Play It Forward, A Wearthy Podcast

In Season 2, Episode 9 of Play it Forward Lukas has a super play-focused chat to award-winning architect Natalia Krysiak. Natalia specialises in the design of child-oriented and community environments focusing on health and well-being, has published a tonne of research, spoken on stages across the globe and founded ‘Cities for Play’ which aims to inspire and promote strategies for playful cities....

In Season 2, Episode 8 of Play it Forward Lukas sits down with playwork evangelist and film-maker, Erin Davis. Erin directed and produced the incredible short documentary, The Land, a film about adventure play that’s been affectionately described as “a horror film for hover parents”. She is also a producer on the Playwork podcast, she’s a mum, and the Wearthy team think she’s awesome! In this play...

Richard Louv was the name on our podcast guest list we were dreaming of since we launched Play it Forward in 2019. For us, there is no one who has brought more attention to the problem we face with children spending so little time outdoors. Richard is a journalist and author of many titles, including Last Child in the Woods, Vitamin N and Our Wild Calling. His books have helped launch an internati...

In Season 2, Episode 6 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to one of the UK’s biggest advocates for getting more kids outside, Matt Robinson. Matt is the Scotland Director of Learning Through Landscapes, a UK charity that promotes children's outdoor learning and play through improved use of school playgrounds. In this highly informative episode, Lukas and Matt talk about how education and the outdoors...

Season 2 of Play it Forward is getting more inspiring with every episode! In this delightful conversation between two parents, Lukas has a beautiful chat with Dr Kaylene Henderson. Kaylene is a medically trained child health specialist and one of Australia’s leading parenting experts. Their paths first crossed earlier this year as contributing authors of the Parent TV book, “Parents, this is the o...

Lukas welcomes back into the studio, the glorious Dr Claire Warden for another in depth chat about kids and nature. Claire loves nature, she advocates for children spending more time in it and she is just the kindest lady! Claire is also the Founder of Scotland’s first nature kindergarten, she leads the debate on outdoor play and outdoor learning, she is the author of many books on learning throug...

In Season 2, Episode 3 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes Principal of Berrinba East State School, Super Steve Kanowski into the studio for a deeply inspiring chat about Steve’s unique approach to education. During a time when many people were practicing caution within the community, he decided to be brave by implementing outdoor learning and loose parts play - the results were incredible. As a le...

In Season 2, Episode 2 of Play it Forward, Lukas invites his partner in play and Wearthy Co-founder, Vanessa Ritson to co-host a really special episode with the luminous Dr Vanessa LaPointe. Dr Vanessa is a mum, registered psychologist, parenting educator, best-selling author, international speaker, and a regularly invited media guest. Her passion is in walking alongside parents, teachers, care pr...

To kick off Episode 1 Season 2 of Play it Forward, Lukas co-hosts with Wearthy Landscape Architect Dan Rimes as they welcome the remarkable Tim Gill into the studio. Tim has a master’s degree in psychology, he is the director of Play England, an author, independent scholar, advocate and consultant on childhood, and his work cuts across public policy, education, urban design, and play-work. Tim has...

In our final episode of Play it Forward for 2020, Lukas speaks to one of the greatest leaders in childhood development research, Dr Peter Gray. Peter is the author of Free to Learn, has written many articles for Psychology Today and is a research professor of psychology at Boston College. We wanted our last episode for the year to be a special one, and this didn’t disappoint! Lukas and Peter talk...

In episode 26 of Play it Forward, Lukas connects with playground designer Cody Goldberg over in Portland, Oregon. Cody started out working in the mailroom at ADIDAS, moved his way up through the ranks and is now running the incredible non-profit Harper’s Playground, building inclusive playgrounds and changing the lives of children every day. Cody’s story is a heartfelt reminder that all children d...

In Episode 25 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the creative goddess Emmaline Carroll Southwell. Melbourne native and mama of 3 with a background in acting, Emma recently landed a book deal from a viral TikTok video about her special family mission statement. Lukas and Emma talk about how her home-schooling lockdown experience turned into a creative journey of hope, challenge, imagination and pla...

