Lead with a dash of Play
Episodes
Season 4: Playful Curiosity
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when play just seeps out of you? Storytelling, curiosity, connection, even bringing a different mindset to working out at the gym, let al...
Session 4: Chief Purveyor of Fun and Games
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For John Grindle, the google search “How do you have fun at work?” led ultimately to founding his own company - a company focused on bringing peop...
Season 4: Joy and Levity in the Workplace
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“I like games for the social aspect.” Games often raise thoughts of competition, strategy, and down time. Alex challenges all of that - sharing th...
Season 4: Call Me Deb
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does play have to do with finding your soul’s mission? For Deb Valentina, they are absolutely connected, and result in the joy of being in the ...
Season 4: Playing at Work
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you play at work? Jacqueline Lloyd Smith does. As Founder of Strategic Play® Global and a Master Trainer in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Methods, play is...
Season 4: The Play of Appreciative Inquiry
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres, authors of “Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement,”...
Season 4: Creating Playgrounds
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you know who is ready to play? With Lee Kim, we discuss the creation of playgrounds for adults - within corporate and civic spaces. Blending de...
Season 4: A Playful Approach in Serious Times
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is there space for playfulness in the most serious of moments? Liz Vogel is a leader in the preservation of American democracy - and in intentional ga...
Season 4: Play as Strategy
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Retired Colonel Jason M. Trew -"TOGA" - studied at the Air Force school for strategists (earning a PhD) and came out with some fascinating insights on...
Season 4 Trailer: the Moment for Play
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a world filled with uncertainty, urgency, and division, what happens when leaders show up with a playful mindset? Lead with a Dash of Play returns ...
Summer Session Bash: Pushing Into Curiosity
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The final bash of summer should give inspiration and release - and in the case of play, we find that with curiosity and one of its most passionate adv...
Summer Session: Keeping Play Accessible
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you keep play accessible? It can be through physically keeping something close, through the questions we ask ourselves, or through verbal and v...
Summer Session: Making Meetings Better
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meetings are such a ubiquitous part of work - and often one of the spaces that can feel energy-draining. What if that wasn’t the case? The clips in ...
Summer Session: Connection
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A recurring theme on Lead with a dash of Play is how play can build connections. In the second episode of this summer session on how to play, hear hig...
Summer Session: Discover Your Play
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Play helps us be authentic - to actually be seen more truly by others. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to play. In the first of th...
Season 2: What have I Learned about Leading with Play?
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A second bonus episode for season two. I’ve had the pleasure of being a guest on several podcasts myself during this season, sharing in part what I’...
Season 2 TL;DL: Play as a Force for Change
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We rarely have as much time as we want these days, so for leaders who want a taste of my brilliant guests this season - or listeners who want a quick ...
Season 2: Why We Need Narrative Play
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy to forget that kids play to sort things out, to discover boundaries, to problem-solve. So why do we think adult play is wholly different? ...
Season 2: Toggle Between Wonder and Rigor
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Play can both build a sense of awe - a practice of wonder - and the flow of committed, rigorous thought. And that combination contributes to audacity....
Season 2: Intentional, Designed Experiences
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In pursuit of the best structure and mindset for leadership development, Annette Mason co-constructs sabbaticals. These aren’t just for those in aca...
Season 2: The Antidote to Burnout
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you cultivate a playground of possibilities? Gary Ware found improv, and it changed the way he worked. Now he helps others incorporate play, bu...
Season 2: The Petri Dish of Organizational Culture
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Shifting our notion of “failure” to “learning moments” gives us the opportunity to be more human. Garry Ridge led the global company WD40 for ...
Season 2: Level the Playing Field
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In her Tedx Talk, Van Lai-DuMone shares the story of how fueling curiosity gave birth to an $8.3 billion industry. We talk about the intersection of c...
Season 2: Interactive, Dynamic Fun
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What if we didn’t call it “play”? Jay Guilford has been guiding the growth of leadership and teams for over 20 years. And yet, like so many befo...
Season 2: A Little Less Guilt
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a place for playfulness within the very serious issues of our day? Michelle Li identifies it as critical. When creating Clever Carbon, Michel...
Season 2: Play as Disruption
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can play help us collectively build an innovative economy? Neville Billimoria, SVP for Mission Federal Credit Union, shares the ways play supports his...
Season 2: What are Your Levers as a Leader?
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the research and the book he co-authored (Primed to Perform), Neel Doshi identifies play as the number one motivating factor for performance. He ar...
Season 2: Cultivating Creativity
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can happen when we remember that creativity is a process? Amy Climer studies and teaches creativity, including how to lead in a way that explicit...
Season 2: Leaning in to Curiosity
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ruksana Hussain brings together the play personalities of explorer and storyteller in her work as a travel journalist, publisher, and speaker. Seeing ...
Season 2: Toxic Masculinity v the Divine Feminine
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Want to foster a creative, innovative environment? Jeff Harry describes the essential nature of play in order to create psychological safety. In the p...
Season 2: Humility, Vulnerability, Joy - Play Cannot be Faked
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a rare woman leader in tech, Kathy Klotz-Guest had to deliberately choose joy. Told many times to be more serious, to change the way she dressed, t...
Leaders to Listen To
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Lead with a dash of Play is back for season 2!More CEOs, Executive Leaders, Researchers, Authors and Coaches on the vital role of play in the work...
Season 1 TL;DL: Play Redefined
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Curiosity, compassion, innovation, and community - why is play not considered essential leadership development? Mary Hendra, Executive Leader and Foun...
Season 1: Safe to be “all in”
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 wi...
Season 1: It’s So Much More than LEGO®
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, b...
Season 1: Help People Connect
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 cho...
Season 1: Play with Your Brain
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
Season 1: The Structure of Games
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 w...
Season 1: Yes, And…
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Play is a Leadership Skill?
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Could play be the most underrated leadership skill? A new podcast exploring the power of play in professional spaces, and redefining “play” i...