"Hold space and invite grace."

A friend and seasoned facilitator gave me this advice as I was about to teach my first personal growth workshop at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. As a long-time CEO, my life hadn't been about space and grace, more like keeping up the pace of the rat race. So, becoming a facilitator was a major midlife shift for me.

I knew that I'd have to learn how to listen and on many different levels—to myself, one-on-one, and to the energy of the group. And, of course, if I was going to listen effectively, I knew I would need to be quiet more often. As Jimi Hendrix suggested, "Knowledge speaks, and wisdom listens."

I also learned to lead with questions, thinking of myself as an empathetic tour guide helping people explore their final frontier—the space inside themselves. And since being a midwife of epiphanies doesn't always run on schedule, this required me to be less focused on filling the day's agenda and more focused on creating the grace-filled container for the magic to happen.

As Jeff, Christine, and I started teaching workshops in Baja a month ago, I was reminded that facilitation is an art and that I'm always learning.

I look forward to connecting with you in Baja in 2022.