Feeling Beings Who Think

Facilitating Through Anxiety: So We Can Human Better with Meg Bolger

Good facilitators are attuned to the anxiety present in any room. Great facilitators understand that anxiety is energy waiting to be transformed into curiosity and engagement in service of growth and learning.
In this episode, I’m joined by Meg Bolger, a facilitator’s facilitator and the creator of Facilitator Cards. Together, we explore facilitation isn’t just for workshops and brainstorming meetings, but in everyday leadership that cares about making room for being human in spaces where we hope to hold honest, meaningful, and sometimes challenging conversations.
Meg shares practical insights and clear do’s and don’ts for skillful facilitation, offering tools to help you design meetings and gatherings that truly support the purpose and goals of the group.
And yes these skills apply just as much to worship and other sacred or meaningful gatherings (I’m talking to you, my clergy friends).
You’ll come away with:
How to move beyond open-ended questions and structure participation so more voices are heard
Why group size and simple materials are powerful levers for engagement (in person and online)
How trust is built before the meeting even starts through clarity, logistics, and care for people’s experience
Connect with me at www.ariannerice.com
Thanks for listening to Feeling Beings Who Think! If this work supports you in yours please take a moment to rate and review this episode.
Guest Bio:
Meg Bolger has spent over a decade teaching people how to facilitate meaningful, inclusive group experiences. She specializes in foundational facilitation skills and practical processes that help groups think, decide, and connect more effectively.
Learn more about Meg’s work and Facilitator Cards: https://facilitator.cards

Staying Calm in the Mess: Leading Volunteers as a Leadership Skill

It's hard working with volunteers! You're thrilled they are giving their time and talents to support the mission and you have to support them in how to best help you. Volunteer-based systems create a unique leadership dynamic: you are accountable with the very people you lead. Without clear structures, this often leads to over-functioning, unproductive meetings, and burnout.
In this episode, you’ll explore:
Why working with volunteers requires a different leadership posture
How over-functioning shows up in nonprofit and church leadership
A five-discipline framework for coaching your board or vestry as a team
How clarity and connection can reduce burnout and build shared accountability
If you lead in a volunteer-driven organization and want a steadier, more sustainable way forward, this episode offers a framework you can apply immediately.
Click here for more information on the lay retreat and clergy retreat I'll be leading in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark in February and March 2026.
Connect with me at www.ariannerice.com
Thanks for listening to Feeling Beings Who Think! If this work supports you in yours please take a moment to rate and review this episode.

Leading Boards, Staff, and Communities as Living Systems with Judy Wolf

You are part of a system. A network of relationships at work, at home and in the world. What does it mean to lead knowing these are all living systems that you influence and are influenced by? 
Today I'm speaking with leadership and team coach and coach supervisor Judy Wolf about how groups clarify purpose, navigate discomfort, build trust, and learn together over time. Judy shares a practical five-part framework for leading within complex nonprofit, faith-based, and community systems grounded in presence, awareness, and what happens between people.
Connect with me at www.ariannerice.com
Thanks for listening to Feeling Beings Who Think! If this work supports you in yours please take a moment to rate and review this episode.
Bio - Judy Wolf
Judy Wolf is an executive and team coach and coach supervisor, holding advanced accreditations from both the ICF and EMCC. She partners with heart-centered, service-driven leaders and organizations to strengthen trust, collaboration, and systemic effectiveness across boards, staff, and communities. Judy brings experience across Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and serves on the board of Coaching for Social Justice. Her work blends emotional, social, and somatic intelligence, informed by mindfulness, neuroscience, facilitation, and mediation.
You can connect with Judy on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/judywolf1/) or learn more about her work at https://judywolf.com/.

What Shapes Your Relationship With Time?

Your relationship with time and attention are dictating how you use these gifts in service of all you do. Have you asked yourself the important question: What has shaped my relationship with time?
In this short reflection I share the value of exploring time and attention as relational gifts, not scarce commodities, and to notice how urgency, fear, and values quietly shape the decisions you’re making.
Learn to reframe time and attention as relational, not transactional
Gain insight into how urgency and scarcity influence decisions
Takeaway a simple reflective writing practice to support your ability to make choices from a place of alignment, instead of pressure
Connect with me at www.ariannerice.com
Thanks for listening to Feeling Beings Who Think! If this work supports you in yours please take a moment to rate and review this episode.

