PlayGrounding
107 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsWhat happens when the way you play becomes the way you live and work? Each week, you'll hear interviews with courageous people who've let play inspire their daily lives - their relationships, hobbies, spirituality and even their career paths. Adulting doesn't have to be boring, but you have to be ready to step off of the beaten path.
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Episodes
Exercise to Heal, Not Hurt, with Nia Instructor Jenn Hicks
May 27, 2021 16:48 - 36 minutes - 51.8 MBExercise is an important part of a healthy life, but how we do it is important. Jenn Hicks has been teaching Nia through a body/fat positivity and Health At Every Size lens ever since recovering from her eating disorder and exercise addiction. The practice draws from martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts, empowering people of all shapes and sizes by connecting the body, mind, emotions and spirit.
Screen-Free Week! A Conversation with Jean Rogers, Director of the Children’s Screen Time Action Network
April 28, 2021 23:12 - 47 minutes - 68.4 MBScreen Free Week, May 3-9, 2021, is the Children's Screen Time Action Network’s annual celebration of unplugging, reconnection, and joy. They’re celebrating differently this year because screens have become the only means of connection for so many of us. But maybe that’s all the more reason to focus on this area of our lives? In our interview with the Action Network's Director, Jean Rogers, she makes sure we understand they’re not suggesting we all become luddites. They’re not trying to un...
Psychologically Safe Workplaces
April 14, 2021 23:40 - 57 minutes - 81.1 MBHow can we play like children, but as adults? And how could it transform the workplace if we learn to develop deeper, adult ways of playing as we got older instead of putting it away? And most importantly, how can play principles be incorporated into our workplace relationships and career goals? This conversation tackles all of these questions and more with Lauren Yee, Cultivator of Curiosity.
Playful Humans: Rethinking Social Media
April 08, 2021 22:50 - 48 minutes - 69.8 MBMike Montague, founder of Playful Humans Clubhouse and host of the Playful Humans Podcast, discusses one of the most difficult issues facing us humans these days – what to do about social media. We talk about our response to The Social Dilemma, which leads us to a deeper discussion about how we can rethink what it means to curate, not our feeds, but what we choose to focus our minds on to live a more healthy, playful life.
So, Tell Me How You Really Feel - Unraveling Spiritual Jargon
April 03, 2021 20:30 - 51 minutes - 73.2 MBAlessandra Calderin has a very no-nonsense approach to health and spirituality that I really appreciate. Conversations about spirituality can take on characteristics similar to a religion with its own jargon and its own sets of assumptions. If you don’t agree with those assumptions or understand the jargon, it can seem as if you’re on the outside looking in. In this episode, Alessandra and I talk about spiritual jargon and examine the ideas behind the words. We’ll be using a blog post she wr...
The Joy of Dementia (You’ve Got To Be Kidding!)
March 17, 2021 22:53 - 54 minutes - 77.1 MBDementia is seen as one of the most horrible things that can happen to a person – a “loss of self” or “living death.” Susan Massad and Mary Fridley are part of a coalition working to challenge that way of looking at dementia, known as “the tragedy narrative.” They created a workshop called The Joy of Dementia Workshop (You’ve Got To Be Kidding!). Using improvisation and social therapeutics, they teach how we can reframe what memories are and who we are as human beings, even if we can’t acces...
Mental Health & Healing Spiritual Wounds
March 04, 2021 02:27 - 54 minutes - 77.2 MBSpirituality and religion are linked to positive physical and mental health outcomes, but at times, unhealthy teachings can cause more problems than they solve. On this episode, Gary Ware interviews Kara, the host of PlayGrounding. Through her work toward interfaith ordination, she’s begun the process of uncovering her own story of religious trauma, sexual assault, and finding her way back to a healthy spiritual life. None of it would have been possible without rediscovering the power of pla...
