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If you're new to the Circle Holding podcast, this episode will give you a glimpse into the interviews with diverse circle facilitators in Series 3.

Alex and Julia talked about:
• First encountered circles at Church with age group and older facilitator
• Came back to circle in his thirties with a lot more life experience
• Was a journalist in lifestyle and wellbeing who attended a circle out of curiosity and to write an article, to being asked to host one
• Started with a one hour circle for 6-8 weeks
• Is inspired by Men’s Speak, men’s circles in London
• Did a Mental Health First Aid Course, then coaching, then as a therapist, which opened doors into schools
• Did group work...

Julia and Tessa talk about the importance of the welcome to circle, including the pre-circle preparation and how welcomes might differ according to your demographic.

Sophie and Tessa talked about:
• Moving away from right and wrong dynamics to a different way of engaging
• Restorative justice addresses harm after it has happened e.g. working with local police
• Restorative practice is about every interaction, shifting out of who’s right and wrong and to what really matters and how can we move forwards
• I-messaging means talking from my personal experience rather than you language or how it is (as if factual) – what’s true for me is indisputable and allows space for difference
• Speaking from multiple social truths
• Move away from divisive,...

In this episode, Tessa and Julia talked about facilitating appropriate vulnerability, considering how the fear of vulnerability can be a real barrier to attending a talking circle, but when being vulnerable in a safe space can be incredibly empowering.

In this interview Rob and Julia discussed:
• How Rob came to attend his first circle
• Had transferable skills from being a personal trainer, knew how to give person space to speak
• Co-facilitates the circle at Uncommon Man – bring different skills and give each other support e.g. debriefing and planning
• Also has support through Whatsapp group with other men’s circle facilitators
• Charges for men’s monthly circle and a lot of this goes back into promoting sessions, including having a videographer there for marketing e.g. clips of breathwork to demystify what happens at the circle
•...

In this episode Julia & Tessa talk about how to create space for examining feelings:

* Alternatives to "how are you" to create space for heart led conversation
* Creating questions that lead to sharing stories
* The value of lightness and humour
* Starting shallow, going deep

Tessa and Kate talked about
• Poems can create the shared space; poems that are appropriate for and speak to who is there
• Poetry as a joining-in activity to be shared aloud as in the tradition of oral history, not like a pressed flower in a book
• The poem creates a structure for people and children to organise their thoughts and even learn a language
• As a facilitator, she narrates the experience to support the momentum of writing: a series of cues of what they could try, reading parts of the poem again
• Poetry circles can...

In this episode, Tessa and Julia talked about how circle time can utilise the special environment of a retreat to deepen practices and sharing. They give some examples of where circle was used well and where it wasn't used at all.

In this interview with Davis J Williams and Julia Davis, they talked about:
• Moving from the competitive field of football coaching where some young people struggled to participate to supporting youth in the community
• In Gambia, found that young boys went through a rite of passage at 13 years old and saw the difference that made to their self-respect, discipline, self-control and ambition
• The journey to manhood builds throughout the boys’ lives, involving the whole community
• Wanted to bring this rite of passage experience to the boys becoming involved in violence in London whose parents are...