Circles
… the courage and raw vulnerability that people reveal when they feel deeply seen and heard by others. Each story that is shared resonates within each of us.”
Weaving powerful conversations
The healing power of group connection
Many of us today are submerged by questions of meaning, of how we structure our life and who we are to each other. It seems we are more divided than ever– unable to speak across the differences that we must engage in to create the world we want for ourselves and the future.
50,000 years ago, women and men gathered around campfires to discuss the key issues in their lives. Today we have become very separate from each other and we have few opportunities to come together and talk about those issues.
The power of personal and collective change lies in the safe and brave spaces created when people sit together in a circle. It’s never been so urgent and important to recreate this ancient ritual for communication, mutual support, teamwork, and social change.
I believe the world today invites us all to get better at asking important and meaningful questions and to cultivate more compassion.
Circles can have different intents but they are always an invitation to learn the beautiful skill of conversation. Circles are not hierarchical, they include everyone, and they create equality among those gathered.
The vulnerability, intimacy and authenticity of the sharing that takes place in circles are extraordinary. I have witnessed this deeply healing and transformative process many times in both formal and informal circles.
Today, more and more of us long to come back into collective spaces to share our dreams, our vulnerabilities, our hopes, our strengths, our pains, and to be heard and supported by others.
Circles are the answer to that longing.
Are you…
Join a circle
A CIRCLE IS A CONTAINER STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD THE COMPLEXITY OF BOTH POWER AND LOVE
Circles help individuals reconnect, and lead to deep healing on a personal and collective level. They give us space to create opening and potential, and courage to step forward into the work that needs to be done.
All over the world, circles are gathering and coming together. There has never been a better time to engage in this practice.
You will be amazed and inspired by what happens when you ease into the experience!
We all participate in weaving the social fabric; we should therefore all participate in patching the fabric when it develops holes.”
Anne C. Weisberg
Circles are a place where we pause our everyday lives to:
- connect deeply with other human beings;
- journey inwards and connect with our deep intuition;
- share our wisdom through our own stories and experiences;
- co-create a space of empowerment and transformation;
- find peace and healing; and
- make space for creative thought and explore solutions to our questions and struggles.
To find out more and join a circle, connect with me or sign up for my newsletter.
Better Conversation Circles are open to all and run for six-week cycles. Each cycle has a theme, e.g. Friendship & relationships, Life with technology, Ecology & nature, Dying & death, Get happy, For the exhausted & overwhelmed.
The model for these conversations is inspired by the Civil Conversations project and Krista Tippett’s On Being podcast. In her podcast, Krista interviews poets, scientists, pastors, authors, psychologists, activists, and more.
Before each weekly meet up, I will invite all participants to listen to a carefully curated On Being podcast episode and to reflect on their insights and learnings.
Participants meet every week for 90 minutes. During the circle, we check in with each other and share our exploration and insights on the topic and/or listen to others express theirs.
Each circle is either online or in-person (in Singapore) and includes up to 10 participants.
Together, we create a safe and brave space where we come together to answer the questions many of us are grappling with but have too few opportunities to bring up. It’s a place for those who want dialogue on a range of topics, as well as to share and listen across differences.
No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are most welcome into this circle.
Financial contribution
To sustain this work, I ask for a contribution (around SG$ 150/ US$ 110 for a six-week cycle, of which 10% goes to a charity we agree on together at the start of each cycle).
Please contact me if you want to join Better Conversations Circles but cannot afford this contribution.
Keen to join a Better Conversations Circle?
Find out more about upcoming Better Conversations Circles by signing up for my newsletter, by checking my events page, or by getting in touch with me.
Circles are groups of peers who support one another through deep listening and compassion. A circle does not provide medical or psychotherapeutic advice or treatment. Participation in a circle does not replace the care provided by a qualified healthcare professional.
“Each person’s grief is as unique as their fingerprint. But what everyone has in common is that no matter how they grieve, they share a need for their grief to be witnessed.” David Kessler
Grief circles are a supportive and nourishing space to connect with your grief, share your story and experience grief in community.
Grief is not only about death; we all suffer and grieve losses. Losing a job, a daily routine, plans, certainty, a dream, a hope for a better future, a loving relationship; these may all cause us grief.
The daily stories of the pandemic, injustices, and a planet in peril have exacerbated the experience of individual and collective grief. Our emotions vacillate through despair and hope, anxiety and calm, denial and acceptance, pain and love. We are feeling grief, and we need to release those emotions to heal the grief so that we can approach tomorrow.
In a Grief Circle, all loss is validated so we feel supported and may safely grieve. Our agreements ensure acceptance and confidentiality. We honour each participant’s unique path to healing and we respect the choices of others. Grief Circles allow us to explore our grief through a blend of sharing and silence, grounding and compassion.
Grief Circles are for those who want to step into a safe and accepting environment, allow time and space to heal, by asking for what they need, without feeling any pressure to contribute. Participants may choose to share what is happening for them, and offer experiences in response to others.
Each 90-minute Grief Circle stands alone. A Grief Circle can be only two or up to six people. Some are strangers coming together; for others I can host your own private Grief Circle with your friends, family, or community.
Feeling called to join a Grief Circle?
Find out more about upcoming Grief Circles by signing up for my newsletter, by checking my events page, or by getting in touch with me.
