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Holy moly, where has the year gone? I jump on the mic to say hello and share a quick life update. I talk about what I am learning in this season of life and what this might mean for the future of the podcast. (Hint: the topics of lifelong play and creativity isn’t going anywhere!) […] Read more

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We are starting 2021 with more tensions than ever. What is it going to take to bring us together from all across the different spectrums? Could play be the answer? In this episode I speak with Jeff Harry, positive psychology coach, speaker, workshop facilitator and my favorite person to collaborate with on TikTok! We discuss […] Read more

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When Shawnrey Notto describes embodiment, it sounds like it has a lot in common with play: engaging the senses, feeling fully alive, savoring every moment. Yet most of us understand play as a concept way more than embodiment. In this episode,  I speak with Shawnrey, a sex and intimacy coach and dancer about how embodiment […] Read more

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Thanksgiving is upon us and some of us are having trouble finding gratitude this year. I don’t blame you AT ALL. It would be easy to brush off finding gratitude as a silly tradition and one that is unnecessary this year but I want to offer a different perspective. In this episode I share some […] Read more

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Right now it’s easy to look around and wonder if our country can get to a place of collective joy. In this expansive conversation with Emmy award-winning creative director, author and speaker, Gwen Gordon, we talk about how play and joy is the foundation for the world we are trying to create. The transformation starts […] Read more

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In 2004, William Hung was thrust into the limelight with the American Idol audition heard around the world. His famous rendition of “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin received attention that ranged from praise to ridicule. I talked to William about his journey from his American Idol audition and beyond and how he has maintained a […] Read more

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 Falls are the leading cause of death for seniors aged 65+. Of those seniors that survive a fall a majority of them will never live independently. That is a scary statistic that Stephen Jepson decided he would do something about. Stephen is the creator of Never Leave the Playground, where he teaches his philosophy of […] Read more

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 As an immigrant and refugee the last thing on your mind would likely be anything creative and playful. For Chinese-Vietnamese immigrants Paul and Millie Cao, this was their story until a few years ago. The documentary short Walk Run Cha Cha explores their story of fleeing Vietnam and how they are reinventing themselves now […] Read more

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You are born to dance. Yes, you. Think about it. As babies we wiggle about and giggle when we hear music that piques our curiosity. No one teaches us how to do that – we just know! So why do we grow up and become balls of anxiety when we see a dance floor? Dr. […] Read more

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We are back with part two of the conversation with Alison Calhoun. In this episode we tackle our perspectives on coronavirus and break down her Facebook post. In this conversation We talk about How we both have approached understanding COVID-19 How Alison’s Christian beliefs informs her understanding of COVID-19 What freedom means to both of […] Read more

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A few weeks ago I was browsing on Facebook when I came across this post: The language of this post triggered me because it felt completely against everything I had been understanding about COVID-19. It felt accusatory, angry and pompous. What’s more is that the post was written by someone who was really important to […] Read more

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SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it’s really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can’t take creative classes or laugh with our friends […] Read more

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SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it’s really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can’t take creative classes or laugh with our friends […] Read more

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  SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it’s really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can’t take creative classes or laugh with our […] Read more

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SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it’s really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can’t take creative classes or laugh with our friends […] Read more

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SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it’s really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can’t take creative classes or laugh with our friends […] Read more

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SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it’s really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can’t take creative classes or laugh with our friends […] Read more

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When you get to be in your mid-50’s what do you imagine your life will look like? Will you be excited to be closer to retirement so that you can finally sit around and watch re-runs of The Office? Will you look back and regret not having followed your heart and lived the life that […] Read more

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A few years ago, Charlie Hoehn had achieved his biggest career milestone: organizing best-selling author Tim Ferris’ Opening the Kimono book seminar. He had a dream job of being Tim’s righthand man. His life should have been perfect…yet something was clearly wrong. Upon completion of Opening the Kimono, Charlie woke up and couldn’t breathe or think straight; […] Read more

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Antoine Joyce grew up poor in Brooklyn, New York and much of what he knew about life was within a five radius block. He was smart and outgoing but once he was placed in a predominantly white school, he felt insecure and started failing classes. One day he stumbled upon his cousins practicing a dance […] Read more

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“What do you suck at?” Karen Rinaldi would pose this question to writers when she would talk to them about their prospective books at her publishing company. She would get reactions that are probably similar to the feeling that you would imagine having: disbelief, offensiveness or fear. We hate the idea of sucking at something […] Read more

