CPD-accredited.
Eight years.
Thousands of women.
A circle revolution.
Become the kind of facilitator who can hold any space with presence, humanity, trust and integrity.
You do not learn to hold circle by reading about it.
You learn by being held by world-class teachers for whom this work is already bone-deep.
Teachers who can hold a powerful circle at a moment's notice. Create a retreat that changes how a woman understands herself. Design a gathering with heart and meaning for a room of hundreds.
That is the ancient way of apprenticeship. The initiatory path.
You sit beside mastery until it becomes something you feel vibrating in your own body and being.
THIS IS WHERE YOU BEGIN THE PATH…
…learning the skill to hold circle, and through it, creating a body of work.
Facilitation becomes part of your life AND work. A craft you carry for the rest of your life.
A skill that is the most vital of our time.
The relational medicine this world needs. The capacity to gather people, to hold space for grief and tenderness and wonder and joy, to hold difference with grace: this is what the world is starving for, and this is what you are being called to step into next.
"This is my daily life now, but I had to get here. And I did it by working with teachers and mentors who had already crossed the thresholds I was standing at."
— Gemma Brady, founder, Sister Stories
key dates
(Your choice of timing and group - 1pm or 7pm)
22 Oct - Opening Ceremony
29 October - Vision & Beliefs
12 November - Personal Lineage
19 November - Integration with Holiday Phillips
26 November: Anti-Oppression with Amelia Donkor
10 December - A Foundational Framework
CHRISTMAS BREAK
14 Jan - Holding the Space Q&A
28 Jan - Integration - Facilitation Practice
11 Feb - Your Voice with Amelia Donkor
25 Feb - Business Witchery with Rachael Maddox
11 March - Closing Ceremony
~ Early bird ~
Join before Monday 20 July for an in-person pre-course retreat in London on Saturday 26 September, plus a live, intimate Circle series with Gemma, founder of Sister Stories, from July, so you can truly land in the course before we begin.
We are on a mission to make circles as common as a yoga class.
On every high street, in every workplace, in every community: a well-held circle, and a woman trained to hold it.
That takes a sense of calling, yes, but it also takes craft.
This path is for those who want to commit to facilitation that's more relational. To leadership that is gentle, caring and connected. To lovingly moving the axis of power from the few to the many.
It takes more strength to listen than to speak. More courage to hold a room than to command one. More wisdom to be the quiet voice, not the loudest one.
That is the philosophy.
Circle is where it becomes a practice.
And this training is where the practice becomes the path you follow.
It is rigorous, accredited and built over eight years into the UK's leading circle facilitation training.
There is no one kind of woman who chooses this path…
We've trained therapists, coaches and counsellors. surgeons, head teachers and police officers. Creative directors, television executives, artists and poets. Women from 18 to 80.
What they all shared was a sense of calling, and a readiness to act on it.
Our alumni have gone on to hold anti-racism circles for Amnesty International, deliver menopause circles for the NHS, build grief-tending businesses, support the mental health of teachers in schools, and hold spaces for climate activism, for neurodivergent women, for teenagers and toddlers.
You don't need a particular title or background. You don't need to be a guru or an influencer. You need to feel the pull toward presence, connection and the courage to lead.
You might simply feel called to this work, without yet having all the words for it. That's how most of us began.
You might long to create spaces where women are truly seen, heard and held. We will teach you to build them.
You might be craving deep community for yourself as much as for others. You will find it here first.
You might want to weave circle holding into your wider body of work. We will hold you there.
You might want to deepen your facilitation skills and take your work to the next level. This is the space for you.
You might be making a huge, exciting life and work pivot. You belong here.
Whatever brings you here, you know that your calling deserves to be considered a craft and treated with reverence, that your circles deserve your trained and rooted self.
And that this time you will not talk yourself out of it.
“Within weeks of starting the training, I took action on dreams that I’d put off for years because I didn’t feel ready, qualified, or confident enough.”
Personally
A tender journey of self-return. Safety in your body. Trust in your voice. Permission to be who you are, and lead from that place. You become a space of belonging for others when you finally belong to yourself.
Professionally
A structure that grounds your leadership. A way to hold any group space with care, clarity and confidence. You'll no longer wonder "can I do this?" You'll know in your soul that you can.
Collectively
Circle is a countercultural act. To gather. To listen. To build bridges across difference. This work changes the world, and you'll be part of that change.
The skills are not the thing. You'll learn them all, of course. The frameworks, the techniques, the tools of good facilitation. But this training is a deep apprenticeship to the craft, and apprenticeship happens through sitting in circle space, being held in it, over and over, until you're growing roots deep and wide beneath your practice.
Because circle is less about the tools you bring into the room and more about your capacity to hold the emergent and the unknown. That capacity is something we can't think our way into. It grows in you slowly, through the circle's traditions and lineage, through your own lineage and vision, through becoming, many times over.
