Renala

Play is how we become who we are.

Yet most of us arrive at adulthood forgetting how to play.

This reality not only leaves you overwhelmed and burnt out, it actually disconnects you from yourself and the impact you long for.

That’s probably why George Land, who led a groundbreaking study on the creativity levels of thousands of 3- to 5-year-olds in the 1980s, witnessed the profound drop in creativity as we age.

At the preschool ages, 98 percent of these children tested as creative geniuses.

By age 10, that number dropped to 30%. By age 15, just 12%.

By adulthood? Just 2%.

And I don’t think it’s just because we age.
I think it’s largely because we forget how to play.

You keep swirling and striving, yet purpose and joy remain elusive.

The striving barely brings you any closer to the deeper vision, creativity, and connection you crave in your work and family life.

You must play your way there.

And the good news is: it’s not too late.

Because play isn’t just how we become who we are.

It’s also how we can re-become who we were—before society and systems told us otherwise.

Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, said that play is “one of the most advanced methods nature has invented to allow a complex brain to create itself.”

Reawakening your sense of play helps you step into your unique Zone of Genius at an accelerated pace because it activates up to 80% of your brain, whereas talking aloud activates only 15%.

Play helps unearth hidden ideas, beliefs, and habits you didn’t even know were inside of you.

That’s why this Friday, March 13, from 12-1:15pm ET, I’m leading a free LIVE workshop called Playful Purpose.

The goal is simple: You’re going to discover your play personality and how you can reawaken a spirit of play that unlocks deeper purpose and vision for yourself, your family, and your career or business.

Want to join us? Register now for FREE here ⇶ leadwithfamily.com/playful-purpose-workshop

Or head to my bio to grab the link!

Play is how we become who we are.

Yet most of us arrive at adulthood forgetting how to play.

This reality not only leaves you overwhelmed and burnt out, it actually disconnects you from yourself and the impact you long for.

That’s probably why George Land, who led a groundbreaking study on the creativity levels of thousands of 3- to 5-year-olds in the 1980s, witnessed the profound drop in creativity as we age.

At the preschool ages, 98 percent of these children tested as creative geniuses.

By age 10, that number dropped to 30%. By age 15, just 12%.

By adulthood? Just 2%.

And I don’t think it’s just because we age.
I think it’s largely because we forget how to play.

You keep swirling and striving, yet purpose and joy remain elusive.

The striving barely brings you any closer to the deeper vision, creativity, and connection you crave in your work and family life.

You must play your way there.

And the good news is: it’s not too late.

Because play isn’t just how we become who we are.

It’s also how we can re-become who we were—before society and systems told us otherwise.

Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, said that play is “one of the most advanced methods nature has invented to allow a complex brain to create itself.”

Reawakening your sense of play helps you step into your unique Zone of Genius at an accelerated pace because it activates up to 80% of your brain, whereas talking aloud activates only 15%.

Play helps unearth hidden ideas, beliefs, and habits you didn’t even know were inside of you.

That’s why this Friday, March 13, from 12-1:15pm ET, I’m leading a free LIVE workshop called Playful Purpose.

The goal is simple: You’re going to discover your play personality and how you can reawaken a spirit of play that unlocks deeper purpose and vision for yourself, your family, and your career or business.

Want to join us? Register now for FREE here ⇶ leadwithfamily.com/playful-purpose-workshop

Or head to the link in my bio!

“The only way out is through.”

I’ve been mostly silent online in recent weeks, as the book launch as well as a deeper and more intentional effort to care for my body opened up some old wounds.

The truth is, the transition into military retirement has been extremely challenging for our family.

The vulnerability of sharing publicly our past story of struggle and near-divorce—in our new book, Living Room Leadership, as well as on stages, podcasts, and in media—has also been heavy for me, Geoff, and our children.

Leading a family impact company comes with this pressure to perform and prove that our family always has it all together.

It’s hard to admit that our marriage is once again struggling.

A couple weeks ago, when I came to my business partner to share these challenges and make a request to take a break from Renala for a while, he challenged me.

“The only way out is through,” he said.

He reminded me that these challenges are not a reason to pause on the vision we’re building.

If anything, it’s a reason to press in even more, to be honest and vulnerable about the story we’re living.

He also reminded me that vision often requires the most out of the person or people who hold the vision.

For us, this means that a vision to transform millions of marriages and families often manifests as deeper challenges in our own marriage and family.

I’m happy to say that I’m back, committed to being honest and vulnerable about the challenges we’re experiencing right now—and committed to working through them.

This season is stretching us.
It’s stretching me.
It’s giving me renewed passion, empathy, and connection to the families we serve.

I’m committed to walking this season, holding the vision for our family and the vision for Renala, knowing how I show up in my marriage and as a mom in difficult times only enables me to serve other families better.

This is Living Room Leadership.

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This Friday, January 9, at 12pm ET, I’m hosting a free live workshop called the Living Room Leadership Workshop, designed for couples and parents who want to live a more visionary and intentional family life in 2026.

