9am PT/ 12pm ET/ 5pm UK /6pm CET
3rd meeting - Brainstorming.
9am PT/ 12pm ET/ 5pm UK /6pm CET
3rd meeting - Brainstorming.
Meeting Notes
"A development group becomes an online group for developing the practice. When, facilitators are paid, they have a motivation to improve their skills and practices. This could create constant innovation groups."
Empathy Circle is a gateway practice. So we can keep innovating on top of it and adding more features.
Framing the Empathy Circles as part of the Empathy Movement.. Frame it about something bigger than just the individual.
Start creating a Public Facing webpages to invite the public to the Personal Support Empathy Circle.
Facilitator bios
their specialties
Benefits
Start holding a sample 4 week series Empathy Circle, with 2 facilitators and 4 participants. First one free to test and develop. Participants can help with development.
"with listening you get the biggest bang for the buck."
Cassel creating a training
Charging for the empathy circle
best things in world are free
there is the need for people to live in this world.
lots of people want to work on building empathy but find it hard to make a living at it.
Facilitator is taking the responsibilities and need to be compensated for that.
Project Discussion Topics
July 11 Discussion - Setting Professional Standards
The Empathy Center sets a Standard - it sets credibility -
July 18 - Marketing the Circles
you are investing in yourself
July 19 - Beata holds sample empathy circle
Professional Standard
Marketing - Promotion
marketing - bringing people together deserves payment
target audience
PROMPT: This is a video of one of our development meetings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0NaZ_FkRts
Act as an expert project manager and strategic advisor for the Empathy Circle Movement. Synthesize this development meeting transcript into a highly organized project report. Use these specific headers:
Executive Summary (The core vision of the paid model)
Key Tensions Explored (Money vs. gift economy, liability vs. standard-setting)
Strategic Differentiators (Why this is unique and valuable)
Concrete Operational Decisions (Length, structure, agreements)
Immediate Action Items & Upcoming Schedule (Who is doing what and when)
Avoid any generic text; use the specific examples, metaphors, and terms utilized by the participants in the text.
Meeting Date: July 4, 2026
Project Context: Creating a sustainable framework for trained facilitators to charge for structured Empathy Circles, establishing a public-facing web presence, and embedding professional standards.
The core vision of the Paid Support Empathy Circles project is to establish a financially sustainable expansion strategy for the global empathy movement. By integrating Empathy Circles into existing economic structures (such as schools, social service agencies, and healthcare networks), the project aims to solve the chronic "income struggle" faced by individuals who wish to work full-time in the empathy field. Charging for this service is not designed to limit access, but rather to signal serious value, secure institutional buy-in, foster deep client commitment, and appropriately compensate facilitators for the immense administrative effort and skilled emotional labor required to bring people together and maintain psychological safety.
The Conflict: Listening inherently feels like a mutual interpersonal gift that should be given and received freely without an accounting balance (e.g., "I said good morning to you more kindly than you to me").
The Resolution: While the most valuable things in life are free, facilitators live in a world with real economic needs. The financial fee respects this reality while holding participants accountable. When an experience has a financial cost, it changes attendee behavior: they treat it as an investment, show up consistently to "get their money's worth," and are far less likely to drop out after a single profound experience.
The Quality Risk: If any individual can participate in a single circle and immediately charge for their own unmonitored sessions, a lack of quality control risks devaluing the reputation of empathy itself.
The Operational Strain: Enforcing rigorous quality controls, managing an employer/employee HR style dynamic, and monitoring facilitator behavior (e.g., addressing a facilitator checking their phone during practice) creates a potentially overwhelming administrative burden for a small core group.
The Legal Hurdle: Explicitly certifying or validating facilitators introduces massive questions around legal liability, insurance, and certification structures. The team explored balancing this by utilizing explicit facilitator-to-participant contracts, liability waivers, and restorative peer-supervision groups rather than top-down hierarchies.
Skilled Guidance vs. Clinical Outcome: Peer support groups are historically free because they lack a skilled leader. Therapy is expensive because it targets a clinical outcome. Paid Empathy Circles occupy a unique third space—similar to a structured 8-week meditation or yoga course—where participants pay for skilled guidance in a practice and access to a rare commodity: genuine, focused, unhurried human attention.
