🎙️Ep #27- The Hidden Science Behind Transformative Workshops

This episode was such a full-circle moment for me. I sat down with someone who has been a role model of mine since 2021—Andra Stefanescu—and honestly, it felt surreal. Back when I joined the AJ&Smart Workshoper Master program, Andra was one of the names I wrote down to just “watch and learn from.” And now, here we are.

Andra is a leadership trainer and certified neuromindfulness coach who teaches neuroscience-based frameworks to help leaders transform resistance into collaboration. What I love most is how she brings the brain into the boardroom—translating big scientific concepts into super practical, empathetic communication strategies.

In our conversation, Andra shared the emotional turning point in her leadership journey—sitting on a park bench, burnt out and wondering if she was even cut out for this work. What shifted everything? Learning about the amygdala hijack and the SCARF model. She didn’t just read about it—she applied it. And saw her team dynamic, her product quality, and even her boss’s perception of her change overnight.

We explored:

* What makes some workshops magnetic and others fall flat

* The secret power of asking open, non-assumptive questions

* Why connection must come before collaboration

* How to structure intros that bring people’s true selves into the room

* Her latest favorite workshop tool (spoiler: it involves Play-Doh!)

* A brilliant walk-and-talk retrospective that turned a grumpy team into energized collaborators

Andra also generously shared a resource she's created: a free downloadable booklet with 54 neuroscience-backed powerful questions you can use in your own sessions. It’s gold.

If you’ve ever doubted your ability to lead, facilitate, or connect—this episode will remind you that the breakthrough often lies in going back to the basics and learning how our brains actually work in change, stress, and communication.

🎧 Tune in. Take notes. And let’s keep making the invisible visible.

📬 Connect with Andra:

* Newsletter: teamflow.substack.com

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andracristianastefanescu/

🎁 Get Andra’s free booklet of 54 powerful workshop questions

Enjoy!

—Tamar

Get full access to The Action Mapping Method at www.actionmappers.com/subscribe