When you are ready to start something, I’m here as a thinking and design partner helping you bring your ideas into form in ways that create ripple effects of benefits in multiple directions.
Each of us can take positive action by starting small groups and/or hosting conversations that matter. I envision a cultural renaissance where people start up many kinds of groups and gatherings that offer opportunities for positive social interaction, mutual support, and collaboration to make meaningful change. In this spirit, I invite you to find a friend or colleague and start something.
Any one of us can take the role of a “network weaver” and community builder, finding ways to strengthen the ability of our community to take wise action and restore relationships that are missing or broken in a community.
I offer coaching and support for you as a convener and facilitator as you walk through the design and hosting of a group or gathering.
Here are some examples to spur your ideas:
- Resourcing key roles – Create gatherings and regular support groups for roles that are under particular stress in these times, such as young mothers, nurses, teachers, and other essential workers.
- Whole system in the room – Take action on the common frustration of things being too siloed and different roles in the organization or organizations in the community not talking to each other. With good process design and facilitation, you can get people connected and in conversation about key issues that you need to address together.
- Kindred spirits/thinking partners – Host a regular meeting of colleagues where you can share your work, challenges, half-baked ideas, and deeper questions. Click here to learn about the story of the Inklings, a writing group where J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia met at a pub weekly to share ideas.
- Intergenerational dialogues or events – Connect the lived experience and wisdom of older people with youth by bringing people together across generations to share stories and explore a theme. Host gatherings that support people in the community with challenges they’re facing, drawing on the wisdom from many generations.
- Community rituals – Create spaces where people can honor our losses, remember loved ones who have passed, celebrate thresholds and milestones of people or groups, or come together to learn and share after a hard time.
- Peer co-coaching – Set up a weekly call, coffee, or walk with a colleague, with a structured format that gives you each time to share and get feedback.
- Local entrepreneur network building – See The Power of Potlucks as an example of how a local community’s entrepreneurs’ monthly potlucks led to many positive outcomes for their local food economy.
Thinking partner sessions are typically a one-hour experience – either on-line, in person, or a ‘walk and talk’ outside.
If you would like to start a group or host a gathering, please click below to book a 30-minute clarity call with me to explore and clarify your idea and how I could support you in making it happen. (This is no charge.)
If you have a friend, colleague, or family member you’re working with on this, feel free to invite them too.
Also, see the Meeting Design tab if you’d like a thinking partner to help design a meeting or gathering.
While in grad school, I developed a model for assessing positive versus toxic workplace dynamics. When I started working with Beth, I felt blocked about fulfilling this passion project given my demanding work schedule.
We started with Beth’s “walk and talk” option, which provided an enjoyable way to describe and think through my model while we were walking at Wagon Hill Farm. Beth’s insight, system thinking approach, and listening skills allowed her to immediately focus on the relevance and applications of my work. From the very beginning,
Beth’s full attention made me feel heard and understood. As we continued talking, her questions and comments helped me envision beneficial ways to bring this project to market.
We followed up our walk and talks with systemic coaching constellation work. This was my first experience with constellations, and I was amazed at the process. The first constellation provided clarity about my commitment to this project and limitations associated with my current work schedule; the second provided insights about how the path could unfold. After this, pieces started falling into place. My schedule has now freed up, and I am thrilled to be working full-time on launching my new venture.
Beth has an incredible way of listening carefully, seeing the big picture, envisioning possibilities, and communicating in a caring and inspirational way. Her intuition, systems thinking skills, and compassion helped me get clear about what I wanted and needed to do and inspired me to take the next steps.
As a professional woman, mother, partner, friend and daughter (to mention a few), there are many demands of my time, which make it hard to reach out for support and find opportunities to network. I decided to create a prototype project to offer networking and support circles for professional women who were sharing similar experiences as me. Beth was a mentor and advisor, as I designed and piloted this process with a focus group of six women.
Beth brought a sense of humor, compassion, and insightful questions, knowing when to gently push me. All the feedback I received, even if it challenged me, always made me look deeper and think more broadly. Right from the beginning, when I held the focus group of six women, I heard things that I didn’t anticipate and began to re-work what the workshop and circle prototype might look like based on that feedback.
Beth was open in sharing of herself and her experiences. I appreciated hearing about how important connections and circles had been in her journey. It inspired me to continue moving forward!
Today, I have a circle of women to offer support and multiple perspectives. We’ve shared our experiences, supported each other professionally, been vulnerable together – which, especially during COVID, has been incredibly valuable. Seven of us have been meeting now for four years! I can’t thank Beth enough for her important role in helping to make all of this happen.