As children, play was a fundamental part of how we lived our days - whether it was an impromptu game with neighborhood friends, recess at school, or creating secret worlds with dolls or army figurines. There was no agenda, there was just fun for the sake of it. What we didn’t know then was how important play was to our development, creativity, and overall health. As we get older, something shifts and we are increasingly asked to “act like a grown-up.” We lose play as a regular part of our lives, and with it, a tool that can be so helpful in our continued growth, and happiness. In this episode, Sherry and Anne explore the importance of play as adults and how to welcome more of it back into our lives.

When Suzanne Beaumont saw an advertisement for a marathon that invited readers to “change their life,” she was 49 and not much of a runner. But something called to her and she started lacing up her trainers. Several months later she finished that marathon and had the realization that doing hard things was not only possible, but could also propel her to move out of her comfort zone in other ways. Suzanne feels like she has had a brand new beginning at midlife and now follows her passions wherever they take her - writing, traveling, and discovering herself. Listen in to Suzanne’s perfectly imperfect journey.

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. Soren Kierkegaard

Bio

Suzanne Beaumont has lived in Wake Forest, NC for 25 years, raised three beautiful children there, and has been writing for the past eight years. She writes to simply know herself and explore the world around her. She studied writing with Natalie Goldberg and is currently studying haiku with Clark Strand.

As Suzanne reads or listens, phrases will often catch her attention and she'll discover a poem or essay that she didn’t know was inside her. And so it goes.

She began running in 2006, and stepped way out of her comfort zone when she signed up to run her first marathon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s team in training (TNT) program. She’s since run a half-dozen marathons, a handful of ultra marathons, and too many half-marathons to count, and served as a TNT volunteer coach for ten years.

Suzanne recently retired from her long-term career as a software architect, at organizations including Alcatel-Lucent, Research in Motion, Lenovo, and most recently, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

She writes most days just like she runs most days; these are her practices that keep her grounded and moving forward.

Shirin Etessam was born in Iran and enjoyed a fairly happy and privileged childhood. When her parents immigrated to the US, after some initial struggles, she found her place in high school and began to flourish. She experienced success after college, working in film and television. Eventually she fell in love and adopted 2 children with her wife, with whom she initially had a nine-year friendship. While everything looked great from the outside, there was a problem bubbling below the surface: Shirin had started losing parts of her soul along her journey and had shrunk into a much smaller version of herself. When her relationship eventually ended, Shirin began a multi-year, painful process of clawing her way back to her true self, through much self-reflection, spiritual teachings, and most importantly, the power of play.

Bio:

Shirin Etessam is a renowned play expert and storyteller, blending her background in film, TV, and branded content with a deep passion for the transformative power of play. Following a pivotal life event, Shirin embarked on a journey that shifted her focus from external achievements to the joys of internal fulfillment through play. With over a decade of dedicated research and exploration, she harnesses the principles of curiosity, creativity, and spontaneity to promote mental and spiritual health. Shirin advocates for integrating play into all facets of life, emphasizing its crucial role in today’s world for achieving true contentment and joy. Her work stands at the intersection of science and play, aiming to enlighten others on its essential benefits for our well-being.

Website: https://www.shirinetessam.com/

Free to Be: A Six Week Guide to Reclaiming Your Soul: https://www.shirinetessam.com/freetobe/