From a Wish to the Stage: My Workshop at WordCamp Europe 2026 in Kraków

My WordPress journey came full circle this week.

It all started back in 2018 at WordCamp Europe in Belgrade. That was my first encounter with the global community, and I left making a quiet wish: “One day, I want to be the one on that stage.” Eight years later, that wish became reality in Kraków.

But the real story isn’t just about making it to the stage—it’s about why I was there.

Leaving the Comfort Zone

For years, I was a traditional PHP developer. To me, WP_Query and the classic loop were the alpha and omega of WordPress. When Gutenberg and React arrived, bringing a massive paradigm shift, I came up with every excuse to ignore it. The truth? I didn’t want to leave my comfort zone.

But in your 40s, you hit a crossroads. You realize that if you don’t move forward, you have to move aside. I wasn’t ready to sit on the bench.

So, I sat down and learned the new way. And I realized something liberating: it’s still WordPress. The business logic, the problem-solving, the core of what we do hasn’t changed—only the method has.

The Energy in the Room

My inspiration for this workshop—“Build Your Developer Portfolio: A Hands-On Guide to FSE & Block Themes”—came directly from that struggle. I wanted to reach developers who are at the same stage of their career lifecycle. The ones hesitant to adapt.

And that is exactly who showed up.

The energy in the room was incredible because it wasn’t just about code; it was about collective relief. Watching experienced developers realize that Full Site Editing isn’t a threat, but a tool that makes them better and keeps them relevant, was the most rewarding part of the entire trip. We aren’t being replaced; we are just upgrading.

A huge thank you to everyone who came, coded along, and shared their breakthrough moments with me. Thanks also to Atsushi Ando for the great photos below.

Get the Workshop Materials

If you couldn’t make it or want to dive into FSE at your own pace, all resources from the session are publicly available:

• Access the Workshop Presentation – The slides, concepts, and architectural breakdown.
• GitHub Repository – The starter theme and complete codebase we built during the workshop. Fork it, test it, and use it to build your own modern portfolio.

Until the next WordCamp…