Facilitating on Purpose

In this final episode of Facilitating on Purpose, host Beth Cougler Blom reflects on four years and 81 episodes of conversations about designing and facilitating learning. Beth shares why she's decided to bring the podcast to a close, what she's learned along the way, and how she's making space for new possibilities in her work and life.

Beth also talks about:

• How hosting the podcast has shaped her learning, writing, and facilitation practice
• The generosity of guests and the value of learning from different perspectives and experiences
• Why she's rethinking her relationship with work and making more room for creativity, joy, and well-being
• The possibilities that open up when we let go of something meaningful
• Her gratitude for the guests, listeners, and collaborators who have made the podcast possible

Connect with Beth Cougler Blom

• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Listen to past Facilitating on Purpose episodes on http://facilitatingonpurpose.ca, YouTube,

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions.

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom talks about how many people become facilitators of meetings or learning events by accident and what it takes to keep building facilitation skills with intention. She shares some of her own path into facilitation and offers practical ways to notice, learn, practice, and grow over time.

Beth also talks about:

• Why many people start to do facilitation work without formal training
• The risks of teaching the way we were taught
• How to build awareness by observing other facilitators
• Why design work matters before stepping into the room
• Small, regular ways to keep developing facilitation skills

Links From the Episode

• EP 64: The Sound of Silence in Facilitation with Beth Cougler Blom
• EP 47: The Pivotal Role of Learning Outcomes with Beth Cougler Blom
• EP 19: Choosing Activities with Beth Cougler Blom
• EP 6: Learning From Our Mistakes with Beth Cougler Blom
• Liberating Structures
• International Association of Facilitators

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom:

• Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at [email protected]
• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom talks with Claire Schneeberger about her book, Holding Space, and how meditation and mindfulness practices can support more grounded, focused, and intentional learning experiences. They explore how simple practices can help participants slow down, arrive, and feel more present in workshops, meetings, and group settings.

Beth and Claire also talk about:

• Choosing practices that fit your group and goals
• Offering options so participants can take care of themselves
• Using anchors like breath, feet, or physical sensations
• Practicing by recording yourself and listening back
• Bringing mindfulness into sessions through breath, movement, listening, nature, and the arts

Connect with Claire Schneeberger

• Holding Space: The Essential Guide to Leading Meditation & Mindfulness Practices

Links From the Episode

• First People's Principles of Learning
• EP 56: Using Poetry and Expressive Writing with Marisa Gelfusa

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom:

• Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at [email protected]
• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom talks with Erica Barnhart about the conversations we have with ourselves and how our internal dialogue shapes the way we show up as facilitators and whole human beings. Erica shares a simple framework for noticing negative self-talk and gently shifting it toward something more useful.

Beth and Erica also talk about:

• Why our self-talk is often more negative than we realize
• Erica's three-step framework of Notice, Nope, and Nudge
• How words like "should" and "just" can undermine our confidence
• The connection between self-talk, worthiness, and belonging
• Practical ways to ground ourselves and stay present while facilitating

Connect with Erica Barnhart:

• Website: EricaBarnhart.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericabarnhart/

Links From the Episode:

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• Polarity Management video with Barry Johnson
• Polarity Mapping resources

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom:

• Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at [email protected]
• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom talks with Linda M. Anderson about teaching art to many different kinds of learners in community, school, social service, and personal settings. Linda shares stories from her lifelong journey as an artist and educator, including how she builds confidence, adapts her teaching, and helps people keep creating through challenge and change.

Beth and Linda also talk about:

• Learning from mentors and seeking out feedback
• The importance of answering learners' "why" questions
• Teaching people who are blind or losing their sight
• Creating supporting spaces where learners can take risks
• Using art to build connection, confidence, and meaning

Connect with Linda M. Anderson

Linda Anderson is a BC artist, educator, and writer with extensive experience teaching art in a wide range of community, school, and social service settings. She has worked with visually impaired artists through CNIB, taught art therapy, led workshops for artist groups across many BC communities, and facilitated her own "Communicating with Colour" sessions for learners of all ages.

Linda's work has been featured in prominent shows and in Artists of BC, and she has created murals, commissioned portraits, and paintings for a variety of public and private spaces. In addition to her visual art, she also writes poetry and short prose. Connect with Linda on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/linda.anderson.914828. She is in the middle of creating a new website.

Links From the Episode

Bill Alexander, originator of The Magic of Oil Painting

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom:

• Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at [email protected]
• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom talks with Eric Wang about his experience building Algorithm Alchemists, a student-led nonprofit that teaches coding and computational thinking to elementary and high school students through interactive online classes. Special guest Kevin Cougler, Founder and Executive Director of STEM Camp and Camp STEAM Canada, joins the conversation as the trio talk about peer-to-peer learning, hiring and supporting young instructors, and the facilitation lessons that help make coding engaging and meaningful for kids.

