Who's Leading?

Sara Ness is the Founder and Chief Instigator of Authentic Revolution. She began teaching Authentic Relating in 2012, founding a thousands-strong learning community in Austin, Texas and going on to train over 350 leaders and help found 30+ other communities worldwide. Sara is passionate about exposing the joy of human connection and exploring our creative potential through relationship. She has facilitated at schools, companies, yoga studios, a funeral, Burning Man, and more, bringing playful social technology into the mainstream and the….non-mainstream? Sara is into suggesting ideas like push up contests in fancy restaurants and convincing other people to do them too. Hence, community leadership.

Sara works most of the time. When not doing that, she’s into acroyoga, Ecstatic Dance, cooking, and spending time with the many people she loves. She’s most lit up by creating things – projects, books, movements, systems, anything that her heart and brain can chew on at the same time.

Barbara Samson has been Circling and going to Authentic Relating Games since 2014, and attending immersions when possible. She trained as a facilitator in 2017 at the Boston Circling Training. She has lived a diverse life, dedicating herself to science and pragmatic matters, working, travelling, getting married and giving birth. Along the way she noticed some work to be done on herself, and a growing curiosity about all things esoteric. She followed her curiosity and it led her to explore the heart connection she felt with others. She brings that curious attitude into the Circles she leads, which are usually Organic, and she always challenges herself to expand her capacity to welcome what’s true. She is not a healer or therapist, but a human being who loves to create a space for herself and others to discover connection.

Christine Kennedy has a big heart, and a passion for kindness, connection, truth, growth, and unconditional love. She was introduced to Authentic Relating by Shay Pausa and to circling training by Sara Ness.  It was love at first site, and as a result, Christine completed ARC and T3 at the Integral Center in Boulder, CO and became a certified circling facilitator. She has hosted circling and Games Nights in her home in Phoenix, AZ for the past 4 years where she has gratefully witnessed amazing growth, healing, transformation, and connection – what she calls the magic of circling!

Christine’s professional career includes many roles in health care, hospice, ministry, mental health, teaching, consulting and public speaking.  She is mom to a 17 yo son and 19 yo daughter who she loves dearly.   When she isn’t working, spending time with family, you will likely find her hiking, reading, meditating, doing crafts, or hosting a circling or authentic relating event in her home or here on COnnect.

Kim Crowley completed Authentic Leadership Training with Sara Ness and brings additional skills in dialogue facilitation, workshop design and delivery, teaching, conflict transformation, Non-Violent Communication, music therapy, and a variety of methods for structuring conversations around issues that matter. Values infused in her life and work include curiosity, perspective-taking, social mindfulness, managing bias, co-creation, collective critical thinking, authentic spirituality, and building clarity.  Kim holds an MS in Industrial and Organizational Psychology as well as multiple certificates in facilitation and meeting management.

Kim organizes her life around helping people hear each other. Her heart-felt hope:  When we’re truly seen and heard, we become more able to connect deeply, get needs met together, and co-create some pretty amazing stuff. 

Led by endless curiosity, Whitney Waterbury has been questioning “normal” and talking with strangers since she could speak. She went on to study psychology, human development, sexuality and somatic therapy, which she uses to help people find healing and deepening aliveness through embodiment, connection and pleasure.

Whitney instigated the first Authentic Relating community in Memphis in 2018 where she continues to serve and delight in witnessing the power of connection to transform people and communities. When not facilitating events she can be found playing in the forest with her young ones, wild foraging and mushroom hunting, practicing yoga, learning to build things, traveling, Circling, dancing in public, hosting spontaneous gatherings, and cooking for the people she loves.

Scott McClelllen navigates a wide variety of different worlds, bringing this experience to life in his facilitation. He works as a software engineer, pursues a career as a professional racquetball player and referee, and incorporates authentic relating as a way to build better bridges to others. He brings to his facilitation a mind for technical complexity in a way that's welcoming, thoughtful, and insightful. Scott describes his facilitation style as gentle yet structured.

