September 8,2026

Episode 203: What Adventure Can Teach Us About Great Teamwork with Phil Brown

On this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld sits down with Phil Brown, Experiential and Adventure Education Trainer & Facilitator and host of the podcast Vertical Playpen. 

Phil shares what can happen when teams step outside their usual environments and into experiences that challenge them in new ways. He explains how his journey from teaching in England to outdoor and adventure education in the U.S. eventually led him to focus on team development, and why novel experiences that involve some kind of risk lead to learning outcomes. 

Together, Phil and Dane explore the importance of doing “pre-work” as a leader before asking people to take risks, and how to give people a sense of psychological safety even amidst risk. Phil also digs into why withholding information creates anxiety in the workplace, and how leaders can build trust by creating a consistent track record of openness and authenticity.

They explore Phil’s ABCDE framework for problem-solving – Analyze, Brainstorm, Choose, Do, and Evaluate – and why simple frameworks can help teams get out of their own way. Phil also encourages leaders to “mine for the opposite” – actively seeking out dissent and giving people permission to say when something isn’t working (because the person who cares enough to criticize may also be the person most motivated to make things better).

Ultimately, Phil shares why shared experiences can be such a powerful equalizer. Take people out of their normal environments, remove the usual hierarchy, and suddenly colleagues can see one another as human beings rather than simply as job titles. If you want to think less like a traditional manager and more like an adventure guide, this episode is for you.

🔗 Connect with Phil Brown on LinkedIn 

🔗 Learn more about High 5 Adventure Learning Center

🔗 Listen to the Vertical Playpen podcast

🔗 Read Legacy: What The All Blacks Can Teach Us About The Business Of Life by James Kerr