Podcasts and Press on Team Building, Psychological Safety, and Workplace Culture
At Make Believe Works, we help teams strengthen trust, creativity, and connection through Safe Danger — the balance of psychological safety and risk that sparks innovation and belonging. Co-founder and author Ben Swire has been featured in podcasts and press exploring how authentic team building and creative risk-taking can transform workplace culture, leadership, and collaboration.
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Podcasts
From leadership and creativity to the science of psychological safety, Ben Swire joins hosts across top podcasts to explore how Safe Danger and Make Believe Works are helping teams find that sweet spot between trust and risk where innovation comes alive.
Daily Creative with Todd Henry
Show home: The Daily Creative Podcast with Todd Henry
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins The Daily Creative Podcast host Todd Henry for a conversation about Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation. Together, they unpack the “messy middle” between psychological safety and risk — the space where creativity, trust, and team performance come alive.
Swire and Henry explore how leaders can create cultures where people feel safe enough to take bold risks, share honest ideas, and do their most meaningful work. It’s a lively discussion on courage, creativity, and the emotional dynamics that shape innovative teams.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (The Daily Creative Podcast) on Apple Podcasts.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (The Daily Creative Podcast) on Spotify.
Mentally Stronger with Amy Morin
Show home: Mentally Stronger with Amy Morin
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin for a deep conversation about his book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation.
Swire and Morin explore the balance between psychological safety and courageous risk — what Ben calls safe danger — and why that tension is the key to real creativity, trust, and growth. They discuss how teams can move beyond comfort without triggering fear, why too much safety quietly kills innovation, and how practicing safe danger builds resilience and emotional intelligence at work and in life.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Mentally Stronger) on Apple Podcasts.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Mentally Stronger) on Amazon Music.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Mentally Stronger) on Spotify.
The Strategy Skills Podcast
Show home: Strategy Skills by Firmsconsulting
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins Strategy Skills host Kris Safarova to explore the ideas behind his book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation. Together, they unpack how vulnerability, optimism, and the balance between psychological safety and risk create the conditions for genuine trust, creativity, and innovation inside organizations.
Swire and Safarova dive into what it really takes to build teams that connect deeply, think boldly, and collaborate with purpose — and how leaders can practice safe danger to turn comfort into creativity.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Strategy Skills) on Apple Podcasts.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Strategy Skills) on Amazon Music.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Strategy Skills) on Spotify.
The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with Ginny Yurich
Show home: The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
Episode: Coming Soon
Ben Swire, co-founder of Make Believe Works and author of Safe Danger, joins Ginny Yurich on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast to explore how play, curiosity, and courage fuel creativity and connection. They discuss what happens when families, teachers, and teams embrace “safe danger” — enough challenge to stretch, but never so much that it shuts people down.
Swire and Yurich connect lessons from outdoor exploration to the emotional landscapes of workplaces and classrooms, showing how trust and small risks spark growth at every age. It’s a conversation about rediscovering wonder, building confidence, and creating spaces where people thrive together.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, I Heart Radio, or Spotify.
Design Better Podcast
Show home: Design Better Podcast
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins Design Better hosts Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter to talk about ideas from his book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation. Together, they explore how trust, vulnerability, and genuine human connection unlock creativity and collaboration within design teams.
Swire, Woolery, and Walter discuss why too much safety can limit innovation, how courageous conversations build stronger creative cultures, and what it takes for teams to find that sweet spot between comfort and courage — the heart of safe danger.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Design Better) on Apple Podcasts.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Design Better) on YouTube.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Design Better) on Spotify.
Idaho Matters Hosted by Gemma Gaudette
Episode: Coming Soon
Gemma Gaudette sits down with Ben Swire, author of Safe Danger and co-founder of Make Believe Works, for a conversation about psychological safety, creativity, and the future of work. They explore how thoughtful risk-taking helps teams move beyond surface-level collaboration toward real connection and purpose.
