Lead with a dash of Play

Mary Hendra
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Management

Looking to build innovation, strengthen organizational culture, and develop greater confidence? Try play. Seriously. Play builds empathy, sparks creativity, and allows deeper reflection and learning. Why would we not integrate it into our workday? Speaking with CEOs, executive coaches, and leaders across a variety of industries, Mary Hendra explores what “play” can look like in professional spaces, its impact on us and our organizations, and how to integrate a little play ourselves to build more compassionate and creative workplaces.

  1. Jun 10

    Season 4: Life Long Play

    Brandi Mitchell invites us to challenge our conceptions of who plays, and what that looks like. As founder of San Diego Soccer Women, she creates the space for women in their 39s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s to play competitive games, build community, and disrupt the perception of what older women look like. She shows us, play is a life long experience. Video: The Most Inspiring Soccer Team You’ve Never Heard Of TedX Torrey Pines: Brandi Mitchell Guest: Brandi Mitchell Brandi Mitchell is the founder of San Diego Soccer Women, an organization founded in 2010 to increase opportunities for women to join, continue or return to soccer without the limits of age or gender. Positioned as an advocate for “Play at Every Age,” Brandi connects a global network of recreational soccer players of every ability level through her in-person events, soccer travel experiences, online tournament directory and social media. She supports the goals of partner organizations as a board member of The Sports Bra Project, Street Soccer USA San Diego and Scripps Ranch Women's Athletic Club, and works with small businesses and non-profits as a bookkeeping and business assistant. In addition to Brandi's TedxTalk in 2026 about older women in soccer, San Diego Soccer Women has been featured by FIFA, espnW, Just Women's Sports, Women in Soccer, Girls Soccer Network, Club Eleven and SoccerGrlProbs. https://sandiegosoccerwomen.com/ https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoSoccerWomen https://www.instagram.com/sandiegosoccerwomen/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimitchell-us/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/san-diego-soccer-women/ https://www.tiktok.com/@soccerwomenplay

    31 min

  2. Jun 4

    Season 4: Bring the Humans Back

    The core of work success is how your people feel, which means how YOU feel is vital. Hiba Tanvir brings a practice rooted in emotional intelligence to leaders, encouraging all of us to pause and play, play and pause. In a world focused on AI, Hiba reminds us to bring humans back to center both through the leader’s emotional regulation, and the way we gift that calm to others. Guest: Hiba Tanvir Creator of the highly distinctive Play & Pause™ Methodology, Hiba brings Emotional Intelligence out of theory and into lived, embodied practice. With an MBA and advanced resilience education from Harvard University and the Gottman Institute, she helps people stop performing emotions and start responding with intention. Using unexpected, tactile tools such as Play-Doh and wooden blocks, Hiba helps leaders, educators, and teams think clearly, lead effectively, and perform at their best—without burnout, disconnection, or reactivity—by teaching real-time emotional regulation. Hiba’s work and thought leadership have been featured on NBC5, where she shared the power of the Pause and the real-world impact of her Play & Pause™ Methodology. She is also the co-author of The Career Breakthrough Playbook, an Amazon #1 New Release and four-time award-winning publication. Her impact spans boardrooms and communities worldwide. She leads global initiatives such as the Man Up program for African youth and founded Hope Kitchen to create dignified work for women facing economic hardship—bringing Emotional Intelligence to life across generations and continents. https://www.htcompassion.com/

    30 min

  3. May 18

    Season 4: Play = Freedom

    Play can bring an incredible sense of freedom - no constraints, a degree of purposelessness, a space without shoulds. That freedom is something Maricella Herrera comes back to again and again, for herself, for her students, and for her professional journey. It doesn't mean you can't accomplish serious things, but how we do them - how we engage with others in community while we do them - matters. Guest: Maricella Herrera Maricella Herrera Avila is a consultant, educator, and former CEO with expertise in innovation, purpose-driven business, and leadership. She spent more than a decade at Ellevate Network, where she led operations and strategy, grew the largest global community for women, and ultimately served as CEO during a pivotal transition. After leaving that role, she created the podcast Sh*t I Just Quit My Job, where she explores the human side of work, well-being, and change. Today, Maricella teaches Design Thinking and Innovation at St. Francis College and helps organizations bring values-driven approaches to problem solving and growth through her unique blend of strategic insight and deep focus on human experience. Maricella earned a BA in Financial Management from ITESM in Mexico and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Originally from El Salvador, Maricella is also an avid runner (currently training for the Chicago Marathon) and cat mom to Toffee. Substack: https://maricellaherrera.substack.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maricellaherreraa/ Podcast: https://www.quitmyjobpod.com/ Actual extra cheesy music video from the 90s so you can dance along to Fey's first hit: https://youtu.be/mduVi6XnZbA?si=NJ4C5vbSmSiA4kGu

