Workshops
My philosophy
Frameworks, Meet Feelings
Life is already complicated; don't make work any harder than it needs to be.
Most teams don’t need another framework duct-taped onto a broken system.
They need space to step back and ask the only question that matters: What are we actually trying to do here?
My workshops are built around first principles thinking. That means we stop copying patterns that no longer fit, strip away productivity theater, and get clear about how people really think, decide, and work inside complex systems.
I draw from behavioral science, data storytelling, systems & design thinking, and emerging tech — transdisciplinary thinking that made my mentor, Chip Heath, proclaim "Karla Starr knows more about psychology than most PhDs."
To make the impact stick, engagements include practical digital tools and frameworks your team keeps using long after the workshop ends. Think less “inspiring afternoon,” more lasting shift in how decisions get made.
If you like the Heath Brothers’ clarity, but want it updated for modern complexity, human brains, and AI-era work, you’re in the right place. No academic fog. No corporate jargon. No legacy thinking for its own sake.
This year, remove the clutter between your team and real results.
Sticky Frameworks for Humans
What did I learn working as Chip Heath's protege? How to Make Things Stick. How to develop frameworks. How to translate academic research into a corporate workshop. How to turn messy brilliance into marketable frameworks, stories, and systems that people will remember and share.
I help organizations update their behavioral frameworks for a world where research is contested, culture is fragmented, incentives are distorted, and AI mediates how ideas actually land. Because here's the truth:
- Research is fallible
- Culture matters
- Power and identity matter
- Examples age
- Context is not optional
- Actionable frameworks
- Behavioral science insights
- A customized Notion workbook
- Interactive materials
- Personalized feedback
- Real-world case studies
Why Smart People Stay Stuck: The Invisible Systems Running Our Lives
We think we’re blocked by motivation, mindset, or discipline—but most of the time, we’re trapped in systems we can’t see.
Intelligence, effort, and good intentions can’t override embedded dynamics. What really shapes organizational and personal behavior? Systems.
What participants learn:
- A mindset shift, moving from blame to accountability and empathy
- How power creates epistemological blind spots
- Frameworks for identifying blind spots before they become systemic—or even when they are systemic
- How to build feedback loops that transcend power asymmetries
- How invisible systems (social, organizational, technological, psychological) quietly shape behavior
- How people confuse personal failure with structural constraints
To Stay Alive, Stay Weird
My first book was a Fast Company best book of the year. Drawing upon research from evolution to neuroscience and complex systems, I show how to survive amidst sudden change. This workshop debúted as a keynote for the Chief Learning Officers annual conference, and has been adapted for groups ranging from financial planners and government workers to school board members.
- Actionable frameworks
- Behavioral science insights
- A customized Notion workbook
- Interactive materials
- Personalized feedback
- Real-world case studies
Beyond Metrics
Years of teaching data communication has taught me how numbers lie. They're often politically-motivated bite-sized pieces of reality that pretend to be objective. In this workshop, I'll teach you how to look at entire systems and get the fundamental truth—with or without numbers.
- Actionable frameworks
- Behavioral science insights
- A customized Notion workbook
- Interactive materials
- Personalized feedback
- Real-world case studies
