The PlayFull Podcast with Kristine Michie: Bringing Fun to the Serious Work of Changing the World

In this episode: Is retirement the ultimate form of play? Today’s guest, Carmela Castellano, shares with us her 30-year professional journey in the change sector, the lessons she learned from Folklórico dancing from a young age, and how she is continuing to use those lessons of hard work and having fun in retirement. She shares great insights no matter what stage of your professional life you are...

In this episode: One of our field’s leading voices shares lessons, laughs, and a few good books that have sustained her during her 50-year career as a changemaker. More interested in playful execution than serious (but hollow) pronouncements, Clara challenges us to “lose track of time” as we seek creative solutions to complex problems.   Listen in as Kristine and Clara discuss: Key Takea...

In this exciting episode, Kristine is on-site for the first time at Piropo Flowers in Hudson Yards in New York City! Listen in for a great conversation about how Serbio uses flowers, beauty, and play to spark change in his community and in the world.  Listen in as Kristine and Serbio discuss: Key Takeaways: "Give more flowers, there’s never a bad moment, even in spaces for yourself." — Serbio...

Dedicating your life to serving others is admirable, but Kathleen Enright takes it to the next level. She serves those who serve! As the CEO of the Council on Foundations and an alumna of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and Board Source, she was building a career centered on trust-based philanthropy long before it became a trend. Listen in to learn from Kathleen's impactful journey and how...

In this episode: We hear from Jess Yupanqui Feingold, Sandhya Nakhasi, and Jennifer Njuguna, the Co-CEOs of Common Future discuss their trifecta for impact! Listen in as Kristine, Jess, Jen, and Sandhya discuss: Key Takeaways: "Everyone has a role to play. We all have an individual power, regardless of where we are situated, and also a collective power. Tap into that. Tap into the play and hope to...

Listen in as Kristine and Sarah discuss: Why New York is the world’s ultimate playground Philanthropy, playfulness, and promoting gender equity around the world with women at the center How joy improves giving – Sarah says: “Philanthropy is joy, and no number of zeroes are required” Why every problem is a woman’s problem and every solution needs a woman’s touch – as Sarah says, “inspire and encour...

In this episode: Meet Marla Bilonick, CEO of the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) Listen in as Kristine and Marla discuss: Key Takeaways: "The more each of us, as individuals, plug in, in big and small ways, the world will be so much better for it." — Marla Bilonick About Marla Bilonick: Marla Bilonick is CEO of the National Association of Latino Community Asset Bui...

In this episode: We meet David Risher, the CEO of Lyft. It is a great conversation full of play (including David balancing spoons!) and a delicious double scoop from David about why playfulness in leadership is easier at Lyft, and his attraction to the company due to their social mission.  Listen in as Kristine and David discuss: Key Takeaways: "It’s really important that you live your life t...

Like lots of nonprofit executives, there was a time when Nick Tedesco could only dream about being on the other side of the philanthropy table. Then he got a call from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and everything changed. But surprisingly, not in the way you might think. Tapped with helping launch the audacious and ambitious Giving Pledge (wherein billionaires pledge to give away most o...

Running the world’s largest B-Corp travel company with a leadership style he calls “casual intensity,” Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton fully embodies our mission at The PlayFull Podcast mission. Bringing fun to the serious work of changing (and exploring!) the world, Intrepid offers customers a chance to plan eco-friendly travel that prioritizes authentic local experiences and reduced climate i...

When today’s guest, Radhy Miranda, went to work at The Rockefeller Foundation, one of philanthropy’s biggest brands, he rightfully knew it would be very satisfying.  But not for the reason you might think. As he reveals in this week’s episode, it’s not because he “gets to say ‘yes’ all the time.”  Instead, it’s because he gets to find great partners and lift them up.  Radhy, who man...

Some people find solace gazing at the sea. For others, it’s livelihood or life itself.  For this week’s guest, it is all those things – and more. Meet Stewart Sarkozy Banosy, Obama Administration alum, longtime climate activist, and Acting Executive Director of the Ocean Sewage Alliance. Listen in as we discuss how our stewardship of the planet demands great attention to the 71% of its s...

