The Playful Way: Creativity, Connection, and Joy Through Everyday Moments of Play

Playfulness can help you navigate life with more creativity, resilience, and joy--entrepreneur Piera Gelardi offers simple practices and radical permission to shift from the Pressured Way to the Playful Way.

Somewhere along the way to adulthood, we learned that play is frivolous. Childish. Something to outgrow. We treat it like a reward we have to earn, separate from our "real" lives. But denying our playfulness has a cost--it leaves us feeling drained and disconnected. We rely on pressure and perfectionism, trying to force outcomes, wondering why nothing feels fun anymore.
There's another way.
In The Playful Way, creative entrepreneur Piera Gelardi shows how to shift from the Pressured Way--clenching, forcing, white-knuckling through life--to the Playful Way, where you move through the world with fluidity, curiosity, and aliveness. For Gelardi--who has built iconic brands, created daring experiences, and consistently put herself out there in bold, creative ways--play has never been frivolous. It was how she made sense of the world. As an adult, she realized that what she'd called burnout or creative block was really a disconnection from play--and that returning to it helped her feel alive again.
Through intimate stories, research, and accessible practices, you'll discover how to:

• quiet the inner critics that restrict your playfulness
• unlock the Eight Powers of Play
• embrace a mindset that transforms how you navigate challenges, deepen connections, and find joy in everyday moments

The Playful Way is your guide to living with more whimsy, wonder, and possibility--through both the light moments and the tough ones. Because when you embrace playfulness, you don't have to go play. Play comes with you everywhere.

Author: Piera Gelardi
Publisher: HarperOne
Published: 04/07/2026
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780063416697


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/02/2026

About the Author
Gelardi, Piera: -

Piera Gelardi is a creative entrepreneur, speaker, and artist passionate about bringing play into every room she enters. She co-founded the influential media brand Refinery29 and its magical pop-up 29Rooms, earning recognition as one of Ad Age's "50 Most Creative People" and Entrepreneur's "50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs." Through her new company NoomaLooma and her energetic keynotes, Piera helps people unlock their creative superpowers. When she's not playing professionally, she loves hosting noodle & doodle nights, throwing spontaneous dance parties, and making up songs with her daughter Viva. Follow her at @PieraLuisa on Instagram and Substack, or visit www.pieragelardi.com