Beth, Eric, and Kevin also talk about:

• Starting a nonprofit as a student
• Making coding fun, engaging, and accessible
• Supporting youth interests, passions, and future goals
• What parents, teachers, and mentors can do to encourage young coders

Connect with Eric Wang

• Website: Algorithm Alchemists
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/algorithm.alchemists/

Connect with Kevin Cougler

• Website: Stemcamp.ca

Links From the Episode

• First Robotics Canada
• Khan Academy
• Inquiry-based learning
• Hello, world
• Discord
• Y Combinator
• Jam Hacks

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom:

• Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at [email protected]
• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom shares a conversation with members of the IAF Future Now community about what facilitation feels like right now. With Beth intentionally stepping out of the discussion, this group of younger facilitators reflects on authenticity, emotional depth, trust, and how facilitation can feel both challenging and deeply rewarding in a noisy, fast-changing world.

The Future Now members also talk about:

• Dropping professional masks and becoming more authentic
• Holding space for emotion, tension, and vulnerability
• Moving from monologue to dialogue by asking better questions
• Trusting participants and the wisdom already in the group
• Why facilitation feels especially important amid chaos and change

Thank you so much to Bryan Guzmán and the IAF Future Now community for being willing to try something new with this episode!

Connect With all the Guests

• Starling Jaquan - Florida, USA | LinkedIn
• Lily Asch - Budapest, Hungary | Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
• Olesia Maibakh - Moscow, Russia | LinkedIn
• Andrea Bota - Bucharest, Romania | LinkedIn
• Dr. Felix Wittke - Berlin, Germany | LinkedIn
• Timothy Gichia - Nairobi, Kenya | LinkedIn
• Annagrace Rwehumbiza - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Website | LinkedIn
• Elena Zurli - Rome, Italy | LinkedIn
• Moushumi Dey - Bangalore, India | LinkedIn

Links From the Episode

• Bryan Guzmán, Innovation Facilitator and Future Now Community Lead | LinkedIn
• IAF Future Now Community
• Liberating Structures
• Beth's keyword notes she took while listening to this episode

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom:

• Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at [email protected]
• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom talks with Alina Pete about the power of comics to teach, connect, and tell stories. They explore how comics can invite people into learning through joy, creativity, and representation, and how Alina's community-engaged work supports storytelling, language, and cultural connection in Indigenous contexts.

Beth and Alina also talk about:

• Alina's journey into comics, animation, and visual effects
• Comics as an accessible medium for teaching and sharing knowledge
• Indigenous representation in modern stories, technology, and pop culture
• Community collaboration, story stewardship, and cultural responsibility
• Using drawing to open people up in workshops, gatherings, and hard conversations

Connect with Alina Pete

• Website: alina-pete.com
• Alina's published books
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alinapete.bsky.social
• Instagram: @alinapete_art

Links From the Episode

• Scott McCloud
• Weregeek comics archive
• Wapos Bay films
• Can I Pet Your Werewolf
• Alina's TEDx talk: Using comics and storytelling to engage memory and bring fun back to learning
• Holmaco First Nation
• Formline art
• Woodlands style art
• The 'Really Strange' Boxset by Steve Haines, art by Sophie Standing
• Richtung 22

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom:

• Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at [email protected]
• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom talks with Nora Sheffe about using visuals in facilitation to create more engaging, inclusive, and participatory learning experiences. They explore how visuals can support connection and clarity in both in-person and virtual settings, even for facilitators who do not see themselves as artists.

Beth and Nora also talk about:

• Expanding visual facilitation beyond drawing
• Making workshops more accessible through tactile and visual design
• Simple ways to use visuals online with everyday tools
• Helping participants engage through movement, voting, and co-creation
• Embracing imperfection when building visual skills

Connect with Nora Sheffe:

• Website: https://sheffeconsulting.com/
• Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/norasheffe/
• Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sheffe-consulting-inc/posts/

Links From the Episode:

• Manal Sayid
• Visual Explorer cards
• Bikablo (incl. Martin Haussmann and Frank Wesseler)
• Heather Martinez
• Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
• Christina Merkley
• The Grove Consultants
• Abby Wilkymacky
• Universal Design for Learning
• Lita Currie
• Rosanna von Sacken
• Lisa Rothstein
• Sam Bradd

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom:

• Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at [email protected]
• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, host Beth Cougler Blom is interviewed by Joseph Diaz about Beth's upcoming second book, Everyday Acts of Facilitation, and how facilitation shows up far beyond workshops and meeting rooms. Together they explore Beth's story-driven approach to writing a guidebook-memoir that helps readers notice the facilitation happening in life's ordinary moments—and use that noticing to learn facilitation skills or deepen their practice.

Beth and Joseph also talk about:

• How journaling everyday moments shaped the book's direction
• The three types of readers the book is written for, from accidental to occasional to experienced facilitators
• Why inner work and self-care are everyday acts of facilitation
• What performance, introversion, and authenticity have to do with facilitation style
• Some of the chapter themes that may matter the most right now

Connect with Joseph Diaz

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephadiaz/
• Talk Learning with Me podcast
• Join the L&D Collective (including Joseph's book club)

Connect with Beth Cougler Blom

• Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design
• Check out Beth's books, Design to Engage and Everyday Acts of Facilitation
• Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn

Links From the Episode

• Beth's book coach, Adrienne Dyer
• Beth's book cover designer, Emily Johnston at Artio Design Co
• EP 43 Writing a Book in the Field with Beth Cougler Blom

Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast:

• Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube
• Show notes available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca

Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions