

This episode is about decision-making in our businesses, the frameworks we use to say yes or no to work and how becoming more conscious in our decision-making is important to cultivate. In this conversation, Kirsty Lewis and Dave Freeman discuss the journey of transitioning from the corporate world to becoming a freelance facilitator and trainer. They explore the challenges faced in the early stag...

Join me, Kirsty Lewis, founder of the School of Facilitation, as I reflect on my summer of 2025.  From facilitating summits in London and Manila to traveling across Australia and New Zealand, I share my experiences, lessons learned, and insights into the world of facilitation.  Discover the highlights of SoFest, the challenges of balancing work and travel, and the exciting plans for the...

In this conversation, Kirsty Lewis and Tamzin Hall explore the themes of neurodiversity, the journey of entrepreneurship, and the importance of self-awareness in client relationships.  Tamsin shares her personal experiences with neurodiversity and how it shaped her career as a consultant.  They discuss the challenges of building a business, the significance of choosing clients wisely, an...

In this conversation, Mok reflects on his journey from corporate consulting to founding the Innovation Beehive, a company focused on unlocking creative potential in organisations.  He shares personal experiences of loss, the impact of COVID-19 on his business, and the decision to scale back rather than grow. Mok emphasizes the importance of reevaluating success, prioritizing health, and makin...

In this episode, Kirsty Lewis interviews Clare Walkeden, a consultant, coach, and endurance athlete, about her journey in business and the importance of wellbeing.  They discuss the transition from marketing to a focus on wellbeing, the foundations of personal and professional health, and the significance of community and connection.  Clare shares her insights on maintaining balance as a...

Is your website really working for you - or is it quietly gathering dust? In this episode, I’m joined by Barb Davids, a website and SEO strategist who helps business owners grow their organic traffic and make their websites work harder (without all the tech overwhelm). Together, we dive into why your website still matters - even in the age of social media - and what simple changes you can make to...

In this episode, we dive into all things legal - what it is we need in our businesses as solopreneurs, through to partnerships or big entities. Trust me when I recommend you get the legal side of your business in order early on. My guest is Lucy Wheeler, also known as Lucy Legal. She is a lawyer who shares legal information and tips through her social media accounts and has two businesses: Lucy Le...

Kirsty and Hayley explore Hayley's journey into neuro-inclusion consulting, discussing the challenges and triumphs of running a business as a neurodivergent individual. They delve into the importance of community support, the complexities of pricing strategies, and the impact of self-worth on business decisions. The discussion highlights the multifaceted nature of entrepreneurship and the value of...

This episode is about kindness. Firstly to ourselves as facilitators and then to our businesses. How we navigate leaving the world of corporate to go it alone and be ok to create the life we want vs the imagined 'business' life of others. Em Stroud is a comic coach, professional clown, facilitator and entrepreneur, who shares her journey through the world of business and creativity. She discusses...

This episode is all about the importance of having your business processes streamlined and documented, whatever your size! Sneha Morjaria is the founder of The Growth Chain and School of Operations. She helps founders stop doing it all ie she shows us how to operationalise our businesses so that we have time and space to do the work we love - facilitate, train or coach. In this conversation, Kirst...

Join me, Kirsty, as I share insights into the planning and financial aspects of SoFest. I share the exact costs of running the festival, how much money we have raised to date (4th April 2025) and how much of a financial hole there is. I also share my excitement for the festival, the success of the impact tickets, who some of the sponsors are and the importance of community support. I talk about va...

As business owners there are many common challenges we encounter, such as time management, financial planning, and the importance of having a clear vision and strategy. Working these out on our own can be lonely and quite frankly boring, with little fun. Enter Ed Reid the MD of The Alternative Board, UK. This is a community aimed at alleviating the loneliness faced by SME owners and is in ove...

As facilitators, trainers, and business owners, we often find ourselves saying “yes” too much, overworking, and stretching our own boundaries—sometimes to the point of burnout. In this episode, I sit down with Beth Cougler Blom, learning designer, facilitator, and podcast host, to have an honest conversation about what it means to run a business without running ourselves into the ground. We discus...

This episode is a live getting to know you session. Faris and I didn't meet until I hit record and this is very much a raw conversation as we talk about our businesses, the challenges of loneliness in facilitation, the impact of social media, and the importance of emotional intelligence in business. Faris Aranki is a consultant, a facilitator, a strategist, an economist and the founder of Shiatego...

This episode is all about money and pricing. Listen if you want to stretch your thinking! Laura Payne-Stanley is a Success Management Consultant and a Coach. She works with private individuals as well as corporates and small businesses to enable them to create and live the life they want. In this conversation, Kirsty and Laura delve into the intricacies of business success management, focusing on...

This episode is about the pro's and con's of being an associate/sub-contractor vs having your own clients, pricing, and the power of niching. Murray Cowell is a man on a mission to support facilitators, trainers, and coaches in developing themselves and their businesses. He has years of real-life experience of running training and facilitation businesses, accidentally created an email marketing bu...

Chris Taylor is a serial entrepreneur, who in his own words, is not known as a facilitator or a trainer, yet finds himself working with this community time and again. He is the founder of Actionable.co which supports training companies with the tools to prove their impact on behaviour change and stand out in a crowded market. In this conversation, Kirsty and Chris delve into the intricacies of hab...

This episode is about Annette's journey from being a corporate trainer to establishing her own business in facilitation and training during the pandemic. We talk about the challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic, the importance of networking, and the personal growth that comes from stepping out of one's comfort zone. Annette is a trainer facilitator, lover of Insights Discovery, wea...

This episode covers a multitude of topics from being self-employed to doing business in America, highlighting the importance of setting clear expectations and boundaries with clients. Zita Tulyahikayo is a hypnotherapist, Systemic Constellator, coach, and facilitator. She has always been self-employed which I found fascinating as so many of us start in an organisation. Zita openly talks about her...

Welcome to this short episode of A facilitator's Journey. Today is a SOFest update covering how the early bird launch went, some thank yous, and future plans. Let us know if you are coming to SOFest, I can't wait to meet you in the field ____ A Facilitator's Journey is the podcast that looks at how you run your business as a facilitator or trainer. You started this work because you have a pas...

This episode is about the importance of our network as we develop and grow our businesses, finding people who we connect with in an authentic way and who we want to spend time with talking about our business, our deepest thoughts and ideas. Lisa Partridge is a communication skills specialist with a passion for walking. Based in Singapore she is a facilitator, podcast host and is building a thrivin...

This episode is about running our own businesses, redefining success, being a solo mum, asking for help and what IS the difference between a B2C and B2B business model?? Carla Miller is a women's leadership coach, creator of the podcast Influence & Impact for female leaders, author, and trainer.  Kirsty talks to Carla about her journey of leaving the charity sector and starting her own bu...

This episode is about how to work in partnership, creating clear ways of working from the start and aligning on values and work ethics. Chris Locke and Alex O'Rourke are the founders of Locksmith. They help marketeers improve their marketing skills, capabilities, and leadership abilities. The partnership started in 2019 after a conversation at a friend's birthday party. They initially planned to s...