Episodes

  • Our Circle Stories

    Our Circle Stories
    Apr 12 2026
    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.
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    19 mins
  • Creating Safety Through Presence and Honesty with Natalie Keany

    Creating Safety Through Presence and Honesty with Natalie Keany
    Apr 5 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
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    39 mins
  • Why Write A Book About Circle Holding with Julia and Tessa

    Why Write A Book About Circle Holding with Julia and Tessa
    Mar 29 2026
    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.
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    23 mins
  • The Power of Being Witnessed in Creative Circles with Claire MacKinnon

    The Power of Being Witnessed in Creative Circles with Claire MacKinnon
    Mar 15 2026
    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.
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    46 mins
  • Getting Crafty with Tessa and Julia

    Getting Crafty with Tessa and Julia
    Mar 8 2026
    19 mins
  • Trauma Informed Creative Writing Circles with Galia Shilo Sum

    Trauma Informed Creative Writing Circles with Galia Shilo Sum
    Mar 1 2026
    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
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    55 mins
  • Deep Listening Skills with Tessa and Julia

    Deep Listening Skills with Tessa and Julia
    Feb 22 2026
    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 -
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    28 mins
  • Endings and Ceremony with Julia and Tessa

    Endings and Ceremony with Julia and Tessa
    Dec 18 2025
    In this episode, Tessa and Julia shared how they brought the end of the year to their circles with ideas of practices you might use for the Winter Solstice, the New Year or the ending of a series of circle sessions.
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    20 mins