In a time when despair is “the favorite tool of the oppressor,” how can joy, play, and rest become radical tools of resistance? In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie is joined by Jenny Black, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. Together, they explore what it takes to lead one of the country’s most tenured Planned Parenthood affiliates through political attacks, economic hardship, and burnout—without losing sight of purpose, humanity, or delight. From protecting staff well-being to advocating for bodily autonomy, this conversation offers a powerful blueprint for centering joy as a core strategy for long-term sustainability and social impact.

In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie is joined by Shawn McClondon, founder of the Sister Cities Project. Together, they explore how partnering affluent and underserved communities can foster honest conversations, economic opportunity, and more equitable schools. Shawn shares the origin story of the Sister Cities Project following the murder of George Floyd and breaks down why proximity, relationship-building, and courageous dialogue are essential tools for racial and economic justice. From dismantling misconceptions to creating structural pathways for workforce development and entrepreneurship, this conversation offers a compelling roadmap for turning local connections into national impact.

In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie is joined by Philip Steigman, Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. Together, they explore a critical question: why do we stock and celebrate play with babies and toddlers – and then systematically squeeze it out of school and other places kids hang out? Through his work with the Future of Thriving initiative, Philip discusses how re-centering play, connection, and purpose in both policy and community reverses trends of loneliness and depression in young people. From navigating the impact of screens to redesigning cross-sector ecosystems, this conversation offers a roadmap for aligning our systems with the true science of child development.

In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie is joined by Merle McGee and Chandanie Orgias to explore how joyful, everyday gatherings can rebuild trust, spark civic imagination, and turn neighbors into co-creators of a more caring democracy. Together, they discuss viewing democracy not as an abstract institution, but as a practice rooted in relationships, community care, and local connection. From hosting block parties to utilizing Everyday Democracy’s 250-year civic imagination toolkit, this conversation offers an inspiring roadmap for taking relational risks, embracing differences, and building a future worth living in.

In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie is joined by Chip Conley, author, hospitality pioneer, and founder of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA). Together, they explore treating your 40s, 50s, and 60s (and beyond) as the start of a vibrant "second adulthood." Chip reveals how pairing wisdom with a "wise beginner's" mind creates room for personal flourishing and impact. From navigating burnout to unlocking leadership through vulnerability, humor, and play, this conversation offers a roadmap for opening your aperture and redefining how we age, lead, and love life in the long haul.

In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie is joined by Brian Schaefer, a cultural journalist, former dance critic, and author of the debut novel Town & Country. Together, they explore the playful and nonlinear path from dance floors and arts journalism to creative writing, revealing how movement, rhythm, and play inform the craft of storytelling. Brian shares how a part-time Hudson Valley neighbor spent six years refining a multi-draft novel set in a swing district town, offering deep insights on writing across lines of difference, navigating the ethics of place and community, and treating the first draft as raw material to unlock authentic, compassionate narrative journeys.

In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie is joined by JD Schramm, an expert in communication and storytelling for nonprofit and philanthropic leaders. Together, they explore how to turn typical "we’re so busy" organizational updates into unforgettable narrative journeys that actually move people to care, give, and get involved. JD shares practical storytelling frameworks, vivid examples, and the essential mindset shifts required to inspire genuine action without slipping into manipulation or "charity porn."

In this special episode of The PlayFull Podcast, we’re revisiting a conversation between Kristine Michie and Nikki Dinh, Iman Mills Gordon, and Ericka Stallings from the Leadership Learning Community (LLC). Together, they explore the shift from standard equity work toward a deeper vision of liberatory leadership—moving past making unjust systems better to building ones that are truly life-giving and just. Part of the YTD – Best of 2026 series, the episode highlights LLC’s focus on network-building and collective learning, sharing how joy, play, and community care sustain leaders on the journey toward collective liberation.

In this special episode of The PlayFull Podcast, we’re revisiting a powerful conversation between Kristine Michie and equity and workplace strategist Aparna Rae. Together, they unpack the systemic issues shaping modern work, from normalized burnout to the ways workplaces condition people to accept hierarchy and surveillance. Exposing the contradictions within philanthropy and "progressive" spaces, this feature from the YTD – Best of 2026 series highlights collective action and reimagining labor to discover joy as a byproduct of real systemic change.

In this rewind episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie speaks with Center for Effective Philanthropy CEO Phil Buchanan about how trust-based philanthropy, moral responsibility, and resilience support the nonprofit sector. They discuss challenges like funding cuts and rising demand, and the need for intentional donor investment in both people and programs. Part of the YTD – Best of 2026 series, the episode highlights how joy and determination can sustain meaningful systems change.

In this special episode of The PlayFull Podcast, we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes. Kristine Michie sits down with poet, lawyer, and advocate Reginald Dwayne Betts to explore how joy, words, and access to stories fuel liberation and resilience in social justice work. From his MacArthur Fellowship to Freedom Reads (the nonprofit he started that brings brand new “Freedom Edition” books and custom bookcases into prisons), Betts invites listeners to rethink how language, joy, and serious work intertwine. Part of our YTD - Best of 2026 series, this episode underscores how imagination and care can reshape systems and sustain movement building.

