The power of holding space: What really happens in a Deep Dive (and why you need one)

Last week, I found myself in Los Angeles, stepping into a role that both stretched and grounded me.

When Rich Litvin invited me to be his “support team of one” for his Santa Monica Deep Dive, I said yes immediately. Why? Because I get to learn from the best in the world.

I get to study his mastery while, at the same time, being a student of my own.( As a member of 4PC, Rich Litvin´s Mastermind I get stretched in my thinking on a regular basis)

I wasn’t there just for the sun (though, let’s be honest, February sunshine in LA is a treat—except it rained every single day). I was there to witness, to hold space, and to experience transformation—not as the one being coached, not as the leader, but as the silent force making it all happen.

What I experienced was beyond strategy. It was about energy, presence, and the invisible architecture of transformation.

The deepest coaching happens in the gaps

People come to Deep Dives expecting powerful coaching, game-changing insights, and big “aha” moments. But what struck me most? It wasn’t what was said—it was what wasn’t.

There was this moment—someone in the hot seat finally admitted they’d been playing small their entire life. You could feel the tension in the room. They were waiting for Rich to throw them a lifeline, to soften the moment, to make it easier.

But he didn’t.

He just sat there. Steady. Unshaken. No rescuing. No fixing. Just holding space with absolute certainty.

And that’s when it happened. The shift. Not just for them, but for everyone. The silence cracked something open. You could feel it.

Later, someone who wasn’t even in the hot seat told me:

“I realized I’ve been waiting for permission my whole life. And it hit me—not because of what was said, but because of what wasn’t. If Rich could sit in that much certainty, why couldn’t I?”

That’s the power of presence.

What it really means to hold space

Behind every Deep Dive, there’s an unseen container that makes the transformation possible. Holding space isn’t about being invisible. It’s about being felt. It’s about:

• Reading the energy in the room—noticing when it dips, when it rises, when something unspoken is hanging in the air.
• Anticipating the moments that matter—knowing when to challenge, when to let silence do the work, when to push someone beyond their edge.
• Keeping my own energy clean—so I’m not bringing anything into the space that isn’t in service of the work being done.

The work works on you, too

I walked into this experience thinking I was there to witness transformation. What I didn’t expect? It changed me.

Because when you hold space for others at this level, you can’t help but be impacted by it yourself. Watching people sit in the discomfort of their own truth made me ask: Where am I still avoiding mine? Witnessing their breakthroughs made me wonder: Where am I still waiting for permission?

This is exactly what I ask my clients inside my Deep Dives. Because transformation isn’t about what you learn—it’s about what you’re willing to sit with.

Space for your own thinking

If you need space to stay with a decision or question that matters, you can read about the Deep Dive and current ways of working together. For ongoing work, the Executive Thinking Partnership offers that space over time.

You can request a conversation here.

Love,

Rita