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Application

Creating and running an energised SF Support Group

Wendy Van den Bulck & Julia Kalenberg Jan Marklund and Sandra Rosa-Collins ↗ Photo by Dustin Humes on Unsplash Introduced by John Brooker Welcome to this enlightening exploration of the Solution Focus Support Group, a remarkable collaboration among Wendy Van den Bulck, Jan Marklund, Sandra Rosa-Collin, and Julia Kallenberg, affectionately known as the “four-leaf clover.” They share their journey of mutual support, personal growth, and professional achievement, offering guidance on how you might establish your own SF Support Group. This support group emerged organically at a retreat in Switzerland, originally aimed at helping members enhance their online visibility. Over five years, their meetings evolved from a sole focus on professional projects to fostering deeper personal connections. The group adopted a structure inspired by the success teams of Business and Professional Women (BPW). Each session follows a clear and effective format, making it easy for others to replicate:

Cultivating stakeholder relationships

Stefan Kreil & Patricia Crazzolara

Interviews with Session Leaders

Introduction SFiO Financial Contributors supported the filming of several sessions at SOLWorld 2025. While not every session could be recorded, we interviewed many of the presenters whose sessions were not filmed. Below you’ll find their interviews — with video, audio, and in some cases slides or an article — offering a window into the ideas they shared. The conversations were hosted by Annie Bordeleau and John Brooker. We hope you enjoy exploring them. Click on a title to open the interview.

Scaling Coaching Tools

↗ Introduction Elvira Kalmar is a seasoned organisational development coach and facilitator who brings warmth, clarity, and curiosity to every encounter. Her work blends solution-focused coaching with a deep respect for the wisdom already present in teams. Rather than offering quick fixes, she invites leaders and organizations to pause, reflect, and create change from within. Elvira’s calm presence and skillful questions turn ordinary conversations into moments of insight.

Solution-Focused Playgrounds

↗ Introduction Play is often associated with children, but it holds immense value in the context of adult learning as well. This interactive session explored the concept of purposeful play—how it stimulates brain activity, enhances engagement, and promotes deeper learning across all age groups. You can explore the concept of Solution Play, an innovative approach that combines the core principles of Solution-Focused Practice with experiential learning. The use of play or playful activities in teaching, coaching, or therapy is most effective when it is more than a frivolous addition or something to merely “warm up” the team.

Solution Focused Listening

↗ Roy Marriott In this workshop, filmed at SOLWorld 2025 in Mechelen, Roy Marriott invites us to reflect on what it means to listen in a Solution Focused way. He begins with Michael Ende’s story of Momo, the little girl whose extraordinary gift was not advice or wisdom but her capacity to listen. From this starting point, Roy weaves together story, mindfulness, and practice to explore how listening can be both deeply simple and profoundly transformative.

Improving Productivity and Team Spirit in the UK National Health Service

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Weaving the Threads of Fear and Hope

Ania Smolka & Annie Bordeleau ↗ Introduction Fear and hope are powerful forces that shape how individuals and organisations respond to change. In Solution Focused practice, we often lean into the energy of hope, exploring what’s possible, what’s working, and what we want more of. Yet fear also carries valuable energy. It signals what’s at stake, clarifies what matters most, and prompts us to prepare and protect. The real art lies not in choosing between them, but in holding both as part of the same landscape of human experience.
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