Being with your nervous system in complex times

An embodied practice circle 

When the work is complex, we regularly find ourselves at thresholds … between roles, between certainties, between ‘how we’ve always done it’ and what’s needed now. In these liminal spaces, our nervous system often speeds up, shuts down, or reaches for familiar habits that don’t quite fit.

This four‑session online practice circle offers simple, trauma‑informed ways to be with your nervous system as you navigate those thresholds, so you can stay more present, grounded and connected, with yourself and with others.

Across four 75‑minute sessions we will:

• Offer a simple, plain‑language orientation to how your body and nervous system respond to stress, safety and ease

• Name common protective patterns (speeding up, freezing, people‑pleasing, withdrawing, over‑functioning) and how they show up in your work and life

• Practise a handful of small, repeatable somatic moves you can use in real time, in meetings, facilitation, conflict, decision‑making and rest

• Explore how to stay in contact with yourself and others in liminal spaces, when things feel uncertain, emotionally charged or “too much”

• Reflect together on what you notice between sessions as you take these practices into your own contexts

This circle is a doorway, not a destination. We’ll begin practices together in the group, and you’ll receive simple prompts and a workbook so you can continue between sessions. Nervous system science and somatic research are clear that repetition is what gradually re‑wires our patterns and makes new responses available, even under pressure.

Our orientation to practice is not self‑optimisation. We’re not here to fix you or make you more productive. We’re here to cultivate human being as much as human doing … learning to relate differently to your own activation so you can move with more integrity, care and choice in the work that matters to you.

Designed for people who are often supporting others through complexity, for example independent practitioners (social innovation folk, organisers, designers, coaches, facilitators, community weavers, activists) as well as carers, leaders and humans navigating big changes.

Session 1 : Arriving: meeting where you are

July 21 (AU)/ July 20 (US)

We begin by arriving where you actually are, not where you think you “should” be.

• A simple, plain‑language orientation to how your body and nervous system responds to stress, safety and ease.
• Guided body‑based reflection to notice what activation, flatness and settling feel like for you right now.
• Map how this links to your real contexts – projects, relationships, care responsibilities, organisational dynamics.
• One simple noticing practice to take into the next couple of weeks.

The aim is not to over‑analyse yourself, but to start recognising the patterns your system is already running.

Session 2 : Protection: patterns that try to keep you safe

Aug 4 (AU)/ Aug 3 (US)

Here we get curious about your protective strategies – without pathologising them.

• Name common protective patterns – speeding up, shutting down, bracing, over‑functioning, people‑pleasing – as understandable ways your system tries to keep you safe.
• Connect these patterns to the systems you move in: meetings, workshops, client work, family life.
• Try a couple of low‑key supports you can use in real time (breath, orientation, micro‑pauses, boundaries) and noticing what actually helps.
• Choose one small, realistic experiment to take into your everyday contexts.

We’re gently widening the gap between “something happens” and “I react”, growing your response‑ability one small moment at a time.

Session 3 : Resourcing: what steadies and restores you

Aug 18 (AU)/ Aug 17 (US)

In this session we turn towards what supports you, not just what drains you.

• Explore what helps your system come back toward steadier ground – people, places, rhythms, practices, stories.
• Map supports you already have (even if under‑used) and gaps that might want attention, without turning it into another list of “shoulds”.
• Practise ways to weave micro‑resourcing into your current days, rather than adding big new routines you’ll abandon in a week.
• Name one or two supports you want to tend, and what might make that feel possible in your context.

Resourcing here is framed as a prerequisite for meaningful work and sustainable leadership, not a luxury add‑on.

Session 4 : Walking with: integrating and choosing next steps

Sept 1 (AU)/ Aug 30 (US)

We close by gathering what you’ve seen and felt, and looking at how you want to walk with your system from here.

• Look back across the previous sessions to see what patterns and experiments are telling you about your current capacity.
• Explore what it might mean, in your particular work and life, to “be with” your experience rather than constantly overriding or pushing through.
• Clarify a few simple agreements with yourself (and maybe others) about how you want to respond, relate, and resource yourself in the coming months.
• Name what you are taking with you from the circle, practices, insights, boundaries, or questions, and what support you might need to keep going.

There may also be an optional integration call later in the year if the group wants to reconnect and ground what you’ve been experimenting with.

Who this is for

This circle is for you if:

• Are living or working in complex times and want a kinder relationship with your own nervous system
• Are often “the one who holds the space” for others and want more internal support to do that sustainably
• Sense your body is trying to tell you things in high‑stakes or emotionally charged moments, but you’re not always sure how to listen or respond
• Notice stress and load showing up in your body (tension, shutdown, wired “on‑ness”) and want to understand this without making yourself wrong
• Would like a small, relational space to practise, not just learn concepts, with others who care about how they show up in their relationships and work

People who join often include independent practitioners,  for example social innovation folk, organisers, designers, coaches, facilitators, community weavers, activists, as well as people in caring professions and those navigating big personal transitions.

