In this episode, we explore the messy, beautiful, and deeply human art of building communities of practice.

Our guest is Anamaria Dorgo, a Romanian-born, Amsterdam-based community builder, learning experience designer, and facilitator. Anamaria is part of the global L&D team at Adyen, the visionary founder of the massive international community L&D Shakers, host of the Mapping Ties Podcast, and writer of the IRrEGULAR LEtTER newsletter.

In this insightful and energizing conversation, Anamaria breaks down how to take a community from two people to over 8,000, why we are desperate for genuine connection at work, and how to stop over-engineering human interaction.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 📢 Learning Out Loud: How struggling to find a job in a new country sparked a "rabbit hole" of public learning that birthed a massive global network.
• 🛝 The Personal Learning Playground: Why true communities of practice offer a vital, zero-stakes environment to experiment and fail outside the pressures of your day job.
• 🐭 The "Trojan Mouse" Strategy: Brilliant tactical advice for sneaking collaborative learning into rigid, traditional corporate cultures without setting off alarm bells.
• 🍳 Show Your "Dirty Kitchen": Why people are exhausted by polished "sage on the stage" presentations and crave the messy, unpolished reality of how work actually gets done.
• ⚙️ The Friction Paradox: Why making community networking too easy (like auto-matching emails) actually destroys commitment, and why we need to design a little friction back in.

This conversation is a masterclass for anyone looking to build, scale, or simply belong to a meaningful professional community. Anamaria's passion is infectious, and you'll leave inspired to start your own ripple effect.

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters

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Anamaria Dorgo on LinkedIn

L&D Shakers

Mapping Ties Podcast

IRrEGULAR LEtTER

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In this episode, we share a provocative, brilliant masterclass on why releasing control and abandoning rigid goals are the true keys to organizational transformation.

Our guest is Rodney Evans, a pioneer in adaptive organization design and the Steward (CEO) of The Ready. Known for her clarity, candor, and precision, Rodney helps leaders shed outdated mental models to build organizations that are coherent, humane, and ready for what’s next. She focuses on intervening where it matters most—using behavioral economics to redesign everyday work rather than trying to change "hearts and minds."

In this conversation, we explore:

• 🎯 Stop over-indexing on the end state: Why fixating on rigid future goals stifles creativity and sets us up for frustration.
• 🤝 The liberating power of Stewardship: Why leadership is lonely and isolating, while stewardship is a shared "team sport."
• 🧠 Behavioral economics over "hearts and minds": Why trying to change culture directly is a trap, and how tweaking processes nudges unconscious behavior.
• 🔀 Where to start your transformation: Why you should tackle cross-functional problems first, where no one has "home court advantage."

This conversation should leave your brain firing. Rodney has an incredible ability to cut through the expected and institutional with absolute precision. We think you'll love her insights on how to intervene where it matters most and allow your team to be fueled by surprise.

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters

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In this episode, we dive into the tension between our obsession with efficiency and our desperate need for connection.

Our guest is Sonia Clarke, the founder of Clever Manka and a strategist who sits at the intersection of corporate rigour and creative storytelling. Sonia brings a refreshing, human-centric lens to the future of work. She is currently writing a book on collaboration and isn't afraid to call out where modern "efficiency" is actually killing our ability to innovate.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 🧩 The Collaborative Differentiator: Why being able to work together is the only skill that matters in an AI-driven future where "efficiency" is commoditised.
• 🏙️ The Death of Lingering: An MIT study on walking speeds reveals how removing "friction" from our lives removes serendipity.
• 🤖 Robot Origins: The surprising fact that the only English word derived from Czech is "Robot"—and what that tells us about our obsession with work.
• 🧠 The Neuroscience of Story: How "mirroring" allows an audience to physically experience a story as if it happened to them.
• 📅 Fix Your Meetings: The "Scope, Objectives, Givens" framework that stops aimless gatherings in their tracks.

This conversation is a delight. Sonia wanders down wonderful rabbit holes but always lands on practical, human truths. We think you'll love her perspective on why we need to stop rushing from A to B and start designing for serendipity.

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters

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In this episode, we tackle the feeling of being "lost at sea" that so many leaders are facing right now. We look at how to navigate an unknown future without a clear map.

Our guest is Laura Overton, an award-winning learning analyst and the founder of Learning Change Makers. For 15 years, she led the "Towards Maturity" program, gathering data from thousands of L&D leaders globally to uncover what actually drives business success. Laura describes herself as a "searcher," someone who is insatiably curious about how we become our best.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 🌊 The Ocean of Uncertainty: Why L&D feels like it has lost sight of land, and why traditional "shore-based" maps no longer work.
• 🛶 Wayfinding Principles: How the Polynesian Voyaging Society's practice of "Tuning In, Responding, and Improving" offers a blueprint for modern agility.
• 🦁 Smart Bold vs. Brassy Bold: Why you don't need to be an extrovert to be bold—you just need agency, evidence, and business intent.
• 🤝 The Truth About Collective Wisdom: Why gathering people together is just "noise" unless it is unified by a shared purpose.
• 🔎 The "Re-searcher" Mindset: How to maintain professional relevance by staying insatiably curious and looking for patterns.

Laura brings an infectious energy and a wealth of hard data to this chat. We think you'll walk away with a renewed sense of direction and practical steps to move from being an order-taker to a strategic navigator.

📖 Book Details:
More information on Laura's book "The L&D Leader" - https://www.learningchangemakers.com/resources/the-ld-leader/

📺 Nainoa Thompson (Polynesian Voyaging Society) clip:
https://youtu.be/JxpIIBOM9R8

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
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In this episode, we sit down for a masterclass in language and human connection with the legends who coined the term "Communities of Practice."

