Do you give yourself permission to play as an adult? What if you did?
Play, wonder, curiosity, joy – to me, these are about how we approach life – the path, not the end goal. Why does that make a difference? Play as a goal means we’re turning away from the serious things in our life. That has it’s time, but if play and work are in opposite directions, we leave play behind when we work – we leave joy and creativity out of our “regular life.”
Instead, play can provide the path to clarity, creativity, connection, and letting go. It’s powerful. (And it’s fun!)
Play is also personal, and if it’s been a while since you’ve thought about or incorporated play, it can feel intimidating or overwhelming. So here is my invitation…
Let’s play with play together.
Let’s explore how YOU play, how play could fit in your life, and how it could bring you new perspective, a different energy in work, and small moments of joy at any point in your day.
Permission to Play
is an opportunity for you to play with play.
- A box of supplies to bring curiosity and joy – a taster box to explore what works for you
- Invitations and structures to play at different times of day to explore how it feels when you play for 10 minutes or an hour, in morning or evening or in the middle of the work day
- Different settings, as sometimes we’ll gather, sometimes you’ll get prompts you can do individually
The end result? Tools, prompts, and knowledge to help you bring greater clarity, creativity, and connection to your life through incorporating a little play on your path.
Why join?
You may want a space of reflection and discovery that doesn’t feel as serious – particularly if you are navigating a tough change.
You may be looking to boost your energy, inspiration or creativity.
You may simply be looking for ways to quickly tap into playful mindset and integrate in way that fits your time and style.
Tools
Toys are naturally a part of play. Not a necessity, but a helpful prompt. And let’s face it, toys are part of the fun!
Your toy box will include markers, gelatos, paintbrush and journal, but also a deck of visual cards (Climer Cards), a special pack of LEGO® bricks for LEGO® Serious Play, and a variety of special gifts to offer different mediums for play experimentation.
The schedule
Invitations to play will come every 2-3 days during the core of the experiment. And, we’ll try quite a few synchronous gatherings. Because one of the goals of this experience is to experiment with days of the week, times of day and depth of play, every meeting will be on a different day. Make as many as you can live, but know that in case you can’t make one live – or if you prefer to do one individually – every live meet-up will be followed by a recording or video that allows you to do the activity in your own time.
Note that this will not always be a zoom recording. Sometimes I’ll record the instructions separately so you don’t have to watch us all do the activity, but can just get started yourself. Sometimes, I’ll offer a private podcast.
Thursday
October 15, 2026
10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET
1 hour
An introduction to play through the new “play styles” framework from the National Institute of Play – with specific application to what these look like in professional spaces.
Thursday
October 29, 2026
1pm PT / 4pm ET
1 hour
Our kick-off! Bring your toy box (to be delivered by USPS in advance).
We will set the initial foundation for experimenting with play, by playing and chatting.
Monday
November 2, 2026
4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET
75 minutes
A taste of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™ (LSP). If you haven’t tried this before, LSP is a very particular approach to “think with your hands.” You literally offload some of the thoughts in your head! Read more about LSP and my use of it here. Of course, LEGO® bricks are also simply LEGO® bricks, so you’ll also have space to use them as pure release.
For West Coast, this will be an opportunity to see how it feels to play at the end of the work day. For East Coast, it will be an opportunity to play in the evening.
Thursday
November 5, 2026
11am PT / 2pm ET
30 minutes or less
This will be a short session – mid-week, midday – because the truth is, sometimes we need a quick re-calibration.
You’ll receive emails with quick prompts each day of Permission to Play that you can easily integrate into your day. This will be an opportunity to practice that in community.
Saturday
November 7, 2026
8am PT / 11am ET
1 relaxed hour (we can flow over as desired)
This is one of my favorite times for deeper play, in part because it can introduce a ponder-able idea for the full weekend. We’ll riff a little on the old-fashioned Saturday morning cartoons. (Do they still even have those?)
Seriously, it may seem an odd time for play, but it is a time the brain is almost naturally more relaxed.
Tuesday
November 10, 2026
time TBD by group
30 minutes
Setting the week with play.
Depending on the group, we may have consensus for a single time, or meet a couple times during the day.
Sunday
November 15, 2026
time of your choosing
5 minutes to 1 hour – as you choose
Whether you get “Sunday blues” or love the quiet space of planning your week, Sunday is often a time of individual thinking. We won’t meet in person on this day, but you’ll receive a special Sunday invitation using the tools and practices you’ve been experimenting with for a week+ now.
Wednesday
November 18, 2026
8am PT / 11am ET
45 minutes
After a few weeks of experimenting, we’ll pause to reflect and play together for mid-week grounding and the foundation for takeaways.
Friday
December 11, 2026
1pm PT / 4pm ET
45 minutes
BONUS
Friday afternoon is often a time of reflection on the week behind and planning for the week ahead. We’ll use it to check in about a month after the experiment. We’ll touch base about how you’ve integrated a dash of play in your day, give space for questions and reflections, and of course, do a little play mid-day.
More about Play
As much research as has been done about play in particular, there is an element that will always remain personal. What feels like play to one person can be torturous for another and vice versa.
At the same time, play is about pushing boundaries a bit. Playing with a new idea or even a new identity can help us make a transition. In play we may well “fail,” but it’s low stakes and invites us to learn something and to learn to get up and try again. Play helps the mind shift away from burnout, the chatter in our heads, or the rut our thinking has fallen into. (See some of the books that touch on this in the “Books that Invite You to Extend or Expand Your Thinking” part of my book recommendation page.)
Setting matters too – what might feel playful in a space we feel safe, whether because we are alone or with just a few trusted friends, could feel too vulnerable in a different setting. “Forced fun” has deservedly gotten a lot of bad press in relation to the way some companies have unsuccessfully tried to bring play into the workplace without centering their people and understanding their culture.
Permission to Play is an opportunity to . . . well . . . PLAY with all of it! It’s an opportunity to try different types of play, different times of day to play, different settings, all in the pursuit of greater clarity, creativity, and connection.
Could I talk with you first?
Yes. This is not being run by a corporation. It’s one person – me – creating space to play with others. If you’ve read this whole page and want to talk more about it, feel free to email me at mary@maryhendra.com