Religious Trauma Syndrome, Healing Spiritual Wounds
March 04, 2021 02:27 - 54 minutes - 77.2 MBSpirituality and religion are linked to positive physical and mental health outcomes, but at times, unhealthy teachings can cause more problems than they solve. On this episode, Gary Ware interviews Kara, the host of PlayGrounding. Through her work toward interfaith ordination, she’s begun the process of uncovering her own story of religious trauma, sexual assault, and finding her way back to a healthy spiritual life. None of it would have been possible without rediscovering the power of pla...
Work and Play Should Coexist: Transform Your Workplace
December 16, 2020 03:46 - 48 minutes - 69.4 MBRona Lewis, Founder and CEO of Playful Minds Project, explains her work with businesses to improve mental health in the workplace. Rona doesn’t believe in work/life balance. Work is part of life! So how do you balance it all? It’s about taking time to make time work for you. And above all, having an attitude of play that makes life an adventure, not a responsibility.
Play to Live: A Mental Health Story of Panic to Playfulness
December 09, 2020 03:35 - 53 minutes - 75.7 MBIf you’ve ever believed you couldn’t share your own story or let your voice be heard until you “fix” yourself, then you need to hear what Jessica has to say. Jessica Brustad, Co-Founder of Playful Mind Project, has worked with individuals struggling with mental health issues like anxiety, OCD and Postpartum Mood Disorders and has helped companies like Google and Microsoft improve their cultures through her original style and mindfulness programs.
Playful Minds Project: Welcome to Play-Care
December 01, 2020 19:51 - 53 minutes - 75.7 MBMeet the co-founders of the recently launched Playful Mind Project, play experts Jessica Brustad and Rona Lewis. The focus of their launch is on one of the hardest hit demographics during the Covid-19 pandemic – working moms. Jessica and Rona are not therapists, but their work is informed by therapeutic exercises like cognitive behavioral therapy. They specialize in stress relief through Purposeful and Attuned Play using fun and interactive games and exercises to help alleviate stress and ov...
Say Yes To Yourself w/International Improv Innovator, Charly Ford
November 22, 2020 23:58 - 40 minutes - 57 MBThis week you’re going to meet Charlette (Charly) Ford, a seasoned entertainer, executive producer and curator of the You’s A Fool Improv and Variety Show in Atlanta, GA. Charly is an Improv Acting Coach and bold event host, she brings charisma, comedy, and culture to her students and audiences alike. She’s one of the most playful people you'll ever met! When Charly’s around, it’s nearly impossible not to smile. She’s not the type to tiptoe around, and she teaches people of all ages to step ...
Play: Our Instinctive Therapist and Portal to the Soul w/Vince Gowmon
November 05, 2020 23:18 - 51 minutes - 71.7 MBPlay can be an empowering spiritual experience, regardless of what you practice, or what religious or spiritual subculture you belong to. And no one has been better, over the years, at helping us understand that play has an important role in healing from trauma and helping us deal with shame than healer, speaker, author, and poet, Vince Gowmon.
Discover the Playground of Possibilities w/Kay Ross
October 20, 2020 22:43 - 42 minutes - 59.7 MBKay Ross believes that life is an improvisation game and a playground of possibilities. She is an improv performer and an Applied Improvisation trainer; a bodyworker/healer; the Head Tour Guide in The Playground of Possibilities (that’s her project about guiding people to choose more joyful, resourceful thoughts, beliefs and stories about themselves and the world, and take inspired action). She’s also an editor, a copywriter and a trainer about marketing. The common thread in all of that is ...
Foster Creativity and Play for a Brighter Future
October 06, 2020 20:15 - 42 minutes - 60.6 MBHave you ever heard the quote, “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” This quote by Ayesha Siddiqi is embodied in the work of Rita Ezenwa-Okoro. Rita lives in Lagos, Nigeria and is the Founder and Lead Visionary of Street Project Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that uses creative arts and performing arts tools to facilitate opportunities for youth employment, social mobilization and cross-cultural dialogue in Nigeria.
You're Not Broken: Overcoming Play Deprivation w/Gary Ware
September 25, 2020 01:13 - 41 minutes - 59 MBGary Ware is concerned about your plan to work an all-nighter to finish that project. You might want to listen to his advice, because he's been where you are. Gary is the founder of Breakthrough Play, where he helps teams be more creative, confident, and collaborative using play. He has over half a decade of experience with improvisation, and over 14 years in the field of Digital Marketing. I first encountered Gary as the featured speaker for the Creative Mornings newsletter. His talk hit ...
Being + Becoming: It's Time to Ditch the Script
September 12, 2020 00:13 - 49 minutes - 70.4 MBNone of the problems our world is facing right now can be solved if we can’t find new ways to talk to each other. Right now, consensus seems like a far off dream and we find ourselves asking, are we doomed to fail? Or is it possible to create a new way to talk to each other so that we can reach consensus and move forward? Maybe we’re following a script that isn’t working? Maybe it’s time to improvise. And that’s what we’re going to learn about today in our conversation with Marian Rich and...
Someone is Waiting for YOU to Show Up, w/Jeff Harry
September 03, 2020 16:03 - 39 minutes - 57.2 MBWas 2020 supposed to be “your year”? Of course, sometimes things don’t go the way we want them to, but Jeff Harry has a message for you. Play is a superpower that helps you become more resilient not only in the face of our personal struggles, but the struggles facing our country and the world. So get ready to put away your expectations and start seeing the opportunities. All you have to do is rediscover your play.
How to Plan a Play Day in Your Community
August 14, 2020 01:08 - 39 minutes - 57.9 MBPat Rumbaugh, founder of Let’s Play America, returns for another conversation on PlayGrouding! Let’s Play America has a new e-book called The Play Day Handbook, which is an amazing, step-by-step guide for how to create play days for your community. Their play days, and all the advice in the Play Day Handbook, are relevant for kids-only play days, play days at nursing homes, and more importantly, play days for all ages to play together.
Who Gives You Permission to Play?
July 30, 2020 06:29 - 43 minutes - 60.8 MBAccording to Andrew Walsh’s daughter, he is “A librarian who teaches grown-ups how to play”, which is far more important than any “real” job description. He is founding editor of the Journal of Play in Adulthood and is a core member of the Playful Learning Association. Hear about his research into how adults play and about his newest book, a compilation called Forgotten Lancashire Folk and Fairy Tales, coming out in September of 2020. You'll also hear from Stacey Newman Weldon of Adventure W...
Dream the Culture Forward w/Artist Scott Froschauer
July 16, 2020 19:45 - 39 minutes - 57.8 MBScott Froschauer is an artist known by many for his public art installations of street signs. They look just like the street signs you pass by every day, but the messages they convey are not what you’d ever expect to see. In this episode about play and activism, he discusses how how experiential art has a lot in common with improv. It grounds us in the moment and helps us, as he describes it, “do a check on who’s in charge of your inner voice.”
The Global Play Brigade
July 09, 2020 17:56 - 52 minutes - 73.9 MBMeet Cathy Salit and Fernanda Liberali, founders of The Global Play Brigade, a volunteer community of play and performance activists, improvisers, clowns, musicians, educators and therapists who have come together in response to the global pandemic and the distressing, inequitable state of our world.
A Difficult Ritual - "Heavenly Brown Body"
June 06, 2020 00:09 - 37 minutes - 53.3 MB"Heavenly Brown Body" is Leslie's most recent installation, based on a haunting poem by the late Mark Aguhar called "Litanies to My Heavenly Brown Body." His work is challenging and for some of us, myself included, it’s really hard to take in. But we’ve all been learning that the most important first step toward healing as our nation responds to the murder of George Floyd, is to listen.
Game On...line!
May 29, 2020 02:44 - 32 minutes - 47.1 MBMary Catanzaro, Founder of POGO Events in New York City, left her career in the corporate world to bring people together for scavenger hunts and game nights throughout the city. Hear how she built her business like a family and is dedicated to keeping it running through this tough time so that anyone, anywhere, can have access to connection and fun.
Living With Death
May 21, 2020 21:40 - 33 minutes - 47.4 MBDeath has been heavy on our minds during the Coronavirus pandemic. Most of us don't like to think about it, but this conversation with interfaith Death Midwife Rev. Maggie Burbank Yunoki is a great way to open up to new ways of thinking about death and seeking deeper meaning for our lives.
Where Can Courage Take Us?
May 16, 2020 01:55 - 34 minutes - 49.8 MBThe whole world is going through a trauma right now. And your part is no smaller than anyone else's. It's vital right now to find the courage to face our emotions and find ways to enjoy life. Even if it takes baby steps to get there.
Play Therapy: Rediscover Yourself
May 07, 2020 21:51 - 32 minutes - 48.1 MBTherapists often tell us how important it is to play and enjoy life. But what about playing IN therapy? Apparently, that’s actually a thing. Jamie Lynne McCoppin is a Drama Therapist who can help you discover your play personality and rediscover parts of yourself you probably haven’t encountered in a very long time.
Slack or Snap? It's Up to You
February 28, 2019 05:29 - 43 minutes - 102 MBThe very idea that play is important is a hard sell - especially for stressed-out grownups with responsibilities and long to-do lists. But if we don’t cut ourselves some slack, we’re setting ourselves up for a fall.
Everyday Adventures: Learning to Love the Unknown
February 14, 2019 01:59 - 45 minutes - 107 MBWhen I’m burned out, the last word I want to hear is adventure. But thanks to Stacey Newman Weldon of Adventure Wednesdays, I learned that adventures don’t have to be over-complicated vacations. Adventures can start small, stimulate our creativity, keep our minds sharp and our hearts full.
Surprised By Joy
February 07, 2019 00:34 - 45 minutes - 107 MBIn a mental health crisis, play is a vitally important part of our healing process. So why can it be so hard to give ourselves permission actually do it? Join Kara for an exploration of the things that get in the way of play and our pursuit of joy.
Six Steps Toward Building Your Play Practice
December 01, 2017 21:21 - 37 minutes - 54.3 MBIn this episode, I (Kara Fortier, you know, the host) will talk about how I finally became an adult who plays. A playful mindset came so easily to us as children, but we adults build up lots of roadblocks keeping us from it. Incorporating play has been a process. It wasn’t as easy as just deciding to “do” play. I’ve spent some time reflecting on the stages I went through that finally got me here. I can now say that not only do I understand how important play is, I’m experiencing the power ...
PGP 41 - Six Steps Toward Building Your Play Practice
December 01, 2017 21:21 - 37 minutes - 51.8 MBIn this episode, I (Kara Fortier, you know, the host) will talk about how I finally became an adult who plays. A playful mindset came so easily to us as children, but we adults build up lots of roadblocks keeping us from it. Incorporating play has been a process. It wasn’t as easy as just deciding to “do” play. I’ve spent some time reflecting on the stages I went through that finally got me here. I can now say that not only do I understand how important play is, I’m experiencing the power ...
Can I Play? The State of PE and Play in America's Schools
August 30, 2017 14:30 - 48 minutes - 68.5 MBWith all of this talk about kids and play, it's about time we hear from an educator here on the PlayGrounding Podcast. Doug Smith has been a physical education teacher for nineteen years. In this episode, we discuss the state of physical education in schools today such as the focus on testing and how many states are losing PE classes altogether. But don't worry, we talk about the fun stuff too, such as the importance of playgrounds that fire kids' imaginations. He helped to build a beautif...
No Excuses: Choosing Health & Playing for Your Life
August 23, 2017 14:00 - 50 minutes - 72.9 MBThis is a deeply personal episode for me, Kara, the host of PlayGrounding. This is the second part of my conversation with Sabrina Must. Last week, we explored the role of playfulness in facing and handling grief. Sabrina and I kept talking on the day of our interview and we went in a completely different direction, but with the same sense of vulnerability and depth. In this episode, you'll hear the second part of my conversation with Sabrina Must - this time about health and fitness. Afte...
Play in the Depths: A Playful Heart Meets Grief
August 17, 2017 20:07 - 40 minutes - 56.8 MBIt might seem counterintuitive to have a conversation about play and grief. We often associate play with frivolity, silliness and escape. But what we learn from this conversation with Sabrina Must is that a playful approach to life can take us deeper and more in touch with who we really are, even in periods of deep grief and loss. Sabrina’s book, Must Girls Love, is her memoir on the suicide death of her sister. This episode goes deep and for some, it might touch on aspects of life and gri...
Playful Problem Solving - The Power of Puzzles
August 09, 2017 23:27 - 34 minutes - 48.1 MBPuzzles are powerful. Have you ever had a hard time putting worries aside - blocking out your to-do list and experiencing a moment of real focus in a no-stakes, playful situation? Try a puzzle. I’m not just talking about sitting with a puzzle on paper or your smart phone. I’m talking about escape rooms and city-wide puzzle hunts. Solving puzzles alone or together is practice for when the stakes are high and we need to come up with new creative solutions to difficult problems. You’ll learn al...
The Trickster Consciousness in a Polarized World with Shepherd Siegel
August 01, 2017 20:48 - 47 minutes - 67 MBDada, the Beats and the Hippies - what do they all have in common? The way they played was a problem for the authorities, for the people in power trying to instill black and white order on the world. This week on Playgrounding we’ll be talking to Shepherd Siegel, an educator and author whose work explores disruptive play and protest. We’ll explore the role of the trickster as passed down to us through mythology from many diverse cultures, then learn about cultural movements led by prankster...
PGP 35: Playing to Win at Any Age
July 25, 2017 04:58 - 52 minutes - 72.8 MBSome people train for a sport from the time they’re very young and become elite. Some people don’t even begin to get active until much later in life but become high level competitors. This week’s guest is here to remind us to never underestimate what we can accomplish regardless of age, even those of us who’ve spent most of our lives as couch potatoes. Our guest this week is Fitness Trainer and Coach Robin Legat, host of the Seasoned Athlete podcast. It’s your home for stories, inspiration...
Playing to Win at Any Age
July 25, 2017 04:58 - 52 minutes - 75 MBSome people train for a sport from the time they’re very young and become elite. Some people don’t even begin to get active until much later in life but become high level competitors. This week’s guest is here to remind us to never underestimate what we can accomplish regardless of age, even those of us who’ve spent most of our lives as couch potatoes. Our guest this week is Fitness Trainer and Coach Robin Legat, host of the Seasoned Athlete podcast. It’s your home for stories, inspiration...
Is the Lack of Free Play Endangering our Democracy?
July 14, 2017 21:58 - 49 minutes - 69.1 MBFree play, also known as child-directed play, is becoming more and more restricted for American kids. We’ve talked on PlayGrounding many times about the importance of free play, how it’s where many children first encounter risk and freedom. It’s where they first begin to encounter “otherness,” where they find ways to work together with kids of various ages and backgrounds in an undefined arena. Play helps us cope in the realm of personal relationships, helps us develop innovative minds and h...
PGP 34: Is a Lack of Free Play Endangering our Democracy?
July 14, 2017 21:58 - 49 minutes - 67.6 MBFree play, also known as child-directed play, is becoming more and more restricted for American kids. We’ve talked on PlayGrounding many times about the importance of free play, how it’s where many children first encounter risk and freedom. It’s where they first begin to encounter “otherness,” where they find ways to work together with kids of various ages and backgrounds in an undefined arena. Play helps us cope in the realm of personal relationships, helps us develop innovative minds and h...
Dealing with Shame on the Road Back to Exercise & Play with JJ Kovacevich
July 07, 2017 22:56 - 49 minutes - 70.3 MBDo you remember what it was like to be a child at the playground? When you first arrive and see the equipment, the sand, the grass? I remember that feeling well – the desire to jump, crawl, run, do summer saults and cartwheels. But somewhere along the line, that feeling began to fade. For many of us, our enthusiasm for physical play went out with our teddy bears and blankies. I think many adults have these memories and, dare I say, even the desire to be able to play that way again, but our...
