Shows
Facilitation Lab PodcastEpisode 169: The Greatest Secrets of Blending Magic and Psychology for Team Growth"The emotions that come out from magic, the spaces that magic allows you, they are quite global." - Rubens Filho In this Facilitation Lab podcast episode, host Douglas Ferguson interviews Rubens Filho, Director of Spells & CEO of Abracademy, about using magic as a tool for transformative learning and team development. Rubens shares how magic, psychology, and learning design are blended to create engaging, research-informed workshops that foster curiosity, wonder, and collaboration. The discussion covers the origins of Abracademy, the power of metaphor and storytelling in leadership, the importance of embracing diverse perspectives, and the impact of shifting...
2025-10-0845 min
Mind BlendToo Much for Lagom – Why staying in your Lane isn’t always sustainable - with Jenny TheolinIn this episode, we mind-blended with Jenny Theolin—Head of Learning at Abracademy, and founder of Studio Theolin—about the art of pushing boundaries in a culture that often encourages staying safely within them.Born Swedish but having grown up moving between countries and cultures, Jenny developed a natural openness to change, an instinct for reinvention, and a bold personality that doesn’t wait for permission. She unpacks the popular Swedish concept of lagom—meaning “not too little, not too much”—and how it shapes the way we think about balance, ambition, and sustainability. While lagom can offer comfort...
2025-08-0147 min
Heja Framtiden541. Jenny Theolin: Facilitering, kreativitet och magiska mötenJenny Theolin är en kreativ virvelvind som jobbat med allt från grafisk formgivning till konferenser och konstutställningar. Just nu arbetar hon med Abracademy, som injicerar magi i lärande och utveckling. I det här samtalet pratar vi om hur man skapar minnesvärda möten, vad en riktigt bra facilitering egentligen innebär, samt hur vi ska få folk att vilja samarbeta på kontoren samtidigt som man behåller sin autonomi. Boken hon tipsar om heter förresten The Power of Moments och är skriven av Chip & Dan Heath. // Programledare: Christian von Essen // Inspelat i Kitchen Studio på Ros...
2024-06-181h 03
The World Needs MagicKis Jakobsen on potential and impact.Kis Jakobsen shares her experience on education, online learning and how to develop holistic people.
2021-05-2823 min
The World Needs MagicJulian March on digital leadership and burnoutEnjoy a conversation with consultant and former CEO / MD / SVP, Julian March. He talks about his experience of professional burnout, digital leadership and how he "loves helping vibrant organisations do amazing things!" 🔥
2021-05-0133 min
The World Needs MagicEleanor Ford on the magic of peopleEleanor Ford is the Academy Director at Zinc VC. The Academy is the education arm of Zinc, focused on accelerating the impact of mission-driven individuals. As an innovation specialist focused on making ideas happen, Eleanor builds networks and brings people together around opportunities, and change.
In this conversation Eleanor speaks about innovation, entrepreneurship and networks. She gives great insight into her current work. She is master of the art of bringing people together around a mission and enabling them to have more impact in the world.
2021-04-1722 min
The World Needs MagicVictoire Mbala on mentoring and knocking down barriersWe are lucky enough to call Victoire a client and she was also an absolutely wonderful guest for this podcast. Victoire talked about her passion for mentoring others, having benefitted from it herself early in her career: "It was the first time someone dedicated their time to empower me to know better".
She spoke about her early role models - a figure skater and her father. Through their experiences she learned to overcome obstacles in her own life and "knock down barriers".
"You have to be resilient; don’t give up, keep pushing, be the best...
2021-03-3135 min
The World Needs MagicKaren Rivoire on home and humanityKaren Rivoire - another wonderful webinar guest of 2020.
Karen is Competence Flow Leader at the Inter Ikea Group: "Not sure I know what my title means! It's purposefully ambiguous... But I love the notion of flow. We all battle with challenges and capabilities, at work or elsewhere. Flow is the balance between them."
Rubens and Karen's conversation went from what flow means and being a human revolutionary, to living through Coronavirus and the future of work. We closed with our usual question to guests: If you had a magic wand, what would you change? "More re...
2021-02-0524 min
The World Needs MagicAlessandra Lariu on the power of communitiesAlessandra Lariu is a brand and experience consultant, co-founder of SheSays, and a SheEO activator. She's a woman helping the next generation of creative female leaders. We spoke with Ale in October 2020, with Coronavirus still very much making its presence known throughout the world. "It’s been both horrible and exhilarating" she says of 2020!
Our conversation with Ale was very much about communities and how amazing they've been for people during the pandemic. At the end of the chat Rubens asked Ale, if she had a magic, what's one thing she would change? "More women leaders. More div...
2021-01-2226 min
The World Needs MagicJen Emery on organisational changeJen Emery is truly multi-disciplinary. She's an author (Leading for Organisational Change), leader, thinker, speaker and last, but not least, a parent too. Rubens and Jen talked about how change needs storytelling and rituals, just like magic does. If you give people the right tools and support to navigate change, it can actually be quite magical! ✨
2021-01-1225 min
The World Needs MagicJax Quinn: the power of self worthHow do you start to feel more worthy?
We had an amazing chat with Jax Quinn on how we can rewire and rewrite our narrative to feel proud of who we are. Jax is founder of The Worth Place - empowerment coaching and career support. She's an inspiration, helping people achieve their dreams with integrity, lightness and power.
In our conversation Jax talked about the importance of humanising the workplace - the need to go beyond performance indicators, to focus on peoples' concerns instead.
2021-01-0524 min
The World Needs MagicVictoria Stoyanova: on how to build wonderful communities.Victoria Stoyanova is the Founder and CEO of Hito Labs, a company exploring the future of community systems. She is Strategic Partnerships Manager for Facebook’s Community Partnerships team. And she recently created the Institute of Belonging, a newsletter that talks about the practice of connection. In this episode Victoria and Rubens talk about what makes great communities, what gets on the way, what are the different levels of connection and much more.
