“SEO can be very hard to be playful. It can be very hard to say, go write this blog post and see what it does. But I think that that level of curiosity and of take something, tweak it, fix it, improve it, that's play. Optimization is just play.
But we aren't allowed to call it fun. We aren't allowed to use it that way.” - Meg
In this episode, we’re talking about play. And funnily enough, while I (Jessica who is writing this) often uses AI to take a first crack at some show notes and summary, this week they were all terrible.
Partially? I think it’s because play is often a foreign concept for adults, particularly with business owners. So the AI kept trying to bring back the polished version, with business takeaways. Whereas I wanted to bring forth the irreverent fun and joy we were having at the end of the episode.
But today hear us riff on the power of play and personality in our lives and businesses. Hear our different expressions of play as children and how it impacts our businesses today (hint: Meg was a dancer and playwright and Jessica loved to tinker with her Erector sets and handwoven crafts. Totally on brand for both of us). Learn how we’re experimenting in our businesses (once we have the foundations in place), including our plans for the summer. We look at play as a regenerative act: one that requires energy and action, but that gives it back to us.
And most importantly, you get:
To hear Jessica’s play theme music (at 55:00)
To let us know if you want a Center Stage watch along (because as a millennial creative woman I’m shocked Meg hasn’t seen this seminal film of my 20s!)
To see Jessica literally dancing on a hillside in Switzerland in 2007, because the hills were alive with the sound of music.
In today’s episode
Why play isn’t about escape—it’s about energy, iteration, and identity
How we infuse our personal styles into our personal brands
All of the things Meg has learned from the Museum of Play
What our personal play styles reveal about how we lead, build, and rest
Why we don’t play enough in our businesses
Jessica and Meg’s various types of play (and even what we consider play)
Center Stage and what it gets right about discipline, talent, and letting go
How we’re experimenting in public: podcast shifts, newsletter redesigns, and more
Why constraint is the secret to playful business design
“Allowing ourselves to be curious about what our clients are discussing or what they need from us can be play. It doesn't have to be going out to the playground, but you can also have relationships in your business that aren't entirely based on your business, where you do get a chance to play.
And I wanna just like bring this definition back in that like we can have fun in our businesses without feeling like we need to become these corporate automatons.
Because I think a lot of us have come out of workplace settings where there's an expectation of like, we have to remain professional. And in doing so, we lose the fun.” - Meg
Past Episodes Mentioned:
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