
I am going to go pretty meta here, and it may not be pretty...at least at the start. Stick with me, as I do bring hope by the end!!
I want to start with a question for you: how do you see the future of our communities if we continue on our current trajectory?
Here's my answer:
We are living in a time of what many call 'late-stage capitalism'. I often point to what I see to be the signs that 'Rome Is Burning'...
....a social media culture that makes our young people feel they need to take their lives or take other people's lives....
....a global sales engine that drives us to buy buy buy things we may not really need and that the planet really does not need us to either produce or consume...
....wealth inequalities that mean no one is really happy, whether they have too little material wealth or too much...
....a pace of life that takes us further and further away from the ground, the practices and the people that truly nurture us
I came across a book recently called 'How Will Capitalism End?'. I must admit it was pretty dense so I didn't get too far! But from what I did read, something really struck me in the academics' combined visions of the future:
communities will have to become more and more internally sufficient, as states increasingly fail to protect them from the ravages of global capitalism.
Now, you may believe capitalism is a good or a bad thing, or somewhere in between. You may believe it will end or not.
But in any case, we have to recognise that if we think about what we are craving, what is really most supportive to us and our wellbeing, it isn't Amazon, or scrolling LinkedIn.
If we ask ourselves what is most important to us in our lives, and what most makes us flourish, the answers always boil down to one thing: connection.
Connection to ourselves, to those we love, to the communities around us and to the rest of nature (since we are part of nature).
And here we get to the good news and my answer to the question of 'Why Peer Coaching is the Future of Supportive Communities'....
Peer coaching is the perfect vehicle for connection at all of those levels:
connection to ourselves: through the process of being coached, and hearing others, it connects us to our strengths, our passions and what is most important to us
connection to each other: whether in a group or a pair, peer coaching welcomes vulnerability and through hearing each others struggles and deepest desires, we are connected at a level that feels deeply healing and nurturing
connection to community: as well as helping us think through immediate life challenges, peer coaching creates a space where broader world challenges can be brought to the table and worked through together. Environmental change. Social change. Community initiatives. They all benefit from collective focus.
If you'd like some evidence, some of the things that previous peer coaching communities have said about this:
"I have never felt so unlost while lost."
"It's hard to describe how magical it is to be made space for, listen and be listened to, and watch new insights unfurl, uncurl and emerge."
"Each month our sessions together brings new insights, reflections, deep listening and learning that I have practically been able to apply in my work and life; and best of all with a group of top drawer humans who are generous, supersmart, honest and it’s quite amazing how quickly trust and care has built."
"In a context of work challenges, societal turmoil and too many personal losses, sometimes you find yourself too tired to pick apart what is joyful and what isn't, what's easy and what isn't, where you need to play and where you need to step out of the way. A key thing I learned about myself in the coaching is that recovery is important for insight."
And in terms of results?
Incubated in peer coaching communities,
one wonderful woman set up a group for parents with autistic or neurodiverse children which is now 46-strong, including five change leaders who recently ran a training for their GPs on how to adapt their practice.
Another has been inspired to write a book.
Another to simply take time for herself to rest and renew.
Now imagine a future where all communities could be this supportive and generative.
That's a future I want to be a part of.
If you do too, come join us!
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