All episodes

In this episode, Julia and Henika talked about:
- How she transformed from a lawyer into a facilitator of sensual arts after reasling she was disconnected from her body
- Circle time was a catalyst for the journey: it created a space to talk about taboo topics without shame
- Her ‘Shakti Circle’ focuses on the cultivation of power in the body (any body)
- Safety in a circle is objective and subjective so it’s important to clearly specify who the circle is for (including in the marketing) and she spends an hour of a 2-hour circle on practices for...

In this episode, Julia Davis spoke to Dr Sophie King-Hill [(https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/social-policy/departments/health-services-management-centre/staff/profile.aspx?ReferenceId=170453)](https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/social-policy/departments/health-services-management-centre/staff/profile.aspx?ReferenceId=170453) talked about:
- Beliefs around sexuality and youth lead to discrimination against teenage parents
- Young people are guarded because of the stigma around teenage pregnancy
- Work to set expectations (guidelines is too formal) to create a safe space where young people can ask questions without feeling stupid or having the fear of ridicule
- She meets parents ahead of group meetings to know their history and potentially upsetting issues
- Key is thinking that you're equal to them, that all voices are valid, and facilitator is here...

In this episode, Tessa and Roy talked about:
*His involvement in Peace Circles being rooted in his childhood with Adverse Childhood Events
* How circles can increase inclusion and belonging in schools – in 7 years only 7 days of exclusion across the whole school
* Using the framework of the ‘Four Rooms’ – intellectual, emotional, practical and spiritual in every circle – to deal with conflict quickly through structure of ‘When you…’, ‘I feel….’, ‘because….’, ‘what can we do about it?’
* Different levels of circle from senior management – with mixed staff (dinner ladies, ground staff) and mixed...

In this episode, Tessa and Julia discussed the technique of Yoga Nidra relaxations within circle time:
- Useful settling technique in circle
- Can be used for all different audiences (e.g. pregnancy, kids, perimenopause, fatigue
- The participants can lie down or sit for this technique and should be as comfortable as possible
- The facilitator stays sitting and alert to deliver the nidra - for the training you do not need to be a yoga teacher
- There are different components in a nidra including body mapping, opposite qualities, setting an intention and themes can run throughout, including visualisations....

In this episode, Tessa and Jenny Burrell (https://www.burrelleducation.com/) covered:
- Learning the value of silence
- How online circles can be just as powerful as in person ones but guidelines may need to be slightly different
- You might think group coaching is about really cool questions but it's mostly about listening
- The difference between feedback and reflection in circle
- As group facilitators or circle holders we can be human rather than perfect and this makes us into more compassionate leaders
and much more!

In this episode with Mike Irwin, he and Julia discussed:
• It’s okay as a facilitator to be learning and not be perfect! People are looking for authenticity and not superconfident
• Your nervousness can be a gift to the nervous attendees
• The first part of starting the circle is to get present yourself as a facilitator
• You can start with a centring question e.g. ‘What’s preventing me from feeling comfortable here?’ or ‘What do I want to feel like at the end of the session?’
• As important aspect of guidelines is to open up the requirements...

In this episode you will learn how Julia set up her local women's circle. She talks about the people she thought would come and who actually came. You will hear how she adapted the circle to suit the needs of various diverse groups. Tessa and Julia compare what it is like to set up a new circle as apposed to monthly gatherings of a well established community.

In this episode with Nicky Yazbeck (https://nickyyyoga.com/) and Julia, they covered:
• How Nicky holds a women’s circle for those who’ve experienced plant medicine
• Ayhuasca is a serious plant medicine and need to prepare through clean diet and other preparations
• A circle is important for creating a container for the experience
• There is a WhatsApp group important for the integration of what came up after taking the plant medicine – everyone in the group has shared experience
• People are welcome whether it’s a good or bad day
• Separate women and men’s circles are held because...

For the video interview and transcript, go to

In this interview with Marta Fabregat (https://martafabregat.com/), we covered
- How the practice of Focusing works
- Focusing is listening from the body, but can’t separate the experience from the environment
- Focusing is about the art of living rather than a method or technique
- Marta and Tessa both share a short focusing practice
- Focusing creates a pause and stillness through being more fully present and honouring your experience
- With practice, it becomes natural to keep company with what’s happening internally all the time
- Marta shares an analogy...

A common question is trainings is how to balance the role of facilitator and the role of being an expert within a workshop context, in which a talking circle will be one activity. For example, if you run a menopause workshop and teach the first part, how will you shift to a sharing circle where everyone doesn't just turn to you for answers? How do you create an atmosphere where people feel empowered to share their experience? Julia and Tessa share some reflections and tips on how to manage this issue of expertise and power dynamics.