Workshops shouldn't be an exhausting rush of information...
What if they could be playful explorations of a new world?
Break free from stuffy traditional models and instead, create fun, community-driven experiences.
Beyond Expertise will guide you to:
- Dream up a new world
- Design an experience of it
- Do workshops in a more expansive way
A 4 week process to *revolutionize* your workshop:
- step-by-step videos
- in depth templates
- multiple game ideas
- share thoughts, ask questions, add resources
Can we all agree that WORKshops are a place to get some work done?
That they’re places for *doing*? Yeah?
So why is it that…
Modern "workshops" have become places for lecturing & selling.
Not doing. 
And tbh, even the workshops that do have you fill in a PDF or whatever usually suck. Amirite?
These lecture-based presentations are the default in mainstream society. Buuuut, if you examine them up close, you realize they’re just hierarchy, dominance, and oppression in a trench coat.
Or, uh …an unstructured blazer? (I’ve been out of school for a while. What do professors wear these days?) Anywayyy…
Everyone hates being on the *receiving* end of a lecture, and yet they live on. One might even say lectures are thriving.
So where does worldbuilding come in?
Worldbuilding solves:
1. the lecturing problem,
2. the low engagement that’s a symptom of the lecturing problem, AND
3. the deeper issue at the core of it all.
All of them, solved. At once. Not bad! 
I’ll explain the nesting set of problems shortly.
First I should probably clarify what I even mean by ‘worldbuilding’, right?
There are lots of things I wish were different about this world. Same for you?
For people who are trying to change this world (in ways big and small) the act of building new worlds just makes sense:
Worldbuilding allows us to suspend reality for a moment, and spend time in the type of world we want to live in.
Part Escapism
+
Part Activism
+
Part Art
Sure, we could do things like pretend we’re six-eyed aliens racing light beams around the galaxy. 
(And there’s probably a use-case for an out-of-this-world workshop like that – message me, that would be fun to help plan!).
But that’s not quite what I mean by worldbuilding.
We can do on-this-world things that represent an improved, idealized version of our actual societies:
A “taboo” topic gets talked about openly.
Pace is slowed and nervous systems get regulated.
Power is shared equitably.
Or whatever matters to you and your people.
AND!
We can use the workshop as an opportunity to take actions that help make that world become a more permanent reality.
It may include a small lecture or two, but there’s so much more to it. (There are 8 Elements of Worldbuilding I’ll cover in the course 
)
Okay – remember how I said worldbuilding solves a bunch of problems at once? Let’s get into it! 
Hidden problems go many layers beyond low engagement.
(Click to read by layer)
Most workshop leaders know before they even start their presentation that they’re gonna struggle to keep people engaged.
And so, they learn basic ways to discourage multitasking. They tell folks: “Close all your tabs! Put your phone in another room! Give yourself the gift of focusing on just this for our time together”.
They’ll also sometimes add in elements to encourage paying attention and to coerce participation. Things like:
🫣 One-click polls and quizzes –> *coughmarketresearch*
🫣 Asking for a definition –> before providing the “correct” one
🫣 Having people briefly introduce themselves –> never to be heard from again!
🫣 Commanding them to “Put [word] in the chat!”–> because …reasons?
🫣 Giving out prizes for favourite comments –> Ah. Good, old fashioned bribery.
These things are like putting a dirty bandaid on someone who needs surgery. Not only are these “solutions” not solving the problem – they’re gonna make things worse.
Even if you get some responses, people will eventually realize it really doesn’t make a difference if they answer you or not.
What do you think happens when they realize that?
And before adding all these gimmicks, did anyone stop to consider why engagement in these lecture-based presentations is so low in the first place?
(Oh, hi, that’s me. I did. 😜 …keep reading!)
People’s brains naturally want to conserve energy, and when “workshops” are actually lectures, participants can sit back and listen. They’re essentially watching a movie—you talk, they listen. 🍿
Brains go: “Ah, the perfect time to coast! That person’s doing all the heavy lifting.”
Imagine you’re watching Hidden Figures and halfway through, the movie stops. The lights flash on. A paper and pen are thrust at you, and you’re asked to solve one of the equations. Bruh.
Even if it’s a question you could normally solve, the abrupt switch from ‘watching’ to ‘answering’ would catch you off guard, wouldn’t it?
The same thing happens when we force sudden interaction in the middle of a lecture.
Brain goes: “Uhhhh?! 😳 I dunno… I was chilling!”
Okayyy… so, why do we put people into Passive Consumption Mode if it makes getting engagement so much harder?
We lecture people into Passive Consumption Mode because… that’s what experts do, isn’t it?
We think our role as workshop host is to deliver expertise: share years of insights, anecdotes of our experience, and hard-earned wisdom.
They’re meant to listen closely and receive the knowledge we bestow upon them. And we’re eager to share what we know!But the more we talk, the more we reinforce a one-way flow of information: from us, the expert, “down” to them, the passive listener.
