Lead with a dash of Play

Curiosity, compassion, innovation, and community - why is play not considered essential leadership development? Mary Hendra, Executive Leader and Founder of Move with Grace, shares thoughts on the connection between leadership and play, as well as the impetus for this podcast series. Was the podcast series “too long, didn’t listen”? This is your summary of a great season of guests exploring the tension between play and work. “When people know their core truths and live in accord with what I call their play personality, the result is always a life of incredible power and grace.” Stuart Brown, MD, author of Play. Mary Hendra Mary Hendra is an executive leader and entrepreneur bringing curiosity, creativity and compassion back into the workplace, into our civic spaces and into our opportunities for adult learning. In addition to hosting "Lead with a dash of Play," Mary creates unique cohort experiences built on stillness, creativity, and compassion - with a dash of play. Learn more about Mary's work here: https://maryhendra.com/playground/ See Mary's "play portrait" and create your own here: https://maryhendra.com/play/

What would it mean to shift from “I need to be heard” to “I know I will be seen”? Wendy Horng Brawer incorporates play in the work she does with CEOs and teams, and describes that shift in sharing the impact of play. Team alignment, DEI initiatives, navigating through failure… Wendy shows us how vital play really is in the workplace. “The opposite of play is not work - the opposite of play is depression.” Stuart Brown, MD, author of Play. Wendy Horng Brawer Senior Facilitator, Experience Designer, Inclusion Consultant and Coach, Somatic-Based Executive and Team Coach Wendy Horng Brawer brings her skills as a senior facilitator, experience designer, educator, and entrepreneur to help clients become more conscious and impactful as individuals, teams, and organizations. Wendy works interactively online and in-person with clients to navigate change by designing and facilitating healthy and appropriately provocative processes that improve decision-making, strategic planning, collaboration, and changing direction as a team. In a rapidly diversifying and complex world, Wendy moves leaders towards compassionate and inclusive practices and inspired, courageous action. She is Co-Founder of Intune Collective, a women-led consulting and executive coaching company based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and co-hosts The Business of Being Human podcast. She hosts a monthly Women of Color Empower Hour and is on the founding team of The Collective, a somatic coaching practice that works to heal and elevate the impact of BIPOC and female leaders. She holds a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of the Pacific and Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs and worked as Director of Advancement and Partnerships in K-8 education for over a decade. Learn more about Wendy’s work here http://bit.ly/wendyhbrawer (bit.ly/wendyhbrawer) and with InTune Collective http://intunecollective.com/ (intunecollective.com).

When did you last build with bricks? Paul Sanbar found a way to make playing with LEGO® his job when he became a LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator, but his roots in psychotherapy are equally foundational. Building and breaking things apart - externally and internally - that’s serious play! “Play has the power to change lives.” https://www.lego.com/en-us/build-a-world-of-play?icmp=LP-SHMBL-Standard-90th_Anniversary_MB_Large_The_value_of_play-OC-NO-IRWLZF336N (LEGO®) An Ingenuity + Executive Coach, coaching supervisor, and hands-on visual thinking facilitator, Paul Sanbar's life and career has been dedicated to the field of self-development and to effecting positive change through purposeful play, storytelling, and powerful conversations initially as a psychotherapist and now as an ICF accredited coach and certified coaching supervisor. A certified LEGO® Serious Play® methods coach and member of the MURAL Consultant Network, Paul coaches and supports individuals, groups, and teams to think and reflect not only with words but also with their eyes and hands, putting their imagination to work in both tactile and technological ways. Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsanbar/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsanbar/)

Opt in. Mark Collard created an entire database of games for Playmeo, but key to all is the invitation to choose to participate. Once we make that choice, we enter in to a different type of connection with others. Mark Twain is said to have observed “work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” Mark Collard is an experiential trainer, author and founder of http://playmeo.com/ (playmeo.com), a popular online platform that is best known for hosting the largest online database of group games and activities in the world. As one of Australia's most experienced and respected trainers, Mark creates simple, yet powerful workshops and resources that help people connect. He has written five top-selling books including Serious Fun and his latest No Props No Problem.