No prior somatics or trauma training is required. Curiosity and willingness to experiment is enough.

Practical details

• Format: 4 x live online sessions (Zoom) – held fortnightly
• Session length: 75 minutes each
• Group size: Small (up to 10), so there is room for reflection 
• Session flow: Each 75‑minute session weaves short teaching, guided practice and focused reflection. There will be some space to share, but the emphasis is on your own noticing and experimenting, rather than long check‑ins
• Facilitator: Jax Wechsler : strategic designer, facilitator and educator working at the intersection of nervous system literacy, trauma‑aware practice and complex change.

Time options:

• Group A – AU / NZ‑friendly / some US‑friendly:
  8:00–9:15 am AEST = 6:00 – 7:15 pm EDT =  3:00 – 4:15 pm PDT
  July 21, Aug 4, 18, Sept 1 (the day before in the USA)
  >> Register using this link
  
  
• Group B – Evening AU + Asia / EU‑friendly:
  19:00–20:15 AEST, Sydney = 10:00–11:15 am BST, London = 5:00–6:15 pm Singapore
  July 22, Aug 5, 19, Sept 2
  >> Register using this link

Groups and flexibility

You’ll nominate a “home” group (morning or evening) when you register. If a particular week doesn’t work for your home time, you’re welcome to join the other group for that session instead, as long as there’s room.

If one of the groups doesn’t reach minimum numbers, I may invite you to move into the other group or offer a refund. 

Investment

Investment for the four‑part live series (approx. 5 hours of group time):

• Professional / organisation‑funded – AUD $290 (incl. 10% GST)
  For when your employer, a client, or a project budget is paying for your place.
• Self‑funded practitioner – AUD $190 (incl. 10% GST)
  For when you are paying out of pocket as an individual.
• Supported place – AUD $120 (incl. 10% GST)
  For people for whom the other rates would be a barrier right now. If this is you, you’re welcome to choose this tier – no explanation needed.

About your facilitator

Jax Wechsler is founder of Cocreate Change and Social Design Sydney.
She brings over 20 years of experience supporting organisations navigating complexity, uncertainty and change. Over the past five years, her work has focused on nervous system literacy and trauma-informed practice, helping teams build the capacity to stay present, connected and choice-ful under real-world demands.

This work draws on long-standing experience in co-design, systems change, facilitation and applied neuroscience to support teams to move from overwhelm to more grounded, choice-ful ways of responding … and expanding response-ability.

A note about the work

This circle draws on current research and lived practice around stress, trauma and nervous system literacy, but it doesn’t ask you to sign up to any one theory. The focus is on gentle, practical ways to notice what your own system is doing and to offer it a little more support, in the middle of the life you actually have.

It is not therapy and not clinical training. It’s a small, human‑scaled practice space to support how you move through complex work and life, and to gently grow your response‑ability over time.

For your team or organisation

If you’d like your whole team to build this kind of capacity together, I also offer Regulate. Resource. Respond., a nervous‑system‑informed program for teams and organisations working in complex, high‑pressure environments.

Learn more about Regulate. Resource. Respond.

Testimonials

This circle grows out of earlier nervous‑system‑informed courses I’ve run with practitioners and teams. Here’s how people from those cohorts have described the impact.

“What I most appreciated was how Jax framed nervous system regulation as more than self-care — as a practice that supports collective creativity, compassion and response-ability. The course came at exactly the right time. Jax explained things in a clear, grounded and practical way that made both the theory and practices feel intuitive and genuinely doable.”

— Kylie Wrigley, Climate Justice Organiser

“Jax provided a supportive, reflective space to make sense of my capacities as a change-maker, along with new nervous system concepts and practical tools I’m already bedding in for the year ahead.”
— Wendy Fountain, Ecological designer

“Jax is a rare example of being an embodied teacher of her teachings. Highly recommended.”
— Robyn Katz, Women’s Leadership Facilitator

“I found the class useful and insightful. It left me pondering the implications for work and relationship over the next few days. Also explained the window of tolerance to my 7 yr old daughter the next day. Made perfect sense to her. She called hypo-arousal her ‘hiding’ state.”
—Dan Gooden, Technology Consultant

“Jax presents life changing concepts in clear, precise language, with practical exercises to take home and use for life! Your nervous system will appreciate you, for investing 2 hours of your time, for a lifetime of insight and awareness to give you greater control and acceptance of yourself, relationships and life’s challenges.”
— Sharni Cohen, Psychologist