Register now at the link in my bio ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d4ss856w

We are thrilled to welcome Kathy Van Benthuysen——to the Living Room Leadership Summit stage on November 13!

This first-of-its-kind virtual conference is a leadership lab for your FAMILY.

Kathy will lead the breakout session “How to Know If Your Child Is Ready for a Phone — and What to Do if They’re Not,” where she’ll share a simple, practical framework that helps parents replace guilt and guesswork with clarity, confidence, and a plan.

Kathy is a 20-year mom, 30-year teacher and coach with over 67,000 hours working with kids – she knows how they think, what motivates them, and what helps them grow.

As the co-founder of Converlation® and Head Coach of the Digital Prep Academy, Kathy helps parents and educators navigate one of today’s most pressing challenges - preparing kids before they get a phone or social media.

Kathy focuses on solutions, not just the problems, and has developed proven programs used by schools, parents, kids, and even grandparents to strengthen relationships, build digital readiness, and create healthier habits around technology. Drawing on her decades as a teacher, mom, and child development expert, Kathy brings warmth, humor, and real-world insight to every conversation.

She is a sought-after voice in parent communities, schools, and conferences nationwide, known for turning difficult tech conversations into empowering coaching moments that strengthen family connection and confidence.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn from Kathy’s extraordinary experience and wisdom!

Register now for FREE at livingroomleadershipsummit.com!

We are thrilled to welcome Jacky Power to the Living Room Leadership Summit stage on November 13!

This first-of-its-kind virtual conference is a leadership lab for your FAMILY.

Jacky will join us to share poetry about parenthood and healing your own inner child.

Jacky is a transformational speaker and poet who helps parents navigate the emotional complexity of raising children while breaking intergenerational patterns.

With an MSc in Addiction Psychology and Counselling - including research on social media addiction and attachment styles - Jacky brings academic rigor to the messy reality of parenting. After 15+ years as an addiction specialist working with families, she understands the patterns we inherit, the shame we carry, and the courage it takes to parent differently than we were parented.

Her work uses poetry to give parents language for what feels unspeakable: the moments we lose it with our kids, the guilt of not being “good enough,” the fear of passing on our own trauma, the grief of who we thought we’d be as parents. She teaches frameworks like “the hulp” (swallowing your truth to keep the peace) and “the frustration triangle” (blame, self- shame, ‘up your game’) that help parents recognise and interrupt destructive patterns.

Jacky is a published poet (Stop The World I Want To Get Off), Edinburgh Fringe performer, and host of The Therapeutic Poet podcast (International Women Podcast Award finalist). She’s also an Advanced EFT Practitioner specialising in trauma work and Master Practitioner in Eating Disorders.

A mother herself to three sons, Jacky knows that parenting brings up everything we’ve tried to avoid about ourselves - and recognising that is where the transformation begins.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn from Jacky and experience her incredible gift of poetry!

Register now for FREE at livingroomleadershipsummit.com!

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Kimber Del Valle .kimber to the Living Room Leadership Summit stage on November 13!

This first-of-its-kind virtual conference is a leadership lab for your FAMILY.

Dr. Kimber will join us for main stage sessions on the state of the modern family and how to help your marriage thrive in the empty nest!

As a clinical psychologist specializing in grief and trauma, Dr. Kimber understands what it means to feel silenced by life’s hardest moments. Her memoir Still: Making a Whole When Parts Go Missing—which reached Amazon’s top 100 in pregnancy and childbirth—emerged from her own journey through profound loss, offering others a roadmap from brokenness to hope.

Dr. Kimber works with people ready to move from reactive to responsive, from hidden to authentic, from surviving to thriving in their most important relationships. Through her depth psychology approach, she helps clients regulate their nervous systems and reclaim their authentic selves without having to relive every painful detail of their past.

Her retreats are known for their transformative blend of psychological insight and unexpected playfulness—her “growling” exercises have become legendary among participants who discover new ways to access their power.

She facilitates growth in her Fierce Gentle community, teaching regulation skills that help people respond rather than react.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn from Dr. Kimber!

Register now for FREE at livingroomleadershipsummit.com!

We are thrilled to welcome Nicole Runyon——to the Living Room Leadership Summit stage on November 13!

This first-of-its-kind virtual conference is a leadership lab for your FAMILY.

Nicole will join us on the main stage and a workshop-style breakout session to talk about the state of the modern family and how parents can support the independence of your kids—at every age and stage.

Nicole is a psychotherapist, parent coach, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book Free To Fly: The Secret To Fostering Independence In The Next Generation. Nicole is renowned for her expertise in child and adolescent mental health, backed by an extensive 22-year career in the field.

Most importantly, she is the mother of 2 children. A frequent guest on parenting podcasts, Nicole’s invaluable insights have earned her significant recognition, leading to appearances in the media, including Fox News Live, Good Morning America, Psychology Today, Parents, Parade, and Today’s Parent, where she shares her expertise on the effects of technology on child and adolescent mental well-being.

