The Recess Life with Louise Wo

Holy moly, where has the year gone? I jump on the mic to say hello and share a quick life update. I talk about what I am learning in this season of life and what this might mean for the future of the podcast. (Hint: the topics of lifelong play and creativity isn’t going anywhere!) Have an amazing end of 2021 and happy new year! For the shownotes from this episode visit http://louisepanwo.com/s4e9. You can also follow us on Instagram @therecesslife. If you enjoyed this episode please share this with a friend and give us a review on iTunes!

We are starting 2021 with more tensions than ever. What is it going to take to bring us together from all across the different spectrums? Could play be the answer? In this episode I speak with Jeff Harry, positive psychology coach, speaker, workshop facilitator and my favorite person to collaborate with on TikTok! We discuss the choice between understanding and being right and the power of play to heal our divisions. We talk about what Jeff has learned about how play can change the world through everything from consulting for companies like Google and Facebook to being a black man. In this episode we talk about: For more on Jeff and the shownotes from this episode visit http://louisepanwo.com/s4e8. You can also follow us on Instagram @therecesslife. If you enjoyed this episode please share this with a friend and give us a review on iTunes! *Content Warning: This episode contains a slur word that refers to black people that is shared in the context of a story from Jeff's past (46:50 - 47:15).

When Shawnrey Notto describes embodiment, it sounds like it has a lot in common with play: engaging the senses, feeling fully alive, savoring every moment. Yet most of us understand play as a concept way more than embodiment. In this episode, I speak with Shawnrey, a sex and intimacy coach and dancer about how embodiment and play are interconnected and how both are key to feeling fully alive. How can we feel good when a lot of our worldly pleasures have been stripped away from the pandemic? Embodiment might just be the answer. In this episode we talk about: For more on Shawnrey and this episode's shownotes visit louisepanwo.com/s4e7. You can also follow us on Instagram @therecesslife. If you enjoyed this episode please share this with a friend and give us a review on iTunes!

Thanksgiving is upon us and some of us are having trouble finding gratitude this year. I don't blame you AT ALL. It would be easy to brush off finding gratitude as a silly tradition and one that is unnecessary this year but I want to offer a different perspective. In this episode I share some science and studies on the importance of gratitude and a different way to approach it than your daily "5 Things to be Grateful for" list. I help you to think of gratitude as a fun playful activity and where to find the opportunities in our constraints this holiday season. For shownotes: louisepanwo.com/s4e6

Right now it's easy to look around and wonder if our country can get to a place of collective joy. In this expansive conversation with Emmy award-winning creative director, author and speaker, Gwen Gordon, we talk about how play and joy is the foundation for the world we want to create. The transformation starts with a belief of safety, love and connection. Get ready for a heart-warming and beautifully challenging episode. In this conversation We talk about For more on Gwen visit louisepanwo.com/s4e5. You can also follow us on Instagram @therecesslife. If you enjoyed this episode please share this with a friend and give us a review on iTunes!

In 2004, William Hung was thrust into the limelight with the American Idol audition heard around the world. His famous rendition of "She Bangs" by Ricky Martin received attention that ranged from praise to ridicule. I talked to William about his journey from his American Idol audition and beyond and how he has maintained a positive playful spirit in the process. We discuss embracing the uncertainty of following your curiosity and his current transition to move back in to the public spotlight. In this conversation We talk about **** Follow The Recess Life on Instagram @therecesslife. If you enjoyed this episode share it with a friend and leave us a 5 star review!

Falls are the leading cause of death for seniors aged 65+. Of those seniors that survive a fall a majority of them will never live independently. That is a scary statistic that Stephen Jepson decided he would do something about. Stephen is the creator of Never Leave the Playground, where he teaches his philosophy of lifetime activity and play. At 80 years old he can juggle, tight rope walk and ride a unicycle. That's just scratching the surface of what he can do! He believes these activities will change everyone's lives, not just seniors, to live a long, healthy and playful life. In this conversation we talk about

