If you can hack anyone's emotion, you can get them to pay attention. I've spent years watching facilitators confuse participation with presence — here's what games taught me about the difference.

I ranked 25 board game mechanics by emotional impact – then told facilitators why the ranking doesn't matter. Because having the right wrench doesn't make you a plumber, and your toolbox is not your philosophy.

I coordinated 18 game masters and 200 players without a playbook. The lesson wasn't about control – it was about building systems that make focus scale and environments that invite people in.

Aaquib bombed for a year straight before he learned this: empathy isn't finding common ground – it's asking "will you come with me?" That single shift changed everything. Same mechanics apply to your workshops.

If there's one thing I'd like people to remember, it's really about connection." Deepthi Bodupally on why your workshop doesn't need more slides—it needs more humanity

“Start a daily email list – yes, daily – because becoming part of someone’s routine gives you more shots on goal.” I learned that the hard way, somewhere between a dead-eyed webinar and a CRM that looked like a museum of polite maybes. I design games and simulations for a living, and even I used … Read more

"It is not the players versus the Dungeon Master." That single correction reset how I design learning. When I stop acting like a warden and start running the world, people stop performing compliance and start choosing with consequence.

The Plan Is Not Important – How I GM Without Stress "The planning process is important, but the plan is not." Apparently Control Is The Real Fantasy I learned that the hard way after watching lovingly storyboarded sessions implode in the opening act. The first time I tossed my notes like confetti, I expected panic … Read more

From Monsters to Market Fit: Put The Player First "I found a solution in video games – I call it the Put The Player First Framework." There was a season when my to-do list looked like procedurally generated despair. Endless tasks, half of them icky, most of them designed to make me feel productive while … Read more

Map of Change Overview I designed the Map of Change to help NGO partners and school system leaders come together and understand the different transformation challenges faced by schools. The underlying problem was that school leaders and funders often struggle to grasp the trade-offs of real-world decision-making in schools that don't have enough resources. So, … Read more