PlayFest's host has led wellbeing workshops for:
Play makes dreams doable.
Whether you work in tech, healthcare, education, for yourself, or are craving a reset away from the kids, PlayFest is for you.Â
PlayFest's mission is to create local community for (and share tools with) folks who want a different experience of life beyond the “wake up, work, sleep––maybe” mode that many of us find ourselves stuck in on repeat.
We're in this together. Let's step away from the endless to-dos to explore how approaching life from a play mindset can help us de-stress and reclaim our power, joy, and freedom––without having to quit all the things (unless you want to).Â
Play melts stress away––opening you up to more creativity, power, freedom and joy.Â
"Emily helped Googlers gain more clarity into their challenges and identify opportunities for greater wellbeing through her booth and interactive workshop on work-life balance at our Wellness Fair. Emily was a natural and her bright yellow booth stood out as a positive beacon, where she offered her signature and unique approach to card reading as personal development. Since then, she’s taught several actionable virtual workshops: “The Art (& Science!) of Intuitive Card Reading,” “The Art (& Myth!) of Work-Life Balance,” and “Knitting 101: The Art & Science of Stress Relief” through our Arts program. She continues to be a hit!"
-Lindsay Alford, Executive Director of Techapella.org & Google Program Manager
Reclaim more power, joy & freedom
At PlayFest, you'll:Â
- Rediscover 6+ different ways to play in all areas of your life so you can feel more free and empowered no matter what gets thrown your way. Think: playful movement, meditation, mindset, art, pleasure, healing plants, and more!
- Release stress, get curious, laugh, and nourish yourself through hands-on, immersive experiences
- Learn bite-sized tools and practices you can use even after the retreat to feel more like your best self in all areas of your life
- Connect with like-minded community members - yay for new friends!
 PlayFest includes:
- 5 60-min deep-dive sessions led by 5 expert speakers: create-your-own meditation, somatic movement to release, playful potions, pleasure activation, and intuitive art!
- Mini "bookend" sessions each day on how to activate your play mindset, regulate your nervous system, and integrate all you learn with your host, Emily Schickli
- Always-open Play Parlor, where you can take a break, reflect, make art, pull Oracle cards, or enjoy refreshments
- Catered lunch on Sunday from a local business
- 2-hour lunch break on Saturday to explore what downtown Redwood City has to offer or to relax at the venue with new friendsÂ
- Hands-on art and plant crafts to take homeÂ
- Fun surprises like door prizes you can win from local businesses and a scavenger hunt!
 What's not included:
- Overnight accommodation - we will share recommendations if you are traveling, but you are responsible for any costs or bookings
- Lunch on Saturday - we'll have a long break for you to wander downtown with new friends to support local businesses, order in, or bring a lunch!
- Specific snacks or self-care items you need to feel comfortable throughout the day. If you know you need some creature comforts, bring them :)Â
- Yoga mat - bring your own to have one available for our movement and meditation sessions or a blanket if you don't have one––or both!
- Painting smocks - wear clothes you can get dirty on Sunday for our intuitive art session or bring a smock or old t-shirt
- Transportation to and from the retreat venue
"For Mental Health Awareness Month, we brought Emily in to do a “Stress Relief Workshop” and guided meditation, and our employees raved about the stress relief techniques we practiced together during the workshop. Some people were new to meditation, and they had their first chance at it. Emily was also very flexible to the attendees needs and gave them a safe space to talk about how they respond to stress.
By the end of the workshop, our employees had the tools to cope with stress along with a meditation they could model themselves."-June Lee - Formerly at Scale AI now at Zip HQ
"Emily is a strong facilitator for personal growth and brings together science and spirituality in a really cool and accessible way. Emily led a lunchtime workshop for our Women in Windows and Devices group at Microsoft as a way for us to connect with each other and get creative. We loved learning how to work with our intuition to make better decisions and even made some art: our own intention cards for the new year! She created an inviting and warm environment, got us all engaged and interacting even though it was an online event, and encouraged us to step out of our comfort zones and connect with ourselves and each other. We can't recommend her as a workshop leader enough!"
-Valeria Goncharenko, Program Manager II at Microsoft
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Ali Eslamifar
Ali spent nearly half his life in tech as an entrepreneur, designer, engineer, and product leader. In 2022, he launched his Farsi meditation podcast '10minpause' (now 10min App) to promote mindfulness among Iranians. He then started 'The Ally Show,' a podcast for sharing personal mental health journeys. Ali holds a bachelor's in computer engineering and a Master's in Design from Arizona State University. He loves connecting to this world through connecting to people and experiencing the world.
