Speaking up when people around you don’t seem to care

☕Everyone welcome! This is an in-person circle in Edinburgh - an informal meeting to light the spark of a community where sensitive, thoughtful people can connect, breathe out, and be honest.

ABOUT
We’ve all been there. A comment at a dinner table. A joke at work. A remark from someone we barely know — or someone we love. Something lands in your body as wrong, and suddenly time slows down.
Do you speak up and risk conflict, awkwardness, or even safety?
Or stay quiet — and later lie awake replaying the moment, wondering what that silence says about you?
#
This gathering is for anyone who has felt the quiet pain of not knowing what to do in those moments. We’ll explore why these situations can hurt so deeply, how silence doesn’t mean you don’t care, and what self-compassion, awareness, and support can make possible next time.

This gathering is a space for those kinds of conversations — held safely, inclusively, and without pressure.

These gatherings are held once a month.

☕🍵 Tea & Coffee will be available in the space

WHAT TO EXPECT

• A short introductory talk (15–20 mins)
  On why so many of us carry unspoken grief, tension, or fear about the world — and how sharing these feelings in community can be strengthening rather than overwhelming. I’ll draw on the work of Joanna Macy, Francis Weller, and Tara Brach, my experience as a coach guiding people who work for social or environmental change.

• A simple group exercise
  Something grounding (mindfulness-ish) to help us arrive in the space.

• Small-group sharing
  With simple guided exercises we will explore together. You’re welcome to share your experience — or to participate silently. Both are equally valid.

• The tone of the event: Honesty without dramatising, presence without fixing. This is not a space for despair spirals or venting endlessly — but equally not a place where anyone will try to “cheer you up” or rush you toward solutions. We’ll practise the art of being with what’s real, together, in a way that respects everyone’s boundaries and capacity.
  
  AFTERWARDS
  For those who feel like it, we can continue chatting in the Bridgend café for a cup of tea (+cake of course).
  
  WHO THIS IS FOR
  • People who carry worries about the state of the world
  • Anyone longing for honest conversation and gentle connection
  • Activists, carers, coaches, healers — and those who don’t fit any label at all
  

CONTRIBUTION
£5 - to help cover some the venue and Meetup (app) costs. You can bring cash (preferred) or pay by transfer on the day.

WHERE: Bridgend Farm, Edinburgh - more details upon registration

HOW TO REGISTER
The group will be around 12-16 people
This is organised via my Meetup group, so if you are not on Meetup (the app) just e-mail me to say that you’re coming and if you’re bringing anyone.

I look forward to seeing you there.