PLAY WELL: Ben Crowe wants you to play more in sport, and in life

Before sport was graded, scored and analysed... what did you love to play? Not just do, but actually, play?  That feeling of joy, curiosity and being completely immersed in something is known as the 'play state'. Mindset coach Ben Crowe says most of us leave it behind far too early. As sport becomes organised, measured, and outcome-driven, we change from playing for love to playing for approval.  Redefining success and reconnecting with play is central to Ben’s work with athletes including tennis stars Ash Barty and Andre Agassi and surfer Molly Picklum. It's helped them transform their relationships with sport as a result.   Ben says play is as essential as sleep, so how do we bring more of it back, for ourselves and for our kids?  +++  Sportish is powered by the Australian Sports Commission and produced by Deadset Studios.    We’re spotlighting Australia’s sport participation strategy Play Well. You can find plenty more resources and information at ausport.gov.au/playwell.   Ben Crowe is the founder of Mojo Crowe, and author of Where the Light Gets In.   Sportish is hosted by Libby Trickett and Georgie Trickett, produced by Luci McAfee with sound design by Melissa May. The Executive Producer is Kellie Riordan and Sarah Dabro. Ann Chesterman is the Production Manager.  We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this podcast was made. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We also recognise the outstanding contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make to sport and celebrate the power of sport to tell stories and promote reconciliation.