Our Circle Stories

In this episode, Tessa and Julia review the highlights of the interviews with guest speakers who are circle facilitators representing diverse participants and interests.

In this episode, Tessa and Jewels Wingfield ([https://jewelswingfield.com/](https://jewelswingfield.com/)) talked about: - The value of circle lies both in the content and the spaciousness to integrate the process - Going into a deep process with one person in circle can create dysregulation for the others and the importance of checking in after peak moments - The helpful analogy of a 'slow meal' for a trauma-informed approach to circle facilitation instead of 'bolting food' and chasing dopamine the hits of peak moments - Bringing discernment about whether it's you as a facilitator that wants the shift for someone or the participant themselves - Eldership is for those of 70+ who have the lived experience to bring depth to gatherings - Experience allows you to listen to the soul of the circle - Looking for the super powers of neurodivergence and using those strengths to hone the craft of circle facilitation - Being transparent as a facilitator about neurodiversity so people can make a choice about the right circle for them because transparency creates authentic safety - It's possible to co-create a regulated space with people who are neurodiverse and have diverse needs - To meet different learning styles / neurodivergent needs, offering diverse practices around the same topic increases inclusion - Part of the holding of a circle is the place, the land.

In this episode, Tessa and Julia read a couple of circle stories each from their book published in 2024. They unpack those stories and provide an update of what their facilitating circles on in 2026.

In this interview Tessa spoke to Natalie from [https://www.evolvebreathbody.com/](https://www.evolvebreathbody.com/) about: - Boundaries and consent - Slowing down consent with practising when body is saying yes and when no - How presence underpins all the other practices - In longer sessions or trainings, it's important not to make big decisions until learning integrated - Honesty is important from the facilitator to create a feeling of safety in people's nervous systems - Sharing your own experience as a facilitator is context dependent - sometimes might be more appropriate to share with those that opt in into a smaller group - Holding space skills are natural to humans - more like a remembering than a learning

In this episode, Julia and Tessa talk about how the book came about, the different voices in the book, how to use it if you're a budding facilitator and more.

In this episode, Julia interviewed Cobi about: - How the training with Circle Holding increased her confidence in facilitating the talking component - Including more circles in retreats because of knowing how to make everyone comfortable - Building on her confidence with embodiment to expand the parts of facilitation she was less experienced in You can order our book here: [https://www.circleholding.org/book](https://www.circleholding.org/book) For instructions on how to craft your own vulva heart decorations or for puberty circles, you can find Tessa's vulva cushions and uterus aprons here: (scroll down towards bottom of webpage) [https://www.tessavenutisanderson.co.uk/workshop-events/puberty-support](https://www.tessavenutisanderson.co.uk/workshop-events/puberty-support) Get your free Start Your Circle Guide [HERE](http://eepurl.com/iJH3pw) Support our podcast. If you love the conversations and would love for us to create a third series you can support our podcast by donating £5, £10 or any other amount: [https://www.gofundme.com/f/spread-stories-of-communities-building-circles-of-hope/](https://www.gofundme.com/f/spread-stories-of-communities-building-circles-of-hope/) To learn more about facilitating circles you can join one of our trainings: [https://www.circleholding.org](https://www.circleholding.org) Or see Tessa's offerings at [https://www.tessavenutisanderson.co.uk/circles](https://www.tessavenutisanderson.co.uk/circles) including The Art of Holding Space Retreat 9-11 October [https://www.tessavenutisanderson.co.uk/circles/weekend-retreat](https://www.tessavenutisanderson.co.uk/circles/weekend-retreat) You can attend Julia's In Person Circles at [https://finchleyyoga.com/#workshops](https://finchleyyoga.com/#workshops) We love to hear from circle facilitators and circle goers so please email us at [email protected] Music credit: Fabio Venuti

In this episode, Tessa and Claire talked about: - from corporate to coaching - finding meaning through a different kind of leadership - creating a structure in circle to let the magic happen - a focus on the quality of process rather than the outcome - different from coaching because not asking follow up questions about how someone feels or about their experience - important to manage participants' expectations and stay in your lane if you have multiple skills/ professions - the power of being witnessed - sharing creative output without critique or judgement, but how it is received and lands for the audience (e.g. "What your words touch in me is....") - circle format isn't only for talking and listening, but to include other activities like writing in a supportive environment - permission not to share what's been created during the circle is part of the safety of the container - you can adjust the amount of time for the circle or the number of people in it, if it feels not spacious enough - try different times of day if it's not filling - how you decide what to charge to keep your motivation high and the circle sustainable - a monthly subscription shows a commitment of the participants to their creative process - use what you're interested in to create your niche circle - imposter syndrome is a sign that you're approaching an edge for you - might be a need for training to give you confidence, but could also be just that it's something new - don't wait for it to feel completely comfortable - container creates a space where women can share what they can't say anywhere else - there's a freedom in having people to listen carefully to your words - this kind of leadership is needed in the world as it is now.

In this episode Galia shares: * introducing creative writing in a women's shelter * creating a safe enough space to share personal experience * building trust within your circle * creating a space for creative feedback * how best to provide creative writing feedback in circle * the value of writing as an alternative to speaking * the importance of having appropriately trained individuals in trauma spaces * creating a safe enough container - the closed writing circle * creating your writing theme: meaningful writing from the heart * how to promote your writing circle * the ambitious writer in circle * the joy of listening to stories unfold

In this episode, Tessa and Julia: - gave two examples of settling practices to prepare the ground for listening - discussed the importance of caring for people's nervous systems as part of a circle - showed how your vulnerability may make it safer for others to share - shared guidelines that are essential for creating the container for deep listening - explored how pacing the sharing is important, including having time for people to listen to their thoughts before sharing aloud - how using a talking object can slow down turn taking - the role of the disrupter to listen to discomfort / undercurrents in the circle - a listening circle provides a different space that coaching or counselling - there can be value in not reflecting back or asking further questions - use of pairs and triads in the group setting to support deep listening skills - shared the possibility of people talking side-by-side rather than face-to-face to support listening -