And we tip the balance of power into a well-meaning… hierarchy. Whoops! 🫣
You might be wondering how someone who doesn’t love hierarchies ends up perpetuating this form of power imbalance.
Great question.
I can’t be 1,000% sure, but I think it comes from internalizing the norms we’re surrounded by.
Our intentions are good:
💛 we want to give generously,
🙏🏽 share helpful information, and
✨ not waste people’s time.
(Deep down, there might also be a part of us that wants to prove how smart we are!)
All this pressure can lead to overloading participants with waaayyy too much information, no time to process it, implement anything, or connect with anyone.
No-one is “forcing” us to do things this way:
We’re in business for ourselves.
We’re running the ship.
We are choosing this for ourselves.
And yes, we can choose to do things differently.
But it might feel really weird and be a challenge to actually do.
This internal pressure didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a product of our social programming.
Systems like patriarchy, capitalism, ableism, etc have taught us our value is tied to how smart or accomplished we appear, and how productive we are. It trained a lot of us to base our self-worth on coming across as intelligent, diligent, useful, efficient.
This social conditioning tells us that to be seen as an expert, we need to “prove” ourselves through long, information-heavy lectures. As a result, we unconsciously reinforce oppressive dynamics even when we have the best intentions.
And because this programming is internalized, it’s easy to think a lackluster session just needs “more engagement.” But to create a truly transformative experience, we need to dig deeper and undo these layers of programming.
Breaking the cycle:
This is where worldbuilding comes in.
Worldbuilding transforms workshops into an immersive experience that people step into, instead of a lecture they sit through.
Instead of starting with a PowerPoint outlining the agenda and your bio, what if your workshop began with a fictional narrative where they’re problem-solvers navigating a challenge? Or a game (followed by a debrief that uncovers tons of hidden insights) that gets them thinking, laughing, sharing, and forgetting the “real world”?
People aren’t just sitting there, taking notes — they’re shaping the content with you.
When you stop thinking of workshops as something you deliver and start seeing them as worlds you invite people to explore with you, you can completely reimagine your workshop.
The content is something they live through, not something they’re told.
Learning unfolds naturally – through interacting in the new world.
Can I get a hallelu for
implicit over explicit learning? 
If you’re still reading this, you’re probably someone who likes to dive deep and do meaningful, transformative work.
Thank you for being that kind of person. 💛
It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it – for you and for the people whose lives your work touches.
It’s possible for your workshop design to support your values.
You can share what you know, without supporting the same oppressive systems you’re working to unravel.
I’m a proud neurodivergent and biracial woman (Hi! I’m Amber 👋🏽), and let me tell you, these identities have influenced my values in some major ways.
I channel that energy into how I think about facilitating workshops.
I’m all about balance, nuance, and avoiding most extremes.
Here’s the deal: I’m super sensitive to inequity, highly tuned-in to the people around me, and I’ve got this burning desire to make people see the humanity in everyone. As I explained in the section above, facilitation can help with that.
But.. facilitating well can be like walking on a tightrope. So, I’m here to help you find your equilibrium.
The frameworks I’ve created are about opening up options, creating more balance, easily highlighting multiple perspectives.
How did I get here?
(Great Q, thanks for asking 😉)
Picture this: an elementary school-aged, very curious, and slightly rebellious Amber surrounded by old-fashioned teachers who had no clue how to handle her unstoppable curiosity.
Welcome!
I had many teachers that leaned heavily on “Because I said so!"
So, you can imagine what a breath of fresh air it was in 6th grade, when I finally had a teacher who was just as curious as us students, and gave us genuine choices in what we learned and how we learned it.
Did we want to rap some poetry, or paint a picture to go with it? What do *y’all* wanna debate today? Anything goes.
Should we take a class trip to see the rocks we’re learning about?
It opened up my mind to how education could be.
It was also a little worrying – was he allowed to do this?? Would this teacher whom *I absolutely adored* be fired?
That year, my confidence soared, I made lasting friendships, and I learned so much more.
It was the most fun I’d ever had in school.
I knew that if I ever had to teach anyone anything, I’d want to teach collaboratively, adaptively, and joyfully.
That I’d want to be – what I now know as – a facilitator.
And I have.
Educating became a full time thing for me in 2013, when I decided to take a break from the corporate shenanigans, and travel to Japan. Eating all of the things, training as a ninja (okay, not a real ninja, but a girl can dream), and exploring by train every weekend—teaching English allowed me to stay for two years!
Within my first year, the school board was so impressed by the results my students were having that they required me to do a professional development session for the highly-trained teachers I worked with.
Despite not having gone to teacher’s college, nor having any official credentials, they wanted to learn how I kept the students so engaged, and learning so much.
I realized that after ~15 years of helping others learn, I intuitively knew a few thangs about a few thangs. I also realized that by training the teachers, I wasn’t limited to influencing just the students I worked with personally. (#LowKeyEducationReform ?)
