Circle Facilitator Training

24th February- 31st March  2025, via Zoom 

 

Fundamental Practices & Leadership Skills

to transform, connect and lead groups

Master the Art of Circle Facilitation

 

Circle practice is a timeless tradition where people experience a deep sense of 'coming home.' Our training equips you with everything you need to create and hold these transformative spaces—whether it’s within the walls of a corporate boardroom or under the stars by a crackling campfire.

Picture yourself leading gatherings where:

  • Creativity and innovation flourish effortlessly.
  • Connection and community are not just built but deeply felt.
  • Diverse perspectives are welcomed AND celebrated.
  • Transformation and healing happen organically.
  • Personal growth is nurtured and evident.
  • Group wisdom emerges naturally.

Our Circle Facilitator Training empowers you to foster environments where people feel truly heard, seen, and celebrated. Where people are encouraged to break through barriers and step into their power.

This journey goes beyond practical tools—it will elevate your leadership on every level: personal, relational, and beyond.

 

Sign Up Here

"The human soul doesn’t want to be advised or fixed or saved.

It simply wants to be witnessed – to be seen, heard and companioned exactly as it is"

Parker Palmer

Over five weeks, you will gain:

 

Trauma-informed Circle Facilitation Foundations: Step into your role as a skilled facilitator with everything you need to lead transformative circles. Learn how to create spaces that feel safe, inclusive, and deeply impactful—whether in a boardroom, community gathering, or intimate retreat.

Deep Understanding of Emergent Facilitation: Master the art of reading and responding to the energy of a group in real-time, allowing the wisdom of the collective to guide the process. Develop the intuitive and embodied skills needed to create spaces where conversations flow effortlessly and transformation feels almost magical. This is facilitation that goes beyond structure—it’s about holding space where authentic connection and deep insight can thrive.

The Power of Storytelling: Discover how storytelling can become the heart of personal and group transformation. Learn to invite, craft, and share stories that heal, inspire, and connect. Use stories as a profound tool for creating meaning and fostering deep connection in any circle.

Personal Growth and Leadership: Unearth your unique voice as a facilitator and expand your capacity to lead with presence and integrity. Strengthen your nervous system to hold space confidently, navigate your own shadows with compassion, and amplify your energetic and physical leadership presence.

Extensive Resources: Access a comprehensive library of personal practices and a detailed Circle manual blending time-honoured teachings with contemporary techniques.

Want to know more? 

Get in touch

Join Nele Vandersmissen for a transformative 5-week online training that equips you with all the essential tools to confidently facilitate circles. Get ready to unlock a powerful upgrade in your personal leadership in the process.

This immersive program features live group calls, engaging home-study videos, and an in-depth 80-page facilitation manual packed with ready-to-use templates and practical resources.

How will it work?

 

Participate from anywhere in the world in our live sessions, scheduled across five weeks. They are experiential in nature, with the opportunity to ask questions.

Catch up on the educational videos on our learning platform in between the sessions.

Upcoming dates: 

24th February – 31st March 2024

Online sessions will be held each Monday (except 10th March) between 7-9pm AEDT

What facilitator skills will you gain?

  • Creating safety and setting a strong container
  • Physical space setting (online and in-person)
  • Circle elements and formats for any scenario
  • Tuning into the group field and making adjustments accordingly
  • Transparent leadership
  • Creating resonance and coherence
  • Inviting people to check in and be present
  • How to open and close Circle spaces
  • How to warm up a field and create connection from the heart
  • How to use storytelling for wisdom sharing
  • Crafting good prompts based on what's emerging in the space
  • What to do in different scenarios
  • Facilitating big shares
  • Nervous system regulation
  • Basics of working with trauma when it emerges in Circle
  • Somatic movement and grounding practices 
  • Managing group dynamics
  • How to manage the flow of the circle
  • How to keep the sanctity of the container
  • Different Circle formats for different group sizes and needs (2-500 people)

 

Sign Up Today

"In my career I have facilitated over 1500 Circles, Workshops and Retreats and In the past 3 years, we've succesfully graduated over 100 Circle Facilitators. Nothing brings me more joy than receiving messages and photos from these people sharing about the incredible impact their work is having on the world. Join us to become one of them!"

Nele Vandersmissen

What is Circle Practice?

 

Circle practice is in our bones. It’s a time-honoured method of bringing people together in a shared, sacred space to foster deep communication, connection, and community.

It involves gathering in a circular arrangement, which symbolically represents equality, inclusivity, and unity, allowing every participant to be seen and heard.

This practice is rooted in the belief that each individual has valuable insights and stories that deserve attention. By participating in a circle, individuals engage in reflective listening and open sharing. Sitting in Circle gives access to collective wisdom, cultivates empathy, enhances mutual understanding, and strengthens bonds within groups.

