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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Connect to Suzanne Dietz:

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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/

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

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

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Yuko Gendo:

Website

LinkedIn

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

Support the show

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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

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

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Katerina Kupenga:

LinkedIn

Website

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

Support the show

✨✨✨

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/