In Episode 24 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the insightful Allison Davies about how our brains dictate our behaviours. Alli is a Neurologic Music Therapist, Educator, incredible storyteller and mama of two based in Tasmania. She runs a private music therapy practice centred around the areas of early childhood intervention, special educational needs, autism spectrum disorder, juvenile detentio...

In Episode 23 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes the inspirational Claire Warden into the studio! Claire is the Queen of Nature Pedagogy with so much valuable insight and experience in strengthening children’s relationship with nature. Claire is an author, lecturer and consultant across the globe with her own nature kindergarten’s in Perth and Kinross in Scotland. She also runs an incredibly exten...

In Episode 22 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the incredible Dr. Mariana Brussoni. Mariana is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and an investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit. Mariana also conducts res...

In Episode 21 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes fellow playground designer Rusty Keeler into the studio. Inspired by European Steiner schools and wanting to give children the adventure of free play, Rusty is an established designer, artist, author, and international mover and shaker on the childhood scene for the past 30 years. Lukas and Rusty talk about changing our external environment to adjus...

A milestone podcast episode (20!!) with a milestone guest. Lukas met Adam Bienenstock at the Children & Nature Network Conference in California 2019 and they hit it off instantly. As a Playground Designer and general funny guy, Adam does incredible work with getting children into nature. Adam is one of Lukas’s greatest inspirations and mentors. In this long distance catch up over a drink, Adam sha...

In Episode 19 of Play it Forward, Lukas invites Brent Stokes into the studio for an informed and passionate conversation about the early education sector in Australia. Brent is the GM of the Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland, a not-for-profit member funded organisation that acts as the voice for over 850 early learning services, employing approximately 14,000 early childhood educators. Luka...

In Episode 18 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes a familiar face into the studio, sustainability expert and children’s advocate Heather Kerr. Heather has over four decades of early childhood education experience and wears many hats at Melbourne community-run family and children’s centre Bubup Womindjeka. Heather is a proactive driving force in bringing more sustainability to children’s and educato...

In Episode 17 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes nature play hero and lovely human Daniel Burton into the studio for an inspiring chat about children in nature. Daniel is the Co-Founder of Educated by Nature and he lives and breathes being a nature connection mentor to children, parents and educators across WA and the globe. They delve into rites of passage, nature/community/self connection, choos...

In Episode 16 of Play it Forward, the delightful Angela Hanscom joins Lukas in a discussion about rich sensory outdoor play. Angela is the Founder of Timbernook, a global outdoor play organisation that inspires and challenges children through meaningful play. She has a background in Paediatric Occupational Therapy, is the author of Balanced and Barefoot and her TedTalk is a must-see for anyone pas...

In Episode 15 of Play it Forward, Lukas connects with childhood risk advocate Griffin Longley. Griff is the CEO of Nature Play Australia, an award-winning journalist and has graced many local and international stages including TEDxPerth. Lukas and Griff dive into the importance of childhood risk, the primitive brain, cortisol in a digital world, parental objectives and the fear response, actively...

In Episode 14 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the incredible Teacher Tom over in Seattle. Teacher Tom is one of the world’s leading early educators and his advocacy for children’s right to play and take ownership of their own childhood experience, is admired and inspired by so many in the sector. In an episode you could listen to over and over again, Lukas and Teacher Tom talk about cooperative...

In a slightly different episode of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes our youngest guest into the studio – 11-year-old Miss Violet Reed. In our 13th episode, Lukas wanted to hear from a child instead of talking on their behalf. Violet and Lukas discuss the fixed mindsets of children versus using imagination, learning by mistakes, creativity in the playground, loose parts and how adults can give child...

In episode 12 of Play it Forward, Lukas invites the charismatic Nathan Wallis into the studio to chat about early childhood development and answer some questions from parents and educators. Nathan is a renowned neuroscience educator from New Zealand with an amazing ability to translate language heavily influenced by science into a conversational, simple context. Lukas and Nathan delve into the fir...