Unprofessionalism

A software engineer fired a test missile and watched it cartwheel into the ocean. He looked at the code and thought: that looks like what would happen if I hadn't loaded all the microcode. Did I load the microcode? Oh God. Did he tell anyone? No. So they fired three more. Same result. He was too afraid to speak up. That, says Mike Parker, is what professionalism encodes: fear dressed up as competence.Mike spent 35 years in consultancy before founding his liminal coaching practice, and he's been thinking about where that fear comes from — Taylorism, factory floors, a management culture that treats "I don't know" as a career threat. We talked about why daydreaming might be the most productive thing a knowledge worker can do, how asking "why" gets read as insubordination, and what his mother once told him about the word "amateur" that reframes the whole conversation.Links to learn more about Mike Parker:WebsiteLinkedInSubstackAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Jillian Reilly was young, running a multimillion-dollar AIDS programme in Zimbabwe, and supposed to give a diplomatic speech to a room of religious leaders. She sat through the procession, looked at her script, and decided she couldn't do it. What she did instead nearly sent the US government officials behind her into damage control mode.Jill went on to write a bestselling book called The 10 Permissions, and this conversation is really about where that idea was born. We talked about the invisible rules we follow without questioning them, why "am I allowed?" is the most exhausting question to carry through a working day, and what she learned in Zimbabwe that took her decades to put into words: nobody is coming to give you permission.Links to learn more about Jillian Reilly:LinkedInThe 10 Permissions WebsiteAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Welcome to Unprofessionalism! My shiny new podcast, a provocation in the making, and the place to challenge everything we’ve been taught about being professional.Together, we’ll be peeling back the limitations of professionalism, on a mission to restore our humanness and bring joy, defiantly, back to work. You’ll hear stories from scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, and true masters of their craft as we question the very construct of professionalism, its silent expectations, how we can break free, and seek to be unprofessionals in all that we do!But first, join me from the very beginning. In episode 000, we’ll journey from the birth of professionalism to its existence in the age of AI, and why the only sustainable thing left for us to be is our real, brilliant, unfiltered selves.Find out about:The history of professionalism, its construct, and why it has become such a paradoxThe wonderful guests I’ll be interviewing in the coming weeks, and the topics we’ll be exploringThe Unprofessionalism book I am writing alongside the podcast, and the research that has led me hereAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

And that’s a wrap, folks! After 355 brilliant, beautiful, mind-opening conversations about facilitation, life, and everything in between, I can now confidently say that I have found the magic ingredients that make workshops work.Join me, myself, and I for a final farewell episode of Workshops Work, before I retire this guise of the podcast from the airwaves. I reflect on the beautiful journey of almost 7 years, where my curiosity has led me, and why it’s now time for the start of something new.Next week, Workshop Works shapeshifts into a new chapter, a new direction, a new podcast! Unprofessionalism is set to air on the 7th January, as I begin to explore the real stories, shadows, and inspirations that can help us to celebrate our most human, unguarded selves.But for now, a wholehearted thank you for being a part of this journey with me.Find out about:The evolution of the Workshops Works podcastWhy my curiosity has shifted from that of the facilitator, to that of the participantThe new Unprofessionalism podcast – what it’s about, and what you can expectThe podcast club that I am hosting, to deepen our facilitation learnings togetherConnect with me:LinkedInJoin the Podcast Club on Substack by subscribing to the workshops work Substack: https://substack.com/@myriamhadnes/postsAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Brave 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 FormWebsiteLinkedInAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Take 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:LinkedInAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

From 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:LinkedInAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Not 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:LinkedInWebsiteAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Silence 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:WebsiteLinkedInAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Carrying 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:LinkedInWebsiteAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/