Gabe is a personal development coach helping mission-driven humans live in alignment with their purpose. He left his tech job to travel the world by bike, and in the process found his calling in coaching.

His approach to personal growth is rooted in neuroscience-based coaching techniques and Authentic Relating, with a heaping spoonful of Japanese philosophy on top.

Gabe was born in Philadelphia and currently lives in Ft. Collins, Colorado. He's passionate about cycling, foraging wild mushrooms, social/climate justice, and the transformative power of psychedelics. You can learn more about Gabe's work, his story, and connect with him at his site: www.effectiveconnection.com

Damian Gallagher has a passion for people and exploring what is available in every moment. He loves the simplicity of living a life in connection with self and others. Damian considers one of his greatest relational strengths to be revealing his inner world when he’s feeling awkward or vulnerable (and he feels awkward writing this Bio). He thrives when working with others and enjoys facilitating Circling, AR games and Relational work. Damian also facilitates one on one Personal growth and Transformational work, as well as Men’s work exploring accountability, shadow, and presence. He finds pleasure in movement and embodiment and also delights in finding moments of slowness and stillness. Damian lives in Santa Barbara, CA with his wife and son.

Olga Shustryakova is the leader of Authentic Relating Moscow. She first met with Authentic Relating in 2018, and immediately fell in love with the practices. Since then, she has been leading ARG Nights for various Moscow communities, including Burning Man Russia and more.
Besides that, Olga is a professional translator and transcreator, localizing global ideas for Russian people.  She’s into psychology, meditation, literature, and digging in the depth with her loved ones.

Jorge Moreira has been immersed in the Authentic Relating community in Toronto since 2017. He studied Circling Facilitation and Master Circle (Surrendered Leadership) through Authentic Relating Toronto where he has led T-Group, and Circling nights, as well as occasionally co-facilitated Connection Lab (AR Games). He has also taken the Authentic Relating Training Level 1 through Authentic Relating Training in Boulder, Rifle, and Toronto.
 
Involved in the Toronto improv scene for over 15 years as a performer, instructor and host,  Jorge revels in adapting his present-focused improv skills to help others foster awareness. He enjoys creating and leading workshops designed to cultivate self-awareness through connection that lead to authenticity and genuine connection. Along with some colleagues, he is currently looking to bring Authentic Relating into prisons in Canada, as well as other underserved communities.

Cameron Grayson was living at the Omega institute when she was introduced to Authentic Relating. These practices were so impactful for her because they served as a grounded way to deepen all of her connections within the community. These tools completely shifted her relationship with herself and the world around her. She quickly realized how perfectly AR and Circling intertwined with other tools she practiced such as Internal Family Systems, Life Coaching, and Conscious Communication. When she moved back in with her parents she joined the online platform as a participant. Having a daily reminder of pure connection supported her in moving through relationships that felt disconnected. Her practice on COnnect started to shift those disconnected relationships with her family to feel more open, grounded, and clear. Seeing this impact, she signed up for the ALT where she learned what it meant to truly feel like herself. She now uses Authentic Relating and circling in her work as a container to help facilitate meaningful connection and develop a deeper understanding of self. Having an accessible way to impact the world through facilitating on COnnect supports her passion of being in deep connection with others while witnessing the present moment unfold. 

David Garrison has been facilitating Authentic Relating Games since early 2018.  He lives in Austin, TX.  David is a part-time life coach and seeks to help people live more intentionally and aligned with their life's purpose.  He loves putting on workshop experiences that encourage connection, personal awareness, and relational skill development.  Some of the experiential workshops he's led or is working on include "Leading From Within", "Be a Relationship Architect", "Austin Energetic Connection Games", "Transcending Porn: Mastering Your Sexuality", "Self Expression Support Community", and "Connected Celebrations". 

A lifelong student of philosophy, world religion, and mythology, David Reed discovered Authentic Relating in 2017 and has been facilitating ever since.  David approaches relational mindfulness as a pathway for deepening human affinity, and his events have been affectionately referred to as "Love Soup.”

