Relationship Matters – Details, episodes & analysis

In this bonus episode, Katie speaks with Director of Continuous Development Sunčica Getter about Systems Inspired™ supervision, why this resource is so important for professional coaches, and developing your inner supervisor. 

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Supervision allows us to access new levels of awareness and hold them with a sense of intrigue and compassion. It is a powerful space that creates connection and reflection.
• Supervision is a slower, holding space that allows us to pause and recognize themes and patterns at individual and collective levels.
• We are instruments in our own work, so we must take care of ourselves. In this space, we can rest, restore and bring to the surface patterns that may not be visible to us.
• When we develop an inner supervisor, we can bring that greater awareness into many areas of our lives, helping shift patterns within ourselves and the systems in which we live and work.
• Patience and pause are essential parts of supervision. Supervision is a process focused on patterns, rather than a product geared toward action. In this space, we can zoom out and connect to the bigger picture in our individual and collective systems. 

To listen to Sunčica’s previous episode on Systems Coaching and Mindfulness, click here.

Sunčica Getter, ORSCC, MA, PCC, is a systemic coach, consultant and educator. With over 20 years of experience, her focus is on transformational leadership development and systemic culture change. Sunčica is a faculty member of CRR Global and a UK Faculty Lead and Senior Consultant for Performance Consultants International. Her work in coaching education has seen her train, mentor, and supervise coaches and design and deliver academic, public, and in-house coaching training and accreditation courses. Her experiences collaborating with world-class coaching institutions and a variety of clients have made Sunčica a trusted systemic coaching consultant. She advises companies and institutions on the implementation of systemic coaching and systemic thinking for both organisational and community development.

For over 20 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of faculty and partners, we connect, inspire and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time.

CRR Global is the Institute for Systems Inspired Coaching and Leadership.

Season 6 Bonus Episode
The Observer Effect: How Awareness Shapes the Systems Coaching Process

In this conversation, Katie welcomes CRR Global co-founder Marita Fridjhon to the show to discuss the observer effect in systems coaching. Research in relational psychology and systems theory supports the idea that change arises in relationships, not in isolation. The observer effect reminds us that systems work- whether that be in a coaching session or group supervision- is a co-creative process. It is not just about analysing data, but about what becomes possible in the presence of mindful, attuned witnessing.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• In physics, the observer effect refers to how the act of observing a phenomenon can change its behavior. While the term originates in quantum mechanics, the concept is increasingly relevant to fields that rely on human presence, awareness, and relational engagement—including coaching supervision.
• The observer effect reflects a foundational truth: presence is not neutral. The supervisor is a co-participant in the relational field, actively shaping what unfolds. Observation becomes a force of change—not because of analysis, but because of mindful, attuned witnessing.
• Systems workers engaged in this model relational intelligence recognize that their tone, posture, silence, or intuitive nudge can shift the system. Whether through a well-timed pause or a single moment of spacious attention, their presence invites the supervisee to access greater awareness and possibility.
• When systems workers bring grounded, intentional presence, they create a field that is safe enough for emergence and brave enough for insight. This presence doesn’t seek to fix, but to facilitate a deepened seeing—one that includes the coach, the client, and the unseen patterns shaping the work.

Marita Fridjhon is co-founder of CRR Global and mentor to an ever-growing community of practitioners in the field of Relationship Systems work. She came to this work from an extensive background in clinical social work, community development, process work, family systems therapy, business consulting and alternative dispute resolution. Her primary focus in coaching is on systemic change, leveraging differences, creative communication, deep democracy in conflict management and the development of learning organizations.

For over 20 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of faculty and partners, we connect, inspire and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time.

We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.

What you’ll gain from this episode:

• An insight into the power of reflective practice as a tool for understanding ourselves better in relationship to the world.
• Awareness of how to build reflective practice into your life through journalling, free-writing and drawing.
• Ways to allow our authentic voice to emerge in reflective practice, without editing it out or blocking.
• Techniques that will help you to sit in the process rather than focus on the output or destination.
• Colourful examples from Alfred about the influential impact of journaling in his life as a teacher, coach and mentor.

