Image: Cathryn Lloyd.  / ChatGPT

What happens when you bring the spirit of the playground into a room of business owners? At a recent session with the Basic Bananas small business community, it became a space to climb over challenges, slide into new perspectives, and explore fresh possibilities for work and business.

This month, I’m sharing the first short video glimpse of the Innovation Playground in action from a recent session with the Basic Bananas community.

Remember the freedom, movement and fun of a playground – the chance to try something new? The Innovation Playground carries that same spirit, with a different twist.

Facilitated by me, this novel 90-minute session is designed to spark curiosity, shake up the usual ways of thinking, and move from inspiration into action. The session is structured enough to hold focus, yet flexible enough to experiment, play, and see ideas differently. The activities are playful and designed to help people:

  • Step outside their usual problem-solving habits
  • Explore new angles and perspectives
  • Surface fresh ideas for projects, teams, or businesses
  • Leave with clarity and momentum for next steps.

When I guided the Basic Bananas community through their own Innovation Playground, we used prompts, activities, and creative tools as we worked through activities together. The mix of structure and creativity created space for ideas to emerge and, importantly, took people from inspiration into action.

Franziska Iseli, co-founder of Basic Bananas, said about the session, “Cathryn’s Innovation Playground was equal parts soulful and strategic.”

And Marilyn Garbin from Can Do Training said, I found the experience interesting and well thought out as it enables us to view from different perspectives.  It was on point, holistic and easy to implement”.

 If you’re interested in reading more, check out the blog I wrote about it here. Or there’s a  video snippet to get a sense of the playful Innovation Playground.

If you and your team feel stuck, need fresh energy, or want to explore new opportunities, the Innovation Playground can help you unlock what’s next.

Stay tuned – I’ll be sharing more glimpses of what happens inside the Innovation Playground over the coming months. For now, here’s a sneaky peek.