The Russian Nesting Dolls Metaphor: The practice provides a multi-layered structure of human connection:
Outer Doll: The explicit commitment and intention to listen deeply for a set timeframe.
Middle Doll: The active exertion of trying to listen as perfectly as possible despite wandering minds or fatigue.
Inner Doll: The actual realization of complete understanding.
Even when the inner dolls cannot be perfectly achieved due to human limits, the outer doll of "sacred structure and intent" remains intact and valuable.
Simultaneous "Inner" and "Outer Work": Unlike standard therapy which focuses on individual self-regulation, the Empathy Circle operates as a cultural change engine. It satisfies a personal hunger for social connection and community ("co-holding" shared burdens like aging or an ADHD diagnosis so individuals realize they are not alone), while simultaneously training the nervous system for compassionate civic and outer engagement.
Permeability to Real Life: The intensive structure acts as a habit-building incubator. Participants don't just receive immediate stress reduction; they walk away with highly transportable active listening skills that alter how they interact in their families and everyday relationships.
The Primary Format: A closed group structure running for a set period of 6 to 7 consecutive weeks. Sessions will remain at the traditional length of 90 minutes, maintaining a highly predictable roster of participants to maximize relational depth.
The Flexible/Drop-In Alternative: For open market practitioners, a monthly membership model can coexist alongside an intentionally high single-session drop-in rate to explicitly incentivize long-term commitment.
Institutional Tailoring: The traditional 90-minute model will be modularly adjusted when plugged into healthcare facilities, universities, or social service agency schedules to match staff availability.
Upfront Framing and the Initial Contract: The very first session of a paid series will dedicate an extended portion of time to setting the context. Facilitators will establish a transparent mutual contract detailing what participants can expect (punctuality, absolute focus) and what is expected of them—including a clear clause on digital distractions (e.g., keeping phones put away unless an emergency exception is declared to the group beforehand).
Restorative Conflict Resolution: Built directly into the community fabric is a mandate that all facilitators and board members agree in advance to participate in a restorative empathy circle to navigate internal friction or boundary violations, ensuring the network does not rely on sterile corporate HR models.
Launch Rotating Facilitation Model
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Execute the weekly daytime circle using the new cooperative framework where five network members rotate hosting duties via a shared Google sign-up document. Terry to facilitate. Topic: 'What is the value of the empathy circle practice to you personally?' Daniel's Zoom room to be recorded via AI if participants consent.
Deep Dive: Professional Standards & Agreements
Saturday, July 11, 2026
Next formal project development meeting at 9:00 AM Pacific. The session will focus exclusively on defining facilitator requirements, agreements, and how the Empathy Center will structurally frame qualifications without taking on overwhelming liability.
Deep Dive: Marketing & Audience Acquisition
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Project development meeting at 9:00 AM Pacific focused entirely on outreach strategies, locating target demographics (e.g., late-diagnosis ADHD populations, educational staff), and finding participants in the open market.
Paid Format Trial Circle
Sunday, July 19, 2026
A live test circle facilitated by Beata at 9:00 AM Pacific to experiment with the explicit upfront framing, contract delivery, and the 'enhanced features' unique to the paid framework. The meeting will be fully recorded for asynchronous team review.
Prototype Web Development
Ongoing
Edwin to continue adding team editors to the newly generated Google Sites prototype. Members (including Terry, Ingred, and Vicki's team via Daniel) to build out sections for Facilitator Bios, Areas of Specialism, Testimonials, and personal storytelling Blogs explaining their journey into empathy.
PROMPT: Gemini - give me a summary and a very detailed outline of topics of this meeting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0NaZ_FkRts
Here is the summary and a detailed topic outline of the Paid Support Empathy Circles Development Project Meeting held on July 4, 2026.
The meeting focused on the development of a framework for paid empathy circles, exploring how to balance financial sustainability with core empathy values. The participants discussed the core value proposition of a paid model (focusing on skilled facilitation rather than clinical outcomes), the critical boundary separating empathy circles from formal therapy, and the creation of professional standards to protect the movement’s credibility. During the session, the team initiated a public-facing prototype website and mapped out subsequent working sessions dedicated to professional guidelines and target market identification.
