SEEKING PLAY

LEGO Alert! Around the 50-minute mark, Sunni busts out LEGO to answer some questions. ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode Twelve It’s often tempting to describe a guest as a "Legend," but this label feels especially fitting for Sunni Brown. And we don’t just mean legend in the sense of being "famous"- though Sunni deservingly is. We mean legend as in "a story handed down by our ancestors," as we believe Sunni embodies the stories of our ancestors. As the author of The Doodle Revolution, Sunni embodies our ancestors who used cave paintings to communicate hunting tactics, societal values, and intangible spiritual concepts. This connection is particularly strong with Sunni’s new venture, the Centre for Deep Spiritual Design. As the co-author of Gamestorming, Sunni represents our ancestors who used games to teach skills, resolve conflicts, and strengthen bonds. These games were vital for transmitting cultural knowledge and identity across generations, and for Sunni across organisations. So there you have it. Sunni Brown. Legend. Sunni Who?  Sunni Brown is a social entrepreneur, bestselling author, keynote speaker, expert collaboration designer and facilitator, and earnest American Zen practitioner. She’s the founder of creative consultancy Sunni Brown Ink and The Centre For Deep Self Design, and was named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and one of the “10 Most Creative People on Twitter” by Fast Company. Her TED talk has drawn over 1.6 million views, and her work on visual thinking has been featured in every major U.S. publication, including The New York Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, WIRED, and Entrepreneur. She has also been featured twice on CBS Sunday Morning and The TODAY Show. The former CEO of MURAL recruited her to be their first and only Innovator-in-Residence. Sun’s two globally beloved books - Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution have been translated into over 25 languages. She's one of the educators widely credited with the rise of visual thinking as a tool for deeper inquiry. Contact Details LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnibrown/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnibrown/]  Websites www.centerfordeepselfdesign.com www.sunnibrown.com  [http://sunnibrown.com/] https://nothingintheway.substack.com/ [https://nothingintheway.substack.com/]  Email sunni@deepselfdesign.com [sunni@deepselfdesign.com]  Books The Doodle Revolution https://amzn.eu/d/eWjYiKI Timestamps (0:00) - Introduction and Welcome (0:14) - Guest Introduction: Sunni Brown (2:02) - Key Quotes from Sunni Brown (3:28) - Introduction to the Interview (4:04) - Sunni’s Childhood and Personality (6:59) - Overcoming Adversity and Resilience (10:00) - Parenting and Play (13:07) - Stories of Vulnerability and Recovery (14:26) - Adult Playfulness and Attributes (17:08) - Primitive Ancestral Wisdom of Play (21:00) - The Value of Being Present (22:26) - Play as a Socializing Function (26:12) - Play in the Workplace (28:21) - The Importance of Play in Preventing Aging (30:00) - Facing the Unexpected (32:21) - Embracing Chaos for Creativity (35:33) - Advice for Young Professionals (39:35) - Explaining Work to a Child (40:54) - Career Evolution and Fuzzy Goals (45:14) - Current Work and Collaboration (48:11) - Doodling and Visual Thinking (49:30) - The Role of Visual Language (50:18) - Using LEGO for Creative Expression (51:00) - What Inspires Your Work (52:00) - Impact of Work on Perception (54:39) - Conceptualizing with LEGO (57:05) - Designing Systems for Collaboration (58:07) - Softening Separation (59:52) - Closing Remarks and Future Collaboration

Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode 11 Many of us experience Tsundoku, the phenomenon of eagerly buying books but letting them pile up around our homes without reading them. But have you heard of Tsunbacku?  No? Well, that’s not surprising, as we just made it up! Tsunbacku is the opposite of Tsundoku. It’s the phenomenon of returning ‘back’ to those pile of books that continue to inspire you.  One such book is Serious Play, so we were delighted to chat with Michael Schrage.  Michael Who? Michael Schrage is a research fellow with the MIT Sloan School of Management's Initiative on the Digital Economy. His research, writing, and advisory work focuses on the behavioural economics of models, prototypes, and metrics as strategic resources for managing innovation risk and opportunity.  Michael is the author of multiple books, including The Innovator’s Hypothesis, Who Do You Want Your Customers to Become?, Serious Play, and Recommendation Engines. Michael has run design workshops and executive education programs on innovation, experimentation, and strategic measurement for organisations worldwide and is currently pioneering work in silverware technologies designed to augment productive individuals' aspects, attributes, and talents. He is particularly interested in the co-evolution of expertise, advice, and human agency as technologies become smarter than those using them. Since 2017, Michael has been a guest editor for MIT SMR’s Big Ideas initiatives, including Future of Leadership [https://sloanreview.mit.edu/big-ideas/future-of-leadership/], Future of the Workforce [https://sloanreview.mit.edu/big-ideas/future-of-the-workforce/](2019-2020), Performance Management [https://sloanreview.mit.edu/big-ideas/performance-management/] (2018-2019), and Strategic Measurement [https://sloanreview.mit.edu/big-ideas/strategic-measurement/] (2017-2018).  