Improv Games to Rewire Focus and Confidence with David Westerlund – Part 2

What if a few minutes of improv could lower your anxiety, sharpen your focus, and help you build stronger relationships before your next meeting?

In part 2 of this conversation, Rebecca speaks with David Westerlund, an applied improv teacher who has helped professionals across five countries use improv games and techniques to boost confidence, reduce overwhelm, and show up more fully in their work and personal lives.

David shares how short, structured “play breaks” built around simple improv games train the exact skills most professionals struggle to develop: active listening, pattern recognition, creative risk-taking, and presence during transitions. He also introduces a framework for planning in uncertain environments that replaces typical forecasting with something far more flexible and useful.

If you've ever felt stuck on autopilot between meetings, overwhelmed by digital noise, or too cautious to take creative risks at work, this episode gives you concrete tools you can start using in micromoments throughout your day.

What You'll Learn:

• Why a short playbreak is a research-backed way to lower anxiety and build confidence
• How the "word-at-a-time" story game trains active listening faster than most communication workshops
• What the critical uncertainties framework is, and why it outperforms traditional forecasting in unpredictable environments
• How low-stakes "stepping out" exercises build the courage to take bigger risks
• Why slowing down during transitions, instead of rushing through them, sharpens focus and deepens connection

Timestamps

1. Practicing for the Future & Intentional Micromoments — 00:01:14
2. David’s experience as a jail chaplain — 00:03:01
3. Critical Uncertainties Framework & Action-by-Doing Problem-Solving — 00:05:25
4. Structuring 20-Minute Virtual “Play breaks” — 00:08:28
5. Low-Stakes “Stepping Out” to build Confidence — 00:15:42

Connect with David

Website: https://davidwesterlund.com/about/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-westerlund

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidjwesterlund/

For more insight on making the most out of the small moments in your day, follow Rebecca and the Time Billionaires Podcast on LinkedIn.

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Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Time to Billionaire
• (00:01:07) - What Future Are You Preparating For?
• (00:02:46) - In the Elevator With the Jail Chaplain
• (00:04:16) - The Problem Solving and the Preaching
• (00:04:55) - What We Need to Do to Survive the VUCA Era
• (00:09:32) - In the Elevator With improv
• (00:14:54) - Reclaim Your Time: A Time Billionaire