1. The Financial Tension & Value Proposition [00:00:40]
The Money Paradox: Acknowledging the ideal of a world where interpersonal gifts are entirely free, contrasted with the practical necessity for facilitators to sustain themselves financially.
What Participants Are Paying For:
Skilled Human Presence: Not a clinical outcome, but structured, dedicated, and trained attention.
Structure & Continuity: Accountability that encourages regular attendance (combating the "drop-in/drop-out" pattern seen in free circles).
Supplemental Value: Midweek touchpoints, preparation, curated reading materials, and maintaining infrastructure (websites, Zoom rooms).
The Yoga/Meditation Analogy: Just as community meditation can be free while a structured 8-week expert course costs money, empathy circles span a similar spectrum from free peer groups to skilled, paid offerings.
2. Differentiating Empathy Circles from Therapy [00:19:00] / [01:01:00]
Averting Clinical Language: Agreement that circles must never present themselves as a cheaper alternative to therapy, keeping entirely clear of therapeutic terminology to prevent legal liability and confusion.
Non-Hierarchical Structure: Traditional therapy relies on an expert-client dynamic; in contrast, empathy circle facilitators actively participate and share their own experiences.
"Outer Work" vs. "Inner Work": Framing circles as vehicles for cultural change and social connection rather than solely personal psychological resolution.
3. Professional Standards & Quality Control [00:26:44]
Preserving Credibility: Ensuring facilitators maintain high standards (e.g., active listening, managing distractions like phone usage) so the value of empathy isn't degraded.
The "Can of Worms": Navigating the immense administrative overhead of formal certification, legal liability, and enforcement, which can feel overwhelming for individual creators.
Alternative Governance Models:
The Facilitator Contract: Facilitators establishing explicit agreements directly with participants detailing expectations.
Peer Support and Restorative Circles: Utilizing internal restorative empathy circles to resolve conflicts among facilitators or board members, matching current nonprofit bylaws.
4. Marketing Strategy & Target Demographics [00:07:00] / [00:52:40]
Plugging into Existing Systems: Partnering with established institutions (schools, healthcare networks, social service agencies) that already have audience structures built in.
Niche Demographics: Identifying specific target audiences (e.g., women with late-diagnosed ADHD, therapists seeking to practice core humanistic skills, or healthcare workers) to streamline marketing outreach.
Framing as an Investment: Moving away from the concept of a "paid session" and positioning it as a personal investment in lifelong communication habits.
5. Public-Facing Prototype Site Launch [00:56:52]
Google Sites Workspace: Live creation of a prototype website to organize brainstorming concepts into concrete customer-facing modules.
Core Page Additions: Structuring layout zones for facilitator biographies, specialized practice domains, testimonial archives, and long-form practitioner blogs to share personal motivation stories.
6. Next Steps & Action Plan [01:18:00]
Trial Session (Sunday, July 19th @ 9:00 AM Pacific): A collaborative test circle facilitated by Beata to experiment with these updated structural features firsthand.
Upcoming Saturday Working Topics:
Session 1: Defining the explicit "Professional Standards" agreement layout.
Session 2: Deep dive into "Marketing" methodologies and participant acquisition.
Collaborative Rotation: Highlighting the success of their weekday open circles using a rotating five-person facilitation team to establish cooperative ownership models.
The full recording and ongoing working documentation are hosted directly on the project's development network page.
Zoom Meeting Summary
The meeting focused on developing paid empathy circle offerings, with participants discussing the pros and cons of charging for empathy circles and addressing professional standards for facilitators. Teri shared her hesitation about expanding her paid empathy circle practice due to concerns about maintaining quality standards and facilitating other practitioners, while Vicky emphasized the importance of setting clear professional standards and ensuring facilitator credibility to maintain the value of empathy circles. The group discussed creating a public-facing website to showcase facilitator bios, benefits of the practice, and testimonials, with Edwin demonstrating a prototype site during the meeting. Key topics for future discussion included establishing professional standards for facilitators and marketing strategies to find participants, with the group planning to trial a paid empathy circle format on July 19th and continue discussions in upcoming meetings on July 18th and 26th.
