07/30/2025
The words “holding space” are a false job description – they don’t accurately depict the work that needs to be done.
Holding space suggests a role that is entirely too passive and inanimate to capture the situational demands and the sheer humanness required.
Do we have a better way of describing the work of holding space and the skill a person needs in order to do it well? Yes we believe we do!
And we would like to suggest that we use it instead. Those words – that job description, can be better thought of as hosting space. 💡
A host has work to do. Their work requires real skill. Skill that can build over the course of a lifetime or more.
Their work has a flow: a beginning, middle, and an end; with preparations to be made before the event. A hosts invites their guests, choosing who is and who is not invited. They prepare themselves, ensuring that they’re truly ready, both inwardly and outwardly.
They set up the space in a way that’s welcoming to their guests. They get centered within their own body. When the guests arrive, they greet them. If anyone shows up uninvited, they are stopped at the door so the guests who are invited can all feel safe and seen.
They care for their guests, actively introducing them to others so they feel connected and resourced in the space…
(From my blog: Why You Can’t Hold Space.”)
Comment the word “HOST” to get the full article and DM the word “HoST” if you’d like to learn how to host space for the holistic health and healing journey of others.