PGP 33: Dealing with Shame on the Road Back to Exercise & Play with JJ Kovacevich
July 07, 2017 22:56 - 49 minutes - 68.3 MBDo you remember what it was like to be a child at the playground? When you first arrive and see the equipment, the sand, the grass? I remember that feeling well – the desire to jump, crawl, run, do summer saults and cartwheels. But somewhere along the line, that feeling began to fade. For many of us, our enthusiasm for physical play went out with our teddy bears and blankies. I think many adults have these memories and, dare I say, even the desire to be able to play that way again, but our...
Can Fitness Really be Fun?
June 10, 2017 18:56 - 44 minutes - 62.5 MBFitness fun? For most of my life, I would have answered NO WAY to that question. It’s the one challenge I’ve had to my belief that whatever is true about play for children is also true for adults. Children play very differently from adults. They play with their whole selves, their imaginations, their creativity and especially their bodies. Physical play comes naturally to children. They run and jump, swing, slide, do cartwheels. We talk a big game here on PlayGrounding about adults and pla...
PGP 32: Can Fitness Really be Fun?
June 10, 2017 18:56 - 44 minutes - 61.4 MBFitness fun? For most of my life, I would have answered NO WAY to that question. It’s the one challenge I’ve had to my belief that whatever is true about play for children is also true for adults. Children play very differently from adults. They play with their whole selves, their imaginations, their creativity and especially their bodies. Physical play comes naturally to children. They run and jump, swing, slide, do cartwheels. We talk a big game here on PlayGrounding about adults and pla...
Innovation Requires Play w/Tricia Edwards of the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center
June 01, 2017 19:17 - 32 minutes - 45.7 MBDid you ever stop to think that you have what it takes to be an inventor? If you’re a human being, you are by your very nature an innate problem solver and creative thinker. The question is, are you tapping into that potential? Tricia Edwards wants to change the stereotype of WHO invents and invite us all to BE inventive. Her work not only demystifies invention, she reminds us that the next great invention can come from any one of us, from a single mom in the midwest, to a third-grader liv...
PGP 31: Innovation Requires Play w/Tricia Edwards of the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center
June 01, 2017 19:17 - 32 minutes - 44.4 MBDid you ever stop to think that you have what it takes to be an inventor? If you’re a human being, you are by your very nature an innate problem solver and creative thinker. The question is, are you tapping into that potential? Tricia Edwards wants to change the stereotype of WHO invents and invite us all to BE inventive. Her work not only demystifies invention, she reminds us that the next great invention can come from any one of us, from a single mom in the midwest, to a third-grader liv...
PGP 30: Bringing Back Free Play - Trusting Kids to Choose & Create Their Own Fun
April 19, 2017 21:35 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MBFor some of us adults, the kind of play we remember as kids doesn’t exist anymore in many communities across America. It’s a specific kind of play called “free play.” When I was a kid, I remember running out into the neighborhood after school. I organically discovered and teamed up with the kids that lived nearby even if they were older or younger than me, girls or boys. We came together to play, to find things and make stuff. We had fights and made up. We made up games, put on performances,...
Bringing Back Free Play - Trusting Kids to Choose & Create Their Own Fun
April 19, 2017 21:35 - 43 minutes - 62 MBFor some of us adults, the kind of play we remember as kids doesn’t exist anymore in many communities across America. It’s a specific kind of play called “free play.” When I was a kid, I remember running out into the neighborhood after school. I organically discovered and teamed up with the kids that lived nearby even if they were older or younger than me, girls or boys. We came together to play, to find things and make stuff. We had fights and made up. We made up games, put on performances,...
PGP 29: The Rat Park Study: Addiction, Isolation & Humanity's Urgent Need to Connect & Play
April 05, 2017 15:10 - 56 minutes - 78.4 MBLack of play is a serious problem for us humans. Play geeks like me call it “play suppression.” In the worst cases, studies have shown that children who are kept from playing by their parents tend to have a hard time learning to relate to others and deal with their violent tendencies, leading to some of history’s saddest violent acts. Even those of us who did play as children but gave it up in adulthood suffer the effects of play suppression. One study that has sparked my interest in relat...