LEGO Literacy Alert Nope, we didn’t ask Lynda is answer any questions using Lego. ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode Eight It’s World Creativity and Innovation Week, but let’s not forget that the stress of these often glamourised pursuits can negatively impact our brains and relationships in the workplace (which can have greater repercussions within the home). Taking risks and challenging the norm takes its toll not on ‘organisations’ but on people - moms, dads, uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, and kids. This is why we are delighted to speak with Dr Lynda Shaw, who holds a Doctorate in Cognitive Neuroscience and helps senior leaders and their teams create habits that increase brain health and emotional well-being. Lynda Who? Dr Lynda Shaw holds a Doctorate in Cognitive Neuroscience, specialising in the unconscious processing of emotion and behavioural change. During her undergraduate studies, Lynda studied psychology and social anthropology. Lynda has written multiple academic papers and authorises two books, Your Brain is Boss and Beat the Bullies: Use Your Brain. As founder of Brain & Behaviour, Lynda has worked with senior leaders and their teams who want better to understand the science of human behaviour and development. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndashaw/?originalSubdomain=uk Website https://drlyndashaw.com/ Lynda’s Book - Your Brain Is Boss https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Brain-Boss-creativity-satisfaction/dp/1912300044 Lynda’s Book - Beat Bullies: Use Your Brain https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beat-Bullies-Brain-Herman-Homunculus/dp/0957145497 Research Papers https://drlyndashaw.com/published-papers/ The Curious Evidence of the Unlimited Brain. | Dr Lynda Shaw | TEDx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDnYDLERnRE Dr Lynda Shaw - Neuroplasticity at Work https://executivesupportmagazine.com/neuroplasticity-at-work/ Additional Topics Discussion between Lisa Feldman Barrett and Mark Solms on the nature of emotion (Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yEPHUKyBOM Discussion between Lisa Feldman Barrett and Mark Solms on the nature of emotion (Part 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni3cIhn4xb4 Lisa Feldman Barrett https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Feldman_Barrett How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Emotions-Are-Made-Secret/dp/1509837493 Gary Klein - The Power of Intuition https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Intuition-Feelings-Better-Decisions/dp/0385502893

LEGO Literacy Alert! Around the 41-minute mark, Susan busts out LEGO to answer some questions. ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode Seven Physical space, sensation, and movement affects learning??? Nonsense! Powerpoint does! Plus, slides are even more amazing since AI can automatically input images of people with bizarre facial expressions and eight fingers! As nonsensical as that last line is, how ridiculous is it that learning (for whatever age) has lost ‘touch’ (pun intended!) with the fact that physical space, sensation, and movement affects learning? This is why Dr Susan Hrach’s book Minding Bodies: How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning grabbed our attention. And while we’re talking about attention, here’s a quote from Susan’s book that we loved. “The goal of increasing one's IA (Interoceptive Awareness) isn't to become more accurate but rather to gain more control over our attention to internal signals and to better regulate our responses to them.” As the hype train for AI in learning continues to gather pace, it’s the marginal (playful renegade) voices advocating for IA that we should also be listening to.....so go listen. Susan Who? Dr Susan Hrach is the author of the 2022 Silver Nautilus Award-winning book Minding Bodies: how physical space, sensation, and movement affect learning (WVU Press, 2021). As an undergraduate, she spent a year studying at the Universität Innsbruck, Austria, which shaped her lifelong interests in world literature, translation studies, and global education. Her international teaching experiences inform her ongoing research and practice. In 2022-23, she served as Fulbright Canada Distinguished Research Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Carleton University in Ottawa. Currently, Director of the Faculty Center and professor of English at Columbus State University in Georgia, Dr Hrach has been recognized by the University System of Georgia with a statewide Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award; she has also served as a scholar for the USG’s Executive Leadership Institute. She is a member of the International Coaching Federation and provides executive coaching within and outside of higher education, incorporating embodied strategies to support mental and physical well-being. LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/dr-susan-hrach/ Minding Bodies. How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning https://wvupressonline.com/minding-bodies Website www.susanhrach.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/susanhrach?lang=en Additional Topics Antonio Damasio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Damasio Antonio Damasio - Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain https://www.amazon.com/Descartes-Error-Emotion-Reason-Human/dp/014303622X Antonio Damasio - Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious https://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Knowing-Making-Minds-Conscious/dp/1524747556 Lisa Feldman Barrett https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Feldman_Barrett How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Emotions-Are-Made-Secret/dp/1509837493

