Who is Taylor Barratt? | Practice, Theory & the Ethics of Facilitation

What does it mean for practice to become "really real" - and how does theory help keep that experience honest?

In this episode - the second in a live-recorded three-part series with Taylor Barratt, Ethan Hsieh, and John Vervaeke - the conversation centers on Taylor as he reflects on the movement between practice and theory. Taylor describes how different vocabularies can converge around a shared sense of rightness, how moments of deep practice can feel lucid, beautiful, and more real, and why theory became meaningful for him only after he had spent enough time inside practice for the novelty to settle. John and Taylor compare their opposite trajectories: Taylor moving from practice toward theory, and John from theory into practice. Together with Ethan, they examine collective intelligence, practice design, and the need for mutual correction between theory, practice, and other people. The conversation deepens into the ethical responsibility of facilitation: designing for people not yet in the room, balancing explanation with experience, and learning to bring the whole self without becoming self-involved. Taylor explores how facilitation transfers into parenting, family life, trust, and ordinary relationship, and why facilitator training is not simply about learning structures, but about supervision, mistakes, cleanup, self-leadership, and getting out of your own way. The episode closes on service: the difference between doing a practice and being practiced by it, such that the orientation carries into life when it matters most.

Taylor Barratt is the Director of Practice and Education at the Vervaeke Foundation. He has over a decade of experience in relational leadership through Authentic Relating Toronto.
LinkedIn
X

Ethan Hsieh is the Director of Community Development and Partnerships at the Vervaeke Foundation. He comes from an acting background focused on character development.
LinkedIn

00:00 Welcome to the Lectern
01:30 Introducing Taylor - the second conversation in the series
02:10 John and Taylor's new collaboration
02:20 What stayed alive from the previous conversation
03:00 Different languages, shared truths
04:30 Rightness, right proportion, and right orientation
05:10 Practice, salience, and moments that feel "really real"
06:20 The VIA intensive and following the moment
08:10 Beauty, lucidity, and being carried into reality
09:40 Movement between theory and practice
10:20 Calling, voluntary necessity, and practice
10:40 Taylor's path from software development into authentic relating
11:30 Chaos, ownership, and being more fully oneself
12:00 Why theory became useful only after practice matured
13:00 States, structures, and shadow work
14:40 John's opposite trajectory: theory calling into practice
15:40 Theory as a guard against self-deception
16:20 Collective intelligence and checking our work
17:00 Returning to theory with new eyes
18:30 Practice design as the lab of theory and practice
19:20 Mutual correction between theory, practice, and people
20:30 Designing practices for people not yet in the room
22:00 How do we know we are not fooling ourselves?
24:00 Shared orientation and collective sense-making
27:00 Balancing experience, explanation, and ambiguity
30:00 Maintaining the developmental band of a practice container
33:00 The challenge of leadership in transformational practice
36:00 Practice as something that teaches the facilitator
39:00 When structure supports experience
42:00 What participants need in the moment
45:00 Holding theory lightly while serving the room
48:00 The difficulty of maintaining balance as a facilitator
53:40 Does facilitation transfer into daily life?
54:50 Service, participants, and ethical orientation
56:00 Parenting, co-parenting, and tracking multiple needs
57:00 Bringing authentic relating into family life
58:40 Whole self vs. self-involvement
01:01:20 Getting clear on your "why"
01:02:00 Why facilitator training takes time
01:02:30 Self as instrument in transformation
01:03:20 Self-leadership before influence
01:04:20 Wake up, grow up, clean up, show up
01:05:40 Rapid proposals and learning not to be precious
01:06:40 Orientation toward service
01:07:00 Practicing vs. being practiced
01:08:30 Closing and invitation to the live practice room
01:09:20 Newsletters, future recordings, and upcoming trainings
01:10:20 Practical notes for joining the practice session

The Vervaeke Foundation is committed to advancing the scientific pursuit of wisdom and creating a significant impact on the world. Become a part of our mission.

Join Awaken to Meaning to explore practices that enhance your virtues and foster deeper connections with reality and relationships.

Follow John Vervaeke: Website | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon

Thank you for listening!