What stuckness and frustration around your workshop might be trying to tell you about your creative vision.

Feeling stuck or frustrated isn’t a sign that you *shouldn’t* host workshops. Quite the opposite, actually.

It’s okay if you don’t believe me yet, but…

If you’re feeling unclear on how to move forward, that could actually be a great thing. It means that instead of phoning it in and replicating something you’ve seen someone else do, you’re trying to do something that there’s not a clear and established protocol for.

With the number of copycat, sales-heavy ‘shop-shops’ out there, your dedication to creating a unique and meaningful experience is a very good sign. And I absolutely applaud you.

Stay with me… you’ll see how this “stuckness” can actually be a doorway to your creative breakthrough.

One thing I’ve learned while helping entrepreneurs bring their workshop visions to life over the years is that when people think they’re “bad” at designing workshops, the real issue is usually a lack of clarity.

There are two main pieces to this:

✨
An unclear vision.

✨
An unclear path toward the vision.

Narrowing down which of these two it is can bring an instant sense of relief (spoiler alert: it’s usually the first one!). Suddenly, you know what to focus on.

If your vision is blurry… we can sharpen it.

Sidenote: The framework I’ll share to help with this is an expansion on the Prism of ACES. Prisms are a type of lens, right? And we’re using this to enhance your ‘vision’. I keep thinking there’s a joke there… But seriously, this framework is a game-changer.

Once you’ve got a granular sense of what you want to create, it becomes much easier to make decisions. The majority of your options fall away, so an obvious path forward emerges.

If the path still isn’t clear… you might need a compass.

Sometimes, even when your creative vision is suuuper clear, you’re still unsure of how exactly to bring it to life. This is “the gap” that Ira Glass’ speaks to:

"All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap.

For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. "

I recently worked with a client who hit this exact gap while planning an online workshop. They’re an absolute rockstar in person—an award-winning teacher—but when it comes to doing it virtually? That was a different story.

As they put it:

Yup. It was so bad, they had to hit me with all caps!

They went on to share:

“The hardest thing for me is trying to extract something from my entire framework, and then create an online experience that makes sense… what are we DOING?”

They wanted to know what to do with their curriculum. What to focus on, and *how* to bring it to life. But we didn’t dive into that just yet.

I told them, “Don’t worry about the curriculum right now! It’ll come once we get everything else sorted first.”

That simple shift of solidifying what’s already clear is where the magic begins.

I’ll tell you more about how things panned out with this client in a bit.

But first, I’ve got a mini-exercise for you.

Before you get all worked up about not knowing how to design your workshop, let’s take a step back and check how clear your creative vision actually is. (You might not even want any curriculum once you do this!)

If your vision isn’t clear enough, you’ll feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to move forward. So let’s start with a few questions that’ll help you dig into your own creative journey, shall we?

1. What are you already clear on?

What’s solid? Keep going until you come up blank.

Take a moment to reflect on what you already know about your workshop. What parts are already defined? It might be just a vibe, a feeling, or a single activity. Start with what you know for sure.

It’s crucial to capture as many of your ideas as you can, even if they seem small. You’ll be surprised how much clarity comes from simply putting everything down on paper (or in a voice note!).

Note: If you feel tempted to skip doing this now, and keep reading, be honest: will you actually revisit these notes later?
(I tell myself all the time that I will, but if I don’t do things in the moment, 98.7% of the time I WILL forget.)

This exercise is about uncovering what’s solid in your creative vision. Sometimes, simply acknowledging what you have can ease that overwhelming uncertainty.

Think of it like a Marie Kondo decluttering session.

Have you ever seen her ask people to pull all their clothes out at once? It’s the same idea here. Gather every thought and idea, no matter how scattered. Seeing everything in one place can be incredibly illuminating, helping you recognize both the gaps and the areas of abundance in your vision.

Once you’ve done that initial idea dump, don’t stop there. There are layers. People often get excited and start planning right away, thinking they’re more clear than they actually are.

You might already have a general sense of your topic (regenerative farming), know who your ideal client is (people in the suburbs wanting to do more with their space), or have an idea of how long the workshop will last (one hour). But that alone isn’t enough to design something truly unique.

Can you fill most of a page? More?
Or do you have just a handful of sentences?

(Can you talk for 3 minutes straight? Longer?
Or do you have just a minute’s worth of stuff to say before you start repeating yourself?)