LEGO Literacy Alert! Around the 38-minute mark, Emer and Lisha use LEGO to answer some questions. ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators Episode Six A global conference about ‘Revolutionising Education Through Play’ Nonsense! We need more STEM! Play has done nothing for society! ‘Revolutionising Education Through Play’ may seem like a grandiose statement, but having spoken with our wonderful guests, we think it's entirely appropriate. Professor Emer Ring and Dr Lisha O’Sullivan should give us hope that the education system many of us struggled in is now being ‘revolutionised’ for young learners globally. And while we’re at it, let's get grandiose and ancestral and consider ‘Revolutionising Society Through Play’. Look back through human history. Play has always been a fundamental aspect of society. From ancient civilisations using games to teach important skills and values to indigenous cultures integrating play into rituals and ceremonies, the role of play in shaping societal norms, values, and behaviours cannot be overstated. Therefore, ‘Revolutionising Education Through Play’ inevitably leads to revolutionising society through play, as it influences how children and adults interact and contribute meaningfully to their communities and local ecology. Emer, Lisha and their colleagues have worked tirelessly to host the Revolutionising Education through Play Conference 2024, held on 02 March 2024 at the Mary Immaculate College. Limerick, Ireland https://www.mic.ul.ie/faculty-of-education/conference/play2024 Emer who? Professor Emer Ring is the Dean of Education at Mary Immaculate College (MIC). Emer worked as a senior inspector with the Department of Education and Skills, a primary mainstream class teacher and a learning/support resource teacher before joining MIC. Emer has been the principal investigator on various national research projects covering early childhood, primary and post-primary education, inclusion, child/student voice, pedagogy and autism. She has published widely in the area of education. Contact Details https://www.mic.ul.ie/staff/669-emer-ring  Emer's Research https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emer-Ring  Dr Lisha O’Sullivan is the Head of the Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick. Lisha lectures across early childhood and teacher education programmes at MIC and supervises research in early childhood education at undergraduate, Master's and PhD levels.  Before joining the Faculty of Education, Lisha worked in special education, community childcare, family support and play therapy. Contact Details https://www.mic.ul.ie/staff/171-lisha-osullivan Lisha's Research https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Lisha-OSullivan-2139633477  Topics Covered Paul Ramchandani https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/people/staff/ramchandani/  Tim Gill https://rethinkingchildhood.com/about/  Minding Bodies: How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning https://www.amazon.co.uk/Minding-Bodies-Physical-Sensation-Education/dp/1949199991  Jean Piaget - Four Development Stages https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaget%27s_theory_of_cognitive_development  Lev Vygotsky - Theory Of Cognitive Development https://www.structural-learning.com/post/vygotskys-theory  Reggio Emilia Approach https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/   Loris Malaguzzi https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/loris-malaguzzi/  Robert Root-Bernstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Root-Bernstein

Mural Madlibs Alert! At 37.15, Savannah playfully answers some questions using Mural and some SEEKING PLAY mad-libs ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the Irish design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators We're delighted to have you as a listener. Please contact us if you want to be a guest or have a guest suggestion. Episode 5 Hear ye! Hear ye! All hail the Jester Queen, Savannah Vize! Playful and benevolent ruler of Season One! Well, if you haven’t watched our introduction, those opening lines must be very confusing :) Even before we met Savannah, we were impressed with the creativity and playful intelligence of her Master's Thesis, ‘The Eco-Citizen's Playbook’. And those attributes certainly shone through when we spoke with Savannah. We hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as we did. Savannah Who? Savannah Vize is a regenerative designer-researcher based in Helsinki. She has a background in graphic design and place-based community engagement and a master’s degree in Creative Sustainability. Savannah uses collaborative and visual approaches to explore and communicate complex topics in accessible and digestible ways. Touching on artistic, academic and activist modes, her work centres on the importance of playfulness, joy and emotionally supportive creative practice in our engagement with eco-social sustainability. Her multidisciplinary toolbox includes imagination practices, future thinking, participatory research methods, co-design workshops, information architecture and service design approaches. LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/savannahvize/ The Eco-Citizen's Playbook - linktr.ee/ecoplaybook Living Directory for the The Eco-Citizen's Playbook www.instagram.com/eco.playbook Website - www.savannahvize.com Portfolio and CV - https://campsite.bio/savannahvize Referenced Play Matters - Miguel Sicart www.dubraybooks.ie/product/play-matters-9780262534512