Contact Details LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mschrage/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mschrage/]  Email schrage@mit.edu [schrage@mit.edu]  Research Papers  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael-Schrage [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael-Schrage]  Big Think https://bigthink.com/people/michaelschrage/ [https://bigthink.com/people/michaelschrage/]  Michael’s Books  Serious Play: How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875848141/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3 [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875848141/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3]  Recommendations Engines  https://www.amazon.com/Recommendation-Engines-Press-Essential-Knowledge/dp/0262539071 [https://www.amazon.com/Recommendation-Engines-Press-Essential-Knowledge/dp/0262539071]  The Innovators Hypothesis How Cheap Experiments Are Worth More Than Good Ideas  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BSZC81Q/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2 [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BSZC81Q/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2]  Who Do You Want Your Customers to Become?  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008HRM9X4/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1 [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008HRM9X4/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1]  No More Teams! Mastering the Dynamics of Creative Collaboration https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385476035/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i5 [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385476035/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i5] Shared Minds: The New Technologies of Collaboration https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394565878/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4 [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394565878/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4]  Additional Topics  Robert K Greenleaf - Servant Leadership  https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/ [https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/]  Roger Martin  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Martin_(professor) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Martin_(professor)]  Herbert A Simon  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Simon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Simon]  Edward de Bono  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_de_Bono [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_de_Bono]  Erving Goffman  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erving_Goffman [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erving_Goffman]  Kenneth E Boulding  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_E._Boulding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_E._Boulding]  Virginia Satir  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Satir [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Satir]  Peoplemaking by Virginia Satir https://www.amazon.com/Peoplemaking-Condor-Books-Virginia-Satir/dp/0285648721 [https://www.amazon.com/Peoplemaking-Condor-Books-Virginia-Satir/dp/0285648721]

LEGO Literacy Alert Nope, we didn’t ask Marc to answer any questions using Lego, but he did complete some Madlibs on Mural at 59 mins ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode 10 “Adult playfulness is the same as childhood playfulness.” Yes, you heard that right. THE. SAME. In this episode, we chat with Dr. Marc Anderson about his fascinating research on play through a predictive processing framework. By understanding play in this way, we can revolutionise our approach to integrating play into workplaces and classrooms, fostering more innovative and adaptable environments that are more engaging and fulfilling for everyone involved. Marc who? Dr Marc Malmdorf Andersen is an associate professor at the Department for Culture, Cognition & Computation, Aarhus University Denmark. His research focuses on play, risky play and recreational forms of fear in children and adults.  