In January 2025 at our Virtual Compassion and Justice Leadership in Polarizing Times conference, we had a Community of Practice Grief Circle session. It wasn’t a panel, a talk or a strategy session – instead, people were divided into groups of ten with two volunteer facilitators who had been trained by us. For over an hour, people were invited to share one by one while others listened without judgment or response. We had offered grief circles before. But something about this moment – in our organizations, in our movements, in the world – made it clear:
This space is needed.
What began as an offering at our conference became something more. We continued hosting these circles monthly through Winter and Spring 2025. What came out of these sessions was insightful.
Grieving in Polarizing Times
Participants spoke of grieving personal losses as well as a collective grief at the ongoing unraveling of the world around us. Many people came with the aches of burnout, injustice, and the weakening of democracy. Others came holding quieter, less visible losses: isolation, disconnection, or compassion fatigue. One participant named it simply: “A shared space of people who are all trying to deal with the rapid decay in the world around us.”
Listening as Healing
What came up more than anything else was the power of listening. Not listening to respond, fix, or advise, but listening to understand. Over and over, participants named how powerful it was to just be heard without judgment and how impactful it was to watch what came up for them as they listened to others:
“So impactful, being listened to AND listening.”
“My listening became deeper and stronger.”
“I learned the power of listening without judging or trying to respond. It is powerful to simply hear and honor what someone is saying and have the same done for you.”
It’s Not Just Another Meeting
This practice isn’t like most virtual gatherings we attend at work. There was no real agenda to move forward, no deliverables to produce. Yet many participants said it was one of the most meaningful professional spaces they’ve been a part of in a long time. Why? Because it made room for the full human experience, laying the foundation for brave conversations training at work. In workplace environments, people tend to be asked to compartmentalize or put aside their feelings to show up– only for feelings to then come out in unproductive and even destructive ways, damaging workplace relationships. Listening circles are a way to bring heart and humanity into virtual spaces that are usually used for strategy and planning.
The structure and facilitation were key in making the circles feel psychologically safe for diverse groups of strangers. We leaned on practices like:
- Clear opening and closing
- “Stretch but don’t tear” principle
- Clear group guidelines for participation
- Facilitator preparation and debriefs after each session
Many people left not only desiring to return, but wanting to learn how to replicate the practice within their own workplaces: “I want to do this more, and learn to facilitate it well” and “My intention is to take the tenets of the grief circles into my day-to-day.”
Join Us
Our Community of Practice Grief Circles are returning this fall (Sept 24th, Oct 29th, Nov 26th, from 3pm – 5pm). You can join to feel supported as a participant, or you can volunteer to be a circle facilitator (after going through the process at least once), where you will be supported by Anima Co-founders in offering this practice. All participants receive a Listening Circle Guide on how this can be replicated within the workplace context.
In a world where polarization and divisions are becoming more rampant, practices to listen and understand one another become ever more important for team cohesion.
Annahid Dashtgard
CEO and Co-Founder, Anima Leadership
Annahid has a Masters in Adult Education and has trained in various psychological modalities to understand the root of systems change in human consciousness. She has spend more than two decades consulting, educating, coaching and writing on EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) issues across both public and private sectors.
Shakil Choudhury
CVO and Co-Founder, Anima Leadership
He coaches executive teams and has worked with thousands of leaders across sectors in Canada and the United States to help improve their diversity, inclusion and equity outcomes. He also specializes in designing and facilitating dialogue processes to resolve inter-group conflict, having led projects internationally as well as with organizations locally. As a South Asian-Canadian who immigrated from Pakistan as a young child, much of his passion for justice and overcoming polarization stems from his family’s civil war history. Shakil is also father to two high-spirited children, and regularly runs the trails near his home in Toronto as a way of clearing his head.