To give you a sense of what I mean… my Workshops as Worldbuilding framework has eight total Elements to consider.

That regenerative farming example? Only touches on two. Not that clear.

We’ll use the Worldbuilding framework to gauge your level of clarity a little later.

Once you’ve done this (have you done it? ), you’re ready to move on to the next question.

2. What transformation do you want your guests to experience?

By the end of your workshop, what’s different for them? Think beyond just knowing more about the topic. What’s changed?

A mindset shift? A new skill? A physical object? A sense of belonging?

This is a requirement before moving on. The absolute bare minimum to be able to design workshops (in my way of working at least).

Look back at your answers to the first question. You already have clues about the transformation you’re trying to create (you just might not have explicitly named it yet ).

Need help? Let's connect the dots.

✍🏽 Did you say you want your workshop to feel playful and light?

➡ Maybe the transformation is about helping people feel more playful and at ease in their process. (Like making dating feel fun instead of stressful.)

✍🏽 Did you highlight hands-on practice and tangible takeaways?

➡ Sounds like you want people to leave with a practical skill or tool they can use immediately.

✍🏽 Did you describe a sense of community and connection?

➡ Your transformation might be about creating a sense of belonging or helping people feel less alone in their journey.

Your workshop isn’t just about delivering content. It’s about shifting something for your participants: their mindset, their skills, or resources.

Ask yourself:

⭐ Given what I already know about my workshop… what’s the deeper transformation I’m leading people toward?

⭐ If they walk away with only one key takeaway, what do I want it to be?

Once you name the transformation, you can design your workshop with intention, making sure the experience itself aligns with the larger vision you have of what you want to create.

You’ll come back to this again, and again.

As you finish this part of the exercise, ask yourself:

Do I need to spend more time Dreaming, letting my ideas evolve and clarify?
Or do I need help with Designing, structuring what I already know into a coherent plan?

Once you’ve written what you’re clear on and named your transformation, you can sort your responses through the filter of the Prism of ACES.

This will help you see if your creative vision is comprehensive and well-rounded.

You’ve done the deep dive, pulled out all the fragments of your workshop vision, and now… what do you do with it all? Let’s start by sorting what you’ve uncovered.

Organizing your notes into Why, Who, How, and What will help bring order to your ideas. It’ll also help you pinpoint where you need more clarity: whether it’s refining your purpose or structuring your approach.

Sort your notes into these four categories...

Look over everything you’ve written so far and group your ideas into these buckets (you can use highlighters, or just mentally take inventory):

Authenticity

why?

What’s the deeper purpose behind your workshop? What shifts do you want to create?

community

who?

Who is this workshop for? Who is impacted?

engagement

how?

What structures, tools, and processes will help make this happen?

substance

what?

What are the key ideas, frameworks, and themes that shape your workshop’s world?

Identify patterns in what’s missing or overflowing

Once you’ve sorted your notes, take a step back and notice where things feel clear and where they feel fuzzy.

If your Why and Who sections are full, but How and What are sparse:
You’re clear on the purpose and audience, but you’re not sure how you want to spend the time in the workshop together. You need more structure. Time to explore the format and experience of your workshop.

If your How and What are overflowing, but Why and Who feel vague:
This is really common. You have a bunch of cool ideas for activities and content, but you may need to zoom out and clarify the deeper transformation, and the people it serves. Who will those things help? What’s the purpose behind doing it?

If the What section is the only one empty:
You’re actually in an ideal place. You’ve already nailed your core purpose and audience, and the content and frameworks will naturally emerge as you fine-tune your vision. You’re just missing the conventional part most people do first, and are clear on the important things they skip!

Use the Worldbuilding Elements to fill in the gaps

Now that you have everything in one place, take a moment to really sit with it, and reflect on what you do have. That will influence how you can fill in what you don’t. You’ll want a cohesive vision.

Each of the four questions is tied to two different elements of worldbuilding. If you’re stuck, focusing on these more specific areas might help:

clarifying your

why?

Look at Religion and History. What core beliefs and past experiences shape the heart of this workshop?

understanding your

who?

Explore Life Forms and Society & Culture. Who are your people? How do they interact and connect?

strengthening your

how?

Dive into Politics & Power and Magic & Technology. What structures and tools will best support this experience?What structures, tools, and processes will help make this happen?

fleshing out your

what?

