The Playful Way : Creativity, Connection, and Joy Through Everyday Moments of Play

***A Next Big Idea Book Club Must Read***Playfulness can help you navigate life with more creativity, resilience, and joy—entrepreneur Piera Gelardi offers simple practices and radical permission to shift from the Pressured Way to the Playful Way. Somewhere along the way to adulthood, we learned that play is frivolous. Childish. Something to outgrow. We treat it like a reward we have to earn, separate from our "real" lives. But denying our playfulness has a cost—it leaves us feeling drained and disconnected. We rely on pressure and perfectionism, trying to force outcomes, wondering why nothing feels fun anymore. There's another way. In The Playful Way, creative entrepreneur Piera Gelardi shows how to shift from the Pressured Way—clenching, forcing, white-knuckling through life—to the Playful Way, where you move through the world with fluidity, curiosity, and aliveness. For Gelardi—who has built iconic brands, created daring experiences, and consistently put herself out there in bold, creative ways—play has never been frivolous. It was how she made sense of the world. As an adult, she realized that what she'd called burnout or creative block was really a disconnection from play—and that returning to it helped her feel alive again. Through intimate stories, research, and accessible practices, you'll discover how to: quiet the inner critics that restrict your playfulnessunlock the Eight Powers of Playembrace a mindset that transforms how you navigate challenges, deepen connections, and find joy in everyday moments The Playful Way is your guide to living with more whimsy, wonder, and possibility—through both the light moments and the tough ones. Because when you embrace playfulness, you don't have to go play. Play comes with you everywhere.