"There is power, liberation, and beauty when we stop to see, and trust what is inside."

These are the words that Troy Bronsink opens his About page with on his website. They are not just words; my experience of talking to him are that they form the foundation of how he approahces life. In this rich, exploratory conversation - the final interview of Season 1 of this show – Troy brings these words to life. We start with slowing down, noticing what is happening within and between us, two people sitting in our homes on different continents.

Troy is a faciltator and transformational coach who takes contemplative approaches to building belonging in businesses and movements. He founded The Hive, a centre for art, action and contemplation in Cincinnati, Ohio, and listening to him, I felt I was in the presence of hard-won wisdom.

In this conversation we explore: 

• Why it felt important to spend the time together talking, and what we each needed to name in order to be able to be present
• How to ground into the present moment (a live practice rather than a theoretical explanation!)
• What it means to stay connected to ourselves whilst also unblending from the parts of ourselves that it isn't helpful to have 'in charge'
• Hope, community and the power of relationships that are worth repairing.

This is such a beautiful end to a series of conversatios that have stretched, inspired and affected me. I hope they've done the same for you.

Connect with Troy here:

On LinkedIn

On his website

On Instagram

Find out about The Hive here, including their online classes and courses

Meg Wheatley's work is here (her work is also in episode 3 with Helena Clayton)

As always, if you find this show valuable, please rate, review or share it with someone you know. You can reach me on theheardspace@gmail.com 

When you think about your life - about the doors that opened, the ones that didn't, the opportunities you took and the ones that you didn't – how do you make sense of how and why those opportunities came your way?

When it comes to women "succeeding" in the workplace, and I use the term with speech marks deliberately, it's clear that organisations have a lot to learn and do differently. Women sit at just 12% of the boardrooms globally and for women of colour, the picture is even bleaker, with just 5.7% of Fortune 500 seats in the US being held by women of colour.

Today's guest, Jane Sassienie, looked around her at the women who took up roles like this, alongside other senior leadership roles in organsiations, and asked one question: how did she get there? Through her research, conducted at Bridge Partnership in partnership with WeAreLeftfield, a design-thinking consultancy, Jane spent years exploring what enables women to thrive whilst staying true to who they are amidst a status quo that typically sets them up not to.

In today's conversation, we discuss:

• The thinking and experiences behind the research, including her frustration at being asked by organisations to teach women 'how to be more assertive'
• Jane's fascination with the idea of pre-menstrual ecstacy, and how this ultimately led her to thinking about women's experiences in the workplace
• Why being a women involves being in a process of continual change
• What organisations and leaders in them can do to create the conditions where women can thrive.

I really believe in the idea that a rising tide lifts all boats, and because of that, I think that this episode is for everyone, regardless of your sex or gender. If you have or have ever had a woman in your life (and let's face it, who hasn't!), then this is a must-listen.

Resources

Download How Did She Get There? 

Find out more about Jane and WeAreLeftfield here

Connect wth Jane on LinkedIn

Find out more about the Bridge Institute's amazing systemic work here

The Deloitte study on women in boardrooms

Women of colour in the boardroom

If you find this show a helpful or stimulating listen, please rate or review in your podcast app. It really helps spread the word about the show. Email Elloa on theheardspace@gmail.com or connect with her on LinkedIn here

Have you ever wondered how differently your life might have unfolded if you had made different choices, had different mentors or influences, or been given a different type of support?

Our lives are mysterious things. They unfold, often in ways we cannot predict or imagine. Quoting the poet Tomas Tranströmer, Cheryl Strayed once wrote that “Every life ‘has a sister ship,’ one that follows ‘quite another route’ than the one we ended up taking. We want it to be otherwise, but it cannot be: the people we might have been live a different, phantom life than the people we are…” She goes on to say that we’ll never know about this sister life, full of all the things that could have been.

The trajectory our lives take, and the forces and factors that influence them, is the subject of this week’s conversation with the phenomenal Andrez Harriott. As the founder and CEO of The Liminality Group, Andrez’s work centres on changing the trajectory of the lives of children who are most at risk of becoming involved in criminality whilst working with those currently in the system. He is also a member of the British R&B band, Damage, who have sold over 2 million singles and albums worldwide.

This, quite frankly, is an unmissable episode. One that will make you think differently about how we perceive and make sense of children who offend and the responsibility we all have to support them to be able to make different choices.

In this episode, Andrez and Elloa discuss:

• The work of The Liminality Group, including why Andrez and his team take 10 boys to Scotland and the Lake District in a tour bus
• How his experience of being in Damage influences his work with children at risk of criminality
• His experience of coming into this work with a 'hero mindset' and what changed for him
• What he sees as the primary task of the prison system
• How he contains the emotions this kind of work brings up, and how he practices and models self-care
• The degree to which he has hope.

Find out more about Andrez's work and The Liminality Group here:

Connect with Andrez on LinkedIn

The Liminality Group's website (currently under construction)

TLG on Instagram

Microscope Consultancy on Instagram

Brathay Lodge in The Lake District

Adverse Childhood Experiences - see here, for example

Enjoying The Heard Space? Please rate and review the show in your podcast/listening app of choice.

Email Elloa: theheardspace@gmail.com

Connect with Elloa on LinkedIn.