Shows
The Play RebelsBonus! Football Fun or Fumble? Rituals, Inclusivity, & Play Through FootballIs football season a fumble or a touchdown for you? In this bonus episode of the Play Rebels, TJ surprises Bailey with an impromptu discussion about football and its deeper implications beyond just the sport. No matter if you’re a football fan or not, you’ll want to listen to this deeper exploration of ritual play, inclusion, and what makes for good competition. They discuss the challenges of traditional gender roles and exclusivity in sports-watching and offer insights for creating a more inclusive and fulfilling play environment. The conversation explores themes o...
2025-10-2336 minThe Play RebelsBonus! Speed Glimmers to feel Joy Now (Play Experiential)How often do you feel joy in your normal, everyday life? Want to feel it more? Well, this episode will teach you how through the magical practice of glimmers. In this episode, join TJ and Bailey in playing three rounds of speed glimmers. Using the frame of mind, heart, and body, The Play Rebels will help you learn how to train your brain towards glimmers as a way to feel more joy. Episode Chapters 00:00 What is a Glimmer?01:59 Mind Glimmer 04:22 Heart Glimmer10:45 Body Glimmer 15:09 What’s Next
2025-09-2418 minThe Play RebelsEp 10: The Surprising Connection between Play + TraumaPlay and trauma are more related than you think. Is it curiosity or hypervigilance? Anxiety or excitement? In this episode of The Play Rebels, TJ shares her deep expertise in mental health to help you understand the relationship between trauma and play. Both trauma and play occur in moments of uncertainty. But cultural conditioning, relational impacts, and our own patterning can interrupt and fracture our play, especially when trauma occurs in moments of play. TJ shares her journey from divorce mediation back to clinical practice, emphasizing the importance of creating authenticity-based and liberation-based the...
2025-08-2732 minThe Play RebelsEp 9: Ride the Play Wave w/ Andrea (Play Exploration)In this special episode of The Play Rebels, TJ guides a special guest through a play exploration. Together, TJ and Andrea explore where joy currently lives in her life, her play patterns, and where she is struggling with play. As an entrepreneur, Andrea’s work requires creativity, flexibility, and resilience. TJ and Andrea explore the challenges of balancing creativity and play within high-risk environments. TJ also shares small, digestible play practices that can help mitigate the pressures of uncertainty while maintaining joy. TJ guides Andrea, Bailey, and the listeners through a practical exercise on completing the...
2025-08-1354 minThe Play RebelsEp 8: Reclaiming Play made SIMPLEWhy is play so effortless for kids...but feels awkward, distant, or even impossible for so many adults? In this episode of Play Rebels, hosts Bailey and TJ guide listeners on how to reclaim play and joy in their daily lives without needing significant changes or purchases.In this episode, TJ and Bailey introduce SIMPLE—a powerful, easy-to-follow framework for reconnecting with your playfulness in everyday life. Without needing to overhaul your schedule or buy anything new, you’ll learn how to tap into joy, connection, and empowerment through small, intentional acts of play.The epis...
2025-07-3041 minThe Play RebelsEp 7: Your Practical Guide to Joy w/ The Play CompassDid you know each and every person has their own unique way of playing? (Including You!) It’s your play personality, and learning it is the secret to rediscovering joy in your life. In this interactive episode of 'The Play Rebels,' hosts Bailey and TJ help you find your play personality using The Play Compass, a free tool designed to help individuals discover their play personalities and find pathways to joy. Consider Bailey and TJ your body doubles as they guide you through the eight play personalities as defined by Stuart Brown. You’l...
2025-07-1632 minThe Play RebelsEp 6: How You Lost Play + Healing Your Play Wounds?In this episode of 'The Play Rebels,' hosts TJ and Bailey dive into the topic of play wounds and how your play wounds are why you struggle with playfulness. Everyone’s play has been wounded. Times it didn’t go as planned. Times when someone or something hurt you. Times when societal messaging stopped you from being your authentic self. In this episode, we explore how cultural, relational, and personal factors inhibit our ability to engage in playful activities. We also introduce you to the play wave as a framework for you to star...