You will not learn this craft through PowerPoint presentations. You'll learn it by osmosis, the way apprentices always have. And what you take away is something sturdier than a set of techniques: the ability to trust emergence, to stand in a room where you don't know what's coming, and to hold it anyway.
Something else happens here, and it's hard to put in a curriculum. Deep in the body and the brain there is a softening, a permission, a deep sense of rightness with the work. The philosophy is taught so gently, so lovingly, that learning it feels like moving out of any linear sense of progress and outcomes, away from straight lines, and into a vast, evolving spiral.
We start with facilitation, and it weaves into your whole life.
You come for the skills and the training. You leave inwardly changed, forever.
“I’ve done a lot of courses, and this one stands out so much. The depth, knowledge and robust content, combined with the gentle strength and intuitive wisdom of the facilitators, is unique and compelling.”
Initiation circles during the summer
Land gently in the experience of being held by your core teachers, Gemma Brady, and Emma Johnson, with a series of pre-course circles over the summer so you sink into the work and receive an extra depth of holding.
Integration and Implementation
Dedicated sessions to tangibly integrate what you have learnt into a felt sense of knowing and a deeply practical exploration. Culminating in our final Implementation week, filled with hands-on support sessions, advice, guidance and ideas to launch, promote and run your circles in the real world.
Guest circles
A programme of over 30 circles during the training, offered for free by some of our most experienced alumni, so you are deeply held in circle throughout this training.
Live weekly sessions from 22 October - 11 March
Alternating Thursday circles through the programme, for teaching and for support, from the Opening Ceremony on 22 October to the Closing Ceremony on 11 March.
instant Access to a rich library of course materials
Available from the moment you sign up, so you can get started on this path through the summer, dive into reading lists, resources, study guides, podcasts, music, film suggestions and more.
core circle
A hand-chosen group of five to six women who will journey with you through this course and offer a space for depth, friendship, encouragement and discovery.
World-class teachers
Masterclasses with facilitators who embody exemplary space holding while imparting profound wisdom, knowledge and experience, including Holiday Phillips, Nicola Duffell and Rachael Maddox.
The Collective Hour
A weekly co-working and study session, to work through course materials, for those who benefit from working in community and a sense of accountability.
A lifelong alumni community
Once you graduate, you become a part of our community with quarterly mentorship calls, dedicated retreats, lifetime access to course materials, and a global network of almost 1000 facilitators. The training ends and truly, the path doesn't.
Course fee: £2750 (including VAT) | Payment plans: from £250 per month
This training will give you the opportunity to make an income from your circle spaces if you wish.
To make back your investment, you need to run ten circles or one retreat.
Year after year, we watch our trainees fly - new offerings, new income streams, new ways of living their mission in the world.
Across a lifetime, the return on this investment is priceless.
This training is fully accredited by the CPD Certification Service, the UK's leading body for Continuing Professional Development. Your learning is independently verified for quality, professionalism and impact.
~ EARLY BIRD OFFER ~
An in-person retreat in London on Saturday 26 September - where we gather in ceremony and step into this work in the body before the live training begins; and a series of live, intimate Circles with Gemma, founder of Sister Stories, from July to September, so you are held and connected from the moment you step in - a slow, spacious initiation into the work.
EARLY BIRD BONUSES AVAILABLE UNTIL MONDAY 20 JULY
JOIN THE 2026 TRAINING
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PAYMENT PLANS
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NINE MONTHLY PAYMENTS
TWELVE-MONTH PAYMENT PLAN
TWELVE MONTHLY PAYMENTS
BURSARY PLACES
Our goal with Circle Facilitation Training is to give women the tools to confidently hold spaces for compassion, care and community, while also pushing for more communal and inclusive access to these spaces. That means making the course accessible to a broad range of women, including those who don’t have the financial resources to pay for it. We are offering a pay what you can model for those who need it most.
For more information on our bursary scheme, and to apply, click here >>
“It is without doubt one of the best personal investments I’ve ever made. This world needs circles and the more ripples they create, the greater the level of change that can occur both personally and globally.””
We only offer this space twice a year…
If your heart is leaning in, let it. This is how the journey of a lifetime with circle begins.
If you want the full picture, the whole training laid out in all its depth and range with all the confirmed dates, then grab a cuppa, get comfy and dive into our Full Course Information booklet >>
Print or read the Full Course Brochure offline here >>
And if you have specific questions, this video is a great place to get them answered. It covers:
How much time will this really take each week, and what happens if I fall behind?
Do I need any experience holding circles before I start?
Will this fit around my job, my kids, my existing practice?
What's the full cost, and how do the payment plans work?
Can I bring this into the work I already do—my therapy room, my classroom, my clinic?
I'm scared I'm not ready or "not enough" to lead—is that normal?
