A different way to think about the human experience.
Christina Cherry, founder of Playstate, brings together the science of play, happiness research, and personal storytelling to challenge familiar assumptions and explore new possibilities for how we live, work, and connect.
Signature Talks
The Power of Playful Thinking
How play changes the way we think, connect, create, and work.
We're asking a lot of people these days. Think creatively. Adapt quickly. Collaborate effectively. Solve problems that don't have obvious answers. And somehow, keep doing more with less.
What if one of the most overlooked tools for meeting these demands is something we've been taught to leave behind in childhood?
The science of play offers a surprisingly compelling place to start.
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Play is more than recreation or a break from responsibility. It engages our curiosity, encourages experimentation, and creates opportunities for connection and discovery. These are the very qualities organizations are asking their people to bring to work.
In this research-informed, refreshingly human keynote, Christina explores how playful thinking can help us challenge familiar patterns, approach uncertainty with greater flexibility, strengthen our relationships, and rethink how we sustain our energy and well-being.
Along the way, audiences discover their own play styles, experience the power of playful thinking firsthand, and leave with practical ways to bring more creativity, connection, and possibility into their everyday lives and work.
Takeaways
Think more creatively and solve problems in new ways. Break out of habitual thinking patterns, generate fresh ideas, and approach challenges with greater flexibility and imagination.
Build stronger connections and collaborate more effectively. Foster trust, communicate more openly, and create more meaningful connections that strengthen relationships and collaboration.
Approach change and uncertainty with greater confidence. Develop the curiosity, adaptability, and willingness to experiment needed to navigate unfamiliar situations and embrace new possibilities.
Combat burnout and cultivate sustainable well-being. Recognize opportunities to incorporate play into everyday life, manage stress, restore energy, and reconnect with what makes you feel engaged and alive.
Ideal for: Corporate events, leadership conferences, company retreats, team development, industry events, and professional development programs.
The Life You Haven't Met Yet
Embracing uncertainty & discovering possibilities beyond the life you've imagined.
Change has a way of disrupting the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, what we want, and where we're headed. Whether it's a transition we choose or one we never saw coming, it can leave us questioning what comes next.
But what if uncertainty isn't just something to get through? What if it's also an invitation to discover a life you haven't imagined yet?
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For Christina, that question emerged after she was hit by a truck in Brooklyn. In the aftermath, she found herself reconsidering the life she'd worked so hard to build. What followed was an unexpected journey across the country, filled with new experiences and discoveries that challenged her assumptions about who she was and what she wanted.
In this personal, thought-provoking keynote, Christina draws on her own experience alongside insights from the science of play and happiness research to explore how we can navigate the unknown without having all the answers. She examines how curiosity and experimentation can help us challenge expectations, discover new dimensions of ourselves, and expand our sense of what's possible.
Audiences leave with a new perspective on navigating change, tangible tools for moving through uncertainty, and the confidence to question old assumptions, explore new possibilities, and take meaningful steps forward without needing to know exactly where they'll lead.
Takeaways
Navigate change and uncertainty with greater confidence. Develop tools to manage the discomfort of the unknown, respond to unexpected transitions with greater flexibility, and recognize opportunities within changing circumstances.
Challenge the stories that limit what's possible. Identify the assumptions, expectations, and familiar narratives shaping your sense of identity, and begin questioning which ones still serve you.
Rediscover curiosity as a tool for personal growth. Learn how to use curiosity and experimentation to explore new interests, uncover unexpected possibilities, and better understand what makes you feel alive.
Take meaningful action without a perfect plan. Learn to take small, intentional steps toward something new, using real-world experiences to discover what you want rather than waiting until you have it all figured out.
Ideal for: Commencement ceremonies, universities and colleges, women's conferences, leadership events, professional associations, personal development conferences, and organizations navigating change.
Participation Encouraged
Around here, we believe the best way to understand an idea is to roll up your sleeves and give it a try. That's why our offerings extend beyond the keynote to include hands-on workshops and custom group experiences.
Whether you're filling an auditorium or gathering a small team around a table, Christina creates opportunities to explore new perspectives, connect with others, and put these concepts into practice. Expect lively conversations, unexpected discoveries, and a little room to play.
Speaking & Experience Formats
Keynotes
Part science, part storytelling, Christina brings audiences into the conversation with moments of reflection, humor, and participation that make even a big room feel connected.
Interactive Workshops
Through guided activities, playful experiments, and collaborative exercises, participants get to explore Christina's signature topics firsthand and discover what they mean for their own lives and work.
Custom Facilitated Experiences
Collaborative sessions built around your organization's goals and challenges, creating space for new ideas, stronger connections, and different ways of approaching what's ahead.
“Christina unlocked a new kind of creativity for us. The playful prompts and exercises sparked ideas we wouldn’t have found in a typical brainstorm. It was energizing, human and exactly what we needed to reconnect as a team.”
— Organizer
“Christina’s talk was so playful yet empowering! She understood that talking about play can sound silly, and she embraces that while truly showing others the power that playfulness holds.”
— Attendee
Meet Christina
Christina Cherry is a speaker, coach, and founder of Playstate, a company using the science of play and happiness research to help people experience life differently. She passionately believes that how we live matters just as much as what we accomplish.
After more than a decade in public relations and marketing, Christina understands the demands of ambitious goals, fast-paced environments, and the pressure to keep up. She's also seen how easy it can be to lose sight of creativity, curiosity, and connection when we're focused on everything that needs to get done. When a near-death experience challenged her assumptions about the life she wanted, Christina began exploring what might be possible beyond the one she'd planned.
Her perspective brings together studies in The Science of Well-Being through Yale University and Managing Happiness through Harvard University, research into the science of play, and firsthand experience designing and facilitating corporate workshops, group coaching programs, and immersive retreats.
Known for her candid storytelling, humor, and ability to make research feel relevant to real life, Christina brings a refreshingly human perspective to the stage. She's not particularly interested in telling people how to live their lives. She's much more interested in helping them question the rules they've been following and discover what else might be possible.
Get to know Christina a little better here.
Have Something in Mind? Let's Play.
Planning a conference, bringing your team together, or dreaming up something a little different? Christina would love to hear what you're working on.
Come with a fully formed plan, a half-baked idea, or a challenge you're hoping to explore. We'll figure out what makes sense for your people and take it from there.
