Dara Simkin, being. with Lael Stone | Play Is Not a Reward ♥︎

“Play is an on-ramp, not a reward” Dara Simkin says early on in our conversation. Yep, that resonates. I too have spent most of my life saving play for after the list is done. The list is never done.Dara brings play to boardrooms and leadership days, and what she describes is a generation of adults so addicted to achievement that they have optimised themselves right out of their own lives. We talk about grief hiding inside what looks like resistance, about her redefining success as ease, and about the morning her five-year-old lost it over a Rubik's Cube and what she chose to do instead of fixing it.We explore:The difference between real curiosity and judgment wearing a curious costumePlay as a recovery tool for a fried nervous system, and why the micro moments countAchievement addiction, and how gold stars and trophies quietly become a mortgage and a boat you’re not sure you wantedWhy adaptability is just play in a fancy suit, and what that means for the kids coming up behind usThe question she asks herself at the end of each day: “how was I human today?”[Recorded May 2026]About Dara Simkin:Dara Simkin is a Melbourne-based speaker, facilitator and organisational culture specialist, and the founder and Chief Play Officer of Culture Hero. Born and raised in the US, she moved to Australia at 25 after winning a video competition that sent her around Tasmania in a camper van, and she has spent the last decade researching, designing and facilitating play at work. In March 2026, she co-published Full Stack Human with data scientist and futurist Tane Hunter, about how we hold onto our humanity and adaptability in a world moving faster than we are.Connect with Dara:Instagram: @darasimkin https://hbp.s.gy/buJKhqWeb: culturehero.co https://hbp.s.gy/qtzEtILinkedIn: Dara Simkin https://hbp.s.gy/dDDAGIBook: fullstackhumanbook.com https://hbp.s.gy/P49x3Q—Connect with Humans, being:Web: humansbeing.auInstagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstoneHumans, being. is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.—Lael's eight-week Parenting Immersion starts October 19th, working through themes like trust, boundaries, anger and repair to help you understand your own patterns and respond instead of react. Join the waitlist or sign up now.