🎙️ FS 80 From Facilitation to Hosting: Creating Transformative Spaces with Peter Pula

More from Facilitation Stories All episodes →

1. 

   24 Sep 2026 · 26 min

   🎙️FS85 - Authenticity and Accountable Grounding with AI

   What does it mean to be yourself on purpose as a facilitator, especially in a world increasingly shaped by AI? In the latest episode of IAF England & Wales' Facilitation Stories , Sam Moon sits down with Hannah Boneham, Co-Founder of Facilitate Sheffield, for a conversation about authenticity, accountability, community and belonging. They explore what inspired Hannah to set up Facilitate Sheffield and how facilitation communities can create spaces where people feel a genuine sense of connection and belonging. They also talk about authenticity in practice, finding your own way of holding a…

2. 

   E84 · 7 Aug 2026 · 30 min

   🎙️FS84 - Dealing with disruptive behaviours, with Alan Heckman

   In today's episode, Umah welcomes facilitator Alan Heckman to share practical ways to handle disruptive behaviours in groups, drawing on his IAF England and Wales conference workshop and his background with ICA training. They talk about: Common challenges, from subtle withdrawal to over-participation to barbed comments Mango's in facilitation! Setting informal norms and tools for helping people feel heard while keeping the process moving. The facilitator persona Addressing hierarchy by depersonalising ideas Using the group to redirect off-topic derailments. Quote highlights "The very first…

3. 

   17 Jul 2026 · 25 min

   FS83 - Facilitation as a super skill with Robert Cserti

   In todays episode Sam is joined by Robert Cserti, who traces his path from a single transformative team building workshop nearly 20 years ago to co-founding SessionLab in 2013 as a side project (built during evenings and weekends while he consulted and his co-founder did a PhD) that grew into a company helping facilitators design and deliver better workshops. The conversation centers on facilitation's rising status from a "soft skill" to a strategic, organisation-wide capability tied to empowerment and employee engagement and on Robert's own philosophy of intentional process design, handling…

4. 

   E82 · 7 Jun 2026 · 23 min

   🎙️FS82 - Facilitating in communities with Jeffrey Marr

   In today's episode, Umah is joined by Jeff Marr, founder of The Practical Philosophy Club, to unpack the unique art of community facilitation and what it takes to design unstructured, safe spaces for deep, depolarising conversation. Moving away from top-down corporate agendas, Jeff explores how his grassroots, peer-led facilitation model grew from a casual living room meetup in Mexico into a global network hosting over 800 people a week across 28 countries. They talk about: The power of the introduction and why the first few minutes are the facilitator's most critical tool for setting…

5. 

   15 May 2026 · 33 min

   🎙️ FS81 - Abimbola Olajide - Tactile, hands on practice

   In today's episode, Olivia is joined by Abimbola Olajide, serial social entrepreneur and Chief of Play, to explore tactile, hands-on facilitation and what it means to work with the whole person in the room. With a background spanning community convening, grief support, and corporate consultancy, Abimbola shares how she found her way into facilitation and why embodied, kinesthetic approaches are at the heart of everything she does. They talk about: ● paying close attention to embodied feeling when listening to stories ● how personal experience led to founding a CIC supporting people through…

6. 

   E79 · 5 Dec 2025 · 34 min

   🎙️ FS79_Julia Slay & Ending Sessions Well

   In today's episode, Olivia is joined by Julia Slay, founder of Facilitation 101, to explore an often-overlooked part of facilitation: how we end sessions well. With 15+ years' experience across social policy, consultancy and learning design, Julia shares her journey into facilitation and what sparked her growing fascination with powerful endings. They talk about: Why endings matter,and common mistakes at the close of sessions — rushed checkouts, lack of closure, and clunky feedback moments. How to design meaningful endings, using buffer time, reflection, grounding and action planning. The…

7. 

   E78 · 21 Nov 2025 · 28 min

   🎙️ FS 78 – Relaunch Episode: Meet the New Hosts; Umah, Sam, Olivia

   In today's episode, the Facilitation Stories podcast returns with a brand-new hosting team — Olivia, Sam, and Umah — who share their stories, inspirations, and hopes for the next chapter of the podcast. They talk about: Why they joined the Facilitation Stories team and what excites them about podcasting as a way to connect facilitators and share learning. How their diverse backgrounds — from healthcare and construction to creative arts, community engagement and youth work — have shaped their facilitation practice. The power of collaboration and curiosity in creating spaces for reflection,…

8. 

   20 May 2025 · 42 min

   FS 77 Facilitation in the Agile Space with Farah Egby and Çiğdem Saka Jackson

   In today's episode Helene speaks to Farah Egby and Cigdem Saka-Jackson about Agile. They talk about: Agile as a set of working practices that prioritises people over processes and tools; Farah and Cigdem's previous work and journeys into Agile facilitation; The roles and functions that the "Scrum Master" and "Kanban" play in Agile; Roles and techniques in Agile facilitation and tips on how to do it; "I think you need to care. You have to be a caring person. I definitely don't believe it is, it is a rule book and just a set of applicable guidelines. You have to care about the people you work…

9. 

   25 Mar 2025 · 39 min

   FS 76 Chapter Chat with Andrew Spiteri EME Regional Director

   In this episode Helene talks to Andrew Spiteri, Regional Director of the IAF Europe and Middle East Region. Andrew tells Helene about himself as a facilitator, the kind of work he does and his background with IAF. He became regional director at the start of the year and shares a bit about the work he has been involved in so far, his roles and responsibilities as director, and what he would like to see in future for the region and beyond. He tells us about the regional conference in Romania in November 2025 and about what he most loves about facilitation. You can contact Andrew at:…

10. 

    18 Feb 2025 · 44 min

    FS 75 Race Ahead for Facilitators with Bianca Jones, Cat Duncan-Rees and Paul Brand

    In this episode Helene talks to Bianca Jones - Award Winning Mental Health & Anti-Racism Training Provider, MHFA England Associate and Founder & Managing Director of EDP Training, Paul Brand- Facilitator and Management Consultant, Director at Risk Solutions and IAF England and Wales board member and Cat Duncan-Rees- Facilitator and founder of Curators of Change and also an IAF England and Wales board member. She starts by asking Bianca to talk a bit about the work she does and what led her to develop EDP and the Race Ahead training She asks Cat and Paul about what led the IAF England and…