Little Connections

Little Connections are free, 60-minute Zoom conversations for no more than six people, hosted by Katie Elliott.

You can expect to find a warm welcome and a gentle space in which to listen, be listened to and explore ideas together.

We're taking a short break but will be back soon.

If you'd like to find out when new conversations become available, just fill in the form below and we'll let you know.

RECENT GUEST HOSTS

FATEME BANISHOEIB

ABOUT FATEME: Fateme is a business heARTist and the founder of ReNEWBusiness, a collective creative laboratory that guides visionary leaders and organisations to transform business into inclusive, innovative communities. Fateme advocates for a more human experience of work and in creating a work culture beautiful as a piece of art. She brings the heart and the mind of a polymath to organisational development: a trained chemist’s astute analytic capacity to manage complexity & high quality with a poet’s human sensibility to inspire the human being at the centre of any thriving organisation. Italian by birth, Fateme currently lives in Portugal.

NEIL BETT

ABOUT NEIL: Neil worked as an actor, singer and improvised comedian for several years in theatres throughout the UK as well as appearances on television and radio. He then discovered that he was better suited helping people in organisations communicate better and that is what he has been doing for the past 25 years. He co-owns and runs Frank Partners where he works as a programme designer, writer, director, facilitator, coach, business actor and conference MC. When not working with clients such as Vodafone, Innocent and News UK, he flexes his creative muscles by singing in a cappella sextet, Kettle of Fish.

JOHANN BOTHA

ABOUT JOHANN: Based in Bonn, Germany, Johann leads a small team working on Integrity Assessment & Integrity Dialogues. However, he distrusts compliance measures and very much doubts that he’s an exemplar of integrity. Still, Johann does think ethics is everybody’s business and we should talk about it. Johann founded Story Jam Sessions, a community of practice to help tune our senses to the ‘conversational nature of reality’. Johann just stole that line from David Whyte. Johann is also writing his own bio. However, Johann doesn’t believe we are the authors of our own lives, whoever is authoring his has lost the plot, is most likely drunk and should go home.

NICOLA BROWN

ABOUT NICOLA: Nicola is a clinician, advocate, researcher and strategy consultant. She created KOKORO with the belief that a person’s mental, physical, and social health are intertwined, and that true wellness is about taking care of the whole person. Nicola is a Jamaican national and a resident of South Bend, Indiana - where she is Chapter Lead of SoGal Indiana.

TANIA CARRIERE

ABOUT TANIA: Tania is the founder and artistic director of Advivum Journeys and delights in creating transformative experiences of celebration and possibility that leave journeyers boldly striding towards the fullest expression of their “best life.” Working with Tania? Expect a little bit of theatre, a pinch of consulting, a dose of disruption and heartfelt friendship, all tempered with grace, adventure and joie de vivre. Other professional titles including change consultant, executive coach and leadership advisor. When not hosting retreats, you’ll find her travelling (over 77 countries and counting), writing or trying out a new recipe at home in Ottawa, Canada.

ELENA COBEZ

ABOUT ELENA: Elena is a trainer, coach and brand development consultant based in Trieste, Italy. She is also an expert in the field of aromatherapy and botanical perfumery. A philosophy graduate with an interest in Jungian psychology, Elena has created a storytelling project for children using perfumes and sounds for sensorial engagement. Read more here.

SHARON DANZGER

ABOUT SHARON: Based in New Jersey, Sharon is the founder of Control Chaos and author of Super-Productive: 120 Strategies to Do More and Stress Less. Through corporate training, executive, and group coaching, she focuses on empowering individuals to make deliberate, incremental changes, resulting in a big impact on their productivity, performance, and well-being.

MICHAEL GRAU

ABOUT MICHAEL: Michael is a product designer and Agile coach based in Perth, Australia. Always trialling things, his skills sometimes combine in surprising ways : facilitation, sourdough bread baking, surfing, experience design, branding, writing, film-making, sculpture, fatherhood, tech, yoga. Addicted to learning. Likes people. Un-box-able.

YASMIN MARRERO

ABOUT YASMIN: Yasmin is a first-generation Afro-Latina American originally from the West Bronx, NYC, now based in Iowa. A leadership and empowerment coach with a background in behavioural neuroscience and organisational change, she empowers others to live lives rooted in what they deeply desire and overcome inherited beliefs that stand in their way. Read more about Yasmin here.

ANDY SMALLMAN

ABOUT ANDY: For over 25 years, Andy has been promoting ordinary activities that awaken kindness, helping people connect to their true nature and increase peace in the world. With our shelter-in-place rules, he has been helping people feel less isolated by offering opportunities to connect with others via video chat. Andy is also a visionary educator, being the founding director of the Puget Sound Community School in Seattle. He recently brought his pioneering work in SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) online, offering children from all over the world a chance to connect to others. Read more here.

GEOFFREY SMITH

ABOUT GEOFFREY: Geoffrey has worked with thousands of clients across Europe. He brings to his practice combined experience in Shiatsu, direct teachings from Shamans from the time he lived in Papa New Guinea and many years of meditation following the teachings of Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Following his profound intuition, he respects the rhythm you are on and very lovingly guides you to your unique path to healing, self-love and empowerment. Born in the UK, Geoffrey now lives in Denmark. Read more here.

JENNIE SZE

ABOUT JENNIE: Jennie grew up in Hong Kong and Singapore before moving to Seattle. A typical high-achiever, climbing the corporate ladder at companies like Disney, Starbucks, and Boston Consulting Group, she left the corporate world, heartbroken, five years ago and started a search for self-worth without job titles. She is the founder of Give Glow - a community of women seeking to grow, lead and own their worth.

DAVID ZINGER

ABOUT DAVID: David taught Educational & Counselling Psychology for 25 years at the University of Manitoba and has worked on employee engagement around the globe for 15 years. He lives on the Canadian prairies where everyone is on the same level. Read more here.

What people are saying about taking part in Little Connections:

"I would not have thought such warmth was possible on-line but Katie seems to create it naturally and easily."

"I loved it. A truly special feeling."

"You created such a wonderful space for us to simply 'be'. Thank you."

"A lovely way to connect at a meaningful level with new people, without an agenda, expectations or pressure. It’s such a gift to be given space to have real conversations based on being a human being rather than a commodity or transaction."

"Katie has a unique gift of being able to create a safe space for people to share, grow and learn."

"The smallness of it really helped. I felt listened to, heard."

"It felt very good to listen and talk to people with whom I felt I could relate, that I could understand and who could understand me - and comforting to hear that other people were also confronted with the same obstacles or challenges that I'm facing."

"Fun and friendly. What a great way to talk and laugh and exchange views with new people in these times of physical distancing."

"I was really impressed by the atmosphere of listening and gentleness."

"Tiny but definite steps forwards. Now, that's encouraging!"

"While the world is being socially disconnected, Katie is facilitating conversations for diverse people around the world."

"Katie's calls have been amazing in keeping me sane in these crazy, uncertain times. If you get a chance to book a session, do it."