Kendra Cunov – The Art of Deep Intimacy

She Rises

In this episode, Giovanna interviews Kendra Cunov, co-founder of Authentic World. Kendra has been teaching, facilitating, and most importantly, practicing authentic relating and integral circling for the last 15 years. She works with organizations, leaders, and coaches who know that connection, truth, and integrity are points to success. Listen as Kendra talks about the true meaning of authentic relating, the interpersonal activities that create opportunities for genuine connection, and the benefits of investing in both solo and interpersonal experiences. Today’s guest is Kendra Cunov “Kendra is one of the most powerful coaches & leaders I know. If you are looking to deepen your personal relationships, grow your business, build your team, or improve the communication and leadership skills of your team leaders, you would be well-served to work with Kendra. Her guidance has supported me in scaling my events, while simultaneously creating even deeper and more intimate experiences for our participants. Her impact is magical.” – Rich Litvin, Author of The Prosperous Coach & 4PC Founder Kendra is the co-founder of Authentic World She works with people who know that connection, truth, and integrity are points to success She has consulted for companies like GenenTech and the staff at 4PC Learn more about Kendra on her website, KendraCunov.com Giovanna has known Kendra for a year now Sometimes, even Kendra thinks about how she came into her position right now She was born into a Zen Buddhist Monastery She went back to the monastery and lived there for 3 years as an adult The monastery was her life At 5, Kendra and her mom left the monastery When they moved, her memories became sharp and clear Kendra thinks that intentionally surrounding herself with people who are on the path of personal growth impacted her a lot At 19 or 20, Kendra looked around and saw a group of people dedicated to their awakening and their personal paths Kendra felt a part of her was already curious about this interpersonal experience There’s a dynamic tension between our solo experience and our interpersonal experiences Meditating solo everyday won’t improve interpersonal relationships; working on interpersonal relationships won’t build your inner stamina The test comes when you’re in a relationship – not necessarily a romantic one Authentic relating comes from a myriad of different communities/practices coming together Kendra’s husband and his business partner created the Authentic Man Program – it’s where Kendra first engaged herself in this interpersonal relating Kendra and her fiancé held authentic relating games nights It was creating experiences for people to connect in ways they don’t do on their own When you’re face to face with someone, you can think of your answers to that person, in that moment “It allowed people to share to others in the way that they were longing to” After 3 years of facilitating the game night, they started facilitating events for a dating company The dating company worked with more middle-aged, professional people This opportunity led Kendra to realize that authenticity works for everyone Another key was: “You gave us permission” Giovanna shares her experience with Kendra’s intimacy workshop last year Giovanna believes there was the sense of essential longing that she felt was fulfilled in that workshop Kendra feels fulfillment when people tell her how they felt with her sessions or workshops It’s normal to feel the way you do, especially in a container It takes a setup to play formally or informally “Containers hold us” Container or context is the thing that people say, “You gave us permission” “Set people up so they know what’s happening” Women operate on a deeper level than men Men are single-focused Women have dispersed attention One game Kendra plays is Curiosity Only one person asks, and another person answers for 3-5mins Nothing is off limits “The only rule is you have to be curious” The role of the person answering is