Mark is the author of Play and has co-authored some really interesting research papers, such as:  1) Play in Predictive Minds 2) Play, Reflection, and the Quest for Uncertainty 3) Getting a Kick out of Film: Aesthetic Pleasure and Play in Prediction Error Minimizing Agents 4) Can playing Dungeons and Dragons be good for you? Tabletop role-playing games to mitigate social anxiety and reduce problematic gaming. Marc’s Book - Play  https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/23062/play [https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/23062/play]  Email mana@cas.au.dk [mana@cas.au.dk]  Twitter (or X) https://x.com/marc_m_andersen?lang=en [https://x.com/marc_m_andersen?lang=en]  Academic website https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/persons/mana%40cas.au.dk [https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/persons/mana%40cas.au.dk]  Play in Predictive Minds: A Cognitive Theory of Play https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/play-in-predictive-minds-a-cognitive-theory-of-play [https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/play-in-predictive-minds-a-cognitive-theory-of-play]  Play, Reflection, and the Quest for Uncertainty https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/play-reflection-and-the-quest-for-uncertainty [https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/play-reflection-and-the-quest-for-uncertainty]  Can playing Dungeons and Dragons be good for you? Tabletop role-playing games to mitigate social anxiety and reduce problematic gaming. https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/can-playing-dungeons-and-dragons-be-good-for-you-tabletop-role-pl [https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/can-playing-dungeons-and-dragons-be-good-for-you-tabletop-role-pl] Getting a Kick out of Film: Aesthetic Pleasure and Play in Prediction Error Minimizing Agents https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/getting-a-kick-out-of-film-aesthetic-pleasure-and-play-in-predict [https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/getting-a-kick-out-of-film-aesthetic-pleasure-and-play-in-predict] Timestamps (0:00) - Introduction to the Podcast and Hosts (4:05) - Dr. Anderson's Childhood and Play (8:03) - The Importance of Risky Play (10:05) - Explanation of Adult Playfulness (16:41) - Addressing the Stigma of Adult Playfulness (18:03) - Misunderstandings About Play (21:12) - The Connection Between Play and Learning (26:03) - Predictive Processing and Play (30:26) - Balancing Work and Play in Academia (34:00) - Simplifying Research for a Young Audience (35:07) - Discussion on Predictive Processing Paper (41:54) - Explaining Cognitive Differences in Children and Adults (45:56) - Practical Applications of Predictive Processing in Organizations (48:41) - Research on Recreational Fear (57:56) - Applying Recreational Fear in Organizations (1:01:03) - Encouraging Risky Play in Children (1:08:10) - Potential Impact of Risky Play on Entrepreneurship

LEGO Literacy Alert Nope, we didn’t ask Dara to answer any questions using Lego. ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode Nine  George Bernard Shaw once said, “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” By our estimation, Dara Simkin will be making a playful ruckus well beyond the age of 250! We had a wonderful conversation with Dara, who rightly earns the title ‘Play Pioneer’ for the playful and innovative work she and her team at Culture Hero have done since 2016. Throughout this time, Dara has collaborated with other Play Pioneers such as Dr. Stuart Brown and Brendan Boyle. We’re particularly excited about the research Dara is currently conducting with RMIT, which promises to legitimise the value of play in the workplace. And who knows, maybe Dara will celebrate her 250th birthday in a Barry Manilow t-shirt! (Barry Manilow t-shirt? You have to watch the episode to find out why!) Dara Who? Dara Simkin is a Play Pioneer, the Founder of Culture Hero, and is serious about play at work. As a certified coach and expert in bringing purposeful play to enterprise, Dara has over a decade of experience supporting hundreds of organisations and professionals globally – igniting teams through the unrealised potential of play at work. Working with brands like McKinsey, The LEGO Foundation, PWC, Chevron, Monash University and the Australian Government, she understands the nuances of different industries and how to embed playful interventions that create real impact. Contact Details Linkedin linkedin.com/in/dara-simkin-culture-hero [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dara-simkin-culture-hero] Website www.culturehero.co  [http://www.culturehero.co/] www.darasimkin.com  [http://www.darasimkin.com/] Email dara@culturehero.co Twitter @DaraSimkin Additional Topics  A NEW EARTH Create Your Better Life Today  https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Earth-LIFE-CHANGING-otherworldly-Breakfast/dp/0141039418 [https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Earth-LIFE-CHANGING-otherworldly-Breakfast/dp/0141039418]  The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment  https://www.amazon.com/Power-Practicing-Hardcover-Collection-Eckhart/dp/9123821329 [https://www.amazon.com/Power-Practicing-Hardcover-Collection-Eckhart/dp/9123821329]  Eckhart Tolle  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckhart_Tolle [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckhart_Tolle]  The Heros Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heros-Journey-Joseph-Campbell-Collected/dp/1608681890 [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heros-Journey-Joseph-Campbell-Collected/dp/1608681890]  Brene Brown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bren%C3%A9_Brown [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bren%C3%A9_Brown]  Dr Stuart Brown https://nifplay.org/about-us/about-dr-stuart-brown/ [https://nifplay.org/about-us/about-dr-stuart-brown/]  Brendan Boyle  