In this Riverflow Podcast conversation with Haribo, I explore the difference between facilitating a group and finding a place to be supported myself.
At New Eden, I have explored group practice alongside experiments in shared living. This conversation asks what kind of connection becomes available in those settings, and what responsibility comes with leading them.
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.
Recording Notes
This article draws on a long-form conversation between Christian and Ben (Haribo) of the Riverflow Podcast, recorded around Christmas at New Eden.
Why a Heart Field resists being staged one-to-one
Christian is asked to try to generate a Heart Field live in a two-person online conversation. He resists faking it, explaining that he is not the source of the field but functions more like a conductor without an orchestra present. He points to hybrid retreat broadcasts, where dozens of people gathered live at New Eden while others watched together in home groups, as an example of transmission that still depended on a real, in-person collective field rather than his presence alone.
Codes, imprints and the origin of the work
He describes Heart iQ as a way of offering the developmental "codes" many people never received, using his own relationship with an emotionally unavailable father as an example of a gap he had to fill through other means.
Holding versus being held
Asked where he goes to be met rather than always facilitating, Christian names plant medicine work done intentionally with a trained therapist, and co-created community living where he steps out of the facilitator role and contributes as a peer alongside others.
On projection and the avatar
He speaks candidly about people falling for the energy that arrives when he opens circle, sometimes described as a distinct presence he once called "Z," and the relational difficulty when others expect that same intensity outside of circle.
Family, acceptance and embodied leadership
A substantial section addresses why facilitating one's own family rarely works, and reframes acceptance as allowing what is true, including anger, rather than passive tolerance.
Facilitating a Field vs Being Met
Holding space
As a facilitator, Christian is responsible for the container and safety of the group, even in more surrendered or emergent formats.
Being met
Finding relationships and shared spaces where he can receive support without being responsible for facilitating everyone else.
