The P.L.A.Y. Method

Using my P.L.A.Y. Method framework (Place, Language, Acknowledgement, You), I help leaders, teams and individuals create playful, practical social wellness strategies by tapping into the power of play within any environment. Play is a vital yet often overlooked tool that sparks shared moments of joy, breaks down barriers, and invites vulnerability—key ingredients for cultivating authentic connections.

Through reimagining our notion of what “belonging” means in the modern world and harnessing playful tools to facilitate it, we’re empowered to foster engagement, retention and trust within our communities by optimizing our live experiences, rituals and relationships for belonging.

  • "PLACE" refers to our physical environments, or our "containers.” Containers inform our perspectives and our perspectives inform the stories we tell about our experiences. With the belief that everything we see is true, but so is everything we don’t see, we can deliberately design our environments, routines and boundaries to create the kinds of inclusive, belonging-fueled and uplifted experiences we want to have.

  • “Language” is everything we say or send in writing. Proper use of language creates structure of integrity, informed by the belief that accountability is the opposite of entitlement.

  • “Acknowledgement” is to break the 4th wall, naming the unsaid in order to get us off autopilot and into the present moment—the only place belonging can be sparked. The best way to “acknowledge” reality as it is (not necessarily how we want it to be) and tap into the intersection of the personal and collective is through games and connective questions.

  • “You” is the art of getting over yourself. Lead by example with the understanding that in our personal, professional and communal experiences, we get what we are, not what we want.

The Way We See it

We have a massive "wellness blind spot." Society celebrates physical and mental health practices, but we leave the health of our social lives - (ahem, the very foundation of our well-being) - entirely to chance.

This neglect creates a quiet epidemic of loneliness and shallow relationships. But, more than that, without social wellness skills, it guarantees we'll wander through gatherings on autopilot and leave social interactions feeling lonelier than when we arrived. This chronic disconnection doesn't just feel bad; it's a genuine health crisis, impacting our lifespan as much as any physical ailment. Meanwhile, our performance-based interactions create invisible walls that crush the courage and presence real belonging requires.

You have a routine for your physical wellness and practices for your mental wellness. It's time to sharpen your social wellness. Because belonging doesn't happen by default; it happens by design. Connection is a strength we must train, belonging is a skill we must practice, and play is the most powerful tool we have for both. Through games, rituals and shared experiences we can reliably spark belonging in real time, and meaningful engagement, participation and accountability follow.

Why + How

  • It’s no secret that we’re experiencing a loneliness crisis in our modern world, and while buzz words like “community” and “inclusivity” hover in almost every future-of-work conversation, few have tangible solutions for integrating these concepts into our individualistic societal structures. In fact, according to Deloitte, 79% of companies acknowledge they have a belonging problem, but only 13% feel prepared to address it.

    Enter: The Uplift Center, your #1 belonging buddy, here to support you with practical tools to foster belonging at your events (and teach you how to do the same) in order to create lasting engagement within your communities.

  • Eli Walker's experiences and trainings focus on optimizing live experiences for engagement by leveraging the power of play, because participatory moments of human connection in the “here & now” are the only conditions in which belonging can be sparked.

    Working with Eli, sometimes this looks like adding interactive yoga parties to your events, sometimes facilitating games and [non-cheesy] icebreakers to spice up otherwise stale networking gatherings and sometimes it means working with leaders directly to advise on best practices for enhancing human-centered touch-points within your meetings or conferences by co-creating social wellness strategies.

    However you choose to work with The Uplift Center, Eli will help you and your people feel uplifted and centered—(ahem, like they belong)—through laughter, playfulness and unexpected moments of connection, creating the conditions for lasting engagement long after your event is over.

  • The Uplift Center's philosophy highlights belonging as the key to fostering lasting engagement and individual accountability within communities. And belonging isn’t something we simply hope to find, it’s something we facilitate.

    Belonging isn’t just about fitting into a group or space; it’s a dynamic, ever-evolving process of aligning our inner and outer worlds. It’s less about finding your place and more about creating it, continuously re-centering yourself within the collective.

    Belonging isn’t a destination, but rather a practice of refining boundaries, resolving conflict, and deepening our connections through presence and play. It’s about recognizing shared stories and turning invisible threads into real, meaningful interactions.

Ready to P.L.A.Y.?

Fill out our booking form to connect with someone on our team about how we can help you build belonging at your next event.