Toolbox for Thriving With Humans
An Expanding Collection of My Top Energizers, Exercises & Sources for Meaningful Collaboration & Personal Growth
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Hero’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey is a reflective storytelling exercise that helps people make sense of challenge, change, and growth. By mapping real experiences onto a simple narrative structure, participants uncover meaning, clarify purpose, and see how struggle often precedes insight.
Neuroscience of Leadership
A concise reminder that leadership suffers when analysis crowds out human awareness — and why great leaders learn to switch modes, not stay stuck in one.
Amy Edmondson on Team-Based Psychological Safety
You don’t have to change the whole culture to make a difference. Psychological safety is built team by team — and local leadership matters more than you think.
Formula 1 Cross-Pollination
A gripping case study in cross-industry learning: how Formula 1 pit-stop discipline helped a pediatric cardiac team cut handover errors and make high-stakes work dramatically safer.
Ed Catmull on Pixar’s Brain Trust
This video shows how removing ego and power from the room creates the conditions where real creativity — and real progress — can emerge.
Deep Listening
Deep Listening is a structured partner exercise that separates speaking from listening to train attention, presence, and empathy. It builds trust and psychological safety by letting people experience what it feels like to be truly heard.
Whose Bag?
What can you learn about a person without asking them a single question? This exercise trains empathy and collective sense-making by turning everyday objects into clues about identity, values, and meaning.
Coke Bottle Ideation
Creativity often stalls not because of a lack of ideas, but because of self-censorship. This fast-paced exercise breaks functional fixedness and helps groups practice speaking before ideas feel finished.
Visualization as a Leadership Tool
Visualization helps leaders rehearse how they want to show up before high-stakes moments unfold. It strengthens presence, emotional regulation, and intentional action when pressure would otherwise take over.
Brain Writing
Brain Writing creates psychological safety by removing performance pressure from ideation. Ideas compound through written “yes, and” contributions instead of competition or persuasion.
Mind Mapping
Mind Mapping is a visual thinking practice built around non-linear, associative idea generation. Ideas are captured radially, allowing thoughts to branch, connect, and coexist on the page.
Candle Transport Challenge
The Candle Transport Challenge is a hands-on, time-bound team exercise built around a deceptively simple physical challenge. Teams design, test, and adapt a solution in real time using limited materials and live feedback from reality.
Ninja · Hunter · Bear
Ninja · Hunter · Bear is a loud, physical twist on Rock–Paper–Scissors designed to unlock play and collective energy. It replaces self-consciousness with laughter, momentum, and instant group bonding.
Word Fusion
Word Fusion helps teams practice thinking together by blending words in real time. What starts as playful randomness quickly turns into alignment, shared meaning, and collective focus.
I’m a Tree
I’m a Tree is a fast, physical improv exercise where ideas are built live, in the body, and together. It trains teams to say “yes” first, reduce creative pressure, and let collective imagination take over.
Face-Off Portraits
Face-Off Portraits asks people to draw each other seriously—and fail publicly. The result is laughter, lowered defenses, and a fast reset of creative courage.
Invisible Ball
Invisible Ball is a fast-moving group exercise built on imaginary objects and real sounds. As complexity increases, participants practice presence, coordination, and letting go of self-consciousness together.
Three Things
Three Things is a rapid-fire exercise built on spontaneity and simplicity. It reduces overthinking by making judgment impossible — momentum replaces self-editing.
Zip · Zap · Boing
Zip · Zap · Boing is a high-energy circle game where attention must stay fully embodied to keep up. It trains instant awareness by rewarding presence, not thinking.