LEGO Literacy Alert! Around the 1.20 mark, Pat uses LEGO to answer some questions. It's definitely worth watching! ___________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators We're delighted to have you as a listener. Please contact us if you would like to be a guest or have a guest suggestion. Episode Four Before you settle into this episode, pop on your leg warmers, shoulder pads, and acid-washed denim as you need to rock out to our guest's 80s anthem! Hue & Cry - Labour Of Love - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CYZ6q7Wr9c Ain't gonna work, for you NO MORE!!! I can't stand it, I said I just don't.....Oh, hello. You're back :) Not only is Pat Kane a pop legend (as is his bandmate and brother, Greg), but he is also a futurist, curator, consultant, activist, father, and partner. He is the author of The Play Ethic and its forthcoming sequel, SUPERPLAY. With a long and varied career in media and arts, Pat consults and speaks globally. Pat was - and is - a lead campaigner for Scottish independence, and co-initiated the political lab Alternative Global We had such fun chatting with Pat; we hope you enjoy it, too. Pat who?  Book www.theplayethic.com/thebook.html LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/patkane Email playethical@gmail.com Twitter @theplayethic Main website www.patkane.global Blog www.theplayethic.typepad.com Pat’s Creative Consultancy www.theplayethic.com Pat’s Organisational Consultancy www.newintegrity.org Alternative Global https://www.thealternative.org.uk Topics Covered Capitalist Realism - Mark Fisher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalist_Realism Capitalism On Edge - Albena Azmanova https://cup.columbia.edu/book/capitalism-on-edge/9780231195379 Finite and Infinite Games A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility - James P. Carse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_and_Infinite_Games The Culture Series - Iain M.Banks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism - Max Weber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_Spirit_of_Capitalism The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture - Manuel Castells https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Information_Age:_Economy,_Society_and_Culture At Home In The Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organisation and Complexity - Stuart Kauffman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Kauffman DAVID BOWIE: Internet is the new rock n' roll www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiK7s_0tGsg

LEGO Literacy Alert! Around the 1.23 mark, Di uses LEGO to answer some questions! ______________________ Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators We're delighted to have you as a listener. Please contact us if you would like to be a guest or have a guest suggestion. Episode Three Digital Transformations and Systemic Change firmly reside in the parlance of organisational design, but since 2018, we've wondered if there's space for 'Playful Awakenings.'  Di Gammage, a Buddhist Psychotherapist, Clinical Supervisor, and Child Psychotherapist, authored the book "Playful Awakenings", and we're delighted to feature her as our second guest. During our discussion, Di revealed that her decision to pursue a career as a Psychotherapist was made at just 13, inspired by a family member's childhood experience. Di discusses 'Detached Compassion' and emphasises the importance of feeling, honouring, and witnessing someone else's suffering without it becoming your own. As a Buddhist Psychotherapist, Di explores 'Joint Practice', where the interaction also affects the Psychotherapist. Due to the emotional nature of her work, Di openly discusses how 'Voice Movement Therapy' benefits her. It was heartwarming to hear Di express, at a very fresh 60 years of age, that she feels she is getting younger and that her seven-year-old self is curious about what she will be when she grows up. We reflect on Di's autonomy as a teacher in the 1980s, which may be lacking nowadays due to the paperwork and regulations required of teachers, and how such regulations may inhibit playful relationships within the learning environment. Di explains 'The Cloak' and how the people she helps have learned to cloak or repress their playful nature as a defence mechanism against the many life challenges confronting them. Di also discusses 'Falling Asleep' and how it links to Gabor Maté’s work on addiction. This was a wonderful conversation; we're confident you will enjoy it too. Guest Details  "Playful Awakenings" Book ⁠https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playful-Awakening-Releasing-Gift-Play/dp/184905150X⁠ Di's LinkedIn Page linkedin.com/in/dianne-gammage-4846bb42 Website  https://playful-awakening.org/  Email  di@playful-awakening.org  Topics Covered A Playful Awakening in SouthWest Airlines - The best and funniest Safety Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbNy5Cc7GL8  Book Recommendation - "I Wonder” by Annaka Harris  https://www.amazon.com/I-Wonder-Annaka-Harris/dp/1940051045  Robert Landy - Mind-Body Healing Through the Arts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMLTJtMonVgn  Peter Levine - What is 'Titration' in Trauma Therapy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjNk3ns1MKY  'Falling Asleep' and how it links to Gabor Maté's work on addiction  Gabor Maté – Authenticity Leads To Freedom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1esGZE7whN0  Gabor Maté - How Play Can Heal Your Relationships https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L4V1cY5Pvs  Sharon Salzberg - Loving Kindness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQSWsOORBFY Introduction to Voice Movement Therapy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3Z_dxCYV40

Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators We're delighted to have you as a listener. Please get in touch with us if you would like to be a guest or have a guest suggestion. Episode Two Christian had to be our first guest, considering he worked closely with the late Jaak Panksepp. Christian's work has also been a great inspiration to us, such as his book 'Animal Emotions: How They Drive Human Behaviour' plus his research papers: 1) How the six primary emotional systems are linked to the Big Five personality traits 2) Linking primary emotional traits to ideological attitudes and personal value types 3) The relationship between parenting behaviour and the personality of Kindergarten children Like every episode, we want to know the person behind the research, so chat with Christian about his childhood, where he spent quality "me time" playing guitar and writing songs. We also chatted about Christian's career and how it led him to work with Jaak Panksepp. We briefly touch on elements of Affective Neuroscience and have provided a wealth of resources below should you wish to learn more. We highly advise you to: 1) read the short (and free!) book 'Animal Emotions: How They Drive Human Behaviour' 2) take the ANPS test to see how you score on Primary Emotions (plus your answers will help contribute to the data set) Professor Christian Montag Christian Montag is interested in the molecular genetics of personality and emotions. He combines molecular genetics with brain imaging techniques such as structural/functional MRI to understand individual differences in human nature better. Adding to this, he conducts research in the fields of Neuroeconomics and (Internet) addiction, including digital phenotyping and mobile sensing approaches.  Christian received his Diploma in Psychology in September 2006. In 2009, he achieved his PhD degree, and in 2011, the Venia Legendi for Psychology. As a post-doc, he also carried out research at the SCAN lab at Stony Brook University, NY, USA.  Since September 2014, he has been a Professor of Molecular Psychology at Ulm University, Ulm, Germany. From 2016-2022, he was a visiting professor at the Neuscan lab at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu, China. Free Book (definitely worth a read!) https://punctumbooks.com/titles/animal-emotions-how-they-drive-human-behavior/  Free test (definitely worth 10 minutes!) https://affective-neuroscience-personality-scales.jimdosite.com/take-the-test/  How the six primary emotional systems are linked to the Big Five personality traits https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-84366-8  Linking primary emotional traits to ideological attitudes and personal value types https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0279885  The relationship between parenting behaviour and the personality of kindergarten children https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1048391/full More of Christian's Research ⁠https://www.uni-ulm.de/en/in/psy-mp/team/christian-montag/⁠ Christian's Contact Information  Linkedin linkedin.com/in/christian-montag-961732b7  Website  christianmontag.de  Email  christian.montag@uni-ulm.de  Twitter  @ChrisMontag77

Hello there! We’re Dr. Jane Hession and Ronan Healy. We’re a husband and wife team and co-founders of the service design studio How Might We - www.howmightwe.design We're passionate about Play and provide online and in-house training in the LEGO Serious Play method to: 1) Third-level Educators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Ed_Innovators 2) Organisational Innovators - https://bit.ly/LSP_Org_Innovators We're delighted to have you as a listener. Please get in touch with us if you would like to be a guest or have a guest suggestion. Episode One In 2015, we hoped to become parents and did what every expecting parent does. Buy ten books on parenting…read one, skim one....and leave the others to gather dust! Coincidentally, at the same time, we were trying to figure out if the LEGO® Serious Play® method had any merit as a service design and systems thinking tool. Trying to understand the LEGO® method led us back to the parenting books we had abandoned, which then took us down a rabbit hole of trying to understand two questions, What is Play? and Why do we Play? Since starting our "Play Odessey", we’ve come to understand that in order to answer these questions, we’re actually trying to understand: 1) What is cognition? 2) What is perception? 3) What is human physiology? 4) What is it to be a human being? 5) What is the centre of Human-centred design? (if that’s not too grandiose a question) Before starting this podcast, we wanted to ensure that “cute” or “fluffy” conversations about play and playfulness didn’t happen. We know the workplace is serious. We’re not naive to that fact. Since 2015, we’ve taken a serious look at play, and it’s taken us to rich and varied disciplines such as: 1) Pragmatism 2) Ecological Psychology 3) Affective Neuroscience 4) Material Engagement Theory 5) The Enactivist Approach and 4E cognition 6) Play Therapy, Psychology and Psychotherapy The people we’ve interviewed have written books, research papers and dedicated much of their working lives to these topics. Because of that, our podcast is unapologetically long form. We want to know the person behind the research. The name SEEKING PLAY is a homage to the work of Jaak Panksepp, which we cover in our video. We're delighted to have you as a listener and hope you enjoy this episode.