About Podcast
What happens when a high-powered executive faces a life-threatening wake-up call and completely reinvents his career to inspire others? That’s exactly what César Suárez Uribe did. Once a stressed-out director in Colombia’s insurance industry, he’s now a globally recognized speaker and one of the few trainers in the world certified to teach the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology, a hands-on framework for unlocking creativity, solving complex problems, and transforming teams.
In this episode, César shares his journey from corporate leadership to facilitating over 700 LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshops across 13 countries, guiding more than 12,000 professionals to think differently. He explains how this powerful methodology moves participants beyond rational thinking to access intuition, emotion, and subconscious insight, turning abstract ideas into tangible models and actionable strategies. César also reveals what it takes to become a certified facilitator, the impact of his TEDx talk in Helsinki, and his mission to help millions break through their own limitations.
Key Takeaways:
- Discover how a personal health crisis propelled César to leave corporate life and build a purpose-driven career.
- Understand the four-step LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® process for unlocking hidden knowledge and fostering real-time strategy.
- Learn how teams can simplify complexity and co-create solutions—even in high-stakes or chaotic environments.
- Get an inside look at what it takes to train and certify facilitators in this methodology.
- Gain inspiration from César’s approach to breaking limiting beliefs and scaling his message to millions worldwide.
Join us with César Suárez Uribe as he reveals how LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® can transform the way leaders, teams, and organizations solve problems and achieve breakthrough results.
- Understanding the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Methodology – Learn how LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® helps teams solve problems, enhance creativity, and improve communication by using LEGO bricks to unlock knowledge and ideas beyond the rational mind.
- The Power of Play in Business Strategy – Discover how structured play can simplify complex challenges, encourage innovative thinking, and help teams develop real-time strategies to address company issues.
- Personal Transformation and Pursuing Passion – Gain insights from César’s journey from a high-stress executive role to an international speaker and facilitator, emphasizing the importance of aligning one’s career with personal fulfillment.
- The Science Behind Hands-On Learning – Understand the neurological connection between hands and brain function, and how building with LEGO bricks can activate different cognitive processes to reveal deeper insights.
- The Role of Preparation and Focus in Achieving Success – Learn how focusing on a goal, working hard, and being prepared for opportunities can lead to breakthroughs, as illustrated by César’s path to becoming a leading facilitator and trainer in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®.
Special Guest: César Suárez Uribe, LEGO SERIOUS PLAY Trainer and Facilitator
Location: Bogotá, COLOMBIA
Air Date: March 30, 2025
Websites:
- Juego y Estrategia: the website home to César’s company where you can learn more about his Eduplayment framework, his LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® work, and his public speaking endeavors.
- cesarsuarezuribe.com: learn more about the man himself on César’s personal website.
- LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®: learn more about the certification program behind this revolutionary model that “… combines visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning and relational styles in a unique, creative and powerful approach.”
Book:
- Building a Better Business Using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method: a book by Per Kristiansen and Robert Rasmussen that defines the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology as a “…creative approach to enhancing innovation and improving business performance, with the focus on unleashing play.”
Video: Watch César’s TEDx Talk!
Producer & Host: Alicia Butler Pierre
Audio Editor: Olanrewaju Adeyemo
Sound Design: Sabor! Music Enterprises
Video Editor: Gladys Jimenez
Show Notes: Hashim Tale
Sponsor: Equilibria, Inc.More About Guest, César Suárez Uribe:
César is an intentional provocateur and a creator of new paradigms. Since 2008, he has been a pioneer of EDUTAINMENT in Colombia—a combination of Education and Entertainment—demonstrated through his innovative creations such as Stand Up Management®, Eduplayment®, SHAKE, and EMERGE. With 29 years of experience as an international speaker, he is also a TEDx Speaker (Helsinki, Finland. Oct/24). He spent 11 years as an employee, holding various executive positions in the Colombian financial sector. Currently, he is the General Director of his own company, Juego y Estrategia, founded in 2010. His impact is backed by over 800 conferences, seminars, and workshops in 14 countries across LATAM and Spain, reaching more than 130,000 people in hundreds of corporate events. Additionally, over 12,000 participants have engaged in serious play with him through his LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshops. César holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from JaverianamUniversity, a specialization in Business Administration from Sergio Arboleda University, and an Executive MBA (Master of Business Administration) from INALDE. He is also the first and only Colombian TRAINER worldwide, recognized as a member of the Association of Master Trainers of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, a methodology developed by LEGO® to enable serious play in organizations and facilitate real-time strategy building. Triathlete since 2019, he has competed in multiple events, for example in two IRONMAN 70.3 races and the 42km marathons of San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro, and New York. He was part of the Colombia Triathlon Team in the 50-54 age category in 2020 and 2024.
More About Host, Alicia Butler Pierre:
Alicia Butler Pierre is the Founder & CEO of Equilibria, Inc.. Her career in operations began over 25 years ago while working in various chemical plants and oil refineries. She invented the Kasennu™ framework for business infrastructure and authored, Behind the Façade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success. She is the producer of the weekly top 2% Business Infrastructure podcast with a global audience across 70+ countries.Alicia is also an adjunct instructor of Lean Principles at Purdue University and serves as the USA Chair of the G100’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. The Process Excellence Network recognized her as a Top 50 Thought Leader in Operational Excellence. A chemical engineer turned entrepreneur, she’s designed and optimized processes for small businesses, large enterprises, non-profits, and government organizations alike.
More About Sponsor, Equilibria:
Equilibria, Inc. is an 19-year-old boutique operations management firm. We build the business infrastructure necessary for fast-growing businesses to scale with less pain. With a range of services and products, entrepreneurs can get the operational support and resources they need on demand. 