Circle Practice can be adapted for all settings, including educational, corporate, or personal growth environments, making it a versatile tool for building stronger, more human-centric communities.

 

Sign Up Here
 

 People in your Circles will get to:

  • Connect to themselves and others in a deep, authentic way
  • Cultivate their imagination
  • Practice their capacity for non-judgment and true understanding 
  • Explore and strengthen their ability to hold paradox 
  • Feel seen and heard by others in safe ways
  • Deepen their skills in witnessing, listening and reflecting
  • Gain greater understanding of their own story
  • Share in the moral beauty of others
  • Boost their 'feel good' brain chemicals: oxytocin and dopamine 
  • Experience group resonance and the magic that brings
  • Embody self-leadership and responsibility
  • Celebrate vulnerability and the freedom it brings
  • Spark their desire for co-creation and collaboration
  • Honour an ancient and modern tradition
  • Expand their window of tolerance
Sign up here

Hi! I'm Nele.

I will be your facilitator

 

I’m the founder of Wondr, where I’m reimagining how we build meaningful community beyond our homes and navigate collective uncertainty. Circle practice is at the heart of this mission—it has transformed my life so profoundly that sharing it with others has become my calling.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the honor of facilitating more than 1,500 Circles worldwide, both in-person and online. My journey has taken me from boardrooms to deserts, from forests to corporate offices, and across countries like China, Dubai, Singapore, Europe, the US, and Australia. I’ve spent four years with Snapchat, establishing their Council (Circle) practice, and I’ve designed gatherings for groups ranging from 3 to 250 participants.

What sets me apart is the diversity of spaces I’ve worked in—bringing the transformative power of Circle to boardrooms, global retreats, and everything in between.

Circle facilitation is the one thing I’ve spent over 10,000 hours of my life mastering.

In the past three years, I’ve trained over 400 people in Circle Practices and Rites of Passage frameworks. It’s a joy to watch them carry this work into their own communities, creating ripples of connection and positive change.

As a facilitator, my style is grounded and authentic, sprinkled with humor and a deep respect for the unique genius each Circle participant brings. I’m here to hold space for your transformation and to help you uncover the magic that only you can offer.

"Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing,

there is a field. I will meet you there"
 

Rumi

What Others
Have Experienced

BE INSPIRED

'This training will stay with me forever and has thoroughly changed the way I communicate and hold space for others.  Nele's ability to read the field, engage, coach and lead is first class and her enthusiasm about the practice infectious.  I would highly recommend this training to anyone who is passionate about holding space for others, positively supporting communities and growing personally.'

 

Rebecca T

"Nele is an incredible facilitator who pours her entire being into the process of leading and teaching Sharing Circles. She is a force of nature, guiding the sharing process with both strength and vulnerability. There is real, authentic depth and wisdom in her approach.

I highly recommend joining her for any and all of the offerings she presents. Join her—you’ll realise how lucky you are when you do."

 
Rich L

Simplified with Multiple Payment Plans

CHOOSE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

1 Payment of

AUD $599

Paid In Full

  • Everything you need to know to start facilitating your own Circles in a safe and responsible way
  • 5 videos with all the foundational and practical  information.
  • 5 online experiential sessions with ample opportunity to ask questions
  • A Circle manual with everything you need to know
  • Circle design foundations and insight into different approaches and lineages
  • Q&A call a week after the training with ongoing support
  • A Circle Facilitator Qualification
Sign Up Today

3 Payments of

AUD $210

Paid Monthly

  • Everything you need to know to start facilitating your own Circles in a safe and responsible way
  • 5 videos with all the foundational and practical  information.
  • 5 online experiential sessions with ample opportunity to ask questions
  • A Circle manual with everything you need to know
  • Circle design foundations and insight into different approaches and lineages
  • Q&A call a week after the training with ongoing support
  • A Circle Facilitator Qualification
Sign Up Today

Frequently Asked Questions

ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE

Additional Testimonials

A FEW WEEKS FROM NOW
THIS COULD BE YOU

"The Wondr Facilitator Training was a transformative experience. The blend of self-paced audio-visual learning, a seamless learning platform, and group experiential sessions created a perfect balance. The training deepened my appreciation for the magic of being in Circle, while equipping me with the tools, confidence, and insight to craft my own group learning experiences.

I’ve grown in my ability to listen actively and have gained a deeper understanding of narrative coaching in both 1:1 and group formats. Being part of the Wondr community was a joy, and it continues to inspire me as I explore ways to expand my facilitation skills and collaborate with others on retreats and away days."

 
Ruth H

"I've done much self-development over the years, studying NLP, Nutrition, Sports Science, and other extracurricular courses. Through all of this, I've gained greater awareness and meaning for myself. However, completing my Circle Facilitator course has taken me to a deeper level.