Motivated by an unwavering passion for supporting children’s well-being and debunking the poor parenting advice that’s flooded our society, Nicole has dedicated her life’s work to empowering parents and educators to help children grow and mature into young adults with purpose, strength, and confidence.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn from Nicole’s extraordinary wisdom!

Register now for FREE at livingroomleadershipsummit.com!

We are thrilled to welcome Gary Ware to the Living Room Leadership Summit THIS Thursday, November 13!

This first-of-its-kind virtual conference is a leadership lab for your FAMILY.

Gary will join us on the mainstage to talk about the power of PLAY in your family. He’ll also be leading a workshop-style breakout called The Playful Parent!

Gary is the founder of Breakthrough Play and author of the influential book, Playful Rebellion: Maximize Workplace Success Through The Power of Play.

He is a standout corporate facilitator and keynote speaker with over 20 years in the business arena. Partnering with top-tier companies like SAP and Intuit, Gary excels in employing improv and playful methodologies to enhance team creativity, confidence, and collaboration—and he’s going to bring those same tools to help you build your family culture.

Recently, Gary was celebrated as one of the Top 25 Emerging Culture Creators by Culture Amp in the category The Future of Work.

Don’t miss it! Register now for FREE at livingroomleadershipsummit.com!

We can’t wait to welcome Ken Black to the main stage of the Living Room Leadership Summit on November 13!

This first-of-its-kind virtual conference is a leadership lab for your FAMILY.

Ken will join us on the main stage to talk about the powerful intersection of values, purpose, and vision—at work and at home.

Ken is a Fortune 100 creative, brand and strategy leader who spent 25 years at Nike, and many more beyond, on the leading edge of innovation, creativity and storytelling within the worlds of sport, performance, product, design, branding and entrepreneurialism.

As a former Nike Vice-President & Chief Creative Officer at an Omnicom Experiential Agency, he has led and helped develop the brands, products, experiences and businesses of iconic companies like Nike, Brand Jordan, Google, ESPN, NFL, NBA and multiple Olympic Committees - along with a number of notable start-ups and challenger brands.

Don’t miss it! Register now for FREE at livingroomleadershipsummit.com!

We’re thrilled to be co-hosting the Living Room Leadership Summit on November 13 with our incredible partners at Istoria, & !

This first-of-its-kind virtual conference is a leadership lab for your FAMILY.

Harris and Kate are the husband-and-wife team behind Istoria, where they’ve spent more than 20 years helping individuals and organizations rewrite their stories and reshape culture.

Harris began as an award-winning illusionist, performing for millions across 30 countries. After making—and losing—a fortune by age 22, he discovered how the stories we tell ourselves drive all human behavior. This insight transformed him into a world-renowned speaker and creator of WonderWork™ and the Story OS™, detailed in his bestselling book The Wonder Switch.

Kate, with ancestral roots in 1400s Norway, helps others transform their natural defiance into purposeful action through her unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern transformation strategies, found in her bestselling book The Poet’s Rebellion.

Together, they’ve worked with brands like Apple, Disney, Nike, and Amazon, and co-create STORY, the world’s premier gathering for creators and storytellers.

Harris and Kate will join us to co-host the Summit alongside a lineup of world-class presenters and experts, from therapists, to brand and strategy leaders, to experts in play, somatic experiencing, and education to help you step into a bigger vision, purpose, and values and build a connected, thriving culture with your most valuable team—your family.

Don’t miss it! Register now for FREE at livingroomleadershipsummit.com!

Children hear ‘no’ far too often.

And that means they grow into adults who continue saying ‘no’ to their own and others’ curiosity and imagination.

This may be at least partially why only 2 percent of us carry the creative genius we had as children into adulthood.

It’s also why we challenge families to say ‘yes’ more to your children’s wild curiosity and creativity—and to also say ‘yes’ more to yourselves as parents.

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Our son, Will, loves to cook. It’s one of his highest outlets for curiosity and creativity.

It’s also a way he lives out his identity as ‘friend,’ because he loves cooking things for our family and others to enjoy.

But let’s be honest: it also makes a huge mess.

He knows he’s responsible for cleaning up the kitchen after he cooks, but because he’s 12, he often overlooks or misses things in his cleanup.

Geoffrey Anderson or I almost always have to help him out.

Still, we encourage this creativity in Will, and we create the environment that makes it possible to say ‘yes’ to this outlet for him as often as possible—even if it comes at an inconvenience, at times, for us.

Sometimes it yields a delicious dinner, or baked goods and calories we’d rather not eat 🍪

Either way, we love saying ‘yes’ to our kids’ creativity as much as possible.
We also love that we’ve created a family culture where we can all say ‘yes’ to each other.

📌 What can you say ‘yes’ to more often—for your kids, your spouse, or even yourself?

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If you’re looking for a powerful process for awakening curiosity, creativity, and play in your family, check out chapter 9 of our new book, Living Room Leadership: A Blueprint for Building a Family Culture of Vision, Growth, and Connection.