Ali will be hosting a session all about play and meditation.Â
Caline Raab
Caline Raab empowers people to overcome their challenges and reach personal freedom. She specializes in one-on-one coaching, creating a safe, personalized space tailored to her client's needs, blending coaching and energy work for holistic growth. She also loves facilitating group experiences, as they foster community and allow individuation to meet the collective. She is a Holistic Life Coach, Reiki Master, and Shamanic Practitioner.
Caline will be hosting a session all about play and movement.Â
Haley Hoover
Haley Hoover helps women connect with their sacral power through intuitive art and journaling classes.
She is an Intuitive Artist, Author and Success Coach who helps spiritual women experience more ease and fulfillment in their journey to success and abundance. Her secret sauce is combining abstract art practices, intuitive journaling prompts and ancient yogic exercises into a full-body experience of expanding into your potential.
Haley will be hosting a session all about play and intuitive art.Â
Jacqueline Hartman
Jacqueline Hartman fosters deep transformative relationships that help individuals, groups and organizations navigate personal and professional shifts.
Combining traditional medicine with modern healing and leadership facilitation, she promotes holistic well-being and dynamic leadership. She is a dedicated program developer and facilitator, multicultural integrative health coach, and clinical herbalist. Jacquline has been grounding and inspiring individuals as well as mid to large organizations in service, tech, and higher education for three decades.Â
Jacqueline will be hosting a session about play and healing plants.
Toran McGill
Toran is The Pleasure Priestess. A Pleasure Embodiment Coach. Poet and Author.Â
Toran has spent decades training bodies to be athletes, performers, and entertainers, including her own. To perform and confirm to expectation. Now, She can be found creating spaces for people to be free in their bodies. Body Freedom expands confidence, deepens intimate wellness, and increases vitality. Bringing pleasure back to life from the board room to the courtroom and even into the bedroom.Â
Toran is a certified Sex, Love & Relationships Coach and will be hosting a session all about play and pleasure.
Emily Schickli
Emily Schickli empowers busy humans to reclaim their time, energy, and magic through coaching, courses, ceremonies, team workshops, and her published book. She is a triple-certified Life Coach, Yoga and Meditation Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, Shamanic Practitioner, and NLP, T.I.M.E., EFT, and Hypnosis Practitioner with a Masters from the University of Chicago. She’s led workshops for companies like Google, YouTube, Meta, Microsoft, Course Hero and more and appeared in multiple media outlets.Â
Emily Schickli is the host of PlayFest and will be offering teachings on play mindset and nervous system regulation as well as opportunities for integration at the beginning and end of each day of the retreat.Â
"In the process of working with Emily, I learned who I was. I trust myself more––3 times more, which feels wild to say, and I really recognize my intuition and gifts."
-Elizabeth Lewis, Founder of Detroit Mom, Lansing Moms, and Retreat to Reclaim
"I honestly don't even know how to verbalize the impact of working with Emily. Two months ago, I would have been super frustrated with myself for doing something and now I'm just not. Basically, what Emily does is help you love yourself. She’s magic."
-Asha Jones, Fraud Analyst in FinTech
“What a great weekend getaway - great food, company, and relaxing meditation exercises. It was a good opportunity to re-evaluate what wellness means to me and come away with tangible ways I can integrate things like movement and meditation into my daily life.”
-Â Alice Taylor, Training and Quality Lead @ Youtube
“Having the time and space to share, meditate, and connect with other women at Emily’s in-person retreat in the woods was very powerful. Emily created a warm, inviting experience that was tailored to individual needs and was accessible for all.
I came away with many meaningful suggestions on how to incorporate meditation practices into my daily routine. What a beautiful and relaxing weekend!”
-Â Laura Easton, Middle School History and Science Teacher at JLS
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“I have attended many of Emily's workshops and each time I learned amazing mindfulness techniques through the playfulness and fun of creating art. Emily is incredibly attentive to questions and comments and offers such a calming environment and safe space to be vulnerable with our intentions, fears, and goals. She provides practical and novel ways of stepping back to view common challenges from new perspectives that reduce overwhelm. Her tips have become such a huge help in navigating everyday life/stress and it has made me more confident in developing and trusting my own intuitive process.”
-Chelsy Baculi, Workplace Program Coordinator at a SF Bay Area Tech Company
"We weren’t sure what to expect from a wellness series with an outside consultant for Mental Health Awareness Month, but Emily exceeded expectations the first time so much so that we hired her again in May. Emily was a pleasure to work with, happy to make customizations based on our team needs, and even explained the neuroscience behind the East meets West practices she was teaching so employees could understand why they are effective. She leveraged her considerable expertise to design a progressive program that was appropriate for beginners and helped attendees deepen their stress resilience, self-awareness, and connection to themselves."
-Natalia C., Event Planner at a SF Bay Area Tech Company
PlayFest RWC Sponsors
 We're looking for more local businesses to help sponsor swag bags,
door prizes, food, goodies, and more!
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