Unprofessionalism

This week we take a hiatus from the ‘usual’ facilitation content, to journey into the wonders of the psychedelic with Kacey Cardin, as she introduces us to its sacred, healing powers. Working with LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and Ketamine as her co-facilitators, Kacey safely guides people - from public figures to leaders - into a state of therapeutic self-discovery, where the unconscious mind becomes con...

How often do you tell yourself that you can’t do something? We all have a habit of collecting self-fulfilling prophecies in our pockets, that’s just human nature - but what might happen if we dared to say ‘I can’? Joining us for a beautiful, inward-facing episode about the self, the power of the mind, and how to lead in more inclusive ways, is Aim-on Wongsaparn. As a coach and facilitator, a liber...

From Broadway actor, to drama therapist for county jails, a four-times Tedx speaker and now a Live Illustrator, Patti Dobrowolski is a rare, creative talent that has befriended reinvention… And she now helps others to do the same, designing memorable, interactive workshops using illustration to visualise new realities, aspirations and futures. Because when you draw your dreams? That is where the m...

When we tell someone how we feel, we expect to feel understood, don’t we? But as Ranjitha Jeurkar will tell you - it’s often not that simple. Empathy can be a complex tapestry: there’s needs to be met, paradigms at play, forefeelings that can stir confusion, and words that can all too easily get lost, heated, or misinterpreted. So how do we make sense of it all? How do we speak a language that we...

We live an incredible 80% of our lives indoors. In houses, workplaces, schools and vehicles - spaces that become the backdrop to our time on this earth. But behind the permanence of bricks and the mortar, the making of our interior worlds requires considered collaboration, innovation, and perhaps unexpectedly, facilitation! From the creative cement that binds projects, to the collective energy tha...

When an island is sinking, whose responsibility is it to save? What approach do we take, and who foots the bill? Big, high-stakes climate conversations always share the same goal: to save the planet. But when a diverse group of stakeholders bring their own interests to the table, tensions naturally arise between the polarity of priorities - and that’s when things start to get a little complicated....

Listeners, what an adventure it’s been! 300 episodes. 300 guests. 300 soulful, wise, curious, facilitation-affirming conversations - each one, a gift!  To celebrate my podcast tercentenary, I sit down with my microphone for an introspective, behind-the-scenes episode, just me, myself and I, to reflect on the years as a podcast host and facilitator. Episode 300 is a celebration - of facilitation, o...

What does it *really* mean to meet people where they’re at? What can happen when we surrender to the serendipity of life? And how do we become aware of our own edges? This episode is punctuated with some big, beautiful questions that Maggie Coulter so eruditely explores with me through the lens of trauma-informed, inclusion-based facilitation. Join us as Maggie shares her life’s experiences, unrav...

What does it mean to unbuckle ourselves from certainty and step with both feet into the space between question and answer? It means to be a facilitator, of course! To trust in the process, to find structure in the spaciousness, and to shapeshift as new technologies emerge. It’s something Mark Tippin has learnt over years: the answers come when we accept that we don’t need them all to begin. It’s a...

The author of the indomitable Liberating Structures joins me in the podcast chair this week - a book that has offered wisdom to facilitators from all four corners of the world, and built organisations from the ground up - the one, the only Henri Lipmanowicz! So simple they feel alchemic, Henri’s 33 microstructures are a field guide for transformation. Small, no-nonsense shifts in how we work toget...

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 so...

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 min...

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 cr...

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 s...

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 j...

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 so...

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...

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...

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 i...

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 curio...

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 de...

As the old adage goes, failing to prepare, is preparing to fail. But how do you prepare for something as catastrophic as a natural disaster? Scott Winter helps people, teams and organisations to struggle more effectively and step into their greatness. He’s done so for communities in California to recover from the devastation of wildfires, as well as countless others, showing up with life-affirming...

The relationships in our life are a lot like gardens: they need watering, a little pruning here and there, some de-weeding, and a whole lot of love! But what about the people we spend most of our time with? Our co-workers are often overlooked in the garden of relationships, but it’s one that requires just as much time, care and attention as any other. Enter: the biggest mischief maker, Emily Hinks...

In the autumn of 1996 in Palo Alto, Dan Newman had a career-defining epiphany: facilitation is playing other people’s games with your own rules. It’s something that has stayed with him on his journey from consultant to facilitator, as he solves complex organisational problems by asking: how are their rules preventing them from winning? We cover a lot of ground from Dan’s storied career in this bri...

We are all bodily beings. You do not have a body, you are your wise, sense-making, intuitive, feeling body! And yet, modernity has found itself in a disembodied state; we live in the mind and merely exist in a body. Mark Walsh, the embodiment anti-guru, is here to reconnect the mind-body divide and bring us back home. He’s trained local NGOs in conflict zones, taught meditation to soldiers, and ev...