Why teams need more than Zoom calls

Someone asked me recently if a firewalk is really necessary for businesses. Fair question.

Here’s the short answer:
If you want a team that speaks up, trusts each other and actually feels connected, then aye, something like this helps. A lot.

We are living in a time where many colleagues have never met in person. Folk log on, do their tasks, sign off. Useful, efficient, and absolutely soulless if that is all you ever do.

What’s missing are the moments where confidence rubs off on you from the person sitting next to you. The casual chats that spark ideas. The feeling that you are part of something bigger than your to-do list.

A screen can’t build that.
Shared challenge can.

Firewalks, glasswalks and courage workshops shake people out of autopilot. They get rid of the polite, muted meeting voice and help folk drop back into being human with each other.

People laugh.
They wobble.
They cheer each other on.
And they remember what teamwork actually feels like.

It is never really about the fire. It is about the conversations that happen before and after. The moment someone realises they have been playing small. The shared “holy hell, I just did that” grin. The way colleagues start backing each other instead of waiting for someone else to move first.

When you see someone take a brave step, you start thinking you can too.

And that confidence follows people back to work. Meetings feel different. Ideas land faster. Boundaries get healthier. People speak honestly instead of politely shrinking.

Because once you have walked across hot coals or snapped an arrow with your throat, sending a direct email or pitching a bold idea suddenly feels far less terrifying.

Is a firewalk essential?
Maybe not.
But bravery is.

And that is what we build.