https://www.immersive-play.com/ [https://www.immersive-play.com/]  Johan Huizinga  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Huizinga [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Huizinga]  Amy Edmondson  https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451 [https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451]  IDEO https://www.ideo.com/ [https://www.ideo.com/]  Spotlight Effect  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotlight_effect [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotlight_effect] Timestamps (0:00) - Introduction (2:35) - Dara shares her childhood experiences (8:03) - Defining adult playfulness (13:01) - Dara's interest in play and personal development (18:45) - Importance of intuition and playful mindset (23:26) - Continued challenges in post-COVID work environments (25:05) - Potential for play in a hybrid work model (27:01) - Addressing misconceptions about play in professional settings (29:55) - Description of Culture Hero and its mission (33:45) - Using play to build soft skills in the workplace (38:39) - Collaborations and research partnerships (40:02) - Reflection on significant projects and events (42:35) - Importance of purposeful play in professional development (44:50) - Overcoming resistance to play in leadership (48:25) - Empirical data supporting the importance of play (51:00) - Reflection on personal experiences and play advocacy (52:23) - Incremental changes and realistic expectations in adopting play (54:20) - Final thoughts and advice on embracing play and authenticity

LEGO Literacy Alert Nope, we didn’t ask Lynda is answer any questions using Lego. ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode Eight It’s World Creativity and Innovation Week, but let’s not forget that the stress of these often glamourised pursuits can negatively impact our brains and relationships in the workplace (which can have greater repercussions within the home). Taking risks and challenging the norm takes its toll not on ‘organisations’ but on people - moms, dads, uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, and kids. This is why we are delighted to speak with Dr Lynda Shaw, who holds a Doctorate in Cognitive Neuroscience and helps senior leaders and their teams create habits that increase brain health and emotional well-being. Lynda Who? Dr Lynda Shaw holds a Doctorate in Cognitive Neuroscience, specialising in the unconscious processing of emotion and behavioural change. During her undergraduate studies, Lynda studied psychology and social anthropology. Lynda has written multiple academic papers and authorises two books, Your Brain is Boss and Beat the Bullies: Use Your Brain. As founder of Brain & Behaviour, Lynda has worked with senior leaders and their teams who want better to understand the science of human behaviour and development. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndashaw/?originalSubdomain=uk Website https://drlyndashaw.com/ Lynda’s Book - Your Brain Is Boss https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Brain-Boss-creativity-satisfaction/dp/1912300044 Lynda’s Book - Beat Bullies: Use Your Brain https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beat-Bullies-Brain-Herman-Homunculus/dp/0957145497 Research Papers https://drlyndashaw.com/published-papers/ The Curious Evidence of the Unlimited Brain. | Dr Lynda Shaw | TEDx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDnYDLERnRE Dr Lynda Shaw - Neuroplasticity at Work https://executivesupportmagazine.com/neuroplasticity-at-work/ Additional Topics Discussion between Lisa Feldman Barrett and Mark Solms on the nature of emotion (Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yEPHUKyBOM Discussion between Lisa Feldman Barrett and Mark Solms on the nature of emotion (Part 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni3cIhn4xb4 Lisa Feldman Barrett https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Feldman_Barrett How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Emotions-Are-Made-Secret/dp/1509837493 Gary Klein - The Power of Intuition https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Intuition-Feelings-Better-Decisions/dp/0385502893 Timestamps (0:00) - Introduction and welcome (3:21) - Dr. Shaw's childhood play experiences (8:02) - Defining adult playfulness (11:03) - Early career advice and reflection (13:01) - Dr. Shaw's interest in neuroscience (18:45) - Understanding intuition and its workplace relevance (22:43) - Debate and perspectives in neuroscience (25:05) - Intuition and its scientific basis (27:32) - Neuroscience and business leadership (28:54) - Benefits of breaking habitual patterns (30:05) - Neuroscience's role in improving team performance (32:05) - Reverse mentoring and its benefits (34:53) - The impact of unconscious behavior in business (36:15) - Breaking automatic responses in communication (37:29) - Value of tools like LEGO Serious Play (39:08) - Example of breaking patterns (cycling in China) (40:35) - Tips for leaders in the post-COVID world (44:53) - Importance of acknowledging post-COVID changes (45:51) - Student challenges and dropout rates (46:19) - Using reverse mentoring for new graduates (47:06) - Conclusion and final thoughts (47:26) - Closing music and outro