Discovering the Tension of Emergence with Jennifer England

Today I'm speaking with leadership strategist, coach, and writer Jennifer England, host of the podcast The Tension of Emergence. Jennifer joined me from her home in the Yukon, and we explored how wild landscapes, deep silence, and contemplative practice have shaped her leadership, her spirituality, and the way she supports social change makers.
Together we talk about:
What “emergence” really means in our lives, leadership, and spiritual work
Why unpredictability, friction, and tension are often the catalysts for real transformation
Our cultural obsession with mastery and control—and what becomes possible when we loosen our grip
The inner capacities that allow leaders to stay present, grounded, and connected
How core agreements and belonging create healthier, more courageous communities and teams
This conversation invites you to notice what might be taking shape in your own life, not fully formed, not planned, but quietly emerging. My hope is that it helps you meet that unfolding with curiosity, courage, and a bit more spaciousness.
If this conversation supports you: Please take a moment to rate or review the podcast it truly helps others discover the show.
👉 A simple practice of building core agreements is outlined here.
🌿 Learn how I support clergy and nonprofit leaders in leading with clarity, courage, and heart.
Bio: Jennifer England
Jennifer England equips leaders and teams to pursue soul-aligned missions for the collective good.
A Master Integral Coach™, Executive Team Coach and skilled facilitator, she works with high-performing leaders to expand their impact and fulfillment. Known for cultivating adaptability and emergent collaboration, Jennifer helps leadership teams thrive amid uncertainty and change.
In 2019, she founded Spark Coaching + Consulting to bring together her passion for inner development, leadership, and systems change. Previously, she spent two decades as an executive public servant and non-profit leader advancing gender equality and human rights across Canada.
Jennifer is also the host of the Tension of Emergence podcast, where she convenes artists, philosophers, scientists, and spiritual teachers to explore transformation and systems change. She writes biweekly on Substack, and is a committed student of Zen, founder of the Wisdom North meditation collective and a life-long back-country adventurer. She is also the mother of two wild and wonderful soon-to-be adulting teens.
Links: 
Website: www.jenniferengland.co
Substack: https://jengland.substack.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/sparkcoaching/
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-england-7515b440/

How To Embrace Uncertainty

If you’re someone who prepares for the worst, rehearses every potential disaster, or believes that thinking through every negative outcome will keep you safe then this episode is for you.
I share two simple coaching practices to help you focus on what you can actually influence, release what you can’t, and meet uncertainty with more ease. Because the unknown isn’t only a place of fear it’s also where are led to surprise, delight, and wonder.
If this conversation supports you:Please take a moment to rate or review the podcast it truly helps others discover the show.
👉 The simple practice of building your container is outlined here.
🌿 Learn how I support clergy and nonprofit leaders in leading with clarity, courage, and heart.
Connect with me at ariannerice.com

The Wisdom of Not Knowing with Estelle Frankel

Today I'm speaking with author and psychotherapist Estelle Frankel to talk about one of the most paradoxical spiritual truths: that wisdom grows when we allow ourselves not to know.
Estelle shares insights from her book The Wisdom of Not Knowing, weaving together depth psychology, Kabbalah, Buddhism, and the simple human longing to grow into who we’re becoming. We talk about:
Why uncertainty is not a threat but a doorway into wonder
The spiritual and psychological “octaves” of not knowing
How asking better questions can reshape your leadership and inner life
What depth psychology and mysticism reveal about change, fear, and resilience
The dangers of spiritual bypassing and why our parts deserve compassion
How trust, hope, and curiosity help us navigate upheaval
The powerful question: What is the question your life might be an answer to?
Estelle’s wisdom is tender, surprising, humbling, and full of depth. This is a conversation for anyone living through ambiguity, transition, or calling.
Resources & Links:
The Wisdom of Not Knowing by Estelle Frankel
More about Estelle: EstelleFrankel.com
If this conversation supports you:Please take a moment to rate or review the podcast it truly helps others discover the show.
👉 The simple practice of building your container is outlined here.
🌿 Learn how I support clergy and nonprofit leaders in leading with clarity, courage, and heart.
Chapters
00:00 — Opening & Welcome04:33 — Estelle’s Story and Background07:50 — Certainty, Crisis, and Becoming10:40 — Living with Uncertainty13:01 — Listening and Beginner’s Mind14:59 — Psychology, Spirituality & Integration18:45 — The Stages of Not Knowing21:52 — IFS and Self-Compassion28:18 — Wonder and Awe31:40 — Mystery, Humility & the Ungraspable35:35 — Hope and Resilience38:20 — Trust and Repair41:27 — Estelle’s Work & Closing

