Who is Taylor Barratt? | Practice, Theory & the Ethics of Facilitation

What does it mean for practice to become "really real" - and how does theory help keep that experience honest? In this episode - the second in a live-recorded three-part series with Taylor Barratt, Ethan Hsieh, and John Vervaeke - the conversation centers on Taylor as he reflects on the movement between practice and theory. Taylor describes how different vocabularies can converge around a shared sense of rightness, how moments of deep practice can feel lucid, beautiful, and more real, and why theory became meaningful for him only after he had spent enough time inside practice for the novelty to settle. John and Taylor compare their opposite trajectories: Taylor moving from practice toward theory, and John from theory into practice. Together with Ethan, they examine collective intelligence, practice design, and the need for mutual correction between theory, practice, and other people. The conversation deepens into the ethical responsibility of facilitation: designing for people not yet in the room, balancing explanation with experience, and learning to bring the whole self without becoming self-involved. Taylor explores how facilitation transfers into parenting, family life, trust, and ordinary relationship, and why facilitator training is not simply about learning structures, but about supervision, mistakes, cleanup, self-leadership, and getting out of your own way. The episode closes on service: the difference between doing a practice and being practiced by it, such that the orientation carries into life when it matters most. Taylor Barratt is the Director of Practice and Education at the Vervaeke Foundation. He has over a decade of experience in relational leadership through Authentic Relating Toronto. LinkedIn X Ethan Hsieh is the Director of Community Development and Partnerships at the Vervaeke Foundation. He comes from an acting background focused on character development. LinkedIn 00:00 Welcome to the Lectern 01:30 Introducing Taylor - the second conversation in the series 02:10 John and Taylor's new collaboration 02:20 What stayed alive from the previous conversation 03:00 Different languages, shared truths 04:30 Rightness, right proportion, and rig