This episode was such a full-circle moment for me. I sat down with someone who has been a role model of mine since 2021âAndra Stefanescuâand 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 âwatch and learn from.â 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 boardroomâtranslating big scientific concepts into super practical, empathetic communication strategies.
In our conversation, Andra shared the emotional turning point in her leadership journeyâsitting 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 didnât just read about itâshe applied it. And saw her team dynamic, her product quality, and even her bossâs 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 peopleâs 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. Itâs gold.
If youâve ever doubted your ability to lead, facilitate, or connectâthis 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.
đ§ Tune in. Take notes. And letâs keep making the invisible visible.
đŹ Connect with Andra:
Newsletter: teamflow.substack.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andracristianastefanescu/
đ Get Andraâs free booklet of 54 powerful workshop questions
Enjoy!
âTamar