2020-12-1225 min
The World Needs MagicPatricia Corsi: on positive leadershipPatricia is an Executive Board member, Global Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at Bayer Consumer Health /NED – so we talked about leadership with her. Particularly her own style of leadership. We asked Patricia: If you had a magic wand, what would you change?
“I’d make sure all children enjoy a childhood. One where they don’t worry about food, school, friends, playing, getting dirty. I think we could solve half the world's problems by allowing children to be children. We’d create better leaders...”
2020-11-1824 min
The World Needs MagicEliabeth Hahnke: we are all mentors!Elisabeth is founder and CEO of Rock Your Life! They're one of Germany’s largest mentoring networks dedicated to fostering positive social change . RYL's mission is to empower young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Elisabeth believes that change starts with individuals. She’s committed to uncovering people’s true potential.
We talked to Elisabeth about the power of connection, staying curious and bringing unlikely people together.
2020-11-0324 min
The World Needs MagicSatish Kumar: the power of believing in magicSatish Kumar is a former monk, a peace and environmental activist, and co-founder of Schumacher College - a place for ecological and and social change. Satish once walked 8,000 miles to meet Martin Luther King.
He talks with Rubens about cultivating a different society – one where peoples’ hearts are as educated as their minds. And the transformation of the self needed to achieve this.
This podcast was recorded in October 2020 during our webinar chat with Satish. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic
2020-10-2126 min
The World Needs MagicKevin Braddock: the magic of asking for helpKevin Braddock is a writer, storyteller and mental health advocate. His book, Everything Begins With Asking For Help, is a must for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of mental health.
This episode celebrates World Mental Health Day 2020. Together with Kevin, we talk about the best magic in the world - the magic of the human mind! We explore why it's so hard to ask for help and how to make it easier. Kevin provides coping strategies and making a game out of getting better.
This podcast was recorded in October 2020 during our webinar chat...
2020-10-1024 min
The World Needs MagicTim Leberecht: beauty and magic in the workplaceTim Leberecht is a magical human indeed. He's an author, entrepreneur and visionary. He is co-founder and co-CEO of The Business Romantic Society; co-founder and curator of the House of Beautiful Business - a global think tank / community. Their annual gathering brings together eclectic leaders and change makers. Their mission? To humanise business in an age of machines. Ta-da!
Tim talks beauty, romance and magic in the workplace 💥
This podcast was recorded in August 2020 during our webinar chat with Tim. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic
2020-09-2324 min
The World Needs MagicGeoff McDonald: the wonders of talking about mental healthGeoff McDonald is an advocate, campaigner and consultant for all things mental health. He's passionate about addressing the stigma of mental ill-health at work. Until his own experience of mental ill-health, he was Global VP of Human Resources at Unilever. He's now involved with Minds at Work - a movement for mental wellbeing at work.
Geoff talks about how to initiate conversations on mental health at work. And the challenges of breaking the stigma down. This episode is incredibly moving as Geoff shares some very personal moments.
This podcast was recorded in June 2020 during our...
2020-09-0122 min
The World Needs MagicLiam Forde: a potion for great organisational culture!Liam Forde wants to make organisations more human. He believes that high performing culture, game changing innovation and winning strategies are unlocked by organisations that balance people, profit, potential, performance and planet.
Rubens and Liam talked about professional burnout and what matters most for people, and organisations.
This podcast was recorded in May 2020 during our webinar chat with Liam. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic
2020-07-3022 min
The World Needs MagicSarah Gregersen: learning from natureSarah Gregersen is Program Director and Learning Designer at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. She also runs a company called Genius of Life. Inspired by solutions that nature has evolved over 3.8 billion years, they bring sustainability strategies to life.
Sarah talks about a circular economy and how nature can - and should! - inspire us. Leaders and organisations should learn, lead, and act with the wisdom of nature.
This podcast was recorded in June 2020 during our webinar chat with Sarah. To see other guests, past and future, visit: https://abracademy.com/theworldneedsmagic
2020-07-0523 min
The World Needs MagicDr Matt Pritchard: how to cultivate wonder and curiosityDr Matt Pritchard is an actual Doctor of Wonder! He's a scientist and magician fascinated by the elusive feeling we call wonder.
What is it? How is it related to curiosity? How do we cultivate it? How can it help us cope with 2020 and the pandemic? How can we bring more wonder to the workplace? So many questions for Matt to answer!
Matt curates a blog - Words on Wonder - where he talks to a diverse array of people about science, magic and wonder. Read his interview with Rubens from earlier this year. Last...
2020-06-2821 min
The World Needs MagicDr Gustav Khun: the science of magicLong time Abracademy friend and collaborator, Gustav Kuhn is a Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is also president of the Science of Magic Association (SOMA) and a member of the Experimental Psychology Society (EPS), and the Magic Circle (MMC). As well as all that, he is director of Magic Lab - a magic research lab, literally!
Gustav delves into the world of magic and how it can further our understanding of human cognition. We contemplate free will, perception and consciousness.
This podcast was recorded in April 2020 during our webinar chat with G...
2020-05-0519 min
The World Needs MagicNathalie Trutmann: the magic of learning organisationsNathalie Trutman has spent over 20 years transforming and redefining learning experiences. She wants to create healthier, more innovative working and learning environments. She is ex CEO of Hyper Island.
Nathalie talks about the magic of learning organisations. What does it actually mean to be a learning organisation? How can we cultivate habits that go beyond the training room? Rubens and Nathalie discuss the practices and processes that help people to grow. And they consider the importance of psychological safety needed for people to thrive.
2020-04-2318 min