    33 min

  4. Apr 6

    Season 4: Playful Curiosity

    What happens when play just seeps out of you? Storytelling, curiosity, connection, even bringing a different mindset to working out at the gym, let alone the playful approach to a job in marketing. That’s what we learn with today’s guest, Dan Moyle. Guest: Dan Moyle Dan Moyle is a customer education trainer, consultant, storyteller, podcaster, speaker, writer, and blended family dad. Dan lives to put more love into the world and help create a better space for everyone. For his day job, he’s a customer education professional in the HubSpot ecosystem, consulting, training, teaching, and advising new and experienced HubSpot users. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmoyle/ Personal website: https://www.danmoyle.com/ My work life: https://digitalreachos.com/ And a snapshot from history: First Time Home Buyers: How to Buy for the Zombie Apocalypse

    29 min

  5. Mar 10

    Season 4: Chief Purveyor of Fun and Games

    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 people together to have fun. It’s not just for initial team-building, John believes that the connection that deepens with regularly playing together is critical for teams to grow and achieve. Guest: John Grindle From a young age, John loved to play games. He realized he also loves bringing people together to have fun. Now, he’s the visionary leading Grin Events on a mission to connect teams one smile at a time through professionally hosted fun and games. Many people call this Team Building, but he prefers to call it Team Connecting because he believes connecting your team with genuinely fun activities is crucial to creating a productive team. Game On! https://grin.events/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/johngrindle/

    33 min

  6. 11/05/2025

    Season 4: Joy and Levity in the Workplace

    “I like games for the social aspect.” Games often raise thoughts of competition, strategy, and down time. Alex challenges all of that - sharing the integration of games to build more enjoyable workplaces. But, it isn’t just about fun. All games have some sort of problem solving …and a goal. It’s almost like she’s describing “work.”  We would all do well with a work environment that brings joy.  Games Alex mentioned during the episode include: FishbowlVisionaryFortunately / Unfortunately All are available (free) in Barometer XP’s game database on the Play Concierge Platform: https://app.barometerxp.com/sign-up Guest: Alex Suchman Alex Suchman is the CEO and co-founder of Barometer XP, whose mission is to create cultures where people are excited about their work because they feel a strong sense of purpose and belonging. She uses games and play to strengthen interpersonal dynamics, such as trust, accountability, and psychological safety, in the workplace. She was a finalist for the Metro DC ATD Award for Excellence in Innovative Learning, has been featured in Forbes, and is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on using play as a tool for organizational effectiveness and employee success. LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrasuchman  Barometer XP's website: https://www.barometerxp.com

    35 min

  7. 09/22/2025

    Season 4: Call Me Deb

    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 place you are meant to be. Hear her thoughts on deep soul work, intuition or knowingness, and its connection to play and joy. But first, Debra and I spoke of the power of names. Deb? Debra? She is both and has been both in a journey of leadership and coaching leaders alike. Guest: Debra Valentina   As a Soul Voice Catalyst & Midwife, Debra, founder of Creativing, has a passion for empowering women to birth their soul’s passion project, including writing their unique stories. To this end, Debra has spent over 35 years as a holistic life and writing coach for professional women who want to make a difference in their communities and the world. Debra is an international bestselling author and speaker on leadership topics. In March 2024 Debra spoke at the United Nations at the international Conference on the Status of Women.

    28 min

  8. 08/25/2025

    Season 4: Playing at Work

    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 critical to achieving the serious outcomes she gets for companies. But it’s more than that. Given the high disengagement rates of workers these days, play could well be what humanity needs. Hear her stories about facilitating with bricks, the oppression of play in Western culture, and the power of getting back in touch with how you played as a kid. Guest Bio: Jacqueline Lloyd Smith Founder of Strategic Play® Global Jacquie has over twenty years of experience facilitating critical problem-solving sessions for organizational clients that include Adidas, NASA, Procter & Gamble and the United Nations. Jacquie’s credentials include a Master's in Conflict Analysis and Management, an MBA in Executive Management from Royal Roads University, and certifications as an Art and Play Therapist, Visual Coach, and Creative Problem Solver. She is also one of only four original global master trainers with LEGO® Systems Group and a certified facilitator and trainer of facilitators in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods.  “The true, true opposite of play is fear.” “To be able to be really full of joy, we have to be able to play.” The 30 Circles activity noted during the podcast is one of three creative exercises described here: https://hbr.org/2013/11/three-creativity-challenges-from-ideos-leaders

    38 min
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About

Looking to build innovation, strengthen organizational culture, and develop greater confidence? Try play. Seriously. Play builds empathy, sparks creativity, and allows deeper reflection and learning. Why would we not integrate it into our workday? Speaking with CEOs, executive coaches, and leaders across a variety of industries, Mary Hendra explores what “play” can look like in professional spaces, its impact on us and our organizations, and how to integrate a little play ourselves to build more compassionate and creative workplaces.

Information

  • Creator
    Mary Hendra
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Mary Hendra
  • Show Website
    Lead with a dash of Play