Member in the Spotlight:

The Alchemy of a 1:1: When Conversation Opens New PossibilitiesCatalyst

One of the most powerful, and often underestimated, practices in networking is the 1:1 conversation.

Not the rushed coffee.
Not the transactional exchange of services.
But the unhurried, curiosity-led conversation where two people simply take time to know one another more deeply.

At Athena, relationships are the foundation of everything we do. And sometimes, when a conversation is entered with no agenda at all, something quietly extraordinary can unfold.

This is one such story, shared by Joanne Sumner, Regional Director for The Athena Network Winchester.

A Conversation with No Agenda

Emma and I met for a 1-1 in November with no specific agenda other than to nurture our relationship and support each other’s business journeys.

For many years, Emma was a journalist specialising in Mind Body Spirit issues. She broke stories on numerous self-development fields in the UK, from the Hoffman Process to Family Constellations,  published her own magazine, and contributed regularly to Kindred Spirit.

We originally connected when I attended a Family Constellations workshop Emma was running in Winchester. In our first 1-1, we discovered many shared threads: we both run retreats; we are both shamanic practitioners; and we both care deeply about the planet. Emma owns a retreat venue in France, beautifully branded by fellow Athena member Gemma Storey, and she was once communications lead for Caroline Lucas’ groundbreaking campaign to become the first Green Member of Parliament.

Emma joined Athena shortly after our meeting, and many across the network may have met her during PASS+ visits to other regions.

Holding Space Through Change

Last year was a deeply difficult one for Emma following the passing of her husband, Matthew. Yet even in her own season of grief, she continued to support others, nominating Athena members for awards and featuring many women from the network in her forthcoming book Wild Self (now available for pre-order).

When we met again in November, it was simply to reconnect and sense what might be next.

Emma shared that a new path was opening for her. I shared that a strategic alliance in my own business had recently collapsed due to a mismatch in values and readiness. In the honesty of that exchange, I felt an intuitive nudge, that perhaps our meeting was more than a catch-up, that we were meant to collaborate and I invited Emma to explore becoming a new partner in this emerging direction.  

From 1:1 to New Venture

Just two months later, we are now preparing to launch the Centre for Transpersonal Studies, providing foundational training in Transpersonal Principles for coaches, holistic therapists and leaders.

Spiritual emergence often masks as spiritual crisis. More and more people are seeking trained professionals who can walk alongside them as they find their footing in a new way of seeing life, one that honours our connectedness, asks us to be willing to live outside the rapidly fading norm.

As transpersonal therapists, we pick up this work – and we feel driven to offer other helping professionals a solid framework for walking alongside people as they realign and redesign their lives to make room for the divine. 

A collaboration born not from a pitch.
Not from a strategic meeting.
But from a simple, open-hearted 1-1.

An Invitation to Conversation

You will likely meet Emma and I in an Athena room over the coming year. For now, I hope our story inspires you to book your next 1-1 with an open mind and an open heart.

Because in Athena, you never quite know what magic may be born.

— Joanne Sumner, Regional Director, Athena Winchester