January 2026 Newsletter

The Circling Guide newsletter is now semi-automated! Please subscribe your newsletter to my AI bot at [email protected] in order to automatically include your global events to the Circling Guide, or else direct email your events and articles/podcasts to that address . 

AR writers, podcasters and creators are rocking it in the new year! See below. Daniel Ek has a new card game, and I just published my new memoir. Woohoo!

Last but not least, the Circling Guide Anthology (3rd Edition) crowd-funder has raised $1700 of its $3000 target. Let’s make AR into a global movement!

Ours & Partner Events

• Sophie and I are starting two cohorts of Authentic Relating in Community in February, including our first one in Asia/Australia time zones as well as one in German, ARC auf Deutsch. For each English cohort, Sophie is offering an open Connection Games event on Tuesday February 3. Register for the Connection Games events here 
• Mihai Banulescu and partners are offering bi-weekly Connection Games twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday). I have experienced these and can testify, they are very powerful. And Sophie is now certified to lead!
• Stephane Segatori’s We-Flow has another free taster event on Jan. 21, is beginning a Stewardship course on Jan. 29 (I will be there!!!), has another immersion on Feb.22, and a whole week of Naturing Interflow starting March 22. All event descriptions and registration links found here.

What’s Happening in the Community

Transformational Connection

All events here, including:

• 22 Jan — Amsterdam SAS (starts) — Details
• 7–8 Feb — Stockholm Weekend Immersion — Details
• 14–15 Feb — London Weekend Immersion — Details
• 7–8 Mar — Amsterdam Weekend Immersion — Details
• 28–29 Mar — Brussels Weekend Immersion — Details
• 13–14 Jun — Amsterdam Weekend Immersion — Details
• January — SAS Facilitator Training (Online / Amsterdam) — Online | Amsterdam
• February — SAS Facilitator Training (London) — Details
• April — SAS Facilitator Training (Oslo) — Details
• 22–28 Jun 2026 — Surrendered Leadership Week (Malmö) — Details
• 4–9 Jul 2026 — UK Transformational Connection Festival — Early bird tickets
• 15–20 Aug 2026 — International Transformational Connection Festival — Early bird tickets

Authentic Revolution

• March 26 – May 14: Authentic Relating, Practice and Play: “all our favorite Authentic Relating Games and flows, along with an exploration of the magic that makes them work.”. Just $240! Details.
• March 3 – April 21: The Art of Difficult Conversations. Details.
• April 29 – August 5: Master Facilitation Skills. Details.

ART International

• (See current schedule) — ART offerings — Details

AR-Go

• January — AR-Go ONLINE Event Schedule — Schedule
• Sundays — The Heart Lounge (Online; 11AM–1PM EST; by donation) — AR-Go site

The Connection Institute & Peter Benjamin

• [New] Relational Interplay (Bay Area): a new, AR inspired modality, only in person in the Bay Area!  Details here and here 
• Relational Games every Tuesday with David Demets
• [Ongoing] Relational Leadership Academy. New programs in January: Alter Ego Circling with Mahaya; Soul Circling with Aaron; Birthday Circles with ann and Laura; and more!

Megan Taylor Morrison

• Jan 25-28: The Calm Business Challenge: A Free, 4-Sessions virtual event for experienced coaches & consultants who crave a clear focus, scalable systems, and predictable income. Considering Megan’s reputation and the price, this is a no-brainer. I am in! Details here.

Deep Play Institute, with Aaron Finbloom and Netta Sadovsky

Another cool new direction and concept for AR. Virtual and in Portland OR, New York City Details here.
PS: don’t you love it when people invent new AR modalities? And especially when they sound like fun?

AR Articles & Podcasts

• The Container Podcast: “Using Myth to Build Strong Families” (with Sean Wilkinson) — Watch here | Listen here | Podcast page
• The Container has a new newsletter, see Circling’s Art of Change and subscribe there (at the bottom).
• The Container with Angelo DiLullo: Live the Hero’s Journey. Youtube | Spotify
• The Container The Book of Circling with Marc Beneteau (me!). Youtube | Spotify 
• The Whole Leader Podcast with Sean Wilkinson. Youtube | Spotify

AR Writers & Creators

Daniel Ek and Therese Ernedal  have made a conversation game rooted in Authentic Relating and psychology called Plunge (nice title!). It was recently selected as one of the best games of 2025 in Sweden. Join the waitlist to be notified when it’s available. Daniel also runs a program called Relational Mindfulness (in Sweden)

Noora Laine-Müller has a new book, Life as a Reflection. She writes: This journey to enlightenment, that my book is about (humbly 🤭), was for me actually a journey to connection with the reality of my nervous system. The starting point of this was me pushed into dysfunction – or unsustainable functioning – after I had become a mom (which I have now understood a very common phenomenon for unrecognized neurodivergent females)…

Way to go, Noora! Buy the book here.

And finally, I just published my Magnum Opus, Broke, Single Crazy and Old. This is the the story, in all its beauty and wreckage, of my lifelong pursuit of redemption through deep sexual loving. And of the women who helped me (some would say “enabled me”). Two of them in particular, Ellen and Sasha, whose beautiful letters are included.

If you want a review copy to see if you like it, simply reply to this email (or write to me [email protected] ) and I will send you a kindle-compatible version. You can read more about the book on my substack, An Invitation into a Story About Love, Obsession and Becoming Yourself

Circling Guide Anthology (3rd Edition) crowd-funder

Thanks to y’all generous donations, the Circling Guide Anthology (3rd Edition) crowd-funder has raised over $1700 of its $3000 target in a bit over a month. Yay team! My hope is that this book, combining revised content from the original Circling Guide, plus articles and essays by leading figures in the movement, will elevate Authentic Relating from a cult-practice into a global movement. Best of all, I have already received several contributions (by Susan Campbell and Michael Porcelli, in particular) which are simply outstanding. I hope you will enjoy them as much as me! But much work remains to be done.

Committed contributors so far include:

• Sara Ness (Authentic Relating Games)
• Robert MacNaughton (AR in Business)
• Jason Digges (Integral Circling)
• Susan Campbell (Origins of AR)
• Damien Bohler (embodied sexuality)
• Kaela Atleework (Co-Living)
• Mihai Banulescu (Connection Games)
• Ryel Kestano (Authentic Dating),
• Stephane Segatori (We-Flow)
• Karl Steyaert (NVC)
• Ellen Waenink (Deep Listening)
• Michael Porcelli (Meta-Relating)
• Miki Kashtan (From Social Justice to Liberation For All)

Perks and Rewards

• $10 donation will get you an immediate Kindle-compatible version, and an update when the book is published in April
• $25 donation will get you a print copy of the book mailed to you in April
• $100 gives you 3-4 print copies. Ideal if you plan to share it with facilitators, communities, or trainees.
• $500 Gift a friend (or you!) one seat in the ARC 8‑week Circling / Authentic Relating training

Please help to make this happen by donating generously.