The Opportunity to Play and Why Reclaiming Joy Is the Boldest Move a Leader Can Make
Updated: May 22, 2025
Written by Laurie Hawkins, Leadership Advisor
Laurie Hawkins is a transformational leadership advisor and founder of Hawk Inspired, guiding high-achieving leaders to align ambition with authenticity. Blending soul, strategy, and nervous system wisdom, she helps leaders rise with purpose, power, and deep fulfillment.
How often do you make space for joy, without needing to earn it first? In the world of high-achieving leadership, play often gets pushed to the margins. It's seen as a break, a reward, or something reserved for "after the work is done." But what if joy isn’t the afterthought? What if it’s the secret access point to your most powerful leadership?
In a culture that glorifies burnout and celebrates overachievement, choosing play can feel radical. But this shift isn’t soft, it’s strategic.
When we soften into joy, we don’t lose our edge. We reclaim it with presence.
Play isn’t a break from leadership, it’s a portal into it
We’re conditioned to associate leadership with contraction: tight timelines, tight schedules, tight shoulders. But the most impactful leaders don’t lead from tension. They lead from connection.
And play is one of the fastest ways to return to connection.
With ourselves.
With others.
With our bodies.
With the present moment.
Play regulates the nervous system. It opens creative pathways.
It fuels emotional resilience.
This isn’t fluff. It’s neurobiology. When we engage in play through movement, art, laughter, music, or nature, we lower cortisol levels, increase dopamine, and expand our capacity for innovation. Simply put: joy makes the work sustainable.
The science of joy is strategic, not silly
From a performance standpoint, joy supports:
Emotional agility in high-stress situations
Creative thinking in moments of constraint
Relational intelligence in leadership conversations
Long-term capacity to hold space for others
You don’t have to step away from your role to access this. You have to step deeper into your wholeness.
What does a play look like in my leadership practice
Play in my leadership doesn't mean disengagement; it means embodied presence. It looks like:
A tray of kinetic sand in my coaching space, inviting tactile mindfulness.
Impromptu dance breaks between strategy calls.
Intentional beauty in my work rituals: candles, music, warm light.
Letting insight arrive during laughter around a retreat table, not just on a whiteboard.
These aren’t moments outside the work. They are what deepen the work.
They bring me back to what I call the Sandcastle Self, the version of us who built with joy before performance got in the way. Who created freely? Who didn’t need to prove her worth to own her power?
You don’t have to earn joy
One of the biggest myths we’ve absorbed, especially as women, is that joy is something we must earn.
We can rest after.
Celebrate after.
Play after.
But what if joy isn’t a distraction from your mission? What if it’s the thing that keeps you aligned with it?
Joy is not the opposite of power. It’s the heart of it.
3 simple ways to reclaim joy as a leadership practice
If joy feels like a distant memory, here are a few ways to gently bring it back into your day:
1. Create micro-moments of joy
·Step outside and breathe deeply.
Move your body not to "optimize" but to come home to yourself.
Play music between meetings that lights you up.
2. Infuse rituals of delight
Light a candle to open your workday with intention.
Wear something that feels vibrant and expressive.
Add beauty to your environment: flowers, artwork, sunlight.
3. Let your inner child lead
Ask her what she wants to do today. Really listen.
Follow a playful nudge, even if it feels "silly."
Remember that her joy is your power.
Leadership isn’t just strategy. It’s self-connection
This is your invitation to stop postponing joy until the checklist is complete. The leader who knows how to soften, feel, and come alive?
She doesn’t take it less seriously.
She leads more fully.
Because the truth is: aligned, embodied, creative leadership isn’t born from pressure.
It’s born from presence.
Ready to lead from your whole self?
You can dive deeper into these conversations and practices on the Ambitious, Awakened & Aligned Podcast, where we explore the intersection of business, identity, nervous system wisdom, and soul.
Or if you're craving a full transformation, explore my 90-day flagship program: Ready for More, designed for the high-achiever ready to lead with purpose, presence, and power.
Read more from Laurie Hawkins
Laurie Hawkins, Leadership Advisor
Laurie Hawkins is a transformational leadership advisor, speaker, and founder of Hawk Inspired. She helps high-achieving entrepreneurs and executives align ambition with authenticity, blending business strategy, identity work, and nervous system intelligence to fuel sustainable success. With over 30 years of experience in sales leadership and personal transformation, Laurie is known for creating powerful spaces where leaders can expand into their next evolution. She is the creator of the Wake the F Up Festival, Ready for More, and The Expansion Room, designed to support those craving a deeper, more fulfilling way to lead and live.