Consider Language and Environment. What words, frameworks, atmosphere, and visuals will fit with everything else and serve your purpose best?

(You can read more about how to use these in your planning process here.)

Don't stress about the Design yet!

Most people get stuck on the Design: activities and content which can draw heavily from Magic & Technology, and Language before they’ve fully clarified the other Elements.

But if nothing else, here’s what I hope you take away:

sometimes your workshop is inspired by a specific activity or piece of your framework,

and sometimes those are the last pieces to fall into place.

Often, once you’ve mapped out the other six or seven Elements, the last one or two will become obvious. Your workshop will show you exactly what kind of content and experiences are needed to support it.

So, if you’re feeling uncertain about your curriculum, no need to force it. Focus on filling out the other sections first, and trust that the missing pieces will reveal themselves when you’re ready.

Now that you’ve dug into the details of your world, it’s time to take those insights and turn them into action.

Here’s how you can start weaving them into the fabric of your work:

1. Zoom in on what's clear.

Look back at the elements you’ve mapped out. What’s already strong? What parts feel like they have the most potential? Those are your starting points.
Focus on what you know and build from there. What connects naturally to those clearer pieces? What might need more attention?

2. Connect the pieces

Once you’ve honed in on what’s clear, consider how each part relates to the others. What’s the next logical step? Where are the gaps?
If something feels a little shaky or underdeveloped, it might just need a little love and attention. Those are often the places where more clarity is waiting to emerge.

3. Give yourself permission to experiment.

Based on these insights, design a small (!) experiment. Test out one idea, tweak a concept, or try a new approach.
Give yourself the freedom to explore without needing everything to be “perfect.” You’re in the process of uncovering what feels right, so let your world evolve naturally

Bonus: Embrace what's uncomfy

If some pieces still feel unclear or challenging, that’s actually a good sign. It means you’re pushing past the surface and heading into new territory. Trust that the more you lean into this, the more clarity will follow.

Next Steps:

Take a moment and ask yourself: What’s the next piece you’re ready to dive deeper into? Write down the first action you can take to build on what you’ve already discovered.

So, back to my client.

She came into our Dream Day session with a half-formed vision for her online workshop. Ideas floating around, but nothing quite clicking into place. She kept getting stuck on how to translate her in-person magic into a virtual space, and was convinced that the interactive elements that made her work shine just wouldn’t work online.

But, the thing was, the answers were already in front of her.

As we worked through the Worldbuilding Elements, she started seeing the pieces she already had. The ones that felt the most alive. She realized she’d been overcomplicating things. She didn’t need to reinvent everything; she needed to lean into what she knew best. And once she started using my worldbuilding framework, everything shifted.

She messaged me a few hours into our Dream Day:

And just like that, the overwhelm melted away.

In less than 3 hours, she went from stuck and unsure to clear, confident, and excited. Not because she forced herself to push through, but because she finally had a structure that made sense. A way to see her ideas in a new light.

And I’m so glad, because her work and workshops are something the world needs.

The moral of the story?

If you feel stuck, circling around the same ideas without a clear way forward, you don’t need to start from scratch. The vision is already there… you just need a way to see it.

That’s exactly what this process does.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck, it’s a sign you’re not fully clear yet. Clarity makes decisions easier. It stops (some of) the second-guessing, the endless tweaks, the “should I scrap this and start over?” spiral. When your vision is clear, the next step is clear too.

And if we can unlock this much insight in just 2.5 hours, imagine what we can do in a full 8-hour Dream Day.

We’ll go through all 8 Worldbuilding Elements together: untangling your ideas, strengthening what’s already there, and making sure your vision is as clear as can be before you start planning. So that when you do take action, the design decisions are obvious (and maybe even easy!).

Dream first, then Design.

Your next step can be a confident, intentional stride toward the workshop you’re meant to create.

[Click here to learn more.]

Start with a
Dream Day

Before you design your workshop, it helps to have a map to the world you’re building. The Dreamworld Codex serves as your personal map.

During your Dream Day, we’ll spend a full day voice-noting back and forth, filling in that map with the 8 Elements of Worldbuilding. I’ll be right there as your co-navigator, helping you bring your vision into focus, uncover hidden pathways, and chart new terrain.

Super casual, super daydream-y, and full of clarity. By the end, you’ll have a world ready to bring to life.

Currently a $500 CAD investment.