Stepping Into the Heart Field: Vulnerability and Embodied Leadership

I recently sat down with Haribo from the Riverflow Podcast for a deep, soul-stirring conversation about Heart iQ, Circle Work, and the evolution of conscious leadership. What unfolded was a rich exploration of what it truly means to heal in tribe, embody our full emotional range, and lead from a place of deep authenticity.

For those unfamiliar, Heart iQ is a practice of group coherence, a way of accessing profound transformation through collective intelligence. It’s not just about personal healing, it’s about how we relate, how we connect, and how we amplify one another’s growth. At New Eden, my retreat center in the Netherlands, we’ve been experimenting with this for years, offering residencies for facilitators, leaders, and seekers to step into a space of nourishment, activation, and deep relational work.

The Heart Field & Why It Can’t Be Forced

One of the big questions that came up was, can a Heart Field be created in a one-on-one conversation? My answer: not in the way people expect. The Heart Field isn’t something I generate, it’s something that emerges when a group of people drops into deep coherence together. Alone, I’m just one voice in an orchestra that isn’t playing. But when we come together in a live, in-person circle, something far beyond our individual selves activates.

That’s why the magic of Heart iQ is best experienced in tribe. We see it happen at our retreats, where people tap into energies and expressions they’ve never accessed before, grief, rage, joy, deep love, all through the safety and amplification of the group field. It’s a practice of embodying our fullest range of being, not just through words, but through sound, movement, and energy.

The Challenge of Holding vs. Participating

Another big theme that came up was the tension between leading and receiving. As a facilitator, my role is to hold space for others, but where do I go to be held? For me, that answer has evolved over time. I’ve found refuge in plant medicine, immersive community spaces, and co-living experiences where I’m not “Christian the Facilitator,” but simply a human in the field, being met.

At the same time, I’ve had to navigate the projections that come with leading this work. People often fall in love with the avatar of a facilitator, but what happens when they see the human behind it? This is something I’ve had to integrate, allowing people to witness my humanity while staying rooted in the integrity of the work.

The Next Evolution: Bringing Heart iQ to a Larger Stage

Beyond the retreats and trainings, something new is emerging, a traveling experience called Ecstasis. Imagine a Cirque du Soleil of human emotion, where trained practitioners embody and express the full range of human experience, grief, rage, ecstasy, love, through movement, sound, and live transmission. This is about bringing Heart iQ out of the retreat space and into theaters, festivals, and larger audiences.

In addition, we’re launching a 300-person gathering at New Eden in May 13-16, 2026, where people can experience Heart iQ at scale, a blend of deep group work, high-frequency transmission, and a living laboratory for embodied tribe.

The Journey Continues: Post-Retreat Reflections

What’s even more exciting is that this conversation didn’t end here. Haribo attended the Facilitator Training in Colorado and when we got back we decided to****sit down for Part Two of this podcast to unpack the biggest breakthroughs, unexpected lessons, and how the experience integrated into my life and work.

If you’re curious about what happened next, how the Heart Field expanded, what new insights emerged, and the deeper medicine that revealed itself after the event,click here to listen to Part Two. This is where we get real about the post-retreat process, the shifts that stuck, and the evolution that’s unfolding.

👉 Listen to Part Two Here

Let me know what lands for you! What questions or insights come up as you listen? Drop a comment or DM, I’d love to hear.