Creative Confidence Podcast
Creative Confidence Podcast
IDEO U
How a Playful Mindset Leads to Better Work: Cas Holman & Michelle Lee
50 minutes Posted Feb 4, 2026 at 4:29 pm.
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Show notes

For teams and leaders striving to unlock better collaboration and outcomes, play isn’t just a break from work—it’s a powerful leadership mindset. Embracing play fosters curiosity, creativity, and resilience, helping teams innovate and thrive even under pressure.


In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, host Mina Seetharaman sits down with special guests Cas Holman, renowned play designer and author of Playful, and Michelle Lee, Partner and Executive Co-Managing Director at IDEO. Together, they dive into how playful thinking sparks better questions, builds psychological safety, and drives meaningful innovation within teams.


Drawing from Cas’s expertise in designing open-ended play systems and Michelle’s leadership at IDEO, they share real-world examples of how play transforms collaboration and delivers stronger results across diverse organizations.


Explore related resources to deepen your team’s creative potential:

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