This experiential workshop blends storytelling, hands-on sculpture, and reflective team exercises to help participants explore strengths, deepen trust, and unlock creative thinking. We begin with playful warm-ups that spark curiosity and shift the group from analytical thinking into creative exploration. Participants then unpack the concept of the “Guardian Monster,” examining how monsters in stories represent both fear and protection. Teams brainstorm physical traits: claws, wings, armor, multiple eyes, and discuss the light and shadow meanings behind them, connecting these ideas to archetypes and personal strengths. Next, participants anonymously identify strengths they see in their colleagues. These reflections surface hidden talents, appreciation, and insights about how team members support one another. Using this feedback, teams imagine the Guardian traits that could symbolize and strengthen those qualities. Participants then sculpt Guardian Monsters in clay, translating ideas into form through a collaborative, hands-on process. The workshop concludes with sharing the creations and reflecting on what participants discovered about themselves and their colleagues. Why this matters: Hands-on creative work activates new ways of thinking, encouraging reflection, collaboration, and innovation. Teams leave with a deeper understanding of each other’s strengths, a shared creative experience, and tangible symbols of resilience they can carry back into their work together. Auernhammer, J., & Roth, B. (2021). The Origin and Evolution of Stanford University's Design Thinking. Journal of Product Innovation Management. de Koning, B., & Paas, F. (2024). Research Avenues Supporting Embodied Cognition in Learning. Educational Psychology Review. Kaimal, G., Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 33(2), 74–80.