What is a Coaching Container (and Why it Matters!)

When you want to come away from a conversation with specific outcomes, it’s up to you to create the conditions for getting what you need. 🌱
In this solo episode, I’m unpacking the concept of a coaching container - an intentional framework of agreements and questions to generate a space for connection and clarity. 💬 Collaboration (and isn’t that what a conversation is?) flows much better when everyone feels seen and heard.
Container-building isn’t just for coaching! It’s for any conversation that matters to you. Whether you’re preparing for a meeting, a one-on-one, or a personal conversation that requires courage and care, this episode offers a practical, immediately applicable framework for setting yourself up for success. 🌿✨
👉 The simple practice of building your container is outlined here.
🌿 Learn how I support clergy and nonprofit leaders in leading with clarity, courage, and heart.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Coaching Containers
02:06 Defining a Coaching Container
03:37 Creating the Right Environment
06:36 The Importance of Psychological Safety
08:56 Applying Coaching Principles to Conversations
10:58 Wrap-Up

When Leadership Becomes Liberation with Shilpa Alimchandani

Today I’m speaking with coach and facilitator Shilpa Alimchandani and we're talking about the courageous and liberating work of how we examine the systems and contexts that shape our sense of self and leadership. Together we discuss how we view the coaching container as a sacred space.  And Shilpa shares how through movement, music, and sound, we set that space apart, quiet the noise, reconnect with our bodies, and practice presence.
Shilpa is founder of Mookti Consulting partnering with mission-driven organizations to build human-centered workplaces. She brings more than 25 years in DEI, leadership development, and intercultural learning, and has facilitated in 20+ countries. As a coach, she supports women of color to lead with purpose and clarity without sacrificing values or well-being, helping clients see how social identities and systemic power dynamics shape our experiences.
👉 This is the simple practice I mention in the episode to support your leadership work.
🌿 Learn how I support clergy and nonprofit leaders in leading with clarity, courage, and heart.
Connect with Shilpa Alimchandani at Mookti Consulting
Chapters
00:00 The Problem Isn’t You00:48 Welcome + Shilpa’s Story05:18 Bridging Cultures + Finding Purpose08:31 The Teddy Bear Story10:27 Coaching in Context12:13 Music, Movement, and Presence16:05 Creating Sacred Space20:28 Imposter Syndrome Reframed26:34 Unlearning + Agency30:30 Both/And Living33:46 The Power of Music + Memory38:22 Hope in Collapse44:40 Closing Reflections
 

Two Kinds of Wisdom Every Leader Needs

In this reflection episode, I explore the two kinds of wisdom that shape the spirituality of leadership: the practical wisdom that guides what we do, and the perennial wisdom that shapes how we are.
Drawing from my conversation with translator and contemplative teacher Carmen Acevedo Butcher, I share how contemplative practices strengthen our capacity for discernment, patience, and presence. The vital the inner qualities that allow us to lead with love rather than react from anxiety.
I also include a simple, practical tool from The Daring Way™ framework to help bring clarity and ownership to any conversation.
👉 Try this simple practice that will ensure you and your team or board leave meetings more clear and aligned, all while building trust.
🌿 Learn how I support clergy and nonprofit leaders in leading with clarity, courage, and heart