Reimagine Work

Play isn't the opposite of seriousness.
It's the opposite of autopilot.

PlayShift helps workplace teams break out of stress-driven habits through the practical power of play — so creativity, collaboration, and initiative come back online.

Book a Session See What We Do

90-min sessions

"Adults haven't lost their creativity. They've just been placed in environments that don't know what to do with it."

— The PlayShift

Custom-designed for your team

Why It Matters

When adults stop playing, workplaces pay the price.

Stress costs U.S. employers an estimated $300 billion annually in lost productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. Most organizations respond by adding more structure, more process, more pressure.

PlayShift takes a different approach. Stress narrows. Play opens. Most workplaces are full of stress with no outlet — like a balloon getting bigger until nobody can move, nobody can breathe, nobody can think.

Play is the needle that pops the stress balloon. And everything changes when there's room to move again.

$300B

lost annually to stress-driven absenteeism, turnover & lost productivity

Source: American Institute of Stress

85%

of employees report that workplace stress impacts their performance

Day One

participants leave with practical tools they can use the very next day

About Us

We didn't leave play behind.
We brought it with us.

Facilitator · Improviser · L&D Professional

PlayShift was founded by Dajanaé Cole — an improviser, facilitator, and learning & development professional with a background spanning creative performance, care work, and organizational training.

Years of working with children made one thing undeniable: play isn't a reward for finishing the serious work. Play IS the work. Kids test ideas constantly. They collaborate without being asked. They experiment without fear.

That capacity doesn't disappear in adults. It just gets buried under stress, structure, and the pressure to perform. PlayShift exists to unbury it.

Trauma-aware practice

Consent-based engagement

Grounded in reflection

Custom for every group

What We Offer

Structured play. Real results.

Every engagement is custom-designed. We don't ask teams to "have fun" — we design experiences that use play as a thinking tool.

Play Is Serious Work

Signature Demo · 90 Minutes

Using Presence and Improvisation to Solve Real Problems. A complete journey through the PlayShift Loop — from interrupting autopilot to walking away with one concrete shift to try this week.

90 minutesAny team sizeIn-person

Custom Trainings

Deeper engagements built around your team's specific challenges — creative problem-solving, communication, leadership, or navigating change. Fully tailored, start to finish.

Half or full dayCustom designOngoing

Talks & Keynotes

An engaging, research-grounded talk on why play is a professional skill — and what happens when organizations finally make room for it. Available for conferences and all-hands.

30–60 minutesConferencesAll-hands

The PlayShift Loop

Every session moves through the same arc.

From naming the tension to taking it back to real life — this is the framework behind everything we do.

Stress

Name the tension. We start with what's real — the pressure, the patterns, the habits that have been running the show.

Space

Open for play. We create psychological safety so everyone can engage at their own level. Curiosity counts.

Experiment

Try it live. Low-stakes activities that surface real habits, build presence, and unlock creative thinking.

Apply

Take it back. Every session ends with one concrete shift to try. Insight becomes intention.

The People Behind the Play

Meet the team.

We're facilitators, educators, advocates, and creatives who believe the best work happens when people feel safe enough to be curious.

Dajanaé Cole

Founder & Play Facilitator

Dajanaé is a facilitator, actor, creative strategist, and performer who designs interactive trainings exploring emotional labor, communication, and problem-solving through the lens of play. With a background spanning care work, training, production, and creative performance, she helps individuals and organizations break out of autopilot thinking and reconnect with curiosity, presence, and innovative solutions.

Nicole Stuart

Co-Founder & Play Facilitator

Nicole is a dedicated advocate and supporter of all people and employees, committed to creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels seen, supported, and empowered. Her work has focused on strengthening organizational culture, increasing cultural awareness, and advancing equity in all systems. Nicole loves helping people, teams, and organizations step back and see the bigger picture with new eyes — unlocking creativity through playful, imaginative approaches.

Breanna Hall

Play Facilitator

Breanna is an educator and creative strategist who believes work and learning should be meaningful and engaging. Her experience in education has shaped her approach to building spaces where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow. Through PlayShift, she helps individuals and teams pause, reflect, and redesign the way they work — centering creativity, equity, and sustainability. Breanna embraces the hope that this work will inspire people to show up authentically in every part of their lives.

$The PlayShift team$

"We brought play with us."

Dajanaé, Nicole & Breanna — The PlayShift Team

Who We Serve

For any team where stress has made the work feel smaller than it should.

We work with capable, talented people in environments that haven't created space for their best thinking. Yet.

Corporate Teams

High-performing teams hitting creative ceilings, navigating change, or burned out from doing more with less.

Nonprofits

Mission-driven teams carrying heavy loads. We help them rediscover the energy that brought them to this work.

Creative Organizations

Creative teams that have lost their spark. We help them play their way back to the work that matters.

Educational Institutions

Faculty, staff, and administrators building cultures where curiosity is the norm, not the exception.

What People Say

"This was the most fun I've had at a professional event. I can't wait for PlayShift to come back!"

"The play experience showed me the value of having different types of communicators and how to rethink team meetings entirely."

"The demo made me realize I can bring my playful side to work — and that it actually benefits me and the team."

— Training Participants

Common Questions

You might be wondering...

Do we need any improv or play experience?

None at all. Sessions are designed for skeptics and non-players. You participate at your own comfort level — curiosity is the only requirement.

How is this different from typical team building?

We're not here to make people have fun. We use play as a thinking tool — grounded in reflection and designed so what happens in the room travels back to real life.

Can sessions be customized for our team's challenges?

Yes — every engagement is custom-designed. We learn what your team is navigating and build the experience around it.

What size groups do you work with?

We work with teams of all sizes — from small leadership groups to large all-hands. Get in touch and we'll design something that fits.

Play isn't the opposite of seriousness.It's the opposite of autopilot.