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Bossanova. Classical Piano. Guitar. Old school R&B music. Theater. Comedy. All of these things and more have been a part of Morgan Jay’s creative journey and have influenced his eclectic career. These days Morgan is on the rise as a comedian and musician, recently appearing on NBC’s Bring the Funny as a semifinalist. All these […] Read more

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Play and learning is seen as being at odds with each other in our society. In school there is play/recess time and then there was be-quiet-and-sit-in-your-seats learning time. Since the 1950’s there has been a decline in play for kids at school and at home and one might think that this is a good thing. […] Read more

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As civilized as we think we are, at the end of the day, we are animals. Yes, “evolved” animals but animals nonetheless. No matter how advanced we get in our modern technology we will always have certain biological instincts that will never go away. Isabel Behncke wanted to understand human behavior better before modern society […] Read more

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Do you remember when you were a kid and being fascinated by everything in the world? Barely, right? Somewhere in between playing make believe and taking standardized tests we grew up and the world stopped being magical. Andrew Evans is one of those rare people that lives life like it is magic everyday because, well, […] Read more

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Kai Dickens thought he has his dream job of running a children’s summer camp. After taking a few bereavement days off for his father’s unexpected death he came to a boss that expected him to jump right back into work. He realized that he couldn’t work in an environment that cared more about the work […] Read more

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Back when I was a kid playing Nintendo Mario, if you would’ve told me that video games could be used as a tool for positive change I would have looked at you very confused. There’s no doubt that video games and immersive digital technologies like VR and AR can entertain and take us to another […] Read more

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JC Caoile moved to the Bay Area when he was 18 years old from the Philippines for the “American Dream.” Yet, he found himself flipping burgers at a job he hated. He dabbled in dance as a kid so to escape from the dread of his job he joined some hip-hop dance groups. Little did […] Read more

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Krista Stryker is an athlete, entrepreneur, author and the founder of 12 Minute Athlete. At 12 Minute Athlete she shares short, efficient HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts through her blog and app and encourages her followers to find a love of fitness and movement for themselves. But things weren’t always this way. Growing up, […] Read more

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As I dive into these conversations with artists and entrepreneurs about play and creativity I will come on to do solo episodes once in a while. They will usually be inspired by something I’ve noticed with our guests or concepts within play that are interesting. I hope you’ll come along for the ride! Today I […] Read more

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 When Adam Rosendahl was 13 years old he attended a youth camp that changed his life. The camp was called The Power of Hope. His heart was blown wide open by the experience of connecting to 75 other young people of all backgrounds through the arts. He was particularly impacted by the power of […] Read more

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A few years ago, Jenny Feinberg found herself at the crux of a forced turning point in her life. The coworking business and community she had built of hundreds of San Francisco creatives was closing. Prior to starting the business, her 10 year career in politics, which included working for the Biden and Clinton Senate […] Read more

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Imagine feeling like you don't belong in the very place that we should all feel welcome to play: the great outdoors. Nailah Blades Wylie created Color Outside to give women of color the safe space to experience outdoor adventures.  After feeling disconnected from herself when she moved to Salt Lake City and stuck in the business she created, Nailah decided to reconnect to herself by exploring the abundance of natural beauty in her backyard. Before she knew it she was leading other women of color on adventures and a new business was born. I had such a blast talking with Nailah about her journey, the power of playing outside and the importance of women of color feeling welcome in the outdoors. Read more

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Who else has a nightmare of standing in front of an audience with no script or preparation? Well, improvisers like Gary Hirsch get excited by that idea. Inprovisers take uncertain situations and ask themselves "What is the opportunity here?" And who couldn't stand to be more competent in uncertain situations? For over 20 years Gary has been bringing the principles of improv theater to organizations to help them with their business objectives. He is the co-founder of On Your Feet, the creator of Botjoy, an accomplished artist and the proud father of two artistic kids that are confused about what he does for a living. Gary is one of the most joyful humans I know and I hope you will be inspired by this conversation to live life more like an improviser. Read more

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Welcome to the first episode of The Recess Life! In this premiere episode I talk about how the idea to start this podcast came about and a little bit about why I am SO passionate about having conversations about play. I hope this is the beginning to a beautiful friendship. Read more