

workshops work
Dr Myriam Hadnes
Welcome to “workshops work,” the podcast that transforms how professionals engage, inspire, and lead groups. Ranked among the top 5% most popular podcasts globally, it is hosted by Dr Myriam Hadnes, a behavioural economist and facilitation expert. Each episode delves into the techniques and mindsets that make workshops truly impactful.Join us every week as we sit down with world-renowned facilitators and uncover their secrets to creating psychological safety, fostering collaboration, and sparking innovation. Whether you’re a Facilitator, L&D professional, HR leader, manager, coach or trainer, you’ll find practical tips, inspiring stories, and actionable insights to elevate your group dynamics.From navigating conflict to unlocking creativity, “workshops work” blends theory with practice, ensuring you walk away with tools you can immediately apply. Dr Myriam Hadnes doesn’t just interview; she facilitates enriching conversations that shift perspectives and deepen understanding.Subscribe now to change the world, one workshop at a time.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 24, 2025 • 1h 20min
353 - How to Facilitate Constructive Discomfort through Brave Spaces with Dr. Dauv Evans
Send us a textBrave work is messy work. It’s an invitation into the dōjō – to be humbled, to get vulnerable, and leave behind what you thought you knew.Life-long learner, executive coach, culture consultant and facilitator, Dr. Dauv Evans joins me this week to journey beyond safety into the brave space arena. Together, we explore what it takes to build these spaces: the intentionality, the rules of engagement, and the assumptions we must leave at the door to have courageous conversations.From power imbalances, to conversations on race, Dauv shares his work in helping people to grow together and exist outside of their comfort zone, with generosity and passion. A rich, practical conversation about how leaders can show up with humility when it’s needed most.Find out about:What braves spaces are – and why people must be invited into themHow constructive discomfort can facilitate deeper connection, meaningful learning, and cultural change within organisationsWhy leaders must navigate people’s varying levels of risk tolerance with careHow to use power positively to facilitate a brave conversation for the betterDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Dauv Evans:Brave Space Leadership Cohort Interest FormWebsiteLinkedInSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Dec 16, 2025 • 1h 5min
352 - Less Thinking, More Sensing: Embodiment in Facilitation with Mirjam Leunissen
Send us a textTake a moment to tune into your body. Do your muscles feel tense, is your heartbeat slow and steady, is your jaw clamped tight?Embodiment coach and one-week-old facilitator, my fiancée Mirjam Leunissen joins me this week for a podcast first! As a scientist in a past life, Mirjam spent her days distilling data points – and she continues to do so under a new guise, now recognising patterns in the body, in emotions, and how people show up.We explore how embodiment can be a gateway to changing perspective and mastering our own comfort, as Mirjam shares practical tips for making sense of our bodies. A beautiful invitation to think a little less, sense a lot more, and come back to being a whole human being!Find out about:How embodiment can shape how we think and feel, helping us to regulate our nervous system, and respond with greater clarityWhy emotional awareness begins in the body first, when we tune into our physical sensationsWhy facilitating with lightness, play, and curiosity can foster psychological safetyThe importance of using tangible, factual terms about our physiology to bridge understandingWhy shifting our posture can positively transform the way that we thinkDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Connect to Mirjam Leunissen:LinkedInSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Dec 9, 2025 • 1h 19min
351 - The Fierce Compassion of Facilitation with Shireen Naqvi
Send us a textFrom a childhood imaginary classroom, to the moments before a traffic light turns green, Shireen Naqvi has been viewing the world as a beautiful facilitation opportunity her whole life.Guided by the divine belief that humans are the best creatures in the universe, Shireen has made it her mission to help others realise the power that lies within them. She joins me this week to share stories from her life in Pakistan, her strategies for enabling self-empowerment in others, and why anger is the perfect ammunition for change.A wise and inspiring conversation rich with Shireen’s passion, as we explore professionalism, injustice, the female experience, cultural nuances, and everything in between!Find out about:Why we should pay attention to our angers in order to understand our personal valuesWomen’s rights in Pakistan, and Shireen’s experience as a female trainer and entrepreneurHow Shireen uses play and authenticity to break the barrier of professionalism in the boardroomHow the concept of professionalism differs across cultures and countriesDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Shireen Naqvi:LinkedInSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Dec 2, 2025 • 1h 5min
