Diary of a Celebrant Trainer: The Ripple Effect
How often, in the course of our daily lives, do we take pause to consider our actions and re-actions, and the ripple effect our very existence has on others? In my role as a celebrant trainer, I’m conscious that Paul (co-tutor here at Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training) and I are generous with our time, energy and expertise. We do this because it is in our nature to give, not just because it’s our ‘job’. And while the popular saying suggests ‘it is better to give than to receive’, I believe they actually go hand in hand; you can’t give without also receiving. Energy works both ways.
The celebrant-training students who are open and receptive to what we offer, are also givers. They give to us with their inspiration, dedication and awareness; and they go on to give to those whose paths they cross. I call this the celebrant continuum. We’ve passed on the baton (or magic wand!) of our experience, and if it has been received, appreciated and valued, it will be transmuted into their own style of celebrancy.
When we talk about our high standards and rigorous approach to celebrant training, this too comes from a place of generosity. Why? Because it says we care about all the clients, around the world, that our certified Heart-led Celebrants will serve. We want each of those people to have the best experience possible. Alongside that, we want our celebrants to be the best celebrant version of themselves.
Giving of ourselves doesn’t just happen during the face-to-face training, or in the weeks during which the celebrant-in-training is completing their practical portfolios, but goes on beyond certification. We pledge lifetime (our lifetime, not theirs!) support to all our certified celebrants. This may be with script appraisal, mentoring, shadowing opportunities, voice coaching, monthly CPD sessions as well as not-for-profit celebrant retreats. We’re invested in long-term relationships (for those certified celebrants who want them), and are dedicated to living a life of service.
There’s an alchemical reciprocity between us and our Heart-led Celebrants and celebrants-in-training where we receive from shared stories and experiences. For each person we teach, we are also learning. There’s no stasis.
Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training is a purposeful pebble in a pond, and our sharing creates a ripple effect which continues with each Heart-led Celebrant wherever they are in the world. Although we, as trainers, don’t often see where and how far those ripples spread, we do know that kindness, light, laughter, love, empathy and creativity are dynamic living energies that create life forms of their own. That generosity of spirit is never-ending. How many countless people will be touched by a single Heart-led Celebrant’s life? Not just their clients, of course, but guests and mourners, too. Each person whose life has been infused by the awareness and presence of a Heart-led Celebrant is someone whose life has been touched by the ripple effect. Paul and I receive that silent knowing with gratitude and grace.
Our deepest wish is that all of our certified Heart-led Celebrants and celebrants-in-training live, move and have their perpetual being in matters of the heart.
Veronika Robinson has been officiating all manner of ceremonies since 1995, and alongside her husband Paul Robinson (voice and presentation coach) are industry leaders offering one-to-one professional celebrant training. They teach from their home in Cumbria.
Veronika Robinson has a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing, is the author of over thirty books, including several for celebrants (The Five Elements; The Successful Celebrant; Write That Eulogy; Funerals for Children; The Discrimination-free Celebrant. Love Story is publishing in Winter 2026.) She is a certified Infant Loss Professional; founder of Penrith’s first Death Café; has a TQUK Level 2 Certificate in Self-harm and Suicide Awareness and Prevention; is a celebrant for the charity Gift of a Wedding; mentors celebrants around the world in all aspects of celebrancy, including mastering writing life stories and love stories; and hosts not-for-profit retreats for celebrants. Veronika founded and edited The Celebrant magazine. Issues 1 to 13 can be found here.