If you have any other questions about payment plans, access needs, or whether this is the right path for you, we'd love to talk. You don't have to figure it out alone.
Come walk with us. The door is open.
“The training has so much emotional breadth and depth. The deep personal journey, integral to becoming a facilitator, is woven through every part of the course. It has been a precious and life affirming experience which has gifted me deeper self knowledge, space to be me and a TRUE sense of connection to the work.”
Karen Shepherd, Autumn 2025
CPD ACCREDITED
This training is fully accredited by the CPD Certification Service- the UK’s leading body for Continuing Professional Development. This means your learning has been independently verified for quality, professionalism and impact. On completion of the training and our assessment process, you’ll receive a CPD certificate recognising your hours and achievements.
TESTIMONIALS
HEAR THE STORIES OF HOW OUR TRAINING HAS CHANGED LIVES
FAQ
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You are very welcome to enrol in this course and watch the calls as replays. As connection and community are so valuable to us, the course is designed as a group experience, so will be most enriching for you if you join live wherever possible.
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Our opening ceremony on 17 October will be two hours long. All of our Thursday callS after this are 90 minutes; and our optional Processing and Working calls are an hour.
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It will run again in 2026, in the Autumn.
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There are three, six and nine month payment plans available to assist with spreading the cost of this training. If you would like to discuss a bespoke longer payment plan, please contact us.
There is also a bursary place available at a heavily reduced fee for those in genuine financial need. Please contact us directly for more information on this & to apply.
If you are applying for a busary place we ask you to please refrain from booking a call; due to the sheer volume of applications it isn’t possible to have a call with everyone and we seek to keep the process as fair as possible.
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The location of circles varies. Since the pandemic, many of the facilitators who have taken this training have chosen to take their circles online, to allow them to continue. This has worked beautifully.
Where in-person circles are permitted, some choose to host them in their home, for others, a local yoga studio, some have even transformed local book shops and cafes in the evenings. The only requirement for a space to host circles in is that it’s a safe, welcoming and intimate environment. During the training, you will be given ideas and guidance on how to create a beautiful space.
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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. You will have the opportunity to attend lots of Circles during your training to ensure you have immersed yourself in them.
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The only requirement to become a facilitator is an open heart, a curious spirit and a compassionate soul. Women who have trained to be facilitators in the past have hailed from a wide set of professional backgrounds. We have had those from the media, charity sector, entrepreneurs, yoga teachers, actors, coaches, mothers, writers and so much more. The skills needed for facilitation require a desire to explore the complex inner landscape of our humanity. There is no one-sized fits all approach to doing it, so the more varied & diverse a set of skills within our facilitators, the richer the community.
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The CPD accreditation means that this training programme has been assessed and evaluated by independent regulators for quality, relevance and that it meets the standards for Continuing Professional Development. The learning value has been scrutinised to ensure integrity and quality. Upon completion of the training and the assessment process, you will receive a certificate from both Sister Stories and the CPD Certification Service to show your successful completion of the training.
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One of the glorious challenges of setting up a Circle in a new area is finding new pockets of the local community who will cherish a women’s Circle arriving in their area. Often, women who come to Circles share that they didn’t know how much they needed this work in their lives until they stumbled across it. You are offering an opportunity people may yearn for, yet not yet be able to name.
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Each individual facilitator is encouraged to find a method of running their circles which is supportive to them and their community, including setting pricing. There is no requirement to charge for tickets, but experience tells us that offering tickets for a fee helps create an exchange that supports facilitators to keep offering the work & encourage those attending to honour their agreement to show up to the space. We do not want women who are unable to pay for tickets to be excluded from Circles, so most facilitators choose to offer at least one heavily subsidised or free ticket per Circle to a woman who otherwise would not be able to attend.
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As often or as little as you like. Each facilitator finds their rhythm; perhaps once a fortnight feels good to you, once a week or once a year. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Once you have completed your training, you are encouraged to run a Circle within a month to give you the best chance of creating a thriving Circle community whilst momentum is high.
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Sister Stories is a space which encourages even the quietest voices to be heard and we infuse our training with this spirit. Those who facilitate are responsible for gathering and opening the circle & gently keeping it safe for attendees, but there is a dynamic of complete equality. There is no ‘leader’ of the circle, only a guardian who encourages its dynamic unfolding. Many women who are naturally quieter & less likely to ‘put themselves in the spotlight’ have found that facilitation has been transformative for them both in itself & in other areas of their life.
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To keep the space intimate, and allow space for everyone's voice and different approaches to learning, we match you with a Core Circle of 4-5 other women to jounrey with during your time together, as well as a wider community of women.
You receive the opportunity to have high level of personalised feedback and input from Gemma throughout the course, as well as very detailed feedback on your CPD assessment to help you feel really held and seen in your journey and confident in your practice.As long as you show up, you won't get lost here. We've got you.