In this session on embracing the paradox, Theresa Sansome guided participants through a presentation and visualisation, before opening up for reflection and discussion.
In this 90-minute facilitated conversation, Theresa Sansome, life coach, creator of Future Self Now, and Chair of ASP, guided members through an honest exploration of what it means to navigate paradox and polarity in the world right now.
Drawing on traditions from across history, and the emerging science of human agency, the session explored a simple but radical idea: that the tension, friction and grief we encounter are not obstacles to clarity but often the very source of it.
Weaving together voices from Lao Tzu and Heraclitus to Robin Wall Kimmerer and Kahlil Gibran, and grounding the conversation in the body through a tree exercise and a shared closing reflection, T. invited participants to find their roots even as the branches sway.
The discussion that followed was rich and thought provoking; members brought the full weight of the world into the room, questioning whether acceptance of paradox could become passive complicity, and what the difference is between acknowledging difficult realities and condoning them. The group found its own answer: that embracing paradox isn’t about resignation, but about locating the agency and clarity that become available when we stop fighting what is, so we can act with purpose on what we choose.
We left with a renewed sense of what it means to be an effective, grounded change agent – and with the reminder that hope, at its most real, is something that becomes possible between us rather than something we carry alone.
Below you can watch the presentation and visualisation that T. took us through, and watch the discussion with participants.
Presentation and Visualisation
Discussion