David is a Certified Professional Coach, a Laughter Yoga Instructor, and a partner with the Corporation for Positive Change, a global organization that uses Appreciative Inquiry as a tool for unleashing human potential.  David's passions include mountaineering and doing nothing.

Nat Smith (they/them) is a writer, coach, and teacher based in Boston. They're passionate about cultivating queer spaces, and untangling the authentic self from the influences of power structures. Balancing playfulness and groundedness, Nat welcomes creativity into their work with relationship and self-growth. They also facilitate events through kinkED.

http://natsmith.org/

Vix Anderton guides overachievers, overthinkers and recovering perfectionists to be more authentic and more resilient. With her own experience in high-stress environments from the RAF, to international development and the tech start-up world, she is an advocate for using the principles of cyclical living to help people manage their energy and their emotions to build a more sustainable and authentic way of living and working. Vix discovered Authentic Relating purely by accident in 2018 and instantly fell in love with it. It was a doorway into embodied practices and Vix has been immersing herself ever since.

Marta Jankowska aka Happiness Fairy is a facilitator, traveler, artistic soul, and uploading psychologist. Her word is creation. Marta sees everything as an art, whether it is building relations, going on an adventure, or completing daily chores.

She was introduced to the idea of Authentic Relating in 2017 while attending a transformative festival. It was a turning point in her life's journey. For the first time, she felt a strong calling to make this world a more joyful place.

Since then, Marta has become a certified facilitator. She has been leading women’s circles, organizing festivals and retreats in the spirit of Self-connection. Recently Marta has graduated from the Foundations of Facilitation training course with AuthRev. Her mission is to build joyful and colorful communities based on authentic connections.

Inna is a coach, facilitator, and leader, working with individuals and groups since 2003.  A series of serendipitous events led her to find Authentic Relating and Circling, to much delight that the thing she’s been making up for her Conscious Evolution groups has a name - Authentic Relating games - and that there’s literally a manual for it!  Inna enjoys learning and playing with various creative, healing, and spiritual pursuits -  most recently making herbal digestive bitters, painting, drumming, IFS parts work, tarot, writing, and calligraphy.  While she can’t claim full proficiency at any of these pursuits, the path sure is fun.  Inna has a strong affinity for deep work, and is excited to create more spaces and opportunities at the (not always comfortable) intersection of deep work, play, and connection. 

Tatini’s life focus is the exploration of embodied consciousness and what it is like to be human, living seamlessly as both spirit and matter. She is passionate about living from Being and what it is like to be her unique, unconditioned expression of consciousness. She finds her gift to give in supporting others on this journey.  

She is a Trillium Awakening teacher (facilitating embodied consciousness awareness in mutuality), a long-time student of the Enneagram, a Human Design System consultant and currently loves her work as Nurse Aide in Hospice End–of-Life Care. 

She discovered Authentic Relating and Circling in 2021, trained to be a facilitator with Authentic Revolution, and is training with Circle Anywhere to facilitate Circling practices. 

Circling has become her meditation of choice because the relational nature of this presence practice activates her aliveness in a stable way and meets her longing for living in attunement with Being and the great unknowable mystery. 

Brian Beloved provides individual and group coaching that focuses on Purpose Discovery and Flow Foundations, using tools such as mind mapping, the goal pyramid, and the Purpose Flow cycle to lead people to embody their highest lifestyle ideal. He believes that everyone has a particular genius that is meant to be shared with the world and that by using Authentic Relating skills, we can develop ways of being that inform empathy, offer tools to our best friends and family to co-create a shared reality, and ultimately create a deeper connection, trust, and understanding with all of our human interactions. He is a facilitator at Authentic Relating GO, a platform based in Montreal, and Authentic Revolution's Authentic Life Course.

Brian lives in the Sacred Valley of Peru, where he practices Music, Kirtan, Craniosacral Therapy, Massage, Hatha-Vinyasa Yoga, Kundalini, Breathwork, and connecting with Nature through medicine hikes and ceremonies. He is a certified yoga teacher and recently finished a 2nd 200-hour training that combines Hatha-Vinyasa principles with the 3 worlds of the Andean Cosmovision.