Facilitating Change: How to create transformative spaces that inspire, empower & drive real change

In this episode of Facilitating Change, I sit down with Cole Hoover for a thoughtful conversation on the role of AI in education, especially in higher education. Rather than choosing between banning AI or adding it to everything, Cole and I explore a more intentional “third path”: using AI as a tool to deepen learning, strengthen reflection, and create more human-centered classroom experiences. To...

In this episode of Facilitating Change, Mentor Dida sits down with Romy Alexandra to explore what it really takes to make learning meaningful, human, and transformational. Romy shares how her time in the Peace Corps in Moldova changed her relationship with learning and helped her see that people do not remember information alone. They remember what strikes them, how they felt, what they practiced,...

In this episode, Mentor sits down with Elizabeth Werbe, a heart-centered coach, facilitator, and program designer who has spent more than two decades supporting social change leaders. Elizabeth’s work has taken her across leading educational and cultural institutions - from Barnard College, Obama Foundation, The New School to the Smithsonian - and her focus has always been the same: helping people...

In this Thanksgiving week, we bring you one of the most moving conversations we have ever had on Facilitating Change. Mentor sits down with two remarkable leaders from READ Global: Sanjana Shrestha and Swathi Massar. Their work spans rural Nepal, India, and Bhutan, where they support communities in building community-led libraries and resource centers that unlock dignity, agency, and long-term cha...

What does it take to truly live your work as a facilitator, teacher, or leader? In this episode, Mentor Dida sits down with Dylan Ayaloo - also known as the Inner Work Guy. Dylan is a facilitator of transformation, a yoga teacher of teachers, and a healer who has helped thousands of high-achievers release burnout, heal emotional patterns, and reconnect with their purpose. Dylan shares his journey...

In this thought-provoking episode of Facilitating Change, Mentor Dida sits down with educator, facilitator, author, and mother Daniela Papi-Thornton to explore what it truly means to transform systems—starting with ourselves. Daniela shares her journey from founding a youth education organization in Cambodia to reshaping how institutions around the world teach social innovation. Together, they unp...

In this conversation, Mentor Dida and Cole Hoover break down Harvard Business Review’s “Every Team Needs a Super-Facilitator” by Jamil Zaki and connect it to what we’ve learned from dozens of world-class spaceholders on Facilitating Change. We unpack the article’s three pillars - attunement, communication, and distribution—and translate them into practical moves for leaders who want meetings that...

This episode flips the script - no guest, no prep, just me answering your questions in real time. Together we dig into the messy, human side of facilitation and what it really takes to hold a room. The some questions I unpack: What’s the real difference between being a teacher and being a facilitator? How do you keep a session alive when the group goes completely silent? What’s the biggest mistake...

What does it take to design learning spaces where everyone feels they belong - not just as participants, but as full human beings? In this episode of Facilitating Change, Mentor sits down with Shaheen, an inclusive learning designer and founder of Ta’leem Consulting . From growing up in a small town in India to shaping inclusive learning and leadership programs across Australia, Shaheen’s story is...

Some people stumble into facilitation. Mansi Jasuja designed her way here - literally. From practicing architecture in India to working with the UN and EU on environmental projects, her path has been anything but linear. What unites it all? A deep calling to serve, to listen, and to create spaces where people belong. Rooted in her Sikh heritage, her yoga practice, and a lifelong love for the plane...

Episode Description What happens when you combine the art of community building, the craft of learning experience design, and the skill of facilitation? That’s where Anamaria Dorgo lives. A learning strategist and community architect, she helps organizations create spaces where people connect, grow, and transform - whether it’s launching L&D Shakers, a global community of 8,000+ learning profe...

What happens when you sit down for 30 conversations with some of the most thoughtful facilitators on the planet? You start to see patterns. You start to feel shifts. And you begin to realize: facilitation isn’t a technique - it’s a way of being. In this milestone episode, Mentor and Cole turn the mics on themselves to reflect on the journey so far. Together, they revisit the moments that cracked s...