Alfred De Pew is a cultural worker, writer, painter and process facilitator who has taught a the Universities of Vermont & New Hampshire, the Maine Arts college, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. His writing workshops have been sponsored by The Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance and various community programs throughout the United States and Canada. He served for several years on the faculty of CRR Global as an individual supervisor, certification cohort leader, front of room leader and director of supervision. He lives in Vancouver BC where he offers spiritual accompaniment, astrological consultation, energy work, support for community leader, clergy, writers, artists, intuitive and healing arts practitioners. 

For over 20 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of Faculty and Partners, we connect, inspire, and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time

We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.

In this episode, Katie talks with Floyd Carlson about Neuroscience and Relationships. This is the first of 2 installments on neuroscience and what it can teach us about our relationships. In Part 1 we’re talking about how neuroscience can help us to better understand ourselves because the more we are aware of what’s going on within us, the more it’s going to help us as coaches, leaders and human beings. We discuss a variety of topics including how to regulate in the moment, types of intuition, the body budget, how we create our emotions through a process of prediction and how to disrupt our prediction patterns so that we can be more at choice in our lives.

Floyd Carlson is a Front of the Room Leader for CRR Global who focuses on leaders, teams and bringing the best out of individuals based on company and individual objectives. Floyd has more than 30 years of business and military experience which he combines with his coaching, training, and organizational development to help leaders achieve professional and personal goals in alignment with company needs.

Resources:

• Lisa Feldman Barret TED talk

For over 18 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of Faculty and Partners, we connect, inspire, and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time

 We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.

In this episode, Katie talks with CRR Global CEO and co-founder Marita Fridjhon about the competencies behind system inspired leadership. Systems Inspired Leadership (SIL) is an innovative approach to leadership that creates from the wisdom of the system rather than tells people what to do and builds shared leadership at all levels of the organization. Their discussion includes what is and isn’t a systems inspired leader, how to empower leaders and teams to adopt this different approach to leadership, how Systems’ inspired leadership set us up to better navigate the complexity and disruptive forces of the 21st century and stepping into the collective intelligence of the system itself.

Marita Fridjhon is co-owner and CEO of CRR Global and mentor to an ever-growing community of practitioners in the field of Relationship Systems work. She designs curriculum and operates training programs in Relationship Systems Work for coaches, executives and teams. She came to this work from an extensive background in Clinical Social Work, Community Development, Process Work, Family Systems Therapy, Business Consulting and Alternative Dispute Resolution. She has an international mentor coaching practice of individuals, partnerships and teams. Her primary focus in coaching is on systemic change, leveraging diversity, creative communication, deep democracy in conflict management and the development of Learning Organizations.


For over 18 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of Faculty and Partners, we connect, inspire, and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time

 We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.

In this episode, Katie is talking with Neil Edwards about Leadership and Love. In business ‘love’ is not a word, characteristic, or value, we often see or use. Yet, what might be the value of bringing more ‘love’ into the workplace? And how might leading with love transform our working relationships and company cultures? Across the episode we discuss how love affirms life, the sanitation of words in the workplace, the challenges and missed opportunities in leaving love out of the boardroom; expanding our leadership range in include love and loving response, creating shared understanding around what love means, and the power of living and leading with love.

Neil Edwards is a Front of the Room Leader and Certification Faculty for CRR Global. Neil specializes in expanding range and strengthening resilience for leaders, and creating capacity and capability of teams and organizational systems to be positive, productive, and agile in the face of change. He coaches and teaches individuals, teams, and larger organizational systems to identify values, define purpose, act intentionally, think systemically, be inclusive, and nurture wellbeing. He has extensive experience coaching accountants, engineers, attorneys, MBAs, executives, and finance; brand; and IT professionals in corporations, government, and professional services.


For over 18 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of Faculty and Partners, we connect, inspire, and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time

 We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.

In this episode, Master Coach Maddie Weinreich delves into two of the coaching competencies she sees new systems coaches’ struggling with the most: holding the system as the client and holding the system as intelligent, generative, and creative. Over the course of the episode, Maddie discusses tips, traps and tricks to using these competencies, what it means to ‘hold the system’ as a client, some of the benefits of working with our clients in this way and empowering the system by holding them as inherently intelligent, generative and creative.