What are the stories you tell yourself? Do they serve you? Jocelyn Brady, Brain Coach, shares the importance of play in breaking you out of your own resistance. It doesn’t have to include a penguin suit, but it could. We talk about giving yourself permission for “Vitamin Play.” ”Play is the highest form of research.” Albert Einstein, nobel-prize winning Physicist. Jocelyn Brady is a writer, edutainer and professional brain jostler who thrives at the intersection of comedy, storytelling and unraveling the mysteries of the human brain. When she’s not being the Bill Nye of the brain (as the creator and host ofhttps://youtube.com/channel/UCGQAm7AlSK ( Tiny Tips), the Internet’s favorite way to Brain), Jocelyn applies her certified Brain Coaching and Tiny Habits chops to help creative visionaries play to their brains’ greatest potential. In her past life—as an award-winning copywriter, Creative Director and agency CEO—Jocelyn led narrative strategy and international storytelling training for some of the world’s biggest brands. She also produced and co-hosted Party Time, a standup comedy and storytelling show featuring talent who went on to write or perform for Conan, Colbert and Comedy Central. All while managing to keep her two cats and houseplants alive. Jocelyn’s first book, tentatively titled Your Brain is a Magical Asshat, is slated for publication next year. Jocelyn online: https://www.scribestorystudios.com/ (https://www.scribestorystudios.com/) Rewrite your BS: http://betterbrainstories.com/ (betterbrainstories.com) IG and YouTube: Jocelthem (IG https://www.instagram.com/jocelthem/ (https://www.instagram.com/jocelthem/) and Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQAm7AlSKTAyZI83f5XxaQ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQAm7AlSKTAyZI83f5XxaQ)) LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocelynbrady/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocelynbrady/)

Dave Mastronardi doesn’t consider himself a “playful” person, but he runs games for a living. We talk about the power of structure in play and why the term “play” itself is problematic. “Serious games help organizations solve complex problems through collaborative play.” Luke Hohmann, Founder and CEO of The Innovation Games Company, in the Foreword to Gamestorming, The Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. Dave Mastronardi helps companies rethink and reshape the way they work. As CEO of The Gamestorming Group, Dave helps you, your team and your company clarify, align and move towards your goals. Based on the book’s principles and advised by its authors, the Gamestorming Group enhances your visual and design thinking skills for communication and collaboration. https://gamestorming.com/ (https://gamestorming.com/) https://gamestorming.group (https://gamestorming.group)

Could play be as simple as solving puzzles? Bridget Quigg brings her experience with tech, marketing, and improv to support each of us recognizing our own creative genius. She shares stories of construction workers, military, tech industry and nurses engaging with play, and I make a connection to the “temporary alternative universe” identified by Priya Parker in The Art of Gathering. “When we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity, the truest expression of our individuality.” Stuart Brown, MD, author of Play. Bridget Quigg is a graduate of Stanford University and has worked at tech startups for more than 15 years. A long time improviser and comedian, Bridget believes that improvisational theater principles can help everyone feel more confident and engage better with others. She has led sessions for the Stanford Alumni Network, Microsoft, Amazon, Zillow, Socrata, The Riveter, Leading Women in Technology, Facebook, Noventis, 2A Consulting, Washington Technology Industry Association, Adobe, and more. Bridget is the author of three books on creativity and intuition. She has produced five one-woman, comedy shows and her work has been featured on NPR, in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Seattle Times, and various theater blogs. Website: http://bridgetquigg.com/ (bridgetquigg.com) Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetquigg/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetquigg/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bridgetquiggmedia (https://www.youtube.com/user/bridgetquiggmedia) Tik Tok: @BridgetQuigg

Could play be the most underrated leadership skill? A new podcast exploring the power of play in professional spaces, and redefining “play” in the process.