workshops work
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.
workshops work
333 - Facilitating with Fabric, Feeling, and Freedom with Paula Short
A Mary Poppins’ bag of glitter, a big beating drum, a lump of clay, and a shiny gold crown. Bringing her wonderful, precious collection of props to the show, is the brilliant Paula Short.
As a personal development psychotherapist, talented actress, and the founder of a 1997 youth centre, facilitation has been a guiding constant in Paula’s life and work. Now as a self-exploration retreat host, she facilitates deep transformation through the expressive arts, helping people to welcome unchartered emotions without shame.
We explore how donning the cloak of the villain in a fictional story can become an embodied breakthrough, why the collective support of the group can be liquid gold, and why Paula has such an issue with tissues.
A special, heartfelt conversation – join us!
Find out about:
- How roleplay, costumes and props can help us to access buried feelings and emotions
- The importance of letting emotions free-flow without interruption, or ‘tidying’ them away
- How Paula create safe containers for self-exploration through play
- Navigating our trauma responses, and why we must learn to trust our own vulnerabilities
- Normalising say ‘no’ – and why doing so gives us autonomy, helps us reconnect to our boundaries, and signals emotional safety to others
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 Paula Short:
Share your thoughts about our conversation!
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Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast
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Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!
