Courageous Conversations
Finding agency and meaning in a time of meta crisis
“We’re in a hole. Stop digging. Start collaborating. Everybody has a role to play.”
How might it be possible to find meaning and agency in a time of multiple crises?
When we face the enormity and complexity of the metacrisis it’s easy to get bogged down, to feel dejected, despairing, overwhelmed. Yet, look around. It’s clear more and more people recognise we are in a hole, and nobody is coming to save us. We need to stop digging – there’s no point going faster if we’re going in the wrong direction – and we need to start collaborating better. To have real and sustained impact it’s vital we harness the wisdom and power of the collective. That means EVERYBODY has a role to play.
– What is the Work we need to do to respond to the great challenges of our time? – What are the unique gifts you have to offer? This course is an opportunity to be with others as we ‘go upstream’, explore these questions, & how we respond wisely to the challenges. To not respond from urgency or fear, but from groundedness and compassion. – Together WE can make a difference. What YOU do matters.“I loved participating in this course. It opened the door to not only new knowledge and insights but also to an incredible community. Highly recommended.” – Simoon Fransen
This course invites an inquiry mindset and draws on an ecology of practices from nature, wisdom traditions, the attitudes of mindfulness and neuroscience. It supports and challenges you to deepen your own inner work and helps you to cultivate curiosity, compassion and courage; foundational traits for doing this work.
These practices will also support your colleagues, clients, and communities with their inner work, to more effectively engage in difficult conversations without succumbing to overwhelm. Integrating personal development, systemic frameworks, indigenous and regenerative perspectives, we will co-create pathways to better support ourselves and to engage others with these challenges.
“In a BANI – brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible – world, systems are fragile, people are anxious due to uncertainty, cause and effect relationships are non-linear, and complexity can be overwhelming.” – Jamais Cascio (Futurist)
Who is this course for?
It’s for everybody who feels called to make a difference. Business owners, leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, coaches & therapists, sustainability and community development practitioners, L&D, OD & HR professionals, concerned citizens. The course provides a safe space to be with difficult emotions, as we explore challenging questions, in a supportive and caring environment.
Anyone who wants to step into their power, encourage colleagues, clients and others to do the same, and have conversations that matter. Participants are invited on a journey of discovery over six months, to challenge their habitual ways of thinking, speaking and acting.
“The greatest breakthroughs of the 21st Century won’t occur because of technology. They’ll occur because of an expanding concept of what it means to be human.” – Giles Hutchins (Leadership Coaching)
Course Dates
Course Starts October 21st
All sessions are online and on Tuesdays
14:00-17:00 Dublin/London, 15:00-18:00 CET
Courageous Conversations – Finding agency and meaning in a time of meta crisis – Autumn 2025:
2025
October 21st
November 11th
December 2nd
2026
January 13th
February 3rd
February 24th
Time remains the same in daylight savings time
Session 1 : Finding Our Ground
Introductions & Exploring the Challenges Together
Context: The Journey of Separation & A New Journey of Reconnection & Regeneration
Mindfulness Attitudes & Practice: Beginner’s Mind & Presence
Walk & Talks: Bringing nature into conversations & conversations into Nature
Session 2 : The Metacrisis Landscape
Going Upstream together while cultivating Curiosity, Compassion, Courage
Mindfulness Attitudes & Practice: Non-judging & Kindness
The ecological, social and spiritual-cultural divides
Self-Care Practices & being ‘Wisely Selfish’
Session 3 : Three Step Shift in Consciousness
Perspective taking & the Three Step Shift in Consciousness
Mindfulness Attitudes & Practice: Letting Go & Gratitude
Compassion: what’s love got to do with it?
Session 4: Going Upstream – The Invitation
Going upstream – what does it mean?
Skilful conversations and invitations
Mindfulness Attitudes & Practice: Non-striving & Patience
Cultivating a “not-knowing” mind
Session 5: What’s mine to do?
How can we be good ancestors? Indigenous Wisdom
Finding meaning & agency
Mindfulness Attitudes & Practice: Acceptance & Generosity
Working with Organisations – The Reality and Challenges
Session 6 : Bringing it All Together
Stepping Into Your Power & co-creating a community to support you to do this work
Mindfulness Attitudes & Practice: Insight and Compassion
For a New Beginning…….