In this conversation, we dive deep with Dr. Elsa Maxwell - intercultural educator, facilitator, and founder of Shift Intercultural - into how we build bridges across cultures in an increasingly polarized world. Elsa shares her personal story of transformation, beginning with a trip to Honduras as a teen that opened her eyes to the power of language and culture. From that spark, she’s spent decades...

In this powerful conversation, our host Mentor Dida sits down with Dr. Scott Sherman, founder of the Transformative Action Institute, to explore what it really takes to lead meaningful change in today’s world. Scott is the co-founder of the Transformative Action Institute, where he trains the next generation of changemakers to tackle the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges. He has...

In this episode of Facilitating Change, Cole talks with Zach Mercurio about the critical yet often overlooked concept of mattering, which is the fundamental human need to feel significant to the people around us. The conversation explores how we're experiencing not just a loneliness epidemic or disengagement crisis, but a mattering deficit where people feel unseen, unheard, and undervalued in thei...

What does it really mean to be a changemaker? In this rich and reflective episode, Olga from Ashoka joins Mentor Dida to explore the full arc of changemaking—from the personal to the planetary. Drawing on 13+ years at Ashoka, Olga shares how her understanding of changemaking evolved—from direct service to systems change, and ultimately, to supporting a world where everyone can step into this role....

What if the key to great facilitation isn’t just what happens in the room- but everything you do before you even walk in? In this episode, we dive in with Natasha Walker, a master facilitator who believes preparation is an act of care. With decades of experience leading complex conversations across sectors, Natasha shares why planning every minute matters-and why letting go of the plan matters jus...

In this episode of Facilitating Change, Cole talks with Joel Fariss of Holon Institute about navigating the complexity of our current moment and creating spaces for transformative community experiences. The conversation explores the poly opportunity - a play on "polycrisis" - which represents the multiple pathways and possibilities emerging during this time of planetary transformation. Joel shares...

In this special episode of Facilitating Change, the full Changemaker Allies team - Mentor Dida, Cole Hoover, and Ali Fraenkel - comes together for a heart-to-heart conversation on their evolution as facilitators. This episode is honest, reflective, and rooted in lived experience. We explore: When we first realized we were facilitators - and why that term can be hard to claim What we’ve learned tha...

What does it take to create space where real transformation happens? In this episode of Facilitating Change, we sit down with Nicole Taylor - facilitator, leadership coach, and fierce advocate for well-being - who brings a deeply integrative approach to space holding. With roots in yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, and somatic experiencing, Nicole shares how she blends nervous system regulation, presenc...

In this deep and energizing episode, Mentor Dida sits down with Dustin Liu - facilitator, educator, and the Senior Associate Director at NYU Stern’s Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing - for a conversation that spans the art, science, and spirit of facilitation. Together we explore what it means to “ease the journey of becoming,” how to create conditions for human growth, and why great facilitat...

In this episode of Facilitating Change, Cole talks with Dr. Britt Yamamoto about his book "The Soil of Leadership” and meaningful ways to support social impact leaders right now. A large part of the conversation centers around the core metaphor from the book about “growing soil”. Britt compares conventional farmers who focus on growing plants (short-term, visible results) versus sustainable farmer...

In this conversation, we dive deep with Jenny Sauer-Klein - a master of designing experiences that don’t just tick a box, but truly move people. Jenny has worked with companies like Airbnb, Google, and Genentech to bring their cultures to life, and she's the founder of The Culture Conference, where leaders come together to build workplaces that actually feel human. We talk about the real differenc...

In this soulful conversation, Sarah-Marie Hopf, joins us to explore the deeper art of facilitation - one that doesn’t just solve problems, but awakens possibility. Sarah-Marie is an executive coach, spaceholder, and facilitator who brings rare presence and clarity into the room. In this episode, we explore: How she first discovered facilitation as a pathway to deeper connection What it means to tr...

In this episode of Facilitating Change, Cole sits down with Kori Linn, a professional coach who works with high achievers and individuals navigating complex relationships. Kori shares her insights on creating spaces where healthy conflict can thrive and how facilitation can benefit from coaching methodologies. She explores the concept of "connection orientation" - an approach that centers our desi...