Creative team building that builds psychological safety and trust. Really.
Plenty of team building activities are fun. But ours are designed to go deeper. We use creative play as the entry point in order to change how teams communicate, collaborate, and show up in real moments.
Make Believe Works is a corporate team building company specializing in non-competitive, professionally facilitated workshops that build trust, communication, and psychological safety. We offer remote, in-person, and hybrid team building workshops for teams of 5 to 500 across North America. Clients include Google, Meta, Stripe, Netflix, and Salesforce.
“The most inspiring teambuilding ever.”
-Spotify Design Director
Trusted by leaders at Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups including...
A corporate team building company with a different approach
Looking for creative team building that actually makes an impact? Discover how Make Believe Works designs engaging, non-competitive workshops that help teams build trust, strengthen collaboration, and improve company culture.
We facilitate in-person, virtual, and hybrid workshops for teams across North America, including New York, San Francisco, Toronto and 40+ other cities as well as for remote teams worldwide.
How It Works
Our workshops are designed to be playful and energizing, but they are not entertainment-only activities; each experience is designed to build psychological safety and change how teams communicate and relate at work.
The What
Make Believe Works designs effective team building — creative, playful experiences that build trust, break down silos, and help teams work better together to fuel a healthy, collaborative work culture.
We host corporate team building workshops (remote, in-person, and hybrid) that use fun but thoughtful activities to get people laughing and sharing in a meaningful way.
The How
Our activities begin with a facilitated introduction to get everyone into a collaborative mindset.
The main creative activity is designed to open up opportunities for personal connections and is followed by a share back that allows all participants to contribute.
We close with a debrief of what participants want to apply to their workplace going forward.
The Why
Clients choose us because we sit in a unique niche between lighthearted activities like virtual wine tasting that are fun but forgettable, and competitive games like trivia nights that are exciting but divide people by design.
Our events bring people together. They are designed to deliver experiences that are playful in the moment but have a lasting impact on team culture.
“I never would have predicted how much it would continue to impact my team. The warmth that Make Believe Works created really lasted well beyond the day itself.”
— Leslie Carroll, Executive Operations, Stripe
Fun. But more than just fun.
Our work is grounded in a clear point of view about what actually makes team building effective.
The difference isn’t just how it feels in the moment — it’s what changes afterward.
Instead of:
Competition
Inherently divides people and pits them against each other. Most people lose.
Passivity
People don’t contribute to the experience. Doesn’t matter who’s in the room.
Old News
The loud get loud, the quiet get quiet, the cliques stick together. Nothing new.
We deliver:
Connection
People get comfortable lowering their guard, being vulnerable and building trust.
Participation
Everyone contributes without feeling forced. People feel valued and necessary.
New Insight
Everyone leaves with new insights into their colleagues.
“Not a typical team-building experience. Make Believe Works created an environment where our global leadership team felt safe to be themselves while still being encouraged to grow. Trust and openness emerged naturally.”
“People connected beyond roles and hierarchies, leading to more honest conversations and stronger relationships.”
“The impact extended well beyond the session itself, giving our team a shared reference point for trust, vulnerability, and collaboration that continues to influence how we work together.”
— Juan Carlos Narro, CSTO, Bocar
The impact, according to clients
★★★★★ 5.0 stars
Read our latest client reviews:
Google
SHRM
Most teams don’t struggle because people lack the desire to connect. They struggle because the environment makes it hard to be honest.
Our work is designed to shift that environment — using engaging, carefully structured experiences as the vehicle.
Growing Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
“These activities helped me to develop the skills to explain what I need more clearly.”
Constance S. Director of Culture & Community Marketing
MARS Inc.
Enriching Collaboration
“My team was very disconnected because we worked in different offices. Make Believe Works created the connection we needed to work more fluidly together.”
Jenna N.
Senior Director, Development and Strategy
Stripe
Fueling Individual Growth
“Make Believe Works is so valuable because it makes you activate the two sides of your brain. Some people are more strategic/intellectual and it helps them flex their creative/artistic muscles. Others are more creative/artistic and it helps them nourish their intellectual muscles.”