Circles are groups of peers who support one another through deep listening and compassion. A circle does not provide medical or psychotherapeutic advice or treatment. Participation in a circle does not replace the care provided by a qualified healthcare professional.
An Empathy Circle is a powerful and gentle way to discover the power of circles and to participate in a deep and meaningful conversation with other people.
Do you want to become more open, authentic, caring, trusting, grounded, stronger, and able to see the humanity in everyone?
If you want to learn, practise and deepen listening and empathy skills, then these circles are for you. You will experience how good it feels to be able to fully express yourself and be heard, and also to contribute to someone else’s well-being by listening to them.
Each Empathy Circle is standalone, lasts about 3 hours and includes up to 10 people.
We agree a theme at the start (e.g. confidence, sacrifice, achievement, transition). Each participant then takes turns to share a story, an experience, a reflection on the theme, while the others listen without interrupting. After each participant has shared, the listeners are invited to show support, to reflect back what they have heard, how it has impacted them or to ask questions to deepen the conversation.
Empathy Circles create safety and connection and, as a result, create a bedrock for stronger relationships, closer communities, and happier lives.
I run occasional public Empathy Circles for those curious to discover the experience or enjoy meaningful conversation with others. I can also set up and host your own private Empathy Circle with your friends, family, colleague or community.
Financial contribution
To sustain this work, I ask for a contribution (usually around SG$ 35/ US$ 26 for a 3-hour circle).
Keen to join an Empathy Circle?
Find out more about upcoming Empathy Circles by signing up for my newsletter, by checking my events page, or by getting in touch with me.
Circles are groups of peers who support one another through deep listening and compassion. A circle does not provide medical or psychotherapeutic advice or treatment. Participation in a circle does not replace the care provided by a qualified healthcare professional.
Would you like to create and host your own circle, for a specific purpose or special occasion?
It’s more than just sitting down in a circle. I can support you in deciding bespoke agreements, process and space.
Together we clarify your intent, who you want to invite, when and where you want to hold your circle, what you would like it to look and feel like and what you want to experience. I design the circle with your needs and your preferences in mind, adding my own suggestions and personal touches for you to consider.
So that you can participate in the circle, immersing yourself in the experience without worrying about facilitating it, I can also host the circle for you.
Examples of bespoke circles include:
- to repair relationships;
- to make a collective decision;
- to resolve a specific challenge or dispute;
- to bring your loved ones together;
- to accompany a loved one in their final days;
- to celebrate an occasion (e.g. birthday, baby blessing, bride-to-be, life etc.);
- to work on a project and towards a beautiful goal (e.g. fundraising circle);
- to meet any other need you feel.
A circle designed with love is a human experience you are unlikely to ever forget.
Connect with me to share your idea and see what we can bring to life.
Circles are groups of peers who support one another through deep listening and compassion. A circle does not provide medical or psychotherapeutic advice or treatment. Participation in a circle does not replace the care provided by a qualified healthcare professional.
Coming together
Building deeper connection
Find out more about upcoming circles by signing up for my newsletter, by checking my events page, or by getting in touch with me.
Our modern societies have become very lonely and disconnected. Many of us long to connect, to have deep conversations, to reveal what we feel and share authentically, to bond, and to experience being there for each other.
When our lives are being disrupted, when we are going through important shifts, when we have so many conflicting thoughts and feelings … in times like these we need safe and brave spaces to come together, to build and foster a deeper connection and to cultivate community and hope.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each circle follows a similar format.
- Open with a ritual
- Guided visualisation (to help us relax and drop out of our busy minds)
- Sharing in turns (what is present for you and what sense are you making of it)
- Wisdom sharing (we share what is relevant to what has come up in the circle – but we do not give advice)
- Close with a ritual
At the start of our journey together, we agree how we circle. These agreements typically include:
- we keep everything in the circle confidential;
- we listen to understand, and we speak to be understood;
- we take turns to talk using the talking piece;
- when you hold the talking piece, it is your turn to talk and everyone else must stay silent;
- we allow and invite silence for deeper reflection;
- we withhold judgement, and we respect our individual differences;
- we offer personal experience rather than advice;
- we take personal responsibility and ask for what we need;
- we share in co-creating the circle;
- we commit to being on time each week.
It depends which type of circle, and circles vary. I always indicate the maximum numbers when I describe an event.
I prefer to keep the circles I host to a maximum of 8-10 participants, unless someone particularly requests a larger circle.
My experience is that people feel safer in smaller groups, meaning they are more open to sharing and to active and empathetic listening, which is the purpose of most circles.
No; it is never compulsory to share – the choice is always yours. We are about empowerment, not forcing anyone.
Circles are not based on any particular religion or philosophy. Several guiding principles create stable foundations for our circles.
- Empowerment – Each individual is encouraged and supported to take responsibility for themselves and their actions.
- Integrity – There is transparency, congruency and honesty in all that is said and done.
- Trust – Built from honouring commitments and being true to agreements, and showing up reliably for each other.
- Acceptance – Allowing for different experiences and interpretations while withholding judgement.
- Love / Nurturing – Come from the heart-space with communication and support.
- Choice – Respecting our own choices and the choices of others.
- Authenticity – Allowing ourselves to courageously speak our truth at all times.
- Respect – Creating loving boundaries for ourselves and valuing the rights and stories of others.
- Joy – Allowing for happiness and excitement to inspire us forward.
- Adventure – Setting intentions and trusting the process as it unfolds.