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

by Piera Gelardi

Audiobook narrated by the author.

Play can unlock your creativity and lead to innovation and success—creative director Piera Gelardi shows you how.

The demands of adulthood often cause us to view play as something child-like, silly, and ultimately separate from our real lives. In treating it like a luxury, we fail to experience the critical advantage that play offers us to lead whole, successful lives.

Play—a state of absorption in activities for enjoyment or exploration—can be a superpower at any age, and individuals who engage in more frequent play tend to have better psychological and physical functioning. In The Playful Way, creative director Piera Gelardi helps adults reclaim their playfulness by developing a more playful mindset and applying it to their life, work, relationships, changes, and challenges. Anyone can rediscover their sense of wonder by embracing life the playful way, a path that offers advantages, unlocks innovation, and feels a whole lot better. Science has proven these and more benefits of a playful

Improved mental healthImproved physical health thanks to enduring commitment to (fun!) fitnessTrust and creativity in teams
Focusing on both the light and fun and the tough and serious, The Playful Way is a guide to reconnecting with your inner child and realizing that when you have a playful mindset, you don’t have to go play. Play comes with you everywhere.Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Genres: Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published April 7, 2026

Reviews

[bay]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and know I will come back to it time and time again. I recommend it for teens transitioning into adulthood so they can keep their playful ways. Also, it’s a really light read which is why I gave it a lower star. I prefer reading longer and more dense self help books.

[Kate]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is a delightful, short read. If you're looking for ways to lighten your thoughts, gain some balance in your busy and stressful life, or revive your creativity, this book is your ticket! It's heartbreaking that most of us lose our sense of playfulness as we grow from children into adults; it's important to challenge your brain to remain flexible and optimistic by reframing thought processes and problem solving to include an element of playfulness. I appreciate that this books gives plenty of examples of ways to do that -- some more manic-pixie-dream-girl-coded than others, but most examples are things that are easy to try. One thing: I wish the author had included more neuroscience to beef up her arguments, but maybe there just isn't a lot of research to draw upon. I would recommend!

[Laura]

The Playful Way is a refreshing invitation to rethink how we move through life. Piera Gelardi challenges the assumption that play is something we outgrow, instead presenting it as essential to creativity, resilience, and connection.

What stands out is how accessible the book feels. Through personal stories and simple practices, Gelardi offers a way to loosen the grip of pressure and perfectionism and rediscover curiosity and joy in everyday moments. The shift from the “Pressured Way” to the “Playful Way” is both practical and deeply needed.

This is a helpful read for anyone feeling burned out or disconnected, offering gentle permission to approach life with more openness, imagination, and delight.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the book for review.

[Rebecca Chen]

When I think about people who's life I admire, Piera's comes to the top! Others may put Emma Grede (who is also fantastic in their own right) on their moodboard, but I personally find Piera's way of living to be the most aspirational. How amazing it is to be able to find ways to play even in the most stressful of situations (like the airport security line). The part about embracing signs from the universe and finding the literal message in a bottle from the kid wanting to play more is the type of stuff you just can't make up. Gifted it to a friend for her birthday and 10/10 would recommend!

[Helen]

I really liked this book. I didn’t really know what to expect but it was very insightful. Some bits I particularly liked were the idea of a morning visualisation portal to stretch your brain and the Play Shift framework to use when you are feeling reactive: pause and notice, lighten (releasing the stress), acceptance and ‘yes and’ (given the situation how might I work with it). The book contains great advice and in a nice accessible way. Thanks NetGalley and Harper One for the ARC.

[Caitlan Etchevers]

A wonderful read. Uplifting, joyous and introspective. Absolutely recommend for those leaders looking for a change, the ones stuck in a “serious suit” and those just looking for some levity in this harsh current state of affairs.

[Spinster]

Had some interesting anecdotes; most of the "play in the workplace" examples were more vague than the "be playful with your kids" stories, which left it feeling like a parenting book. Trigger warning: talks about metaphorical Serious Suits incessantly.

[Kevin Kaiser]

It's a nice book about creative recovery for adults, but it lacks hard evidence and proof. Just some anecdotal stories. It's more of a pep talk than life-changing. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin is a much better use of your time. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is a close second.

[Autumn Kearney]

Playfulness and silliness can be helpful in many situations. However, some situations are inappropriate and plain wrong. Not everything is supposed to be fun and/or funny. Some things are just plain tragic.

[Nicci Obert]

Helpful and affirming book for work and the rest of life. The author does a good job providing practical ways to incorporated play and creativity into everyday activities without sounding ridiculous, or at least providing solid evidence for why embracing the ridiculous is healthy and important. Blend of expert backing, professional expertise and experience, and personal experience. I enjoyed it and I've been finding myself using some of the techniques in some stressful or anxious moments.

[Courtney]

Play is an act of courage. It's committing to our dreams and desires, no matter how out-there they are. It's about daring to be vulnerable in pursuit of connection and joy.

This book wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, but I enjoyed the reminder that life can be playful, if only we choose to live that way. That even in hard times, there are ways to play and live in the joy of the moment. A great reminder and I hope I can take that into my daily life in small doses.