Workshops shouldn't be an exhausting rush of information...
What if they could be playful explorations of a new world?
Break free from traditional models and instead, create fun, community-driven experiences.
Dream up a new world with the support of:
- step-by-step videos
- An in-depth template
- events and games
- thoughts, questions, and resources from other dreamers
Can we all agree that WORKshops are a place to get some work done?
That they’re places for actively doing something meaningful?
So why is it that…
Modern "workshops" have become places for lecturing & selling. 
Most are not places for genuine creative exploration.
Even the workshops that include a PDF or form to fill in usually miss the mark. 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 lectures are thriving.
So where does worldbuilding come in?
Worldbuilding solves:
1. the lecturing problem
2. the low engagement that’s a symptom of lecturing
3. the deeper issue of oppressive, one-way communication
All of them, solved. At once.
Not bad! 
I’ll explain these layers 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 lets us 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 hey, if you ever want to plan an out-of-this-world workshop like that, message me!).
But more often, it means reimagining on-this-world possibilities—like creating spaces where:
“Taboo” topics are talked about openly.
The pace slows down 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 envisioned world a bit more real.
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.
So they try basic fixes like:
- “Close all your tabs! Put your phone in another room!”
- One-click polls, quizzes, or asking for definitions before offering the “correct” answer.
- Brief introductions that are never revisited.
- Commanding “Put [word] in the chat!” or doling out prizes for comments.
These are like putting a dirty bandaid on someone who needs surgery—they might work briefly, but they don’t solve the core problem.
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 and you’re asked to solve one of the equations. Bruh.
Abrupt, jarring, and hard to engage with.
The same thing happens when we force sudden interaction in the middle of a lecture.
Brain goes: “Uhhhh?! 
I dunno… I was chilling!”
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.
And we’re eager to share what we know! They’re meant to listen closely and receive the knowledge we bestow upon them.
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.
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.
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.
To create a truly transformative experience, we need to dig deeper and undo these layers of programming.
Breaking the cycle:
This is where worldbuilding transforms the experience.
Instead of a PowerPoint agenda and a one-way flow of information, imagine your workshop beginning with a fictional narrative where participants are problem-solvers navigating a challenge. Or engaging in a game that uncovers hidden insights.
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 helps you dream up a new world for your workshop.
It’s about breaking free from lecture-based norms and exploring a fresh, imaginative approach.
- Duration: About 5 hours of content, spread over 2 modules (with plenty of time to daydream in between).
- Format: The core of it is videos you can pause and rewatch—an invitation to engage in deep, personal reflection and creative exploration. But there’s more…
Help me shape this world...
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—designed to spark ideas for your own new world.
You’ll be introduced to the concept of the Experience Revolution and see how social programming can be dismantled through iteration and imagination.
Section 2:
Dream
Meet the characters (complete with brief backstories) that embody the 8 Elements of Worldbuilding.
I’ll walk you through each Element, providing examples and inspiration for how they can shape the vision of your workshop.
After you share your reflections, I’ll add supplementary resources based on your feedback.
RESOURCE:
Dreamworld Codex
A 40+ page fillable Google Doc where the 8 Elements of your Workshop World come together.
You can see all the Elements together at a glance, stay focused on the kind of world you’re building, and corral all your key ideas in one place. Noice.
Experimental Events!
I’m trying something new! Over the next three months, I’ll be hosting bonus events for course participants: to help you deepen your worldbuilding and explore fresh ideas.
These are included with the course—no extra cost, just extra fun.
worldbuilding brainstorm
This is a casual, drop-in hour for troubleshooting, brainstorming, and swapping ideas. Think of it as your workshop support group and idea emporium. Bring tea and whatever’s on your mind.
Save the date:
Sunday, March 16 @ 2pm Eastern
step into the story
Ever wondered what it’s like to step into the world of the Prismatics? Me too! In this 2.5-hour session, we’ll dive into the storylines and concepts introduced in the course by role-playing as different Prismatics. Limited to 8 participants for an intimate, imaginative deep dive.
Save the date:
Thursday, March 20 @ 7pm Eastern
from past students*:
*Previously delivered fully live.
Host and underlying concepts are the same!
how it works
Step 1
purchase
Enter your contact info, pay for the training, and answer a few short intake Qs.
Step 2
ponder
You’ll receive access to videos as they become available. Watch them at your own pace, absorb the ideas, and fill in the Dreamworld Codex as you go.
Step 3
practice
Try out your new vision! Join the live events, ask questions, and begin reimagining your workshop from the ground up.
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.
$250
Have questions?
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!
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