350 - Workshops Without Words: Learning from the Clown with Suzanne Dietz
Send us a textNot all clowns hide sadness behind a painted smile. Some wear their emotions on their sleeve, with earnest, overt authenticity, and deep self-awareness!After taking a sign language course, Suzanne Dietz discovered how freeing it was to express herself through non-verbal communication – and it soon changed the course of her life. Hanging up her traditional facilitation hat and swapping it for a red nose, she now brings joy to the lives of asylum seekers and the elderly as a talented care clown.Together, we unravel the wondrous world of non-verbal facilitation: from improvisation and silent connection, to letting go of performance, and developing a sharpened sense for the unspoken.Find out about:The unexpected similarities between facilitators and clownsThe non-verbal craft of clowning, the cues, and the communication formHow Suzanne expresses and plays with emotions with authenticityHow clowning can sharpen our intuition, and reveal emotional clarity in both ourselves and othersDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Connect to Suzanne Dietz:LinkedInWebsiteSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Nov 25, 2025 • 45min
349 - Facilitation in Japan: Silence, Safety, and Subtlety with Yuko Gendo
Send us a textSilence is a virtue, and nowhere is this more deeply understood than in Japan. A pause rich with meaning, where thoughts are carefully explored, emotions are quiet, and things are said, without any words at all.So, how do facilitators hold space amidst the subtlety? Facilitator, workshop designer, and coach, Yuko Gendo invites us into the beautifully unique world of Japanese facilitation this week, as a practice shaped by deep respect, harmony, and quiet reflection.She shares how non-verbal cues can soften emotional expression, how consensus forms through alignment, not debate, and together we compare our cultural experiences as two facilitators from opposite sides of the world. Join us!Find out about:The cultural values of silence, hierarchy and emotional restraint, and their role in Japanese facilitationHow Yuko navigates the tension between group harmony and individual expressionThe use of indirect expressions through cards, visuals and metaphor, in place of direct speachWhat Western facilitators can learn from their Japanese counterpartsDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Yuko Gendo:WebsiteLinkedInSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Nov 17, 2025 • 1h 24min
348 - Reclaiming Indigenous Wisdom in Facilitation with Katerina Kupenga
Send us a textCarrying the wisdom of five generations before her, Katerina Kupenga inherited a special legacy from her ancestral namesake: the gift of Māori facilitation.And as a proud wahine Māori from Ngāti Porou, Katerina joins me to share this rich wisdom with us all. She guides us through the sacred welcoming rituals of the Pōwhiri, the complexities of tribal relations, the spiritual intimacy of exchanging breath, and the energy work that takes place as people, ancestors, emotions, and tension are invited into being.This is a truly special conversation about what it means to be Māori, and the unique indigenous methods that acknowledge the Māori people of the land.Find out about:The traditional Māori rituals, chants, and the guidance of the gods that take place during workshopsKaterina’s journey to relearning the wisdom and culture of her peopleThe importance of honouring Māori practices and language – free of Western agendas, structures and timeframesFacilitating conversations and tensions around intergenerational, ancestral traumasThe unconscious biases that exist in the facilitation sector, and the alternative perspectives we needDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Katerina Kupenga:LinkedInWebsiteSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Nov 11, 2025 • 1h 9min
347 - When 100 People Feel Like One Team: Crafting Connection Online with Perle Laouenan-Catchpole
