Inspiring Company - Sangha

My yoga teacher, Steve Harrison taught me about the six keys to success in the yogic tradition. The sixth of these is the Sanskrit/hindu word ‘sangha’, which he describes as ‘inspiring company’. I find Steve himself to be inspiring company in the wholehearted way he brings himself to teach. All of which got me to think about the people I work with in my own professional life.

In helping organisations thrive I have had the good luck to work with some amazing people, whom I consider my sangha, even though they don’t all know each other. And so I thought I would write about them here both to express my gratitude for all they have taught me and also to give you the means to connect to any of them if you are in need of their special talents. I continue to have the privilege of their company, socially and professionally, and can fully recommend them as both outstanding professional practitioners and wonderful human beings.

Khurshed Dehnugara and Claire Breeze founded Relume Ltd over twenty years ago and continue to operate at the cutting edge of business and leadership consultancy. Their work, codified as Challenger Spirit, brings deep compassion, psychological depth and relentless creativity to their clients and I have been very lucky to work closely with them for over ten years. They have been my greatest teachers in terms of not only the work I now do but also how to go about doing it. As well teaching me how to consult skilfully and wholeheartedly, they have helped me develop both my coaching and facilitation practice. Claire also taught me mindfulness meditation in 2009 and it has been my pleasure to work with her in this area ever since.

Speaking of teachers, I feel lucky to have been first taught about coaching by Tobey Fitch, founder of Fitch Associates. In 2002 Tobey introduced me speaker coaching as a profession in it’s own right. I was studying for a degree in drama, theatre and media at the time and he helped me develop my own method of coaching for greater communications impact. Tobey also taught me a lot about communications strategy.

In terms of strategy more broadly, Asher Rickayzan, founder of SeeMore Consulting Ltd has the most amazing mind and approach. He combines strategy with culture and leadership in his work, in a way that is very clear and insightful. He literally does ‘see more’ and I’ve learned a lot from his brain and his care.

I first worked with Asher when I started at Relume, but knew him as a client at T-Mobile around the turn of the millennium. The same is true of Clare Southall, founder of Entheos Consulting who it is my good fortune to be a good friend and colleague of. As well as great coaching and facilitating skill, Clare brings heart and soul, both figuratively and literally to everything she does.

Clare and I are trustees of the Mindful Life charity along with Sally Bogle, founder of Transcape. Sally and I founded the charity – initially as a social enterprise - with Claire Breeze and we continue to play a leading role in its mission to teach unpaid carers a mindfulness practice. As well as being an extremely kind human being, Sally is an excellent, thoughtful coach and teacher who I continue to rely on for guidance and support.

Sally was once an associate at Relume Ltd, which is very much at the centre of this constellation of people. Jeremy Keeley, founder of KeeleyCarlisle has also been an associate of Relume among an extra-ordinary array of experiences, that make him inspiring company to be around. He also founded Sadler Heath, a community of practice and development, that he continues to run graciously.

My round up of Relume associates ends with two of the current crop. Rowan Gray and Steve Chapman. I met Rowan in 2014, since when he has created his own business, Made to Move. He brings a really fresh approach to coaching through the exploration of the relationship between psychology and physiology and in many ways he is a path finder in his focus. Rowan has been a massive personal help to me through my own recent psycho-physiological journey.

I’ve known Steve Chapman, creator of Can Scorpions Smoke, for a similar amount of time and, like Rowan, I would consider him a leader in his field. Steve’s field is creativity and it is hard for me to describe Steve’s talents except to say to be around him is to be in a constant state of improvisation – best you look up his prodigious on-line offerings to get a sense of him.

Outside of the Relume connection, and indeed outside in the fresh-air sense of the world, I have been lucky enough to get to know Alan Heeks and Marcos Frangos via Hazel Hill Wood (link) where we have worked and hung out together. I hope Alan doesn’t mind me describing him as an elder for me. As well as being a mentor and inspiration to many, Alan remains a driving force in the search for solutions to the environmental challenges we face.

Marcos Frangos is the founder of Wellspring Change and a kinder, more considerate man you could not wish to meet. As well as being a facilitator and coach Marco is an accomplished constellations therapist.

Finally on this tour of my professional colleagues, I’d like to share a line about Brook Fabian and Chris Orr at 3men2 who have created this website. I’ve known Chris a very long time and Brook only a couple of months. They have taken an incoherent, emergent and wonky brief from me and turned it into my on-line home. Brook has worked with creativity, professionalism, pace and a great deal of patience to translate my waffle into something that hopefully makes sense.

Writing this piece has given me enormous feelings of appreciation and gratitude. I am truly lucky to have such inspiring company.

I bow to you all.

Namaste