The Room of Difference: Learning to Speak Up in a World of Many Lives
About The Room
Shaped by the real experiences members have brought — situations at work, in relationships, and beyond — the format has changed to meet people where they actually are. Skills and topic exploration now happen together, with each session built around what members bring.
Self-advocacy is hardest when the stakes are real: navigating power at work, holding your ground in a group, or speaking up when you’re used to going quiet. That’s exactly what this space is for..
How it Works
The format is simple. Members take turns suggesting an area of self-advocacy they want support with. The group works through it together — with peer support at the centre, and the facilitator adding ideas, prompting discussion, and helping everyone go deeper.
A member might bring something like managing up and down at work, navigating a difficult colleague, preparing for a hard conversation, or holding their own in a debate. Whatever the situation, the group explores it together sharing what they know, what they’ve tried, and what’s helped.
This isn’t a lecture or a skills workshop delivered at you. It’s a live, collaborative process shaped by the people in the room and what they’re actually dealing with.
What Members Bring
There’s no fixed curriculum. The group’s needs shape each session.
Topics come from members themselves. Examples include:
managing up and down at work — getting your voice heard by those above and below you
naming what you need from a team or organisation without being dismissed or labelled difficult
talking about mental health with friends or family who may not fully understand
navigating politically charged conversations where your perspective is marginalised or dismissed, or it might be just generally difficult to voice your perspective because it might be politically incorrect
holding your ground in group settings without losing connection or being shut out
speaking honestly in spaces where your identity, beliefs, or needs put you at odds with others This is an Image & Text block. Click on this text to start editing and enter your own text with some basic formatting. Just click anywhere outside the text box when you're done to continue working on the rest of your page.
Skills You’ll Build
Because skills and topic exploration are woven together, you build capability through the conversation itself. As the group works through real situations, you'll develop:
Stay present under pressure — noticing your stress responses and choosing how to respond rather than react.
Speak honestly without triggering unnecessary conflict or shutting yourself down.
Advocate for your needs clearly — without shrinking, over-explaining, or going on the defensive.
Understand what’s really happening in a conversation — beneath the surface of words.
Hold your ground without losing the relationship.
Raise difficult points in ways that are honest, grounded, and hard to dismiss.
The result: a steadier, more confident voice — one that can advocate clearly without burning out or shutting down.
What to Expect
Sessions are held monthly, last 2 hours, and are available in person or online.
Each session opens with a check-in — a moment to notice what you’re bringing into the room. From there, the group moves into member-led discussion, with peer support and facilitated prompting at the centre. Sessions close with a reflection on what emerged.
You don’t need to prepare in advance, but you’re welcome to come with a situation in mind, something you’re navigating, stuck on, or want to think through with others. Regular attendance helps the group build trust and momentum over time.
Strong emotions are expected and treated as information, not disruption. There’s no pressure to share personal details or to be vulnerable. Everything shared stays within the group. Facilitators are trained in trauma-informed practice and will hold the space with care if things get difficult.
Who It’s For
The Room of Difference is for anyone who wants to advocate for themselves more effectively and more sustainably.
It’s particularly for those who know what they need but struggle to say it, who speak up and aren’t taken seriously, or who are tired of managing others’ comfort at the expense of their own clarity.
You don’t need to be confident or outspoken. You need to be willing to practise staying present.
