The Art of Holding Space

A Practice of Love, Liberation, and Leadership

By Heather Plett

In this profound book, facilitator and speaker Heather Plett empowers you with constructive, actionable practices for transforming conflict, building boundaries, and increasing sovereignty in your own life – and the lives of those closest to you.

Heather Plett

We encourage you to check your local bookstore first when purchasing. If the book is not available in your local bookstore, give them a nudge and request that they stock it.
In the U.S, check out this list of Black-owned bookstores. And in Canada, check out this list of Black- and Indigenous-owned bookstores.

NEW! Now translated into Dutch!

*Audiobook also available*

The ability to “hold space” for yourself and for others has never been more urgent. Faced with global issues of climate change, political unrest, violence, and economic crises, more citizens of the world are experiencing disconnection, grief, and a deep sense of loneliness than at any other time.

But, with the right tools, you and your circle can become part of the solution. In this profound book, facilitator and speaker Heather Plett empowers you with constructive, actionable practices for transforming conflict, building boundaries, and increasing sovereignty in your own life – and the lives of those closest to you.

“The Art of Holding Space should be on the bookshelf of all therapists, coaches and community leaders. This book does it all; it unpacks, validates, instructs, calls forward, and inspires. A timeless, necessary volume I will return to in the future and recommend to my colleagues and friends. Thank you Heather for your comprehensive and courageous work.”
—Bethany Webster, author of Discovering the Inner Mother: A Guide to Healing the Mother Wound and Claiming Your Personal Power

“Heather Plett brings so much grace, care, and accountability to this book and her teachings. She leaves us with hard-earned lessons and skills intended to support people and help lead us toward repair.”
—Desiree Adaway, trainer, facilitator, and principal of The Adaway Group

“The Art of Holding Space provides the missing link for those of us who do any kind of transformational work. Heather Plett has done a great service by writing this book, which should be required reading for anyone who does work with other human beings.”
—Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work

“Reading this book will teach you to engage in the possibilities for transformational listening and speaking as they appear in daily life. Read it. Trust yourself. Show up. Repeat.”
—Christina Baldwin, author of Life’s Companion and Storycatcher

“What I love about Heather Plett is that she brings so much compassion to her own mistakes and traumas, which she shares with deep honesty and courage. This book is a great gift to the world in this time of turmoil and crisis, and is exactly what we need.”
—Dr. Robin Youngson, author of Time to Care: How to love your patients and your job

“I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to foster connections and conversations in a world that often feels fractured. It will help restore your faith in what is possible.”
—David Drake, PhD, author of Narrative Coaching:
The Definitive Guide to Bringing New Stories to Life

“On the surface, The Art of Holding Space identifies what it takes to support people in the messy, hard and liberating work of becoming more of themselves. Below the surface, this book is an invitation to explore our own emotional fragility and courage, with humility and confidence. An even deeper invitation is to acknowledge and explore the complexity of power and oppression in our relationships. This book asks: What will it take for people to live free of judgement, fear, injustice, discrimination, prejudice, poverty, violence, exploitation, indignity and shame? The answer resides somewhere in our capacity and willingness to hold space for others, self, and our communities to experience, rather than avoid, conflict and turmoil and learn and grow as a result. If you desire to foster strength and resilience in yourself and the people around you, this book is an essential read. To make communities and cities that serve us well, we certainly need to learn to hold space for each other.”
—Beth Sanders, author of
Nest City: How Citizens Serve Cities and Cities Serve Citizens

“There is deep and timely wisdom in these pages. With uncommon tenderness and care, Heather Plett has managed to write a book that seems to be the very thing it is pointing us toward.”
—Steve Bell, singer-songwriter and author

“Building on the foundation of her own grounded authenticity, Heather Plett has offered us a floodlight to illuminate our path through the dark spaces of human exchange. Plett walks us through academic as well as historical and cultural roots within the practice. She invites us to review specific challenges and barriers to holding space. There is a refreshing openness, an invitation, in Heather’s perspective. Plett elucidates how a combination of intuition, discernment, humility, courage, mystery, trust and community enable individuals to successfully hold space in an effective, compassionate way. This book will serve as a resource for quotations, encouragement and information. We cannot help but be left with the impression that as we were reading The Art of Holding Space, we were being artfully held.”
—Francesca Mason Boring, facilitator and author of Connecting to Our Ancestral Past

“The Art of Holding Space will transform your relationships with friends, family, colleagues, strangers—and yourself. Here you will find insightful and practical guidance, elegantly illustrated through Heather Plett’s personal experiences, research, and professional path, to bring more kindness, curiosity, and meaning to all your interactions. I can’t think of an ‘art’ we need more right now.”
—Christa Couture, author of How to Lose Everything

“This wise and compassionate book has the potential to forever change the way we show up for each other as individuals and in community. Read it, absorb it, practice it. Repeat.”
—Alana Sheeren, documentary filmmaker, Listen Closely