Since that presentation 10 years ago, I’ve:
Led communication workshops, courses, and train-the-trainer events at various school boards and adult education centres worldwide Been recognised for my ability to make complex topics (like brain science, racism, and community safety) easy to digest for people from a variety of cultures Developed frameworks that help socially-progressive activists and workshop leaders to add engaging, inclusive, and memorable facilitation to their toolkit. Shored up my speech development skills through working as an Area Director at Toastmasters, and a regional-level debate judge. Implemented game theory, the philosophy of games, and gamification for over a decade and Became a member of the Association for Experiential Education
One big lesson I’ve learned is this:
The most memorable presentations - the ones talked about years later - included games, or an experiential element.
Over time, I’ve begun to see facilitation as a form of activism, and at times it feels like facilitation is my religion. So, catch me out here, spreading the gospel.
I’ve woven together my unique mix of experiences to help fellow change makers transform their workshops so they support their values and ACTUALLY spark change.
Let’s create some enchanting workshops your clients will rave about!
Beyond Expertise' is a video series that gets to the heart of engagement issues.
It goes (like the name says)... Beyond Expertise.
It’’ll take about 5 hours spread over 4 modules (not including any time spent daydreaming in between!).
I’ll share how I go about making intentional *strategy* choices before I sit down to design and choose tactics. This allows me to step outside the status quo and create enchanting workshops where everyone has a place.
With videos you can pause and come back to, this is an opportunity to engage in meaningful social and personal reflection.
Help me shape this world:
Live components in November 2024!
This video series will include a mix of:
- fiction-based exploration of perspectives
- thoughtful mini-lectures
- solo journalling
- creative expression, and
- opportunity for Q&A
What it's made of:
Section 1:
Moving Beyond Expertise
You’ll hear a narrative of a near-future Earth, fractured into three factions. This should get ideas for *your* new world swirling!
You’ll be introduced to the Experience Revolution and The Prism of ACES which are woven into each step of the process.
Section 2:
Dream
Meet the characters (with brief backstories) that relate to each of the 8 Worldbuilding Elements. I’ll give an overview of each Element, and examples.
After you share your thoughts/reflections, I’ll add supplementary resources based on your feedback and requests.
RESOURCE:
Worldbuilding one-pager
A fillable Canva template where the 8 Elements of YOUR Workshop World can all live on one page. You can see all the Elements together, at a glance, and stay focused on what kind of world you’re building.
Corral all your key ideas in one place. Noice.
SECtion 3:
Design
Learn the modular, brain-friendly structure I use to plan all my workshops. It’s so flexible that it’s even been used by clients for writing blog posts and film scripts.
You’ll also get suggestions on how to include the Worldbuilding Elements within each module.
RESOURCE:
METAPATTERN TEMPLATE
You’ll get access to a 3-page, fillable Google Doc that you can use to DESIGN an outline for your workshop. The doc even has tons of comments pinned, so you don’t have to watch the DESIGN video every time you’re outlining a workshop.
SECtion 4:
Do
Get to know the filters that participation has to pass through in order to happen. Familiarity with these helps you adapt on the fly to make sessions more inclusive and engaging. Remove/minimize barriers in-the-moment during sessions to maximize interaction and impact.
Best fit if you're:
- a small business owner, speaker, academic, or coach
- experienced leading workshops and looking to add new layers and nuances
- new(er) to workshops but experienced sharing ideas verbally with groups (keynotes, teaching, coaching etc.)
- committed to creating meaningful learning experiences, even if it takes a little more time and energy.
from past students*:
*Previously delivered fully live.
Concepts and host are the same tho!
how it works
Step 1
PURCHASE
Enter your contact info, pay for the training, and answer a few short intake Qs.
Step 2
PREPARE
You’ll receive access to videos as a new module becomes available each week. Rewatch whenever you want!
Sit with ideas and fill in the templates as you go.
Step 3
PRACTICE
Try stuff out! Show up to live sessions, ask questions, deliver workshops, and learn from others as you continue to revolutionize your workshop.
the next live session:
- Tuesday Nov 19th @ 1-3 pm ET (10am-2pm pt)
- supports the 'Dream' module
- All resources REQUESTED before friday, nov 15th will be DISCUSSED
- Q&A + demos FROM THOSE LIVE WILL BE PRIORITIZED
What questions do you have?
Do you see a heart-shaped pink speech bubble at the bottom of the screen? If you click on that, you can send me a text!
I think it’s really important that people feel good about the decisions they make. I also want to make sure the people in my ecosystem are a good fit.
If I’m working, I’ll get back to you pretty quickly.
(I loathe email, but love text and voice messaging 
)
Your message is for my eyes only, and won’t be shared publicly
Ready to transform your workshop?
If you’d like to explore how to move away from conventional presentation styles, and experiment with giving more “power to the people” to transform the world, I’d love to show you my method of ‘Workshops as Worldbuilding’.