Swire and Gaudette unpack the cultural shifts redefining leadership—why belonging and courage are now business imperatives—and how small acts of trust rebuild workplaces from the inside out. It’s a grounded, hopeful discussion about what it really takes to make work more human.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Spotify.
Something You Should Know with Mike Carruthers
Episode: Coming Soon
On Something You Should Know, Mike Carruthers welcomes Ben Swire, author of Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation, and co-founder of Make Believe Works. They explore how balancing psychological safety with small, intentional risks transforms collaboration, communication, and creativity at work.
Together, Swire and Carruthers dig into why teams plateau when they chase comfort, and how curiosity and vulnerability can re-ignite purpose. The conversation blends science, storytelling, and practical insight—offering a refreshingly human guide to building trust and innovation in modern workplaces.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, I Heart Radio, or Spotify.
IVY Masterclass Podcast
Episode page: How to Cultivate “Safe Danger” in Teams — IVY
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins IVY Masterclass Podcast host Beri Meric to explore ideas from his book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation. Together, they discuss why balancing psychological safety and risk is the key to unlocking creativity, trust, and purpose in the workplace.
Swire and Meric dive into how leaders can help teams move beyond comfort zones without triggering fear, and why the most meaningful work happens in that sweet spot between safety and courage — what Ben calls safe danger.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts
Inside Personal Growth with Greg Voisen
Show Home: Inside Personal Growth
Episode 1254: “Why Safe Danger is the Secret to Thriving Teams and Meaningful Work.”
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins Inside Personal Growth host Greg Voisen to explore ideas from his book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation. Together, they unpack why the sweet spot between psychological safety and small, playful risk unlocks real connection, creativity, and belonging at work.
Swire and Voisen dig into Ben’s roots at IDEO, how Make Believe Works designs team-building workshops even skeptics and introverts embrace, and why small, consistent gestures of courage shift workplace culture more effectively than mission statements or slogans.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Inside Personal Growth) on Apple Podcasts.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Inside Personal Growth) on SoundCloud.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Inside Personal Growth) on Spotify.
Magical Moments with Jill Lindsey
Show Home: Magical Moments Podcast
Episode: “The Magic of Make Believe Works”
Make Believe Works co-founders Ben Swire and Lara Storm join Magical Moments with Jill Lindsey for a heartfelt conversation about how thoughtfully designed creative activities help people feel comfortable stepping outside their comfort zones.
Together, they explore why balancing psychological safety with playful risk — the core idea behind Ben’s book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation — is essential for team building, trust, and creativity inside and outside the workplace. Jill, Ben, and Lara share how Make Believe Works uses artful, experiential exercises to help people move past hesitation, unlock deeper connection, and spark innovation in everyday life.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Magical Moments) on Spotify.
The ThriveTime Show with Clay Clark
Show Home: Thrive Time Show with Clay Clark
Episode: “Ben Swire | Workplace Culture Expert of Choice.”
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins The Thrive Time Show host Clay Clark to share insights from his book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation. Swire explains how balancing psychological safety with small, playful risks fuels the outcomes leaders care most about — productivity, innovation, resilience, and retention.
Drawing on current research and real-world team examples, he reveals why traditional team-building approaches often backfire and how creativity itself can act like a pair of oven mitts — allowing teams to handle difficult conversations safely while staying open, honest, and connected. The conversation offers leaders practical tools for building high-trust, high-performance cultures.
🎧 Listen to Safe Danger with Ben Swire (Thrive Time) on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Spotify.
Enterprising People with Kimberly Bailey Tureaud
Show home: Enterprising People
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins Enterprising People host Kimberly to share ideas from his book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation. Together, they dive into how leaders can balance psychological safety and productive risk to build stronger, more creative teams.
Swire and Kimberly explore why comfort alone kills innovation, how trust fuels courage, and what it takes to create workplaces where people feel safe enough to take bold ideas seriously — the heart of what Ben calls safe danger.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Spotify.
