You are feeling called to hold women's circles.
You feel it in your bones.
That is why you are here, feeling the call to gather women.
YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
This self study course from Gemma Brady, founder of Sister Stories, provides a soulful, comprehensive guide to women's circles. It takes a deep dive into the theory and practice of circle, helping you to design your own circle and develop your skills in facilitation.
And much more than that, it offers a deep dive into your vision, your beliefs and mission in this world, helping you offer work in a way that feels soul aligned and is magnetic in quality.
Perhaps you are curious about circle work and have been yearning for someone to take your hand and walk you through how it works, the ways you can be transformed by it and the huge impact you can create through walking that path.
Perhaps you have felt the call to lead circles for some time, yet have been seeking some training and grounding before you take the leap.
Perhaps you have been holding circles for some time, yet are seeking a deepening of your practice, a rejuvenation of your relationship to the work.
If these words resonate, An Introduction to Women’s Circles is for you.
‘Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity & ageless knowing.”
Clarissa Pinkola Estes
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
This course is designed for you to move beyond a superficial level of learning about circle work into a much more deeply grounded and soulful offering so that you can transform your life and the lives of other women through your circles.
Holding circle space is an intangible, beautiful art which is a journey of inner and outer discovery. Your unique energy, presence and being will be a huge part of creating the kind of space that will help other women drop into the circle. Part of holding circle as a facilitator is to dance an invisible, graceful dance between structure and fluidity, which this course will empower you to do.
In this self study course you will:
Learn the purpose and power of women’s circles.
Understand the history of this potent work.
Connect to to your ancestors and the rich lineage you are part of.
Learn about the different types of women’s circles and how they work.
Connect to your vision and mission for yourself and the world to help shape your circle offering.
Design your very own women's circle format.
Enjoy meditations, reflections and worksheets to support your learning.
Learn how to Hold Circle Space.
Develop strong messaging and soulful marketing so you can ensure your circle is a success.
"I would recommend this course to anyone curious about circle work.
Each module is detailed and clear and I found the journalling exercises very supportive and thought provoking. The step-by-step format allowed me to carefully reflect on my intentions as well as understand the history of women’s circles. I loved exploring the relationship I have with circle work and was moved by the activities based on
recounting our own stories. The module on designing a circle and marketing were helpful in exploring the different options I have. I would recommend this course to anyone curious about circle work. I found it to be a gentle but clear introduction and it’s given me motivation and courage to continue learning about this area of work."
Teresa O'Neill
HOW YOU’LL LEARN
Delivered in a self-study format over online platform Teachable this course offers an accessible way of developing your relationship with circle work at your own pace. Consisting of video learning, workbooks, meditations and reflective practice, you can luxuriate over the content, feeling into what your own unique articulation of circle work looks like, or, if getting a circle up and running is something you want to do swiftly, you will be offered the tools to design, hold and soulfully market your circle within weeks.
You may be experienced in leading or attending women’s circles or you may never have sat in circle but are brimming with curiosity; this training is designed to support both those who are brand new to circles and those who are looking to deepen their circle leadership practice.
In our five core modules we cover a combination of the crucial internal work needed to prepare yourself to hold space and the practicalities of what kind of circle space you might hold, how you can structure it and what facilitation tools you will need to be familiar with to do so.
Module 1: Getting the Most Out of the Course
Module 2: An Introduction to Women’s Circles
Module 3: You & Circle
Module 4: Designing Your Circle
Module 5: The Basics of Soulful Marketing
EXPLORING YOUR CREATIVITY
This course will empower you to dive deep into your own intuitive gifts, values in the world and creativity. Holding your hand every step of the way, it provides a framework for reflection, inspiration and pragmatism, to give you the support you need to not only understand how and why to hold women’s circles, but to get your first event out into the world.
You will dance between freedom and structure, leaning into parts of you that want to hold circle and learning how to express this deeply feminine need alongside the strong, supportive structures needed to make your circle a success.
This course isn’t about giving you a formula for a circle, but will connect your individual creative vision and expression, so you can design the circle format that is the highest expression of your truth.
This course differs from the Sister Stories Facilitation training, where the women train in our particular school of circle work and enter a long term mentorship and commitment. An Introduction to Women's Circle is a course with depth and rigour, but is designed to allow freedom and creative expression for those who wish to learn about circle without a long term energetic and financial commitment to Sister Stories. If you wish to do an introductory course to see whether leading circle is for you, this is a really good option and then if the calling to go deeper arises, you can join us for our Sister Stories Facilitation training later in 2020…
"I cannot recommend this programme enough if you ~ like me ~ have heard the Call to hold Circle and create a safe and sacred space for all women to be seen//heard//winessed in without judgement.
Within the programme you will discover a wealth of knowledge//inner work//practical elements all to do with the humbling work that is holding Circle for other women.
