The Power of Play in Reinventing Your Life | Kristine Michie & JD Schramm
July 24, 2026
AI Summary
5 min read“No one’s really watching.” That was Christine Michie’s big therapeutic aha—the realization that she had spent decades constructing a grandstand for her own performance, chasing the “wow” from others, and exhausting herself in the process. She told her therapist she was going to hang a “closed for lunch” sign on the stadium she imagined everyone was watching from. His reply: “Or just don’t show up.” That moment captures the central tension of this episode: how to stop performing your life and start playing your way into it.
Christine Michie and JD Schramm both lost their jobs in January 2020, weeks before COVID shut down the world. Both were in midlife. Both felt the ground disappear beneath them. And both eventually built thriving independent practices—Christine as a social justice consultant and host of The Playful Podcast, JD as a keynote speaker, coach, and communications expert. Their conversation with Chip Conley, recorded for The Midlife Chrysalis, weaves together two threads: how to navigate a midlife career reinvention, and how play can unlock the story and purpose for what comes next.
The Midlife Job Loss: From Identity Crisis to Asset Inventory
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:15) **Two Midlife Career Reinvention Stories** - Christine Michie and JD Schramm share how they both lost their jobs in January 2020 and built successful consulting practices
- 2 (10:54) **The Cardiac Arrest Story: Learning to Slow Down** - Christine’s medical emergency at 35 created a pivotal moment she initially resisted
- 3 (13:42) **The Performance Trap: No One's Watching** - Christine identifies the exhausting drive to be impressive that shaped her earlier years
- 4 (15:25) **Advice for Midlife Job Loss: Reframe Your Assets** - Both guests offer practical guidance for those over 50 navigating career transitions
- 5 (17:41) **The Five-Question Exercise: What Gift Can You Offer the World?** - Chip introduces a powerful self-discovery tool used in the conversation
- 6 (20:50) **The Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: Combining Story and Play** - JD and Christine explain how their workshop fuses storytelling with play to unlock purpose
- 7 (22:48) **How Play Makes Better Decisions and Sparks Imagination** - Christine explains the research and practical benefits of play
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Play isn't just for kids. It's one of the most powerful tools for navigating change, finding purpose, and becoming more fully yourself.
In this episode of Midlife Chrysalis, Chip Conley sits down with Kristine Michie founder of the Playful Podcast, and JD Schramm, communication expert and former Stanford professor, to explore how play, storytelling, and authenticity can transform the way we approach midlife.
What you'll discover:
- Why losing a job can become the beginning of your next chapter.
- How the need to impress others quietly shapes our identity.
- Why your experience and wisdom are your greatest competitive advantage.
- How play and human connection can be the antidote to an AI-driven world.
- What it truly means to become the person you're meant to be.
If you're in the middle of a career transition, feeling the pressure to prove yourself, or wondering how to stay deeply human in an AI-driven world, this episode offers a refreshing roadmap for what comes next.
Enjoy the episode, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who could use this message.
Timestamps:
(04:34) Kristine's Journey to Purpose
(07:19) JD's Storytelling Career
(08:56) Reinventing Yourself in Midlife
(12:17) Finding Opportunity After Job Loss
(16:09) The Pressure to Impress Others
(18:09) Advice for Midlife Career Changes
(20:54) Discovering Your Unique Strengths
(24:04) The Power of Play and Story
(26:16) Why Play Sparks Creativity
(29:45) Play as the Antidote to AI
(31:50) 10 Benefits of Play
(34:54) Type 2 Fun and Growth
(37:05) The Different Play Personalities
(38:32) Wisdom Gained Through Life
(39:24) Kristine's Life Lesson
(40:30) JD's Advice on Becoming Yourself
(41:18) Living a Life of Continuous Growth
Learn more about MEA at https://www.meawisdom.com/
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