Send us a textGathering hundreds of people is most facilitators’ worst nightmare – but for Perle Laouenan-Catchpole, it’s her dream.With her signature feminine energy and warmth, Perle connects large online groups as one, cohesive team, creating a sense of belonging that sends ripples of impact throughout the group. Her secret? Comfort must always come before safety, simplicity will always triumph over complexity, and facilitating true connection begins with understanding yourself first.This is a beautiful, passionate conversation for anyone that wants to step into their superpower, and learn the art of online, human connection.Find out about:How to design workshops that connect hundreds of people as part of one teamWhy you should tell people what you do, rather than what you areHow to foster a sense of belonging amongst hundreds of participantsThe power of speaking out your needs, to invite others to do the sameThe value of multilingual breakouts, allowing participants to engage in their mother tongueDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Perle Laouenan-Catchpole:LinkedInWebsiteSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Nov 4, 2025 • 1h 24min
346 - Power, Confidence and the Courage to Speak Up with Matthew Hill
Send us a textDo you dare to be powerful and confident? Matthew Hill, leadership trainer, conflict mediator, and intercultural facilitator has spent years guiding executives into their inner strength – but his approach might just surprise you.He invites us to reconsider power not as the most dominant voice in the room, but rather a calm, curious presence, and confidence not as something we muster up once, but a daily practice of small, intentional acts.From meeting difference with meaningful dialogue, and digging a little deeper beneath the surface of our interactions, to reclaiming our voice – episode 346 is for anyone ready to remove the obstacles standing in the way of their self-belief.Find out about:The cultural nuances of facilitation and learningHow to build confidence through daily micromoments, such as ‘adding one sentence’How to approach opposing views with curiosity, genuine dialogue, and a desire to learnHow facilitators can use language to foster inclusivity, rather than widen dividesDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to GUEST:LinkedInWebsiteSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Oct 28, 2025 • 1h 6min
345 - From Borders to Bridges: A Chaplain’s Journey with Deb Hansen
Send us a textReverend Deb Hansen received a metaphorical message in a bottle, urging her to go to the US-Mexico border – a life calling that she followed all the way to El Paso.As a facilitator-chaplain and quilter of the human experience, Deb has been there for people at the most painful and tender times of their lives – helping to understand their stories, and stitch back together the fragments of a broken, polarised world.She brings beautiful stories about migration, spirituality, identity, and historical trauma with life-affirming reverence, she reads us a passage from her book Borderlands, and shows us all how to navigate vulnerability with grace.A rich and important conversation about what it means to be human.Find out about:Deb’s soul work with communities in a divisive, disconnected worldNavigating vulnerable conversations with an open heart, and learning to sit with discomfort to honour growthWhy authenticity is a lived practice that we manifest through words, body, and intentionHow to hold space for belonging, collective trauma, and grief in painful timesDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Deb Hansen:WebsiteBookSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Oct 21, 2025 • 1h 12min
344 - From Fear to Calm: Facilitating in an Age of Overload with Mike Parker
Send us a textDoes an empty cup have nothing in it? Possibilitarian Mike Parker, believes not in its nothingness, but in its potential. Because when we pour our thoughts, feelings, assumptions and beliefs out of the cup, setting everything free, we create a container of emptiness – to make space for what we need.Mike returns to the show with his signature calming presence to share his brilliant, beautiful thoughts on nervous system regulation in our age of overwhelm – and why guided relaxation could be the balm we are all missing.From hypnotic anaesthetics, to neural networks, REM sleep, and the wondrous world of metaphor, episode 344 is for slowing down, tuning in, and returning to yourself. And at 59:36, Mike leads us all through a special, guided relaxation to do exactly that!Find out about:How to facilitate space for creative calm, so that thoughts and feelings can emergeThe crucial role of the facilitator’s nervous system in regulating others’How guided relaxation can help the subconscious mind to process stress, forge creativity, and find insightWhy corporate mindfulness can shift toxic responsibility onto the individualAnd if you enjoy today’s guided relaxation, Mike hosts monthly group sessions over at Liminal Lounge, where you can experience more of his wonderful work – as well as short guided relaxations on his website. Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Mike Parker:LinkedInWebsite Support the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/


