Unprofessionalism

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What comes to mind when you think about being “professional”? Fast, certain, composed, always ready with an answer. But those reflexes weren’t born in today’s world. They were forged in factories and on battlefields, where control, compliance, and speed kept systems running.
In this episode, liminal coach, AI-enthusiast, and possibilitarian Mike Parker invites us to trace that origin story and ask whether those habits still help. We hold the past up to the present: modern work that depends on curiosity, synthesis, care, and the courage to say “I don’t know.”
Together we explore what shifts when we stop chasing certainty and start practising wisdom—protecting real thinking, letting not-knowing lead to better decisions, and using AI to widen possibilities without outsourcing judgment. More than a history lesson, this is an invitation to trade fear-polish for trust, presence, and purpose so people can create better, together.
Find out about:
How industrial-age rules still shape “professional” behavior—and what to keep, update, or retire
Why depth beats speed: the role of calm, daydreaming, and the default-mode network in insight
Creating rooms where questions lead, learning is visible, and inclusion isn’t performative
Using AI as an expander for divergent options while keeping humans at the center
Connect with Mike:
Website
LinkedIn
Substack
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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

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We grow up waiting for permission. But at what point do we stop waiting and start taking it for ourselves?
Mentor, facilitator and permission advocate Jillian Reilly took hers early on in her career, during a US-sponsored AIDS programme that she was leading in Zimbabwe. Shaking in her shoes, she chose to speak her truth and honour her integrity, even if it meant going against the grain of expectation.
For our first unscripted exploration of Unprofessionalism, Jillian - bestselling author of The 10 Permissions - joins me to deliver an important reminder: no one is coming to give us permission. We must resist the micro-moments of suppression, we must break the invisible rules of what we think is allowed, and we must take up the space we deserve.
Find out about:
How to give ourselves permission to show up with truth and integrity
The cultural components and privilege at play when giving ourselves permission
Getting clear on our boundaries in professional settings for greater self-alignment
Why leaders must make the invisible rulebook explicit, turning it into a conversation
Why suppressing your needs will dull your agency, waste time, and make it harder to instigate change
Links:
LinkedIn
The 10 Permissions Website
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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

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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 paradox
The wonderful guests I’ll be interviewing in the coming weeks, and the topics we’ll be exploring
The Unprofessionalism book I am writing alongside the podcast, and the research that has led me here
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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

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High-stakes diplomatic missions, peacekeeping, and intergovernmental meetings are inherently protocolised spaces. So what happens when facilitation is invited to show up in all its newness, threatening the sensitivities, the power structures, and the familiar dynamics?
After a longstanding frustration with the way meetings were run, Tigist Hailu found her way to facilitation. As a regional diplomacy, peace and security, and strategic communications expert serving at the African Union, United Nations, and now IGAD, she discovered that it is possible for creativity to be invited into the room of diplomacy: softly, quietly, tweak by tweak.
She joins me for the final ever interview of the Workshops Works podcast, as we explore the conditions that allow people to get vulnerable, build trust, share their ideas freely, and return to their humanity.
Find out about:
The role of facilitation in diplomatic spaces and intergovernmental meetings
How to shift outcomes thoughtfully, despite the limitations of hierarchy and protocol
How to bring humanity into these spaces through the use of questions, openings, tone, and pacing
The importance of intuiting group dynamics to shift the room towards openness
Don’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 Tigist Hailu:
LinkedIn
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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

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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 podcast
Why my curiosity has shifted from that of the facilitator, to that of the participant
The new Unprofessionalism podcast – what it’s about, and what you can expect
The podcast club that I am hosting, to deepen our facilitation learnings together
Connect with me:
LinkedIn
Join the Podcast Club on Substack by subscribing to the workshops work Substack: https://substack.com/@myriamhadnes/posts
Support the show

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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/