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Joy is a muscle. And like any muscle, it strengthens with practice.
Lately, I've been thinking about how we treat happiness as something that "happens" to us instead of something we build. But neuroscience tells a different story. The brain adapts. It learns. It rewires itself based on what we repeat, and play is the most powerful repetition of all.
Laughter and creativity activate neural pathways that anchor calm and reshape emotional patterns once dominated by stress. Over time, these playful moments become protective—your brain's own buffer against burnout and negativity.
This week is a reminder that joy is a biological necessity. Through play, we're rewiring for the better. Let's explore how positivity stops being an effort and starts becoming your brain's new default!
#375: Pressure Is a Privilege: Finding Positivity in the Chaos
In episode 375, Paul and I dive into the raw power needed to overcome the brain's negativity bias—vulnerability.
We explore why societal pressure and "dad guilt" keep us trapped in negative loops, and discuss the freedom that comes from dropping the façade and valuing reality over perception. We asked the critical question: Is it better to generate more positive thoughts or reduce the negative ones?
The energy in this one is matched with practical wins, plus a recap of our energising corporate workshop that brought connection and play-based leadership to 240 electricians.
If you're ready to share your truth and cultivate presence, this episode is for you. Listen here!
Find out your unique play-based leadership style by taking the "Play Profile" Quiz mentioned in the episode!
Daily Mission Cards
When joy is practised with intention, the brain shifts toward gratitude and creative openness.
Today’s mission: create a short poem, rhyme, or story of appreciation inspired by what you can see, hear, or feel right now. It could be about the way sunlight moves across the floor, the sound of a friend’s laugh, or the rhythm of your own heartbeat. Let those small, ordinary details become your muse!
Use this mission as part of a daily rhythm—a few minutes of morning gratitude, a midday reset, and a minute of evening reflection. You’re training to look for beauty and to make joy an active habit rather than a fleeting feeling. Over time, it balances stress and makes optimism feel second nature.
Ready to turn everyday moments into joyful brain rewiring? Explore the Creative Play & Movement Daily Mission Cards and discover 50 playful ways to build joy and creativity!
Wheel of Fortune Wellness
Our brains are quick to label effort as stress. “This is too hard.” That mindset drains motivation before we even start. The solution? Create a space to reframe effort and teach the brain that movement turns struggle into energy.
This game is a full-body proof that resilience is learned through movement.
How to play: Set up ten stations, each pairing a quick workout (like squats or lunges) with a reflection or gratitude prompt. Players move around the circle, roll the dice, and complete each activity with gratitude squats, self-love push-ups, empathy planks, and more!
This is cognitive training disguised as fun. It delivers the same brain-boosting benefits as a workout: building grit and positivity. The more we pair effort with joy, the faster our brains learn that challenge doesn’t have to mean threat. It can mean growth.
Join Jugar Life Play Portal and discover playful wellness games that strengthen hearts, minds, and communities!
Andy McNeilly – Building Connected Relationships – At Home School and the Workplace
It's difficult to build deep bonds in a distracted home or workplace. Social play and connection are vital for a joyful brain, but how do we stop the distractions from eroding these relationships?
Join Andy McNeilly as he provides the blueprint for lasting connection. Andy's work centres on the essential principles of play-based environmental design. He will share practical strategies from his decades of experience to foster the deeply-rooted relationships that boost well-being and fuel emotional learning. This course moves beyond hoping for connection and provides the practical tools for actively designing for it.
Parents, educators, and leaders, sign up and watch this webinar to learn how to design environments that make positive, resilient relationships the default!
Next Generation Leadership at Geelong College
What a powerful session we had with all the Year 11 House Captains and Leadership Captains at The Geelong College! Our entire focus was transformational: Connection before content. People before pressure. Play before perfection.
We spent the morning giving these emerging leaders the tools and frameworks to lead with confidence, courage, and heart. They explored what Play-Based Leadership looks like in action, from setting the tone in House meetings to creating safe, joyful spaces for their peers.
If it was anything to go by, 2026 is going to be an incredibly strong year for student leadership at Geelong College. Connection, Safety, Belonging—these legends are already living it!
Join us on this global journey of joy and connection! If you want to bring The School of Play to your community, fill out the form here ➡
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