It’s one thing to visit another country. It’s another thing to move there! Discover the surprises, laughter, and life lessons that come from swapping comfort zones for new time zones. Hear how embracing the unknown can change your career, your relationships, and your entire perspective. In this interview, Josh, Dana, and Michael delve into cultural differences surrounding playfulness, education, and community. They also discuss the joy of paper maps, the exhilaration of rock climbing, and the potential pedagogy hidden in Dungeons & Dragons.

It's possible to teach your kids discipline, boundaries, resilience, and grit without being harsh, and Jon Fogel wants every parent to know how. In this interview, Jon gives away a goldmine of knowledge about how to parent effectively without the use of traditional punishment, based on his studies of brain science and facilitating long-term learning. And of course, play is the secret ingredient in all of it.

What happens if something scares you, and you say yes anyway? In this episode of Define Play, Sarah offers a recipe for a playful life, using ingredients like curiosity, connection, courage, and a killer PB&J cookie. She discusses her record-setting baking run with  Nestlé Toll House, her new side hustle as an aquafit instructor, and her identity as a transracial, adopted Indian woman.

No matter how "good" or "bad" a kid's behavior is, it all tells a story about what that kid may be feeling or coming from. In this episode of Define Play, Michael and Allie discuss proven methods of guiding students toward emotional intelligence. They also connect childhood to parenting and share experiences learned firsthand with their own children. All of this converges into Allie's empowering definition of play, and then closes with an important invitation related to her family.

Dr. Terence Gadsden is the Campus Pastor & Athletic Chaplain at North Park University in Chicago, as well as a hip-hop DJ (DJ Rock On) and avid runner. In this episode of Define Play, Terence shares his deep connection to hip-hop, influenced by his DJ brother, and explains his approach to DJing, sampling, and music mixing. As an athletic chaplain turned Campus Pastor at North Park, his experiences as a collegiate runner and a former pastor at Lawndale Community Church come together powerfully in his new ministry context. Terence also discusses his passion for running, and how coaching connects to his parenting style and pursuits of play with his family.

What makes you feel alive? What makes you feel like a kid again? For David, the answer to both is "stoke," the secret ingredient to adventure. David embodies "work hard, play hard" in every area of his life, and invites others into the surprising joys of challenging play. His definition of play will motivate and mobilize you regardless of experience level.

What do Beyoncé and baseball have in common? Besides alliteration, both are beloved by Meghan DeJong, who finds meaning and connection in these realms and in many other communities she leads. Meghan offers wisdom about connecting with others and with ourselves through play, as well as a compelling definition of what play means to her.

How can work and play coexist, and perhaps even be integrated? Timm Bloem offers passionate wisdom about finding balance in work and play, speaking from experience in brand strategy, marketing, sports, music, architecture, and more.

In this introductory episode, co-founders Michael Mirza and Roberto Flores share their hopes for this project.