Selma D. Senior Industrial Designer Google
Enhancing Leadership
“Make Believe Works helped me be a successful leader. It showed me how important those moments of collaboration, creativity, and sharing equally, regardless of role, are in creating the community we wanted in our organization.”
Leif H. Partner and Managing Director
IDEO
Opening New Perspectives
“After a Make Believe Works activity you return to work with a new intelligence. You can’t undersell the joy. There’s something wonderful about laughing together and feeling the joy of all the things that we made together. You think differently when you’re feeling joyful. And that is so important.”
Jason B. Head of Design, Machine Learning Capital One
Evolving Culture
“If you're trying to change the culture in your organization, there's only so much you can do with people that have been steeped in your current culture. Make Believe Works shows what's possible. You don't know the power of creating space for connection and fusion until you're doing it on a regular basis.”
Brynn K. Senior Partnerships Lead IDEO.org
Igniting Inspiration
“There aren’t many opportunities at work to truly explore through a creative process, even though it’s what everyone wants us to do. Make Believe Works opens a moment for that to occur in a safe, supportive environment that is actually fun and sets up your team to do more of it later.”
Lawrence A.
Co-Director, Design Thinking Ford Motor Company
Bridging Silos
“Finally! Team building that doesn't suck! I love how I was able to learn about other members of my team and what's important to them and what they're working on while also being creative and expressing myself.”
David G. Principal Product Designer Spotify
Trusted by teams at Google, Amazon, Meta, Netflix, Salesforce, Spotify, Stripe, Pixar, IDEO, LinkedIn, Intuit, YouTube, American Express, BlackRock, Johnson & Johnson, P&G, Mars, Mayo Clinic, and Capital One.
“I usually zone out during large bonding events but this got everyone involved!”
“Ben is a master facilitator and brought such warmth and safety to the experience.”
“Really unique. One of the best virtual team events I've ever done.”
—Anonymous Feedback, Meta
98%
of all participants feel that our sessions contribute to the company culture they want to work in.
98%
of all participants felt it was time well spent and were glad they joined.
99%
of all participants would recommend our sessions to a friend or colleague.
“The impact of most team building activities hasn’t lasted beyond the day.
But Make Believe Works was different.
For the first time, we came away with a richer sense of our colleagues as people and as a direct result, we’ve seen meaningful shifts in how we engage with one another.”
— Carina Parnham, Consul, Consulate General of Canada in New York
Make Believe Works designs team-building experiences for teams who want real connection without awkward games or forced fun.
Bring meaningful team building to your next offsite, retreat, or company gathering.
About Make Believe Works
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Yes. Make Believe Works is a facilitated team-building company based in Brooklyn, New York with facilitators throughout North America. We design and lead creative, non-competitive workshops that help teams build trust, psychological safety, belonging, and genuine connection at work. Our sessions are specifically designed so that reserved, introverted, and skeptical participants aren't just included — they're often the ones who surprise themselves most.
We work with organizations of all sizes — from small leadership teams to large all-hands gatherings — across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, both in-person and virtually.
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Most team building relies on competition, games, or icebreakers that reward extroverts and leave quieter participants on the sidelines. Make Believe Works is built around a different premise: that real connection happens when people feel safe enough to be honest, and that creativity is the most effective vehicle for creating that safety.
Our workshops are non-competitive, talent-agnostic, and grounded in the principles of psychological safety. Every activity is designed with a specific outcome in mind — not just a fun hour, but a genuine shift in how people see and relate to each other. People come in as colleagues. They leave knowing each other differently.
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We work with corporate teams of all sizes, from small departments to company-wide gatherings of 500+. Our clients include teams at Google, Meta, Stripe, Netflix, Salesforce, Amazon, Pixar, and many others. We facilitate workshops in-person, virtually, and in hybrid formats across North America.
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Make Believe Works was founded by Ben Swire and Lara Storm. Ben is a keynote speaker, facilitator, and author of Safe Danger. His background includes time as a Design Lead at IDEO, where he developed the facilitation philosophy that shapes Make Believe Works today. Lara Storm is the company's co-founder and lead on-site facilitator.