As a kid, he was inspired by weekend trips to the park and episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy.  As a Gen Y influencer of massive consequence, Isaias Hernandez aka Queer Brown Vegan, is activated by everything from the United States Patent & Trademark Office to the surprising fungi he finds while foraging in urban sprawl.  Dive into an episode with prescriptions for saving Mother Ea...

9/11. Stories about those for whom September 11 was a fork in the road are many. Gregg Bishop is the first changemaker I’ve met who reacted to that fateful day by leaving the corporate world for the nonprofit sector.   And aren’t we glad he did?!   This week’s episode gives us a peek into Gregg’s professional life, as Executive Director of the Brooklyn Social Justice Fund and philanthrop...

If you’re under 30 and worried about the state of the world, apologies! If you’re under 30 and working to fix what we’ve broken, thank you! And if this week’s guest, Addison Carey, is any indication of the passion, talent, and tenacity of next-gen changemakers, we have reason to hope. With no delineation between her personal and professional life when it comes to climate and social justice, Addiso...

That Daniel brought a chocolate-tasting board game to our recording session tells you everything you need to know about his love of play, double bottom-line businesses, and risk-taking entrepreneurs. The sweets came from Chocolate Sero , one of Alterna’s portfolio companies, receiving both capital and technical assistance as a member of their vast social enterprise network.  As we listened to...

From the Oval Office to the family dinner table, Salin Geevarghese knows how to read a room.  Like a stand-up comedian (he loves to laugh!), Salin’s ability to get a group to shared goals comes from his ability to gauge the vibe in a room and tap into the magic that lies just below the surface. In 2+ decades in the change sector, Salin has done this as a Presidential advisor, Senior Policy Fe...

Small Business Robin Hood Having built a career in banking, Jenny Flores knows a thing or two about money.  And as her work has been almost entirely focused on breaking down barriers to access, Jenny knows even more about how money harms or helps, depending on who’s holding it. As the Head of Small Business Growth Philanthropy for Wells Fargo, Jenny masterminded a plan that moved $420 million...

If acceptance is the first step in a recovery, Jen Risher believes talking is its near twin. Listen in as this week’s guest shares about her journey of becoming unexpectedly rich at a young age, and learning how to turn the surprising shame, embarrassment, and confusion that arose into a bold path of service and sharing with others. Through her book, We Need to Talk: A Memoir about Wealth, and her...

Orange boots and gumbo vie with activism in capital markets when the PlayFull Podcast welcomes its inaugural guest, PayPal’s Lisha Bell. On the episode, you’ll hear how a cartwheel turned Lisha’s personal and professional lives upside down during the Black Lives Matter summer of 2020, and ultimately led to a $100M corporate commitment from PayPal to entrepreneurs of color – that Lisha now oversees...

For starters, yes, you get free ice cream if you work for America’s beloved ice cream impact brand (5 pints/day to be exact).  There’s also a slide in the lobby. And meeting agendas are not complete without a featured “play break/” But even with all that – maybe because of all that – Alexa Harrison and her colleagues at Ben & Jerry’s take their work very seriously. Listen in as Alexa shar...

Whether it’s a night of ax throwing or concocting the best margarita, Layla Zaidane has seen the magic that can happen when lawmakers take a break from the rancor and have some fun together. And all the better if electeds are 40 and younger.. Listen in today to hear Layla Zaidane describe the solution that’s right in front of us when it comes to healing vast divides. She calls it finding the “thir...

To hear Glen Galaich tell it, the $365 million he’s charged with giving away can’t be gone fast enough.  Listen in as he shares about his role as CEO of The Stupski Foundation, a spend-down foundation whose wealth was built by the longtime president and COO of Charles Schwab, Larry Stupski.  Glen guides a team that is quickly but carefully giving away the entire fortune left by Larry and...

Drawing inspiration from her dad and her sons, Gail Becker started a food company to solve a primal need – hunger. From her dad, a Holocaust survivor, she remembered vividly his sharing that the most devastating consequence of his internment was the constant, gnawing hunger. The lesson from her sons was less tragic, but one she needed to solve nonetheless. Suffering from celiac disease, they were...

While many call today’s guest the father of play, Dr. Stuart Brown credits Aristotle and even our hunt-and-gather ancestors with first recognizing play as a way to get things done and make their world more livable. Nonetheless, modern play research (and inspiration for The PlayFull Podcast!) began with Dr. Brown who has been studying play for as long as this host has been alive!  His interest...