Through the Eyes of a Participant
Every now and then, a trainee puts words to an experience that, as a facilitator, you witness unfolding but could never quite capture yourself. This is exactly what happened when Saskia Decorte, a writer and editor at Psychologie Magazine, attended our October Embodied Leadership Retreat now officially known as Focus Labs).
Her article, “How Can I Deal Better With Criticism?”, offers an honest, body-based look into what happens when leadership moves from something you think to something you truly embody.
(Please note: the original article, “Hoe kan ik beter omgaan met kritiek? Redacteur Saskia volgde het Embodied Leadership Retreat ”, is available only in Dutch.)
From Body Reflex to Embodied Presence
In her piece, Saskia describes how she found herself automatically falling into an old, familiar pattern whenever she received criticism: smiling politely, staying friendly, giving the other person the benefit of the doubt, and pushing her own needs aside. It’s a reflex many professionals recognize, not out of weakness, but because the body once learned that this was the safest response.
During the retreat, through somatic practices, she discovered a completely different way of responding, not by retreating into her head, but by grounding into her body. By learning to do what we refer to as centering. With feet firmly on the floor, breath soft and low, her entire relationship to stress shifted. Not more tense, but steadier. Not defensive, but present.
As Saskia writes in the article:
“When your attention is mostly in your head, you immediately lose balance. When you bring your attention into your body, you stand more firmly in your strength.”
Insights That Land More Deeply
Reading her reflections was really moving, not just because she was so open, but because she articulated the essence of Embodied Leadership. The ability to lead yourself precisely in the moments when your nervous system is under pressure is the core of authentically embodying leadership, both others and yourself.
Embodied leadership is not about power or control of your environment. It’s about presence, resilience, and leading authentically. Not about persuading, but connecting, both with yourself and with others.
What Participants Discover
Saskia’s experience, together with those of many other participants, shows how powerful embodied and somatic work can be. During the two-day program, people learn to:
- Better understand and recognize your body’s signals
- Remain true to yourself, even in difficult situations
- Lead authentically, both yourself and others
- Set boundaries without becoming rigid
- and remain connected to the other person
Saskia shares how, in one exercise, simply standing next to someone instead of opposite them shifted her entire approach to conflict: opening the possibility of becoming “thinking partners” against the problem rather than against one another.
You can read Saskia’s full article in Dutch here:
Want to know more about joining an Embodied Leadership program?
If you felt that deep, intuitive “yes”, then look into joining one of our Embodied Leadership Focus Labs to learn more about how to experience this transformation yourself. Small groups, warm and safe learning environments, science-backed and expert-led, these trainings go beyond typical leadership courses. Learn more here.