School for Startups
Author and Make Believe Works co-founder Ben Swire joins School for Startups Radio host Jim Beach to discuss lessons from his book Safe Danger: The Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation. Together, they explore how entrepreneurs and leaders can balance psychological safety and risk to drive creativity, collaboration, and meaningful growth.
Swire and Beach talk about how small, intentional risks strengthen trust and problem-solving, why vulnerability is a strategic advantage, and how the principles of safe danger apply to both startups and established organizations aiming to innovate from the inside out.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Spotify.
Press
Safe Danger and Make Believe Works have been featured in national media and thought-leadership outlets celebrating creativity, connection, and courageous collaboration — from the Next Big Idea Club and Boston Herald to the Association for Talent Development.
Safe Danger was named one of the Next Big Idea Club’s “Must-Read” picks for October 2025, joining a select list of books that challenge how we think about leadership, creativity, and connection at work.
Related: Google’s Project Aristotle on Team Effectiveness (Psychological Safety)
The Association for Talent Development featured Safe Danger among its top new titles, recognizing its practical approach to building trust, courage, and creativity in modern workplaces.
Related: Stanford GSB — Creating a Culture of Healthy Debate
In this Fast Company feature on workplace boundaries, Ben Swire is quoted explaining how offering a hug should always come with a graceful “out” — a practical extension of Safe Danger’s philosophy on consent, trust, and psychological safety.
In this feature by journalist Vicki Salemi, Ben Swire shares insights from Safe Danger on how small, intentional risks build resilience, spark creativity, and strengthen trust in teams.
Related: MIT Sloan — Tactics for Improving Psychological Safety
Charter’s editors highlight Safe Danger as a timely guide for leaders seeking to balance psychological safety and creative risk, offering a fresh lens on innovation and belonging at work.
Related: Gallup — State of the Global Workplace
Co-created by Ben Swire and collaborator Matthew Epler this early Make Believe Works activity uses sewing as a playful way to teach coding concepts — showing how tactile creativity builds the confidence, curiosity, and connection that now define Make Believe Works and Safe Danger.
Ben Swire explores how curiosity, play, and vulnerability help people bridge divides—an early expression of the ideas that would evolve into Safe Danger and Make Believe Works.
Related: APA — What Is Psychological Safety at Work?
Drawing from his design practice, Ben Swire shares how adopting a child’s curiosity leads to more open, imaginative collaboration—echoing the creative foundations behind Safe Danger.
This early IDEO post introduces the spirit behind Make Believe Works—how low-stakes play and imaginative risk-taking can strengthen teams and fuel innovation.
Fuzzy Wobble — A Creative Exercise to Let Go of Perfection
A playful collaboration celebrating the joy of imperfection, Memory Floss embodies Make Believe Works’ belief that creativity and connection thrive when we embrace the unexpected.
Creator and community-builder Victoria Taylor spotlights Safe Danger in her #BiteSizedBusinessBooks series, highlighting its message of balancing courage and comfort in leadership.
These articles and talks deepen the research behind Safe Danger—exploring how psychological safety, creative risk, and trust fuel connection and innovation at work:
- Harvard Business Review – High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety (Here’s How to Create It)
- TED Talk (video) – Amy Edmondson: How to Turn a Group of Strangers Into a Team
- Next Big Idea Club – October 2025 Must-Read Books
- Fast Company – Forget Icebreakers: This 5-Step Process Builds Real Team Trust
- McKinsey & Company – Psychological Safety and the Critical Role of Leadership Development
- The Washington Post – For Mental Health at Work, Bosses Can Make It Better
- Center for Creative Leadership – What Is Psychological Safety at Work?
- Slack Blog – Psychological Safety First: Building Trust Among Teams
- Harvard Business Review – What Is Psychological Safety?
- Harvard Business Review – What Makes Some Teams High-Performing?