Not all clowns hide sadness behind a painted smile. Some wear their emotions on their sleeve, with earnest, overt authenticity, and deep self-awareness!

After taking a sign language course, Suzanne Dietz discovered how freeing it was to express herself through non-verbal communication – and it soon changed the course of her life. Hanging up her traditional facilitation hat and swapping it for a red nose, she now brings joy to the lives of asylum seekers and the elderly as a talented care clown.

Together, we unravel the wondrous world of non-verbal facilitation: from improvisation and silent connection, to letting go of performance, and developing a sharpened sense for the unspoken.

Find out about:

• The unexpected similarities between facilitators and clowns
• The non-verbal craft of clowning, the cues, and the communication form
• How Suzanne expresses and plays with emotions with authenticity
• How clowning can sharpen our intuition, and reveal emotional clarity in both ourselves and others

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Silence is a virtue, and nowhere is this more deeply understood than in Japan. A pause rich with meaning, where thoughts are carefully explored, emotions are quiet, and things are said, without any words at all.

So, how do facilitators hold space amidst the subtlety? Facilitator, workshop designer, and coach, Yuko Gendo invites us into the beautifully unique world of Japanese facilitation this week, as a practice shaped by deep respect, harmony, and quiet reflection.

She shares how non-verbal cues can soften emotional expression, how consensus forms through alignment, not debate, and together we compare our cultural experiences as two facilitators from opposite sides of the world. Join us!

Find out about:

• The cultural values of silence, hierarchy and emotional restraint, and their role in Japanese facilitation
• How Yuko navigates the tension between group harmony and individual expression
• The use of indirect expressions through cards, visuals and metaphor, in place of direct speach
• What Western facilitators can learn from their Japanese counterparts

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Carrying the wisdom of five generations before her, Katerina Kupenga inherited a special legacy from her ancestral namesake: the gift of Māori facilitation.

And as a proud wahine Māori from Ngāti Porou, Katerina joins me to share this rich wisdom with us all. She guides us through the sacred welcoming rituals of the Pōwhiri, the complexities of tribal relations, the spiritual intimacy of exchanging breath, and the energy work that takes place as people, ancestors, emotions, and tension are invited into being.

This is a truly special conversation about what it means to be Māori, and the unique indigenous methods that acknowledge the Māori people of the land.

Find out about:

• The traditional Māori rituals, chants, and the guidance of the gods that take place during workshops
• Katerina’s journey to relearning the wisdom and culture of her people
• The importance of honouring Māori practices and language – free of Western agendas, structures and timeframes
• Facilitating conversations and tensions around intergenerational, ancestral traumas
• The unconscious biases that exist in the facilitation sector, and the alternative perspectives we need

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Gathering hundreds of people is most facilitators’ worst nightmare – but for Perle Laouenan-Catchpole, it’s her dream.

With her signature feminine energy and warmth, Perle connects large online groups as one, cohesive team, creating a sense of belonging that sends ripples of impact throughout the group. Her secret? Comfort must always come before safety, simplicity will always triumph over complexity, and facilitating true connection begins with understanding yourself first.

This is a beautiful, passionate conversation for anyone that wants to step into their superpower, and learn the art of online, human connection.

Find out about:

• How to design workshops that connect hundreds of people as part of one team
• Why you should tell people what you do, rather than what you are
• How to foster a sense of belonging amongst hundreds of participants
• The power of speaking out your needs, to invite others to do the same
• The value of multilingual breakouts, allowing participants to engage in their mother tongue

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Do you dare to be powerful and confident? Matthew Hill, leadership trainer, conflict mediator, and intercultural facilitator has spent years guiding executives into their inner strength – but his approach might just surprise you.

He invites us to reconsider power not as the most dominant voice in the room, but rather a calm, curious presence, and confidence not as something we muster up once, but a daily practice of small, intentional acts.

From meeting difference with meaningful dialogue, and digging a little deeper beneath the surface of our interactions, to reclaiming our voice – episode 346 is for anyone ready to remove the obstacles standing in the way of their self-belief.

Find out about:

• The cultural nuances of facilitation and learning
• How to build confidence through daily micromoments, such as ‘adding one sentence’
• How to approach opposing views with curiosity, genuine dialogue, and a desire to learn
• How facilitators can use language to foster inclusivity, rather than widen divides

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Reverend Deb Hansen received a metaphorical message in a bottle, urging her to go to the US-Mexico border – a life calling that she followed all the way to El Paso.