2025-07-0247 minThe Play RebelsEp 5: Play with the Rebels!!It’s time to play! What’s that? You don’t think you can play through a podcast?CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. In this episode of The Play Rebels, hosts TJ and Bailey guide you in rekindling their sense of play through a game of 20 Questions (or is it 21?). Listen and feel your engagement spark as you participate in play with TJ and Bailey. See if you can guess the mystery objects before the Rebels. Relearn and reclaim enjoyment in your life through play. Remember, play is your engagement with enjoym...
2025-06-1825 minThe Play RebelsEp 4: What are Play Personalities? + Rediscovering JoyIn this episode of Play Rebels, hosts TJ and Bailey explore the concept of play personalities, emphasizing the importance of reconnecting with joy through play.The episode highlights the significance of understanding one's play style, using a powerful research-based framework to help you think about where you feel joy. They also demystify intellectual play to help adults stop siloing play into the “childish.”TJ and Bailey also introduce a self-assessment tool, The Play Compass. Available on The Playful Revolution’s website. The internal exploration practice helps listeners identify their natural play entry points. Downloa...
2025-06-0451 minThe Play RebelsEp 3: Combatting Adult Loneliness + How We Became RebelsIn this episode of 'The Play Rebels,' co-founders Bailey and TJ of the Playful Revolution delve into the importance of play in their relationship and its profound impact on their growth and connection.They discuss how play fosters openness and personal evolution, serving as a powerful antidote to loneliness. Through sharing personal experiences and insights, they explore the transformative nature of play and offer listeners practical advice on identifying and cultivating playful relationships in their own lives.The episode also encourages listeners to reflect on their play experiences and relationships, aiming to inspire a...
2025-06-0426 minThe Play RebelsEp 2: This is Your Brain on Play + Understanding Play NeuroscienceWhat if play wasn’t something you did, but something you experienced? In this episode of The Play Rebels, hosts TJ and Bailey delve into the fundamental importance of understanding play as a nervous system state rather than a behavior or action. You’ll better understand the inner workings of your own mind and reframe your experience of joy and play in your life. Through experiential and imaginative play practices, they explore the different states of the nervous system. They also provide ways to identify your current nervous system states, break ingrai...
2025-06-0433 minThe Play RebelsEpisode 1: Curious? Good. Welcome to the RevolutionWhat if everything you knew about play was wrong? In this introductory episode of 'The Play Rebels' podcast, co-founders Bailey and TJ of The Playful Revolution invite listeners to get curious about their connection to joy and play in a society that doesn’t give a sh*t if they feel joy. Listen and explore the importance of joy and play as revolutionary practice, the concepts of curiosity and personal fulfillment, and engage in exploratory play practices. Better understand the transformative power of play and its benefits, inclu...
2025-05-3018 minThe Play RebelsPlay Rebels TrailerWhat if everything you know about play is wrong?
Society wants you to believe that play is just for kids, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Play isn’t a hobby, an indulgence, or an exercise class—it’s a radical act of self-liberation.
Remember joy? Unbridled, liberated, authentic joy? Joy is freaking awesome, but for many adults, it seems absurd to even think about feeling joy in your everyday life.
The Play Rebels are here to fix that.
TJ and Bailey are The Play Rebels, your guides and play buddies as you reprogram your mind and unleash...
2025-05-1602 min
Wild + (finally fcking) Free: Real, Raw Stories of the Disruptors, Rebels + RevolutionariesS5E11 Part 2: How to Play Your Way to Healing with TJ Matton + Bailey JacobsThis week on the podcast, we speak to TJ Matton and Bailey Jacobs from the Play Revolution. TJ is a social worker, psychotherapist, coach, and constructive misbehavior enthusiast. As founder of The Playful Revolution help people understand the neuroscience of play, integrate play into their healing, and reconnect with the power and potential of play. Bailey’s play is planning. Planning parties, planning meals, and planning adventures big and small with her friends and family. As the Chief Orchestrating Officer (COO) of The Playful Revolution, Bailey uses her directorial play prowess to oversee the company’s stra...
