“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 costume
• Play as a recovery tool for a fried nervous system, and why the micro moments count
• Achievement addiction, and how gold stars and trophies quietly become a mortgage and a boat you’re not sure you wanted
• Why adaptability is just play in a fancy suit, and what that means for the kids coming up behind us
• The 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/buJKhq
• Web: culturehero.co https://hbp.s.gy/qtzEtI
• LinkedIn: Dara Simkin https://hbp.s.gy/dDDAGI
• Book: fullstackhumanbook.com https://hbp.s.gy/P49x3Q

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Connect with Humans, being:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, 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.

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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.

A ninety-five-year-old told Jacinta she was the last of her tribe. Jacinta asked how that small body holds something so big, and she said she has to feel the loss but not go too far into it … when it gets close she goes outside and listens to the magpies. That is the whole human experience in one sentence.

In this episode we talk about the moment women become invisible, and how much earlier that lands than anyone admits. We talk about bodies, and about Jacinta's fierce insistence that we stop policing each other. She tells me what chronic illness took from her in her late twenties, and about the moment in her parents' spare room when it turned. And then she tells me about her friends in their nineties, and honestly, I want what they have.

We explore:

• The unconscious loyalties we carry, and what happens when you put one down
• What chronic illness took from Jacinta, and why she now calls it ‘the opportunity of illness’
• The bottom of the pool, and why she reckons nobody can stay there
• Her friends in their nineties, the rebels, and what they understand about time that we don’t
• Why nobody needs your solution, and the deep listening none of us were taught

[Recorded May 2026]

About Jacinta Parsons:

Jacinta Parsons is a Melbourne-based broadcaster, author and public speaker who currently hosts the Friday Revue and Saturday Mornings on ABC Radio Melbourne. She started out at community station Triple R in 2006 and joined the ABC in 2015. She has written three books, Unseen, A Question of Age and A Wisdom of Age, moving from her own experience of chronic illness into the far bigger question of what this country does to women as they age. She is an ambassador for Crohn's and Colitis Australia, and she has just finished her PhD.

Connect with Jacinta:

• Instagram: @jacintaparsons
• Website: jacintaparsons.com
• ABC Radio Melbourne: abc.net.au/melbourne

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Connect with Humans, being:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Threads: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, 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.

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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.

This week's episode is a different one.

I have been hearing that many of you are feeling overwhelmed, and I wanted to create a little break from the everyday hustle and grind to give you something you can come back to many times. This guided relaxation invites you to sit down for 30 minutes, close your eyes, take some deep breaths, calm your nervous system, and get back in touch with your centre.

We don't advise listening to this whilst driving. Instead, find a cosy spot to take a short break.

Pop your headphones in and let my voice carry you away for a little while.

[Recorded May 2026]

About Lael Stone:

Lael Stone is an educator, counsellor, and author of Own Your Story: Understanding your past to create your future. With over 20 years of experience working with families, Lael helps people understand how their childhood imprints shape their adult lives – and how to do something about it.

Connect with Lael:

• Instagram: @laelstone
• Website: laelstone.com.au

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Connect with Humans, being:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Threads: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, 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.

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Seen Circles is an online space Lael and Sam created where parents can join facilitated group sessions, some themed, some open, at times that suit their week. There's no pressure to share, just a place to feel less alone in the hard parts of parenting. You can join for one session, or sign up for more.