As a facilitator-chaplain and quilter of the human experience, Deb has been there for people at the most painful and tender times of their lives – helping to understand their stories, and stitch back together the fragments of a broken, polarised world.

She brings beautiful stories about migration, spirituality, identity, and historical trauma with life-affirming reverence, she reads us a passage from her book Borderlands, and shows us all how to navigate vulnerability with grace.

A rich and important conversation about what it means to be human.

Find out about:

• Deb’s soul work with communities in a divisive, disconnected world
• Navigating vulnerable conversations with an open heart, and learning to sit with discomfort to honour growth
• Why authenticity is a lived practice that we manifest through words, body, and intention
• How to hold space for belonging, collective trauma, and grief in painful times

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Connect to Deb Hansen:

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Book

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Does an empty cup have nothing in it? Possibilitarian Mike Parker, believes not in its nothingness, but in its potential. Because when we pour our thoughts, feelings, assumptions and beliefs out of the cup, setting everything free, we create a container of emptiness – to make space for what we need.

Mike returns to the show with his signature calming presence to share his brilliant, beautiful thoughts on nervous system regulation in our age of overwhelm – and why guided relaxation could be the balm we are all missing.

From hypnotic anaesthetics, to neural networks, REM sleep, and the wondrous world of metaphor, episode 344 is for slowing down, tuning in, and returning to yourself. And at 59:36, Mike leads us all through a special, guided relaxation to do exactly that!

Find out about:

• How to facilitate space for creative calm, so that thoughts and feelings can emerge
• The crucial role of the facilitator’s nervous system in regulating others’
• How guided relaxation can help the subconscious mind to process stress, forge creativity, and find insight
• Why corporate mindfulness can shift toxic responsibility onto the individual

And if you enjoy today’s guided relaxation, Mike hosts monthly group sessions over at Liminal Lounge, where you can experience more of his wonderful work – as well as short guided relaxations on his website. 

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

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Connect to Mike Parker:

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

If a facilitator goes unseen, are they any less present? 

This is the beautiful paradox of facilitation: as we grow more adept in our craft, our presence in the room becomes less noticeable – less needed – because we’ve subtly set the magic of facilitation into motion.

Master of his craft Vinay Kumar knows this only too well. When you relinquish control, place your trust in the group, and set the stage for emergence to unfold, the space begins to hold itself – sometimes in unexpected ways. Join us as we go meta on facilitation and Vinay shares the stories and life lessons he’s learnt with generous warmth and wisdom. 

Find out about:

• How to become the invisible facilitator that lets go of control and trusts the group
• The polarity of facilitation: why you have to do facilitation to become facilitation
• What makes a professional facilitator, when everyone can call themselves one?
• The impact of sustained, collaborative facilitation that lasts beyond the first workshop

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Can an AI bot really become a co-facilitator? Returning to the show with a new book co-authored by artificial intelligence and an AI sidekick named Nyx, is Holgar Nauheimer.

After 30 years building a facilitation legacy, Holgar shares a glimpse into his latest phase of life: his companionship with his sparring sidekick Nyx. Shaped by hundreds of questions, facilitation musings, and workshop challenges, she’s become his creative consultant and trusted confidante – freeing him to become a better facilitator. Present, attentive, and fully connected to the people!

If you think AI is making us lazy, this conversation might just change your mind. 

Find out about:

• The impact of AI on facilitation, the risks, the opportunities and the benefits
• How Holger has trained his AI co-collaborator Nyx to support his ways of working
• How AI has the ability to learn and reflect our values as facilitators
• How to outsource routine tasks to AI to conserve your energy for where it counts

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Connect to Holger Nauheimer:

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. And master of change Jeff Wetherhold is no stranger to this.

He helps teams and leaders to create long-lasting, sustainable change not by plans, great intentions, or illusions of control, but through the beautiful simplicity of conversation!

He joins me in the podcast chair to share his 20 years of motivational interviewing wisdom: from having the courage of your conviction, to asking open-ended questions, listening deeply, and understanding the signals that people are ready to change.

If you’re feeling fatigued from plans that keep falling flat, an hour with Jeff is everything you need to feel inspired and start leading intentional change that lasts! 

Find out about:

• Why 88% of change initiatives fail in organisations – and what to do about it
• The ambivalence of change, and why facilitators can use it to their advantage
• How to plan for conversations about change 
• The ingredients of motivational interviews: open questions, affirmations, reflections, summaries, and sharing information with consent 

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

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Connect to Jeff Wetherhold:

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/