2025-03-1957 min
Wild + (finally fcking) Free: Real, Raw Stories of the Disruptors, Rebels + RevolutionariesS5E11 Part 1: How to Play Your Way to Healing with TJ Matton + Bailey JacobsThis week on the podcast, we speak to TJ Matton and Bailey Jacobs from the Play Revolution. TJ is a social worker, psychotherapist, coach, and constructive misbehavior enthusiast. As founder of The Playful Revolution help people understand the neuroscience of play, integrate play into their healing, and reconnect with the power and potential of play. Bailey’s play is planning. Planning parties, planning meals, and planning adventures big and small with her friends and family. As the Chief Orchestrating Officer (COO) of The Playful Revolution, Bailey uses her directorial play prowess to oversee the company’s stra...
2025-03-181h 01
Regenerative Business with Sam GarciaPlay Will Solve All Your Problems (Seriously) with The Playful RevolutionMost entrepreneurs treat business like a game they’re trying to win. But what if you could stop playing by someone else’s rules and actually bring more PLAY into your life and work?In this energizing conversation, Sam Garcia is joined by TJ Matton and Bailey Jacobs from The Playful Revolution to challenge everything you think you know about play. They dive deep into:The myths about play (spoiler: it’s NOT just for kids or hobbies)How play rewires your nervous system and helps digest stressWhy entrepreneurs get trapped in productivity culture—and how to break...
2025-03-131h 54
Parenting Shrink Wrapped#15: The Power of Play: Why Adults Need It Just as Much as Kids with TJ MattonSend us a textWhen we think of play, we often think of children—but what if play is just as essential for adults? In this episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Melissa and Sam sit down with TJ Matton, a psychotherapist and coach specializing in developmental trauma and play for adults. They explore how play is a biological necessity, not just a pastime, and how reintroducing play into our lives can improve mental health, flexibility, and even parenting.TJ also breaks down different play styles, why some adults struggle with play, and how trauma and so...
2025-03-1042 min
Dreaming and Doing PodcastS02 Ep06: Reclaiming Playfulness: How Play Fuels Well-being and Fulfillment with TJ Matton, LCSW-CWhen was the last time you remember being truly playful? And, when you hear the word, "playful," what comes up for you? In a world where we're taught to "work hard," we can be left with the notion that there's no room for play. Today's guest, TJ Matton, would love to change that! In this episode, TJ Matton explores the concept of play, its significance in adult life, and how it can be integrated into daily routines. You'll hear TJ talk about the cultural disconnect from play, especially in women and children, and the importance of rediscovering play...
2024-10-2945 min
Thinkydoers®Play as Mindfulness Practice with Chief Play Officer TJ MattonWant to incorporate more play into your world? You’re in the right place! Play isn’t just for kids. It’s a biological necessity that can transform your mental well-being and even help manage mental health symptoms like hypervigilance and anxiety. And we’re lucky to have play expert TJ Matton back for this second episode in our two-part series on play. If you haven’t already, listen to last week’s episode for fundamentals about the science of play; and here we get practically applied. How can you increase play in your life? Listen (or read on) for...
2024-09-2525 min
The Feminist Mom PodcastRevolution Through Play with TJ MattonTJ Matton, LCSW-C (she/her) is a social worker, psychotherapist, adult play coach, and constructive misbehavior enthusiast helping adults liberate their mind and bodies through play. TJ’s business, The Playful Revolution, is focused on helping people understand the neuroscience of play and reconnect with the power and potential of play. Play is a primal need to the human body and is the neglected side of mindfulness. TJ helps people find enjoyment in the everyday, playful ways to manage stress, and empowering ways to greater fulfillment. Learn more about TJ: www.theplayfulrevolution.com...
2024-09-241h 11
Wellness: Rebranded - Intuitive eating, diet culture, mental health, weight training, food freedom, food relationship84. How To Be a More Playful Person With Psychotherapist, TJ Matton of the Playful Revolution | Part 2TJ Matton, the founder of The Playful Revolution joins the podcast for the second time to talk all about how to be a more playful person!
In the last episode, we discussed the practice of play, what it means, and how it is beneficial to our wellbeing and why you need to include it in your life. In this episode, we are taking it a step further and talking about how to make it part of your day to day and to really put it into practice.
TJ helps adults use pl...
2024-05-0944 minWellness: Rebranded - Intuitive eating, diet culture, mental health, weight training, food freedom, food relationship84. How To Be a More Playful Person With Psychotherapist, TJ Matton of the Playful Revolution | Part 2TJ Matton, the founder of The Playful Revolution joins the podcast for the second time to talk all about how to be a more playful person!
In the last episode, we discussed the practice of play, what it means, and how it is beneficial to our wellbeing and why you need to include it in your life. In this episode, we are taking it a step further and talking about how to make it part of your day to day and to really put it into practice.
TJ helps adults use pl...
2024-05-0944 minWellness: Rebranded - Intuitive eating, diet culture, mental health, weight training, food freedom, food relationship83. The Neuroscience of Play and How Playfulness is a Building Block of Wellness With Psychotherapist, TJ Matton of The Playful Revolution | Part 1TJ Matton, the founder of The Playful Revolution joins the podcast to talk all about how playfulness plays a role in wellness. As adults, a lot of us neglect play in our lives.
TJ helps adults use play to build a life you love and deserve, one filled with authentic, liberated joy. As a social worker, psychotherapist, and clinical-coach, she helps you reconnect with your playful self and cultivate joy every-single-day.
Topics discussed in this episode:
How TJ became a play scientist.
What is play?
The neuroscience behind play
Play personalities and di...
2024-05-0838 minWellness: Rebranded - Intuitive eating, diet culture, mental health, weight training, food freedom, food relationship83. The Neuroscience of Play and How Playfulness is a Building Block of Wellness With Psychotherapist, TJ Matton of The Playful Revolution | Part 1TJ Matton, the founder of The Playful Revolution joins the podcast to talk all about how playfulness plays a role in wellness. As adults, a lot of us neglect play in our lives.
TJ helps adults use play to build a life you love and deserve, one filled with authentic, liberated joy. As a social worker, psychotherapist, and clinical-coach, she helps you reconnect with your playful self and cultivate joy every-single-day.
Topics discussed in this episode:
How TJ became a play scientist.
What is play?
The neuroscience behind play
Play personalities and di...
2024-05-0838 min
Subtle Shifts with Jennifer Delliquadri101. Unlocking the Power of Play with Psychotherapist and Coach TJ MattonToday's guest, Psychotherapist and Coach TJ Matton, is sharing what play really is, and why everyone - adults included - needs it!
She defines "play" to clarify that it's not just one kind of behavior, but a state of being in the body.
And it's a primal drive, just like hunger, thirst, and sleep. While we can't avoid this drive in our bodies, culturally, we really suppress play - which is why people need help re-engaging it.
Listen to find out:
What the play state has to do with learning, safety, and...
2024-01-2444 min
Menopause Rise and Thrive | Helping Women Navigate Midlife and MenopauseHow to Be Playful Again with TJ MattonHow often do you get to play? How often do you even think about playfulness as an adult?For many of us, the answer is not very often, but TJ Matton is on a mission to change that. In this episode, TJ will teach you why we actually need to play as adults. You’re going to learn the neuroscience behind play, what makes us stop playing, and how to start playing again in midlife. I’m so excited to reconnect with my playful side and I hope you are too! Believe it or no...
2023-11-3035 min