The programme is thoughtfully and lovingly put together, you can actually feel the passion and love that Gemma has poured into this body of work and how passionate she is about you creating Circle for the good of all.
Thank you, without this course I would not have had the confidence to launch my first Circle and tell the truth about what was in my Heart."
Katie Beete
ABOUT YOUR TEACHER
I’m Gemma Brady, a Documentary Maker, Coach and founder of Sister Stories, one of the leading networks of women’s circles in the UK. I'm delighted you're here.
I'm on a mission to help support as many women as possible to increase their confidence, capacity and practical skills in leading Women's Circles.
What started in my living room as an experiment in holding a circle I tentatively named “Sister Stories” has grown to something beyond my wildest dreams.
It’s led me to hold hundreds of circles across the world and to train over 50 women as Sister Stories facilitators from the UK to the Phillipines. It has, without a doubt, been one of the richest, most rewarding journeys of my life and my mission is to empower as many women like you as possible to take the leap into doing this beautiful, fulfilling work themselves, so that as many women as possible might experience the healing power of sitting in circle.
I’ve made award winning documentaries for 12 years for major UK broadcasters from the BBC to Channel 4 and am a trained Narrative Therapist and Coach.
Weaving together my professional experience from a variety of disciplines, my women’s circle training offers a soulful, pragmatic and deeply considered approach to how to hold space with integrity, safety and profundity.
Please note: this course is for those who are curious about leading circle and want an introduction, or to design their own circle. It is distinct from the Sister Stories Facilitator training which qualifies you to run Sister Stories circles. For more information on that course, please visit our website here and read the section below about upgrading this course to become a licensed Sister Stories Facilitator.
“Gemma’s courses are delivered with grace and beauty. She takes time and care to craft beautiful words and images to reflect the intimate nature of her work. You “feel” in her courses and it’s like art. Rather than just learning, you are experiencing too. It’s a full sensory experience which can be difficult to create through online learning but Gemma does it with beauty and flow.”
Gayle Berry
“Gemma provides teaching with clarity, simplicity and depth.
I have been encouraged to hold close my value of femininity and its potential to create rich, lasting and life affirming connections, with myself, others and the world.”
Cherrelle Harroo
This course is offered at an investment of £179 plus. VAT and your access is unlimited so you can work through it at your own pace.
UPGRADE TO SISTER STORIES FACILITATION
For those who complete this course and would like to continue their training journey to become a licensed Sister Stories Facilitator, you will be offered an opportunity to apply to join the Sister Stories training at a discounted price, recognising the investment you have already made and learning you have taken. If this is of interest to you, please join the waiting list here:
PERSONAL MENTORSHIP
For those who love 1:1 in depth support, you can also receive mentoring from Gemma. To find out more, please contact us here.
“You will be guided to connect to the
rhythm of living from your heart and allowing the ripple to flow out and into your community.”
Lynette Greenaway
I am really interested in joining, but it’s not the right time.
Once you have enrolled in the course, you'll have ongoing access, so can come back to it later if you haven't got the time to complete it now.
I haven’t been to a women’s circle before, does this matter?
No! This is an Introduction to Circle for a reason and will teach you not only what circles are and should feel like, but will take you on an inner journey to connect to why you are called to them.
Attending a variety of women's circles before, during and after your training can be a very supportive practice to help you connect to this work. It is not, however, mandatory- for some, access to women’s circles is still geographically challenging and the purpose of this training programme is to help spread the work to new locations with a pioneering set of women at the helm.
How much time will I need to devote to this course?
In order to get the most out of the course, it is recommended you dive deep into the course materials. Each of the five core modules contains about 2 hours of learning content, and lots of optional time for you to reflect and go deeper. Like any self-study endeavour, the more you put in, the more you will reap the benefits.
I don’t know where I should facilitate circles.
Worry not! This is something we cover in the course. You can hold circles online or in a variety of different physical locations which the course includes ideas for.
Does doing this course mean I become a Sister Stories Facilitator?
No- this course is designed to be an accessible offering for those who want to lead their own circles independently, or, those who are curious about whether taking a step into a bigger training commitment is for them.
This is a self study programme- the Sister Stories Facilitator training includes intensive live training and in depth guidance on how to lead Sister Stories circles, a licence to join the established brand and use all branding materials and long term mentorship to help develop and sustain circles.
If you are weighing up whether to dive into the Sister Stories training, this is a great place to start- those who complete this training will get a discount on Sister Stories Facilitator trainings! It’s a win-win situation :)
What will this training help me do?
This course is designed to help is to spread the magic of women’s circles as widely around the world as possible. We need better access to circles for women everywhere. You can take the learnings from your training and use them in any way you wish! Enjoy creating!
