What if play isn't just for kids? What if it's the practice that keeps you tethered to yourself when everything falls apart?

Rachael Renae spent over a decade as a civil engineer, building what looked like a stable life while her creative soul screamed to get out. Then her dad got sick. She moved home. He passed away six months later. And suddenly, she couldn't fake it anymore. So, she quit her corporate job, started making weird paper mache sculptures taller than herself, and discovered that play isn't optional when everything falls apart — it's survival.

This conversation is about what happens when grief cracks you open and, instead of trying to put yourself back together the same way, you let yourself become something new.

We dive into:

• Why matching your mug to your outfit is an act of survival during hard times
• Play and creativity as a tether to your authentic self when everything else is falling apart
• How grief expands your capacity for joy (not just pain)
• The spell book her mom found and the shame of having your creativity discovered
• Closing her stationery business because monetizing joy killed the magic
• Being terrible at stained glass and why that's perfect information
• Jealousy as a roadmap to what you actually want
• Why creativity is human nature—from field hollers to concentration camp art
• Naming your inner child and becoming your own best friend
• Building trust with yourself through tiny daily choices that compound
• "It should feel like the book"—her framework for relationships that feel resistance-free
• The difference between making art to sell vs. making art because you're obsessed

This episode is for: anyone navigating grief or loss, people who dismiss play as frivolous, burnt-out corporate workers who feel that crunchy agitation of "something's not right," anyone who thinks they're "not creative," the ones who need permission to be gloriously bad at things, anyone protecting their joy from monetization, people rebuilding their life from scratch and terrified they're doing it wrong.

Free resources from Rachael:

• Silly Questions for Creative Connection - Deepen your relationships through play
• 80+ Play Ideas + Exercise - Discover your version of play

Rachael's book Paradise Play comes out June 2026

The Juice Box community: Rachael's year-long creative container where you pick a play priority each season and actually follow through. Opens for new members April 2026.

Where to find Rachael:Instagram: @rachael.renae Website: rachaelrenae.com

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Rachael Renae is an artist and creativity hype gal! I help creatives use play as a tool to overcoming blocks, connecting with themselves, and living their big, juicy lives!