“Great course! And it attracted such wonderful people. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who wants to become more systemically aware of themselves, of nature, and of how to resist the pull we all feel to be busy all the time. When we learn this we become more effective in having better and more courageous conversations with others. ” – Linda Aspey
Pricing
Early Bird (before October 7th): individuals €695, organisations (per participant) €1,100
Regular Price: individuals €795, organisations (per participant) €1,250
(includes course materials, support emails, and peer coaching)
Our intention is to make this programme available to people drawn to do this work. If cost is a barrier, we have a Scholarship Rate. To find out more please contact us.
“Fantastic course, I did this last year and learnt a lot about starting with a stop and getting in nature when coaching and having creative conversations. It’s a wonderful community too. I often use the concept of upstream and downstream to describe climate and social impact related interventions – this is a bedrock of the course.” – Lydia Stevens
To register or make further enquiries please contact
Grattan Donnelly | T: +353(0)86 225 2737 | E: grattan@grattandonnelly.com
Chris Chapman | T: +353(0)87 243 3691 | E: chrischapmaninireland@gmail.com
Course Overview
This course draws from diverse perspectives including leading-edge practitioners: Otto Scharmer, author of Theory U and Leading from the Emerging Future: From Ego-System to Eco-System Economies; the Inner Development Goals; Regenerative Leadership by Giles Hutchins and Laura Storm; Immunity to Change by Lisa Lahey and Robert Kegan; The Work that Reconnects by Joanna Macy; and interweaves mindfulness and nature practices throughout.
“The major problems of the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think” – Gregory Bateson
Course Experience
Between Sessions: Based on participant feedback Walk & Talk Coaching Conversations in nature are one of the most impactful and transformative elements of the course. The opportunity to have peer-to-peer deep listening conversations, with 6 different partners during the course is hugely beneficial.
These conversations, typically virtual (e.g. on WhatsApp audio) while walking in nature, provide a safe space to explore how you can integrate your learning during the course with your experience, and what you are being called to do, as you are invited to move to ‘wise action.’
Course Details
The Courageous Conversations – Finding agency and meaning in a time of meta crisis course provides a safe space for participants to have the conversations they yearn for. In 6 x 3 hour online modules over 6 months you will have opportunities to:
→ Dive deeper into big existential questions (e.g. “What does it mean to be human during this time? Who are we in relation to each other?” “How can we be good ancestors?” “What’s mine to do?”)
→ Deepen your connection with yourself, others and nature through various mindfulness & (self) compassion practices, nourishing nature practices
→ Connect at a deeper level with other participants, supported by peer Walk & Talk coaching style conversations between modules
→ Challenge yourself and support each other to clarify ‘What’s my calling? What’s my contribution?
→ For coaches we will support you to consider how your role and practice needs to adapt to the contexts we find ourselves in
→ Explore why what you do matters as you move to ‘wise action’
“The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for ” – Hopi Elder
What previous patricipants had to say...
I believe coaches can play a vital role in holding spaces to be 'courageous' and help support others to find ways to navigate to 'safer ground.' I highly recommend this programme, which is sensitively held by Grattan Donnelly and Chris Chapman to help find your own pathway and start the journey toward a regenerative future."
Go for it!"
Course Facilitators
Grattan Donnelly is a highly experienced coach, facilitator and trainer, passionately interested in how we can create a better world for all life.
With a background in leadership and management development, Grattan has been coaching since 2006 and a leading figure bringing mindfulness into coaching since 2014.
He integrates neuroscience, mindfulness, somatic and nature practices into coaching, facilitating the people he works with to do deep transformational work and be at their best to contribute to a more peaceful world and healthier planet.
He is a faculty member with both Dublin Business School and the Irish Management Institute and a keen sailor and dog walker.
Grattan is an Honorary Life Fellow and a Founding Council Member and former Chair of the Association for Coaching, Ireland. He is a Board Member of Mindful Nation Ireland and a member of the Climate Coaching Alliance.
Chris Chapman is an experienced systemic facilitator, working particularly with large diverse groups and communities of interest that go beyond single organisations.
Most of Chris’s current work is in the fields of education and sustainability. He has an MSc in Change Agent Skills and Strategies from the University of Surrey Business School and a particular interest in the relationship between adult development and our collective capacity to work well with complexity and uncertainty.
Chris leads facilitation work at the beautiful Burren College of Art, helping organisations and systems to find creative approaches to complex challenges.
This course has been developed and is being delivered in association with ReSource@BCA. ReSource is a dedicated centre at the Burren College of Art that facilitates organisations and systems find creative solutions to complex issues.