As an immigrant and refugee the last thing on your mind would likely be anything creative and playful. For Chinese-Vietnamese immigrants Paul and Millie Cao, this was their story until a few years ago. The documentary short Walk Run Cha Cha explores their story of fleeing Vietnam and how they are reinventing themselves now through ballroom dance. In this episode, I spoke with Laura Nix, the Oscar-nominated director of Walk Run Cha Cha about her process in creating the film and the themes she explored around dance, immigration and reinvention in middle-age. We talked about how creating the film changed Laura as a person and filmmaker, the motivation behind a creative pursuit, why the freedom to be playful and creative is not a given for everyone and the reality of a career in the arts. I also talked about how Paul and Mille's story relates to my parents' story of being immigrants and refugees. Follow @therecesslife and subscribe to the newsletter at louisepanwo.com/subscribe

You are born to dance. Yes, you. Think about it. As babies we wiggle about and giggle when we hear music that piques our curiosity. No one teaches us how to do that - we just know! So why do we grow up and become balls of anxiety when we see a dance floor? Dr. Peter Lovatt's work in dance and psychology explores that question. He is a former professional dancer, psychologist, author and keynote speaker who is leading the way for us to look at dance differently in our culture. We had a wonderful conversation that expanded beyond dance and into the way creativity and the arts are valued in education and our society. If I ever feel guilty for having a solo dance party in my room I will listen to this conversation to remind myself again that I am just doing what I was born to do. In this conversation We talk about

We are back with part two of the conversation with Alison Calhoun. In this episode we tackle our perspectives on coronavirus and break down her Facebook post: "When you stand up for something you believe in and people don't like it you've officially detached yourself from the chains of approval. Feels darn good. Keeping abortion clinics open as an essential business during a pandemic that threatens the lives of the vulnerable is the biggest double standard on the face of this planet. Please don't tell me this shutdown is a good idea because it saves lives and then fund the killing of unborn babies (Yes I realize you can't "catch" an abortion but you darn well can support it...making it a pandemic) You've lost my trust. You've lost credibility. You've raised many eyebrows as to what the agenda is behind this virus. This is why I have not and will not trust your numbers and the rigging of them. Good day! (Insert an image of me skipping away)" In this conversation We talk about At the end of the episode I reflect on my own learnings from the conversation and share my tips for what you can do if you choose to have a conversation like this. I share how I think this conversation relates to play. Use what I've learned to your advantage to have more polarizing and challenging conversations.

A few weeks ago I came across a Facebook post that shook me. It was written by my former high school bible study leader and it stated the following: "When you stand up for something you believe in and people don't like it you've officially detached yourself from the chains of approval. Feels darn good. Keeping abortion clinics open as an essential business during a pandemic that threatens the lives of the vulnerable is the biggest double standard on the face of this planet. Please don't tell me this shutdown is a good idea because it saves lives and then fund the killing of unborn babies (Yes I realize you can't "catch" an abortion but you darn well can support it...making it a pandemic) You've lost my trust. You've lost credibility. You've raised many eyebrows as to what the agenda is behind this virus. This is why I have not and will not trust your numbers and the rigging of them. Good day! (Insert an image of me skipping away)" Long story short: I decided to reach out to her and propose that we have a conversation in the spirit of understanding...and that we do some play-based activities to start us off on the right foot. This is part one of that conversation. We talked about: our shared past, what our lives look like today, Christianity and how we have changed since we knew each other 20 years ago. Stay tuned for next week's episode when we get into our thoughts and beliefs around COVID-19! For full shownotes: http://louisepanwo.com/s3e7

SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it's really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can't take creative classes or laugh with our friends in real life. I have struggled to talk about play in my typical way so I turned to the creative people in my world to learn how they are dealing with time. How has this crisis affected their creativity? How are they rethinking play during this time? What have they learned about themselves that can be relevant to us? In this conversation

SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it's really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can't take creative classes or laugh with our friends in real life. I have struggled to talk about play in my typical way so I turned to the creative people in my world to learn how they are dealing with time. How has this crisis affected their creativity? How are they rethinking play during this time? What have they learned about themselves that can be relevant to us? In this conversation

SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times ************* We are in a time where it's really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can't take creative classes or laugh with our friends in real life. I have struggled to talk about play in my typical way so I turned to the creative people in my world to learn how they are dealing with time. How has this crisis affected their creativity? How are they rethinking play during this time? What have they learned about themselves that can be relevant to us? In this conversation I chat with my friend, Chris Luecke, the host of two podcasts: Manufacturing Happy Hour and Pubcast Worldwide. We talk about how he has chosen to step up as a connector for the manufacturing community and how he is playfully using his qualities as an extrovert for good. We even get a surprise performance with him dressed up in character! For shownotes: https://louisepanwo.com/s3e4/

SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS: Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times We are in a time where it's really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can't take creative classes or laugh with our friends in real life. I have struggled to talk about play in my typical way so I turned to the creative people in my world to learn how they are dealing with time. How has this crisis affected their creativity? How are they rethinking play during this time? What have they learned about themselves that can be relevant to us? In this conversation Go Inspire Go.

**SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS*** Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times: We are in a time where it's really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can't take creative classes or laugh with our friends in real life. I have struggled to talk about play in my typical way so I turned to the creative people in my world to learn how they are dealing with time. How has this crisis affected their creativity? How are they rethinking play during this time? What have they learned about themselves that can be relevant to us? ******** In this conversation I chat with my dear friend and dance teacher, Dexandro Montalvo. Dexandro is an award-winning choreographer and dance teacher in the Bay Area. He shared the perspective of how this crisis is affecting artists, particularly dancers who depend on contracts with dance companies to make a living. We talked about how this crisis is affecting the arts, finding ways to not quit, how urgent situations can help in affirming your purpose and much more. For more information on Dexandro: https://instagram.com/D_montalvo http://dexandromontalvo.com/

**SPECIAL SERIES INSPIRED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS*** Play and Creativity in Uncertain Times: We are in a time where it's really hard to think about play and creativity in the conventional ways. Performance venues, movie theaters, events, TV and movie productions are all shut down. We can't take creative classes or laugh with our friends in real life. I have struggled to talk about play in my typical way so I turned to the creative people in my world to learn how they are dealing with time. How has this crisis affected their creativity? How are they rethinking play during this time? What have they learned about themselves that can be relevant to us? ******** In this conversation I chat with my good friend Sheree Trask. Sheree is a storyteller, writer, book coach to spiritual leaders and the creator of The Storyteller's System. How is she dealing with clients putting their books on pause? How does she think about storytelling in this unprecedented time? What is this creative soul doing with this pause? For more information on Sheree: https://instagram.com/shereetrask https://shereetrask.com/

When you get to be in your mid-50's what do you imagine your life will look like? Will you be excited to be closer to retirement so that you can finally sit around and watch re-runs of The Office? Will you look back and regret not having followed your heart and lived the life that you truly desire? 57-year old Paula Ayotte is not doing any of those things. A few months ago she quit her job as a marine scientist and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a dancer (after not training for 20+ years). She has since appeared on The Ellen Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show and booked a number of modeling and commercial gigs. She is working harder than she ever has but is joyfully living a life of play. If you have ever said that you are too old to follow your dreams, try that hobby, put yourself out there or PLAY in any way. this episode is for you! We talk about:

A few years ago, Charlie Hoehn had achieved his biggest career milestone: organizing best-selling author Tim Ferris' Opening the Kimono book seminar. He had a dream job of being Tim's righthand man. His life should have been perfect...yet something was clearly wrong. Upon completion of Opening the Kimono, Charlie woke up and couldn't breathe or think straight; his hands were shaking and he felt like he was on the verge of a heart attack. What followed was months of anxiety and debilitating stress that led him to leave his job working for Tim. Statistics around burnout and exhaustion are becoming more alarming by the day. The World Health Organization now includes burnout in the 11th Revision of the International Classification as of Diseases as an occupational phenomenon. To say Charlie was burned out is an understatement. Charlie set out on a journey to heal his anxiety and get back to himself. Meditation. Psychedelics. Therapy. Courses. Volunteering. Nothing worked except for one thing. Play.

Antoine Joyce grew up poor in Brooklyn, New York and much of what he knew about life was within a five radius block. He was smart and outgoing but once he was placed in a predominantly white school, he felt insecure and started failing classes. One day he stumbled upon his cousins practicing a dance for a talent show. Jokingly he said, "Oh, I can do that too" and he imitated their movements. Before he knew it he was performing at an All Stars Project talent show. A few years later he was flying first-class around the world producing DJ Grandmaster Flash's shows. These days Antoine is the city leader for the Dallas chapter of the All Stars Project, the organization that helped him see that a life was possible beyonds the five block radius in Brooklyn. The All Stars Project uses performance and play-based programs to transform the lives of youth in poor communities. He is helping next generation of poor youth to see bigger possibilities for themselves. We talk about: