My Story

I wasn’t always a playful adult.

As a kid, though? I was wildly expressive. A full-on dancing, singing, sparkly little tornado of joy. I’d perform full musicals in the living room, clap and jump when guests arrived, and turn the kitchen into a stage.

But over time, that part of me got tucked away.

Like so many kiddos, I learned to tone it down. Be good. Be easy. Be impressive. I learned that it wasn’t safe to be fully seen. So I became a master at fitting in, performing, and earning gold stars instead of chasing joy.

By the time I reached adulthood, I had shape-shifted so much to belong and succeed that I barely recognized myself.

I spent over a decade in the corporate world, smiling through burnout and chasing the next goal. From the outside, I looked successful. But inside, I felt anxious, disconnected, and completely exhausted.

Then… life unraveled.

In the span of a few months, I lost my job. My apartment turned into a cockroach war zone. A meaningful relationship ended. My epilepsy flared up. My childhood wounds kicked and screamed for attention.

It felt like the universe hit a giant reset button.

I was grieving, and knee-deep in therapy and trauma work, trying to hold it all together. One day, in the middle of a heavy session, my therapist looked at me and said:

“You need more play in your life.”

I nearly laughed. Play? Now?

But something in me stirred. A memory. A whisper. That little version of me who used to dance like animals around the house, shriek with joy when it was time to eat, and clap when people came over. She was wild. Vibrant. Free.

And I realized: I didn’t just miss her. I needed her.

So I started experimenting. Awkwardly at first. Blowing bubbles. Making messes. Dancing silly dances. Letting go. And as I did… something shifted.

I felt lighter, more creative, and more like myself than I had in years.

That’s how The Playful Warrior was born.

It came to me during a playdate with my inner child. It was a realization that the same part of me that endured all the hard stuff, also held the key to healing.

The warrior in me had survived.

But it was play that brought me back to life. 

Because when we come into this world, we’re naturally creative, curious, expressive. We feel our feelings fully. We dance when we want to dance. We don’t worry about how we look... we’re just in the joy of it.

But somewhere along the way, we stop asking, Does this feel good? and start asking, Am I good at this?

That’s where the perfectionism creeps in. The shame. The fear of judgment.

And that’s why I do this work. Because play isn’t just for kids, it’s for healing. For reconnection. For remembering who you are underneath it all.

So I’m not here to tell you to be more playful. I’m here to invite you back to the part of yourself that already is.