In this episode of Change Starts Here, Kim Yaris and Dr. Eve Miller challenge the way we view joy and play in education, especially during the heavy, high-stress stretch of testing season. Too often, joy is treated as a "garnish" in schools—a funny video at a staff meeting or a smoothie bar during Teacher Appreciation Week—and categorized as a mood rather than a vital capacity. However, Dr. Miller shares that joy actually has a biological architecture that fundamentally changes what the brain can do.

Drawing on Barbara Fredrickson’s "broaden-and-build theory" and Dr. Stuart Brown's research on play histories, the hosts reveal that play is not a reward for finished work; it is a biological drive as essential as sleep and nutrition. The conversation unpacks how the demands of leadership train the brain to constantly scan for problems, which can trigger "foreboding joy" and shut down our access to playfulness. Listeners will walk away with three highly intentional, small practices to rebuild this capacity: training your "delight muscle," going first with vulnerability, and protecting one entirely unproductive ritual.

Download the free episode assets:

Handout: https://resources.franklincovey.com/c/CSH-handout-e27?x=D1cEja

Staff Booster: https://resources.franklincovey.com/c/csh_staffbooster_ep27?x=D1cEja

Host:

Kim Yaris, M.Ed. (Associate Director of Research with FranklinCovey Education)

Dr. Eve Miller (Director of Research with FranklinCovey Education)

Timestamps:

(00:00 - 01:15) Podcast intro

(01:15 - 03:28) The delight muscle

(03:28 - 06:30) Joy as a capacity

(06:30 - 08:34) Broaden and build theory

(08:34 - 10:14) Play is a biological drive

(10:14 - 12:39) Brain mechanisms of play

(12:39 - 15:46) Foreboding joy in leadership

(15:46 - 17:40) Realistic, adaptable leadership

(17:40 - 19:56) Practice 1: Delight muscle

(19:56 - 21:34) Practice 2: Go real

(21:34 - 24:43) Practice 3: Unproductive ritual

Permission to Play: Why Joy is a Leadership Skill