This week’s rewind is extra special because I just spent Wednesday night hanging out with Andy Balzat and the incredible Banana Life team at one of their signature games nights in Brisbane. So, I thought: What better time to bring back this brilliant conversation?

Picture this: Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You playing… and the challenge is to hit a drum exactly on the beat after her big pause. That’s just one of the hilarious and creative games they brought to life. We were up at Smoked Garage in Fortitude Valley—beautiful venue, great people, and tons of fun. If you ever doubted that team building could be awesome, this’ll flip your perspective.

In this episode, Andy shares how Banana Life went from a tourism business for international students to one of Australia’s go-to team building companies. And trust me—it’s not trust falls and awkward icebreakers. Think cabbage catapults. Think Survivor-inspired games. Think strategic fun.

We talk about:

• Why team building has a branding problem—and how Andy’s changing it
• The similarities between tourists and corporate teams (spoiler: both need connection)
• How to handle tricky team dynamics and design for connection, not just fun
• His MCing journey and the shift from beach facilitator to stage presence
• Sales tips for facilitators, including how to screen leads and elevate proposals
• Icebreakers that actually work—including one involving bananas, rainbows, and improv

There’s also a cheeky engineering twist in there—Andy’s dad helped him build a literal trebuchet. I told you this was next-level.

🟡 Hit play and enjoy this one—it’s full of laughs, insights, and ideas you can take straight into your next event.

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Thanks for tuning in—and shoutout to Andy and the Banana Life crew for making team building appealing (in more ways than one 🍌).

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Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

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