What moves beneath the surface shapes everything above it.
WELCOME ≈
Patrick Liebl
Presence-Based Facilitation.
For the conversations that actually matter.
I work with people who sense that the real conversation hasn't happened yet. The one that gets past the agenda – to what's not being said, what's actually true, and what truly matters. Through presence-based facilitation, I slow down, hold the space with care, and allow what's already there to surface and shift.
I offer my presence in one-on-one conversations as well as in groups. My background in grief work and end-of-life accompaniment is what gave me the capacity for presence that sits at the heart of everything I do.
Presence & facilitation: knowing when to hold space and when to move.
What I am offering ≈
My approach
My work is grounded in what I call presence-based facilitation: the practice of bringing full, non-judgmental attention to what is actually happening in a conversation or process – not just the content, but the undercurrent. What's being said. What isn't. Where the energy is, and where it's stuck.
This approach draws on traditions of mindfulness and compassionate presence that I've studied and practiced for many years. The ability to stay grounded when emotions run high, to hold space for discomfort without rushing to resolve it, and to remain genuinely curious about every person in the room: these are trainable skills. They are also, I've found, the skills that make the difference between a process that merely concludes and one that actually moves something.
What this means for you: I don't come with a fixed methodology or a predetermined outcome. I come with a quality of attention and a set of capabilities that I adapt to what the situation actually needs.
It starts with a conversation
If you're curious about working together, the first step is simple: a conversation. No agenda, no commitment, just a chance to talk about where you are and what you're navigating. You don't need to know exactly what you're looking for. Often the most useful thing that comes out of a first call is simply more clarity about what you need, whether I'm the right person to help, and what a next step might look like.
OFFERINGS:
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Sometimes what's needed isn't a process or a plan – just a real conversation. One that is unhurried, non-directive, and free from the pressure to arrive at a conclusion.
I work with individuals who want to get closer to what's actually true for them. Whether that's navigating a transition, making sense of a difficult situation, or simply feeling more in touch with themselves and what truly matters. This includes leaders and team members who sense that something important isn't being heard – by the people around them, or by themselves.
People often leave having processed something real, feeling more connected to themselves and clearer about what actually matters.
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Most groups don't lack intelligence or goodwill. What they sometimes lack is the space to get to what's actually true – together. I facilitate the conversations that usually never quite make it to the surface. The ones that would shift something if they finally happened.
My approach, which I call Presence-Based Facilitation, creates the conditions for a group to slow down, hear each other more deeply, and get past the agenda to what actually matters. Without losing sight of where they need to go.
Groups leave having done more than talk – they've metabolized something together. A deeper awareness of what is actually at play, and a renewed sense of connection to each other and to what matters.
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I offer this as a training program for individuals and small groups: leaders, HR professionals, and anyone who regularly facilitates or moderates. It is not a methodology you memorize. It is a practice you develop.
You will learn to slow down in the moments that usually speed up, to hear what's not being said, and to hold a space with enough care and clarity that the real conversation can finally happen. Less about controlling the process – more about trusting your presence to guide it.
Outcome: Over time, you'll find yourself less reactive in difficult moments, more capable of getting to what actually matters and more confident that you can hold a room through whatever arises.
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Organizations go through grief too – when a colleague dies, when a beloved structure disappears, when a change process asks people to let go of something they didn't choose to lose. This is often the invisible drag on teams and cultures. I help organizations name and navigate these moments.
Outcome: When loss is acknowledged rather than managed, teams find it easier to move forward – together.For dedicated programs and organizational grief work, I also co-lead OMDB together with Cori Moore.
About me ≈
Facilitator
Coach
Grief Counsellor
End-of-life Companion
I trained as a facilitator, a grief counsellor, and an end-of-life companion. That combination might seem unusual but it isn't accidental.
The work of accompanying someone who is dying taught me something that no facilitation training ever could: how to be fully present in a moment that cannot be fixed, controlled, or rushed, and how to hold that space for someone else without losing yourself in it. It also taught me that the most important thing you can do for another person is make them feel genuinely heard, even when – or maybe especially when – you cannot fix whatever causes them pain. And that when people feel truly heard, something shifts – not always dramatically, but always meaningfully.
Those are exactly the skills that make a difference in individual processes as well as in organizations.
I have a master's degree in political science, with a particular focus on ethics and the philosophical questions that underlie how we live together. I began my professional career as a coach in communication and leadership. Over time, my path led me deeper, through training in grief work, in mindfulness, in compassionate presence and in end-of-life care. These are not separate worlds. They share a common thread: the capacity to be present with what is, not just with what we wish were true.
Today, I bring that thread into my work with organizations. I am based in Berlin and work in English, German, French and Spanish.
Get in touch ≈
If you are interested in working together, feel free to reach out and schedule a free introductory call at:
patrick@ocean-waves.life