Nele is an exceptional facilitator and trainer, and she ranks among the highest-quality leaders in various practices that I’ve encountered. Becoming a Circle Facilitator has helped me feel deeply connected with both myself and others. The profound nature of deep connection with fellow human beings is something I had deeply missed throughout my self-development journey. It’s amazing to feel how important and relevant these connections are, and this course has provided me with that."

 
Boyd G

 

 

 

"The practical application and the depth of detail explored in the program were incredible. It has given me the confidence to start running my own Circles, while equipping me with the skills to navigate the different scenarios that can arise during a Circle experience. Personally, the program also provided a greater insight into myself—my strengths, as well as areas I thought I had dealt with but may need to reflect upon further.

Nele is a fantastic teacher, and her ability to impart years of knowledge in a few hours was exceptional. I couldn’t recommend this training more highly."

 
Ben A

"The Circle Facilitator Training with Nele exceeded my expectations. The blend of live sessions and self-paced learning was perfectly balanced, offering both flexibility and depth.

Nele’s wisdom, presence, and ability to share her lived experiences as a Circle master were invaluable. I gained confidence to step into my role as a facilitator, learned the structure and nuances of various types of Circles, and came away with practical tools to use in both corporate and community settings.

The curriculum was engaging, relevant, and grounded in real-world application. The interactive and supportive learning atmosphere made the experience truly enriching.

I’m excited to continue this powerful work of gathering all ages in Circle."

 
Nim DS

"The power of Nele's space holding, her ability to read the field, and the synchronicities and depth we experienced in such a short amount of time inspired me deeply.

It sparked my own calling, introduced me to wonderful people, and provided the healing I needed. 

Joining the WONDR Circle Facilitator Training was an unforgettable experience. Nele's remarkable gift of tuning in and adapting to what’s needed really stood out for me. I've learned so much from observing her navigate the process effortlessly, playfully, and with incredible depth.

Not only did I meet the most wonderful human beings, but I also gained a deeper understanding of what happens in the unseen world when people connect and share stories in a dedicated space. It reveals and heals across time, space, and dimensions. Feeling the magic unfold in Circle each time is mind-blowing.

This training inspired me to begin facilitating women’s and mixed circles to have those hard conversations—about sexuality, money, and other areas still shrouded in shame and guilt. "

 
Jorien W

"Nele truly excelled as both a facilitator and educator. When I signed up, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by how effectively she articulated the subject matter and clearly explained the complex principles involved.

Nele was inclusive of all backgrounds and belief systems, demonstrating an impressive ability to create a safe space where people from all walks of life could feel seen and heard.

I now feel far more inspired and equipped to hold the same kind of space on my own after completing this course. It has also, without a doubt, shown me how to be a better communicator.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Nele and this course to anyone interested in learning how to or improving their facilitation skills for impact"

 

 
Jasper V

"What I loved about the workshop was the lack of fluff. The teachings were clear, concise, and encouraged vulnerability and deep sharing.

This experience has helped me discover, uncover, and refine my natural abilities, giving me the confidence and tools to start my circle facilitator journey. Being part of a community of people dedicated to bringing change to the world was truly inspirational.

It showed me that I am part of the change I want to see, and now it's time for me to bring that to life. The format and process of the training were fantastic"

 
Shane B

"I truly appreciated Nele’s professional and well-structured approach. The combination of live calls where we got to experience Circle firsthand and the theory shared through videos afterwards was an excellent way for me to learn. I especially liked that the videos were never too long, making it easy for me to watch them at my own pace.

Through this training, I now have a much deeper appreciation for the art of Circle. I have gained a clear and structured approach to facilitation, which makes me feel more confident in how I host my circles.

The Circle Facilitator Training was extremely professional, with Nele guiding us step by step through the process of setting up and facilitating circles, both in-person and online. Thanks to the combination of live sessions and informative videos, I feel thoroughly prepared to host my own circles after these 5 weeks"

 

Inge D

"The real-time learning that happened through experiencing Circle and the deep connection I felt with the group was invaluable. I now feel equipped with the knowledge and skills to facilitate a Circle. I’ve learned how to navigate conflict while fostering connection and how to see the beauty in differences. I also feel that I have a solid template and structure for creating a safe space where people can speak their truth."

 
Jade F

"The Circle training run by Nele was extremely valuable in elevating my skills in holding space. Her experience and support provided the students with the opportunity to step into community leadership and facilitate change within group environments. I highly recommend this training to anyone who wants to hold space in a transformative and impactful way."

 

Phil K

Whether you’re a community leader, coach, aspiring facilitator, manager, or teacher, this training will profoundly transform your leadership.

If you’ve been feeling a calling to lead groups in a generative way, this is your threshold