Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity by Cas Holman with Lydia Denworth came out in October 2025!
Thank you to our fantastic partners and moderators for launch and book tour events! The Avery team at Penguin Random House (NYC), Powerhouse Arena (Brooklyn), Carly Ciarrocchi, Garrett Jaeger, IDEO Play Lab’s Michelle Lee, Book Passage (San Francisco), Futurespaces, The Church (Sag Harbor), The New School / Parsons (NYC), NYU ITP (Brooklyn), How to Feel Alive with Catherine Price, Ingrid Fetell Lee and the School of Joy Commons!
About Playful
A designer, educator, and play expert calls for adults to add more fun, exploration, and imagination to their lives.
We’re all born playful. But when we grow up, we learn to suppress this critical, hardwired instinct and our lives become ruled by “getting things done.” As world-famous designer Cas Holman explains, this disconnection from our playful selves is hazardous to everything from our emotional wellbeing to our ability to problem solve and innovate. The emerging science of play shows that it sparks joy, wonder, creativity, and insight at any age.
Here, Holman explains the power of “free play” through open-ended, unstructured activities that we become absorbed in with no obvious goal or purpose. The ways we can play are endless and what recharges us most is unique to each of us: whether it’s a piece of art we create, an entertaining conversation with a stranger, or an experiment to shake up a routine task. Weaving in inspiring stories and eye-opening research, Holman shows us that adopting a playful mindset is crucial in helping us:
Overcome fear of failure and embrace new ways of thinking
Destress, reset, and connect with each other
Grow our creativity at every stage of our lives
Find joy in bleak times
Playful draws on psychology, history, art, and design thinking to make a powerful case for the vital importance of play for grown-ups in a world obsessed with productivity. Provocative, wise, and full of spirit, it will inspire you to (re) learn how to play.
About the Author
Cas Holman is the founder and chief designer of the toy company Heroes Will Rise and a former professor of Industrial Design at RISD. Cas travels the globe speaking about playful learning, the design process, and the value of play in all aspects of life. She has shared her perspective in workshops and seminars with teams at Google, Nike, LEGO Foundation, Disney Imagineering, and art museums around the world. Some of her designs include toys like Rigamajig and Geemo, as well as play experiences at the High Line and the Liberty Science Center. Cas lives in Brooklyn and designs from her studio in the Catskills, New York.
Press for Playful
Broadcast
Toy designer Cas Holman on why adults need more playtime
Australia’s No. 1 Breakfast Show, an interview with Cas Holman
Print + Digital
To Unlock Creativity, Consider Playful Design
More than a game: How play helps wire our social brains
Why Playing is Good for You, According to Science
If you want to get ahead in the leadership game, it’s important to learn how to play
I’ve worked with execs at Google, Nike and Disney–here’s the No. 1 ‘overlooked’ skill I teach them
Why You Need To Play Today
Skip the productivity hacks–it’s time to prioritize play at work
How to resdiscover your creativity in 3 simple steps
Bored Kids Could Be Better Off– Here’s Why You Should Let It Happen
Sandbox To Boardroom—How Adult Play Transforms Leadership And Mental Health
Allergic you to fun? How ‘play resistance’ can wreck your mental health—and your 10-minutes-a-day fix
New Book: “How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires, Connection, and Sparks Creativity”
Book + Toy Inventor Lists
Our Toy Inventors’ Top 15 Picks for 2025
Business Books: What To Read This Month
The New Books to Fight Brain Rot by Adam Grant
Top 10 Inspirational Books - December 2025
2025 Most Anticipated Fall List by Zibby Owens
Fall Favorites Business Books 2025
Why Hobbies Are Good For You
Talks, Q&A’s, Podcasts
Can We Survive Without Play? Is Play the New Work? with Cas Holman
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Cas Holman (on being playful)
Attention Grown-Ups: If You’re Not Playing, You’re Likely Paying A Big Price | Cas Holman
McKinsey & Company Author Talks
Why play isn’t just for children
PLAYFUL: A Book Talk with CAS HOLMAN in Conversation with LIZ COLLINS
Penguin Random House Audio: This is the Author
Pam Grossman, Jenna Moreci, and Cas Holman
How to Feel Alive with Catherine Price
Getting Playful with Cas Holman
Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria
Play w/ Cas Holman
Daily Creative with Todd Henry
Safe Danger: Why play is serious business
This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil
How To Play: Shift Your Thinking, Inspire Connection & Spark Creativity with Cas Holman
You’re Too Scared of Being Useless to Play with Cas Holman
Cas Holman: On the Power of Play (and Why Adults Need to Play Too)
The You Project with Craig Harper
The Power of Play – Cas Holman
Career Contessa with Lauren McGoodwin
How to Fight Brain Rot: Why Adults Need Play to Thrive at Work
Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin
The Science of Play for Adults: Lower Stress, Better Problem-Solving with Cas Holman
Why our kids can’t handle boredom featuring Cas Holman
Totally Booked with Zibby Owens
Cas Holman, PLAYFUL: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity
The How of Business with Henry Lopez
The Power of Play in Business with Cas Holman
Power Your Parenting: Moms with Teens
Free Play, Less Stress
Playfulness, Possibility, and Queer Joy After 40 – Cas Holman
The business impact of play at work
Designer Cas Holman is Giving Us All Permission to Play
Checking In with Michelle Williams
Checking In with Cas Holman