In this episode, Kristine speaks with philanthropist Philip Eubanks and grantee Saul Levin about how disruptive, nonviolent climate protests are reshaping activism. From throwing soup on artworks to halting data center projects, they discuss how organizers, funders, and communities are using imagination, research, and courage to shift the Overton window on climate action.

In this episode, Kristine talks to Jeremiah Lee and Evan Prodromou of the Interledger Foundation and Social Web Foundation to explore how to shift power away from gatekeeper platforms and toward creators and communities. Diving deep into the intersection of technology, equity, and global access, they emphasize how every small, intentional choice online can add up to big shifts in autonomy. They delve into how “web monetization” creates a middle path between invasive ads and subscription fatigue, why open social networks protect creator-audience relationships, and why distributing digital economic power globally is a radical step toward financial inclusion for everyone.

In Part 2 of Kristine’s conversation with Shawn Dove, founder of the Corporation for Black Male Achievement and Managing Partner at New Profit, they explore how a simple invitation to play can spark a national movement that reshapes lives, systems, and stories. Diving deep into the intersection of play, imagination, and philanthropy, Shawn emphasizes how trust—both trusting oneself and extending “unrestricted trust capital” — fuels a lifelong mission. They delve into Shawn’s work with the My Brother's Keeper initiative, how focusing on proximity rather than problems can revolutionize grant-making, and why sharing honest stories of struggle and recovery is a radical act of love that reminds us our final chapters have not yet been written.

In Part 1 of this 2-part episode, Kristine Michie sits down with Shawn Dove, an emerging elder leader and champion of Black Male Achievement, to discuss what it takes to unfreeze joy, imagination, and leadership. Shawn shares how his journey, from a childhood game of freeze tag to maintaining 37 years of sobriety after overcoming deep personal despair, led to a breakthrough realization: joy and imagination are not luxuries, but essential tools of resistance that can unfreeze those trapped by depression, racism, and isolation. They delve into how leaders can use games and play as activators for social justice, the importance of marginalized communities becoming masters of their own media to shift cultural narratives, and why embracing elderhood offers a vital framework for intentional, intergenerational "refirement".

In this episode, Kristine Michie sits down with Dani Klein Modisett, Founder and CEO of Laughter On Call, to discuss the profound ROI of Laughter. Dani shares how her journey, from stand-up comedian to Alzheimer’s caregiver, led to a breakthrough realization: humor is a bridge that can cross even the widest gaps of isolation and cognitive decline. They delve into how leaders can use "intentional laughter" to lower team stress, the importance of authenticity over "being funny," and why joy is a radical act of endurance in the face of hardship.

In this episode, Kristine Michie speaks with Tracee Worley, a futurist and experience designer, about how imagination helps people and communities navigate uncertainty and shape the future. They explore the growing economic influence of women, the impact it could have on leadership and funding, and Tracee’s work creating “artifacts from the future” through projects like “Letters from the Future” and Seneca Falls 2048. The conversation also touches on play, community trust, and why imagination is a practical, collective tool for building what comes next.

In this episode, Kristine Michie speaks with Rimga Viskanta, a civic leader and public sector professional with experience in local government, sustainability, and education, about how meaningful civic progress is built through collaboration rather than division. They explore the gap between campaigning and governing, where politics rewards loud messaging but effective leadership depends on listening, evaluating ideas on their merit, and finding shared values across differences. Rimga also reflects on how local action, like city-level environmental initiatives, can ground people emotionally while shaping broader policy, and highlights the vital role of public servants in turning vision into practical results when trusted to do so. At its core, the conversation points to a quieter form of leadership rooted in bridge-building, shared purpose, and sustainable community impact.

In this episode, Kristine Michie speaks with Hector Mujica, a Venezuelan American running for U.S. Senate in Florida. They explore how community, play, and ethical technology can shape civic life. Hector frames today’s challenges as overlapping inflection points—democratic, social, economic, and technological—and argues that leadership must meet these moments with both vision and practical solutions.

Through stories of his upbringing in a faith-centered, service-oriented home and his work at Google.org, Hector demonstrates how joy, connection, and shared human experiences can rebuild trust, bridge divides, and prepare Americans for the next technological era. He discusses the critical role of AI guardrails, workforce preparation, economic safety nets, voter access, and government accountability in ensuring opportunity and equity.

At its heart, this conversation invites listeners to reimagine civic engagement as a practice of human connection, collective responsibility, and proactive leadership.

In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie speaks with congressional candidate Michael Roth about why he’s running for Congress—and why play, trust, and people-powered leadership matter in politics right now. Drawing from decades of work supporting small businesses and economic opportunity, Michael reflects on what it means to rebuild public systems that actually serve working families, how concentrated power drains joy and voice from civic life, and why storytelling, transparency, and authentic connection are essential for restoring trust in government. Together, they explore how reinvention—not restoration—can open space for hope, agency, and shared responsibility.