Send us Fan Mail The Business of Play Because hustle isn’t fulfillment. Welcome home, inspired entrepreneurs. What if the thing missing from your leadership isn’t more discipline, more strategy, or more productivity? What if it’s play? Somewhere along the way, many entrepreneurs stop playing. And without realizing it, they become a little less creative, less connected, less curious, and less alive. In this episode, Deborah explores what happens to a human being — and to a business — when play disappears, and what becomes possible when it comes back. Inspired by her conversation with Mia Sundstrom from the National Institute for Play, Deborah unpacks why play is not childish, but biological. It is part of how we reconnect with creativity, spaciousness, innovation, and ourselves. This episode also features a special edition of The Founder’s Pulse, where Deborah interviews young entrepreneurs between the ages of 8 and 13 at the Temecula Children’s Business Fair. Their honesty, creativity, and relationship to mistakes may reveal something many adult founders have forgotten. In This Episode, Deborah Explores: The Biology of Play: Why play is not childish, but biological — and how it helps the brain access creativity, connection, and new ideas.The Cost of Constant Pressure: How years of urgency, responsibility, and output can narrow creativity, disconnect us from aliveness, and make business feel like one endless performance review.The Nervous System and Creativity: Why some entrepreneurs may not have a creativity problem, but a nervous system problem — and why spaciousness matters more than we think.Play as a Leadership Practice: How play interrupts performance mode and brings founders back to presence, curiosity, connection, and human-centered leadership.The Founder’s Pulse: Children’s Business Fair Edition: Real reflections from young founders on creativity, mistakes, confidence, collaboration, and what adults can learn from the way kids build. 🧠 What You’ll Hear in This Episode: 🔹 Why Hustle Isn’t Fulfillment: The subtle ways entrepreneurs can build successful businesses while quietly disconnecting from their own lives. 🔹 When Life Becomes Something You Manage: Deborah shares what happens when responsibility takes over and play, wonder, and presence slowly disappear. 🔹 The Difference Between Pressure and Aliveness: Why success should not cost you your creativity, curiosity, or humanity. 🔹 What Kids Know About Creativity: Young entrepreneurs share how they turn mistakes into something new, trust themselves, collaborate, and keep joy in the process. 🔹 The Business Case for Play: Why creativity, experimentation, humor, imagination, and psychological safety are not distractions from performance — they are part of what makes sustainable performance possible. 🔹 A New Inquiry for Founders: Instead of only asking, “How do I grow this business?” Deborah invites us to ask, “What conditions am I creating for human beings to actually thrive?” Featured in The Founder’s Pulse: Eva – Eva’s Rosy Art Connor – Connor’s Arts and Crafts Harper Turnbull – Bubblicious Cecilia – Cecilia Sensations Emma & Aaron – Diamond Dugout Collectibles Addie – Silk & Scales 🔗 Connect with Us: Website: www.inspired-bp.com The Alignment Lab: https://www.inspiredbusinessperformance.com/alignment-lab Instagram: @inspiredbusinessperformance Facebook: @deborahannhartnett ✨ Ready to Build with Intention? If this conversation opened something up for you, and you are realizing you do not need another productivity app as much as you need a different way of operating, come find out how you can join us inside The Alignment Lab. Inside the Lab, we practice building and leading from a place that is more intentional, sustainable, present, and alive. Because alignment is not about perfectly balancing everything all the time. It is the practice of continuously returning to yourself while you build. ✨ 𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆, 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒅𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔! ✨ Disclaimer: The Inspired Entrepreneur podcast and content posted by Deborah Hartnett is presented solely for general information, educational, and inspirational purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay obtaining medical, mental health, legal, or business advice for any situation and should seek the assistance of qualified professionals for any such conditions or decisions. Support the show Music Credit: “Who I’ve Always Been” by Beza, licensed via PremiumBeat (License #7089927, Order #5573317) © PremiumBeat.com / Shutterstock Canada, ULC Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult qualified experts for medical, legal, mental health, or business matters. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐔𝐬: Website :www.inspired-bp.com Instagram: @inspiredbusinessperformance Facebook: @deborahannhartnett