Our guests are Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner. They are globally recognized thought leaders who have spent decades helping organizations—from the World Bank to global tech giants—understand that learning isn't about transferring data, but about people making sense of the world together.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 🔄 Social Learning vs. Transmission: Why we must move from simply moving certainty from one brain to another to the "mutual engagement of uncertainty."
• 🦠 Reframing Groupthink: Why groupthink isn't just an error, but like cancer—a natural process of growth gone wrong—and how to disrupt it.
• 🤖 AI as a New Literacy: Why we must learn to use AI to springboard our humanity, rather than imprisoning ourselves in easy answers.
• 🚫 Managing "Intruders": How to identify and handle people who shut down learning spaces by rushing to provide answers.

This conversation is deep, precise, and warm. Etienne and Bev bring a settled presence that cuts through the noise of our fast-paced world. We think you'll love their insights.

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters

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In this episode, we share a high-energy intervention for L&D teams tired of seeing their content pile up unused.

Our guest is Barbara Harvey, the Head of Learning at Growth Faculty. With a background that spans drama teaching and film production, Barbara brings a refreshing, human-centric lens to the corporate world. She is "painfully enthusiastic" about unlocking potential and isn't afraid to call out where modern learning strategies are failing.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 🗑️ The "Learning Landfill": Why self-directed learning often piles up unused and why we need a sustainable approach to content.
• 🥦 "Hide the vegetables": How to make learning joyful and engaging so it doesn't feel like a chore or "school."
• 🎨 Creativity is Research: Debunking the myth of the "magic idea" and why the unsexy work of research is where innovation happens.
• 🤖 AI, Simulation, and Microwaving: Why we must use AI to deepen the struggle of learning, not just make it easy.

This conversation is infectious. Barbara pulls no punches about the state of the industry, but she offers a hopeful, practical playbook for bringing heart and joy back into the process.

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters

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In this episode, we share a pragmatic, evidence-based guide to navigating the future of L&D without getting lost in content libraries.

Our guest is Michelle Ockers, the founder of Learning Uncut and co-author of The L&D Leader. Michelle is a practitioner first, with a unique talent for cutting through industry buzzwords to find what actually works.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 📉 Why "throwing courses at people" is a failing strategy when the time horizon for skills is shrinking.
• 🛶 The Wayfinding Metaphor: How the Polynesian Voyaging Society offers the perfect blueprint for modern L&D.
• 🔄 Why you should stop asking "How do you learn?" and start asking "How do you get better at stuff?"
• 🦁 How to be "Smart Bold" and move beyond "proving" your value to "improving" your work.

This conversation brings such a clear, evidence-based voice to the table. Michelle has a wonderful way of cutting through the noise. We think you’ll love her advice on how to adopt the mindset of a navigator to handle uncertainty with confidence.

📖 Book Details:

More information on Michelle's book "The L&D Leader" - https://www.koganpage.com/hr-learning-development/the-l-d-leader-9781398620278

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters

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In this episode, we share a timely and essential reminder of what we're at risk of losing in an AI-driven world: the human side of learning.

Our guest is Dave Stevens, Founder of Advanced Learning Strategies. Dave has spent 30 years at the crossroads of learning strategy and caring for people, working for organizations like Prudential and UnitedHealth. He’s also a former Las Vegas poker player—an experience that taught him firsthand how struggle and failure are essential for growth.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 🤖 Why AI’s focus on performance threatens messy, transformative human learning.
• 🧠 The "Human Side of Learning": What pioneers like Bell Hooks teach us about relational growth.
• ♠️ Lessons from a Las Vegas poker table on why failure and struggle are essential.
• 💡 How to use AI as a reflective partner instead of just a task-master.

This conversation is a delight. Dave's calm, wise presence cuts through the hype to reveal why AI's focus on performance is a direct threat to the slow, relational work of real human transformation.

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters

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In this episode, we reveal the human-centered principles that power two of the world's most beloved brands: Sesame Street and TED.

Our guest is Kayla Nalven, a builder, a connector, and the Founder of TED at Work. With a background shaping social impact initiatives at Sesame Workshop before building a new division at TED, Kayla has a unique perspective on how to create experiences that genuinely connect with people and drive meaningful change at scale.

In this conversation, we explore:

• ❤️ The Sesame Street secret to creating buy-in by making people feel seen and understood.
• ⭐ Why at TED, the "idea is the star," not the speaker—a masterclass in communication.
• 💬 The key to employee-led adoption: using group discussion to foster ownership.
• 🤖 A non-obvious strategy for successful AI adoption: finding the right messengers.

This conversation is packed with wisdom on how to build things that truly matter. We think you'll love Kayla's insights on how to apply a heart-centered approach to your own work.

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters

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In this episode, Dominic Price shares a masterclass in how to lead persuasive, effective change, especially when dealing with skeptical executives.

Dom is a work futurist, recovering chartered accountant, and for 12 years, one of the key voices shaping teamwork at Atlassian. Dom is irreverent, mischievous, and as you're going to tell straight away, he really cares about doing great work.

In this conversation, we explore:

• A masterclass in facilitating persuasive meetings with executives.
• The key leadership reminder Dom keeps stuck to his computer.
• Why AI isn't the next "transformation," but one of the hardest challenges we'll face.
• Invaluable wisdom on burnout, balance, and life’s real KPIs.

We found this conversation a lot of fun. We think you’re going to love Dom's honest, raw thoughts—while seeing that underneath his amazing charisma and confidence, he’s got a massive heart.

🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:
https://www.makeshapes.com/makeshapes

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