Send out reminder emails for upcoming meetings and post the video recording of the meeting.
Add Vicky to the editing permissions for the project website.
Send her Gmail address to Edwin for website editing permissions.
Forward the daytime empathy circle link to Profano and her team.
Edwin and Teri briefly discussed their personal activities before the meeting, with Edwin mentioning his time in Sacramento helping his elderly parents. Ingrid joined the conversation and mentioned inviting Castle, who is trained in focusing and interested in developing a listening course, to potentially connect with Teri or present at an upcoming summit. Ingrid noted that Beate and Mahib would not be able to attend the current meeting due to time constraints.
The group discussed challenges with heat waves in different regions and shared experiences with air conditioning and heat management strategies. Edwin informed Teri that he had added her to the website edit permissions, and mentioned plans to record meetings using AI for documentation. The conversation then shifted to the importance of listening skills, with Ingrid sharing insights from a conversation with Castle about developing a listening course, and Teri expressing concerns about managing paid empathy circle services and the need for clearer expectations with facilitators.
The group discussed the challenges of charging for empathy circles, with Teri emphasizing the undervalued nature of empathy work while Ingrid highlighted the tension between her utopian vision of free services and the practical need for financial sustainability. Vikki, a psychotherapist, expressed interest in learning more about Teri's somatic practice combined with empathy circles, particularly for working with younger children, and the two agreed to have a separate conversation about this topic.
The group discussed expanding empathy circles into educational and professional settings, particularly in schools and healthcare environments. Vikki shared her experience working with educational institutions and emphasized that charging for services helps people recognize the value and attend consistently. The discussion highlighted potential connections with Lancaster University's empathy department and healthcare networks, with Vikki offering to explore opportunities at her university for both students and her upcoming PhD research on lifespan empathy development.
The group discussed implementing paid empathy circles, with Ingrid presenting a summary of considerations around payment structure and professional standards. Key concerns included maintaining appropriate boundaries between empathy circles and therapy, ensuring facilitator credibility, and establishing professional standards for paid facilitators. The discussion explored creating a 6-8 session structured format with closed groups to enhance commitment and connection among participants, while addressing the challenge of enforcing standards and managing conflicts among facilitators.
The group discussed the format and structure of empathy circles, with Ingrid expressing preference for a 6-7 week format over the current monthly approach. Teri shared concerns about the marketing challenges of promoting events with fixed dates, noting that her current drop-in format has grown to 10 regular participants over a year and a half. The discussion highlighted the need for professional standards and marketing strategies, with Ingrid and Vikki suggesting that the Empathy Center should establish minimum standards to provide credibility and support facilitators, while also helping with target audience identification for marketing purposes.
The team discussed creating a public-facing website or page for empathy circles, with Edwin suggesting they start with a Google site prototype that would include facilitator bios, specialties, and benefits information. Vikki emphasized the importance of positioning empathy circles as an investment rather than a paid therapy session, while Ingrid stressed the need to avoid framing it as therapy to prevent legal issues and maintain a non-hierarchical peer relationship structure. The group also discussed reorganizing their existing documentation to make it easier to find in the workroom section of their shared site.
The group discussed the distinction between empathy circles and therapy, with Vikki emphasizing that the two approaches are different but valuable in their own right. Ingrid shared a metaphor of Russian nesting dolls to illustrate the different levels of listening in empathy circles, while Teri described how the practice helps develop both self-connection and skills for real-life relationships. The discussion concluded with Edwin presenting a prototype website for paid empathy circles and requesting email access for additional team members to help with editing permissions.
The team discussed scheduling upcoming meetings and a trial empathy circle. They agreed to hold regular Saturday meetings at 9 AM Pacific on the 18th and 26th, with Ingrid potentially joining by phone on the 18th. A trial empathy circle will be conducted on Sunday the 19th at 9 AM Pacific with Beata as facilitator, which will be recorded for those unable to attend. The group decided to explore two topics in the next meetings: professional standards and marketing strategies for finding participants. They also discussed developing a website prototype and mentioned a new rotating facilitation model for their weekly Tuesday circles.