Maddie Weinreich specializes in strengthening the interpersonal relationships that exist within business environments for the purpose of enhancing team performance and productivity.  She coaches leadership teams around the globe to navigate change and to effectively improve organizational cultures within large and small businesses. Maddie currently serves as a senior Front of the Room Leader for the ORSC Program and ORSC Certification.  Maddie holds the Master Certified Coach (MCC) credential with the International Coaches Federation (ICF). She is a Certified Organization and Relationship Systems Coach (ORSCC), a Certified Team Performance Coach (CTPC), and a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC).  Maddie also provides mentoring services and consultation for professionals working in the field of relationship growth and development.


For over 18 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of Faculty and Partners, we connect, inspire, and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time

 We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.

In this episode, Katie talks with workplace conflict expert, Jennifer Pernfuss, about how to effectively meet systems amidst conflict and crisis, by taking the balcony view. They discuss why it’s important to bring a systems lens to issues involving workplace harassment, using workplace conflict in a constructive manner, creating psychological safety, and the role of rank and privilege. 

Jennifer Pernfuss is a non-practicing lawyer with a degree in Psychology and has maintained a consulting and coaching business for 27 years focusing exclusively on the prevention and elimination of workplace discrimination, harassment and the resolution of workplace conflict and employee complaints. Trained in systems theory, process-oriented psychology and relationship systems coaching combined with her understanding of the law Jennifer develops and implements restorative processes, helps repair strained working relationships and move parties to resolution.

For over 18 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of Faculty and Partners, we connect, inspire, and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time

 We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.

In this episode, Katie Churchman is talking with CRR Global co-founder Faith Fuller and CRR faculty member Janet Frood about viewing Nature as an ally when we consider relationship systems intelligence. This isn’t just about considering our relationship with nature but also, thinking about how nature is a part of us and looking at what nature can teach us. Across the episode, they cover a variety of colorful topics including: nature’s ability to shift our perspective; the healing power of nature; and nature’s insight into relationship challenges.  

Janet Frood is an executive, team and leadership coach who focuses on human and relational dimensions of organizational development. After 20 years of what Janet calls her “accidental” career, she made a big leap and completely changed my own career path. In 2005, she founded Horizon Leadership and dedicated her work to supporting leaders and teams on their journey. Janet’s inspirational work focuses on the human and relational dimensions of organizational life – cultivating the talent and resourcefulness of individuals and teams so they move towards their goals together. 

Faith Fuller is co-owner and President of CRR Global. She is a psychologist and experienced trainer and coach, with over 15 years of experience in working with organizations, couples and communities. Faith takes a systems approach to coaching, namely that all aspects of the system need to be addressed in order for effective change to occur. Her particular skill is empowering powerful, productive and joyous relationships in couples, partnerships and teams . She also has a background in consultation, team building, conflict resolution and community crisis intervention.


For over 18 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of Faculty and Partners, we connect, inspire, and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time

 We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.

To kick-start a brand new season of the Relationship Matters Podcast, Katie Churchman talks with Sandra Cain (Director of Curriculum and Senior Faculty at CRR Global) about crossing edges around returning to the office. 

After over a year of lock-down and remote working, many organizations are now contemplating a return to the office. However, there’s no clear road map for navigating this change and business leaders are finding that the challenges are much more complicated than originally thought. Looking through a systems lens, Sandra considers the opportunities for relationship as we cross edges and create new ways of working together during this transition into another new normal with regards to company culture, work-life balance and clear and courageous communication.

Sandra Cain coaches individuals, pairs and teams around the world. Her background includes 15 years of experience at American Express with a variety of leadership and personal development roles. In addition to leading the CRR Global Core Curriculum, she is also Associate Director of the Certification Program and on faculty for The Coaches Training Institute. Her stand for this work is that since we’re already in relationships, we might as well be conscious and intentional about who we are, what we do and how we live.


For over 18 years, CRR Global has accompanied leaders, teams, and practitioners on their journey to build stronger relationships by focusing on the relationship itself, not only the individuals occupying it. This leads to a community of changemakers around the world. Supported by a global network of Faculty and Partners, we connect, inspire, and equip change agents to shift systems, one relationship at a time

 We believe Relationship Matters, from humanity to nature, to the larger whole.