At the heart of Rick Smith’s work lies the belief that love is unconditional, even amidst life's conditions. Over the past two decades, he has engaged with over 100,000 individuals across fifteen countries and five continents. His teachings span from presentation skills to authentic relating and awakening. Rick's best-selling book, "Conscious Classroom Management," has reached nearly half a million readers, impacting facilitators, educators, and students worldwide. Through connection exercises, movement, and humor, Rick empowers participants to awaken to their innate innocence, wholeness, and sufficiency. His approach provides practical and accessible methods for navigating both inner and outer challenges with tenderness and grace. In this conversation we will hear Rick discuss his journey from teaching teachers to facilitating retreats. We explore awakened leadership, focusing on presence, inner authority, and authenticity, and the challenges and shifts involved in embracing this leadership style.

Rick shares insights on holding space without holding and embracing self-judgments. We discuss the difference between teaching the 'what' and the 'how,' emphasizing vulnerability and self-acceptance in facilitation. We also explore creating a safe, supportive environment by letting the space hold us, self-care for facilitators, and strategies to avoid burnout. The conversation touches on power dynamics in facilitation, the need for humility and deep listening, and concludes with his excitement for future collaborations and exploring uncertainty, humility, genius, and magic.

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Connect with Rick: Website https://www.thetenderedge.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ricksmith2000/

Connect with Rachel:

*JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR MY ONLINE FIELD FACILITATOR TRAINING*

(Trauma Informed and Certified)

Starting February 2025!!

https://www.the-field.com/online  Website  Rachel Rickards  https://rachelrickards.com The Field Facilitator Training  www.the-field.com Facebook Rachel Rickards www.facebook.com/rachrickards  The Field Facilitator Training https://www.facebook.com/TheFieldFacilitator

Rachel Rickards, the host of 'In Presence We Trust' is a global leader in personal transformation, intimacy, and embodiment. She is known for her exceptional skills in group facilitation and event production.

Rachel is Co-founder of Embodied Intimacy and has created a renowned platform for trainings and events focusing on intimacy, trauma, and somatic education, guiding hundreds annually toward self-discovery and nervous system regulation.

Leading the Belly2Belly Facilitator Training since 2019, Rachel continues to innovate in embodied and relational practices, fostering transformative relationships.

Her latest endeavor, "The Field Facilitator Training," launched in 2022, pioneers new approaches to group facilitation, emphasizing deep collective coherence and the emergence of group soul dynamics.

In this conversation we hear about her journey from being an event producer to becoming a facilitator and teacher. We discuss how exploring polyamory and self-love transformed her, and the role of vulnerability in creating a safe space for others. David Cates acknowledges her unique ability to model vulnerability and inspire authenticity. We talk about recognizing when a new direction is needed in facilitation and the importance of staying connected to oneself and the group. We discuss the art of facilitation, and the importance of holding space for others. We explore the role of vulnerability and self-awareness in effective facilitation, as well as the need for facilitators to balance their own experiences with the needs of the group.

We also discuss the complexity of group dynamics and the challenges of creating coherence and cohesion within a group. Rachel shares about her passion for training facilitators and helping them step into their power, as well as her desire to create a supportive community of facilitators who can elevate each other's work.

Subscribe to my mailing list: https://rachelrickards.myflodesk.com/subscribe

Connect with Rachel:

*JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR MY ONLINE FIELD FACILITATOR TRAINING*

(Trauma Informed and Certified)

Starting February 2025!!

https://www.the-field.com/online  Website  Rachel Rickards  https://rachelrickards.com The Field Facilitator Training  www.the-field.com Facebook Rachel Rickards www.facebook.com/rachrickards  The Field Facilitator Training https://www.facebook.com/TheFieldFacilitator

Welcome to “In Presence we Trust” a podcast about the art and heart of holding group transformational spaces.

I’m Rachel Rickards founder of The Field Facilitator Training

This podcast is here to empower facilitators, leaders, and individuals from all walks of life to harness the transformative power of presence in their work and personal life. 

In Presence We Trust is a sanctuary for aspiring and experienced facilitators alike, seeking to evolve their facilitation craft and embodied leadership.

In each episode I will be harvesting insights from leading-edge facilitators doing transformational work in fields like: relationships, embodiment, therapy, intimacy and education.

In this first episode I am honored and extremely touched to start out with my beloved mentor David Cates.

David Cates is an advocate for embodied listening and deep connection. With nearly 50 years of teaching experience in sex, intimacy, and trauma resolution, he uses Belly2Belly practices to foster trust and loving connections among individuals and groups worldwide. He's now training facilitators to lead from a place of inner wisdom and vulnerability, emphasizing the importance of listening to the body's wisdom in both life and death transitions. 

In this conversation we will hear how David's facilitation style and approach to life have profoundly impacted me. David discusses his early start as a facilitator in high school, his passion for group work, and the influence of group intelligence and heart. He shares his experiences with death and dying, which have brought fearlessness and a deeper understanding of love and presence to his work. David focuses on creating safety and presence in areas like sexuality, intimacy, and death to help face fear and trauma. He emphasizes shifting focus from self-centeredness to engaging with the world and using our bodies to connect through sensations, touch, and breath. He also highlights the importance of moving through grief and cultivating gratitude in order to keep the heart open.

Subscribe to my mailing list: https://rachelrickards.myflodesk.com/subscribe

Connect with David:

Website www.belly2belly.org Connect with Rachel:

*JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR MY ONLINE FIELD FACILITATOR TRAINING*

(Trauma Informed and Certified)

Starting February 2025!!

https://www.the-field.com/online  Website  Rachel Rickards  https://rachelrickards.com The Field Facilitator Training  www.the-field.com Facebook Rachel Rickards www.facebook.com/rachrickards  The Field Facilitator Training https://www.facebook.com/TheFieldFacilitator

Welcome to “In Presence we Trust”, a new podcast about the art and heart of holding group spaces.

I’m Rachel Rickards, founder of The Field  Facilitator Training ,and with this podcast i am seeking to build a sanctuary for aspiring and experienced facilitators evolving their craft towards greater collective group wisdom.

In each episode ill interview a different facilitator working in areas like relationships, embodiment, therapy, intimacy and education. Each week we’ll be offering invaluable skills, insights, and real-life applications of what happens in group spaces and how it can be applied in your everyday life. Discover how to navigate the delicate balance of holding and moving from a space beyond ego, rooted in the present moment, and connected to your soul's calling.

Join us as we uncover the secrets to creating spaces where participants feel safe enough to be brave, and free enough to be authentic, where magic unfolds naturally in the service of something far beyond ourselves.  

Let's embark on this journey together, learning, sharing, and co-creating alongside other inspirational group facilitators as we tune into "The Art and Heart of Holding Space" and step into our roles as architects of a new paradigm, one heartfelt connection at a time.

Launching in July 2024. 

Connect with Rachel

Website

Rachel Rickards 

https://rachelrickards.com

The Field Facilitator Training

www.the-field.com

Podcast

www.rachelrickards.com/podcast

Subscribe to Apple 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-presence-we-trust-the-facilitation-podcast/id1755771265

Subscribe to Spotify 

https://open.spotify.com/show/0Zlb6L6KjvXauxRdTtDzjS

Youtube

www.youtube.com/channel/UCRmmuc197KtfMp-UZfSzO_A

Instagram 

The Field Facilitator Training

www.instagram.com/thefieldfacilitation

Rachel Rickards

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Facebook

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