The Play mindset allows us to have an evolving mindset. Throughout these Play sessions we will explore what B4 The Other’s Pedagogy Of Play is, how it can open up the participants point of view of their lives, and the seen/unseen opportunities before them.
Play as a feeling focuses on Great Effort, Conscious Vulnerability, Bold Choice, Grounded Acceptance, Grateful Surrender, and Easeful Buoyancy. Each week we will explore one of these six key Buoys of play (and their Anchor counterparts) to support your personal play revolution. We do not see them as “pillars” because they are not immovable. We do see these six Buoys & Anchors as points on a horizon. They offer us a foundational level of ease in every situation. The feelings creates our reality, not the other way around.
“Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, sorrow, shame.”
Brene Brown
In our culture, the act of Play is viewed as inconsequential, time wasting and frivolous. It is something only children are allowed and capable of doing as they hold a value that is “less than” adults.
For too long, the act of Play has been considered the only definition. B4 The Other believes the ideas and feelings inside of Play holds the truth to be an evolutionary tool. Through the act of Play, the idea of Play can be explored in order to find a more expansive reality, clearly defined relationships/roles, and an openness to abundant possibilities.
Living in a time of so many “unknowns”, B4 The Other would love to offer you an abundance of opportunities and options through our Pedagogy of Play. Only then can we allow the unknown to engage us by seeing that we are not victims to our choices, we create them.
B4 The Other Creations strives to build stronger communities by holding space for a universal experience through the Pedagogy of Play. Changing the language to change the story by deep diving into the core values of effort, choice, buoyancy, generosity, and vulnerability. Paving a path of Vibrational Activism in our everyday world.
We can not promise what your exact experience will be. We can promise intentional facilitation to hold your personal Play revolution. A variety of skills to help you learn and unlearn what you know to be true about yourself, your community, and your future. We reinforce the opportunity to expand our shared capacity for wonder.
Christopher J Beaulieu (Co-Founder) is known as “The Game Changer” and “The Playmaker” across the globe. He is an educator and artist with over 25 years of experience facilitating Community Building and Play Exploration rural retreats, educational residencies, and now online workshops.
Malia’Kekia Nicolini (Co-Founder) has been called a “Vibrational Activist” from how she holds space while facilitating. She is an internationally touring actress and teaching artist who has dedicated the last six years of her life to Play Exploration.
"The next session of POP begins January 22nd, 2023"
The course sessions are cumulative. Your attendance is required to uphold the cohesion, integrity, and momentum of the learning community.
- Jan 22nd
- Jan 29th
- Feb 5th
- Feb 12th
- Feb 19th
- Feb 26th
- March 5th
- March 12th
Now offering a POP session for male identifying people, Begins Jan 17th.
The course sessions are cumulative. Your attendance is required to uphold the cohesion, integrity, and momentum of the learning community.
- Jan 17th
- Jan 24th
- Jan 31st
- Feb 7th
- Feb 14th
- Feb 21st
- Feb 28th
- March 7th
"If it’s inaccessible to the poor it’s neither radical nor revolutionary." — Jonathan Herrera
- One 2-hour session per week for eight weeks
- An intimate community to Play alongside of
- A private WhatsApp group Facilitated by B4 The Other for additional resources, inspirational prompts, and community forums
- Weekly Play Opportunities to directly integrate Play into daily life
- A dedicated Playmate to check in (30 to 50 minutes) once a week to support and reinforce your Play process.
- One on one personal play revolution support calls between Playdates to directly share celebrations, challenges, insights, or questions with B4’s facilitators
Rates: B4 The Other holds a mission of building a global community. We are committed to making our work accessible for all game changers. As such, B4 offers a sliding scale on educational and professional development opportunities (see suggested amounts below). Please choose a one time rate that is an authentic investment for you.
- $300 if you are financially flourishing
- $250 if you are financially comfortable
- $200 if you are financially stretching
If you are able to self select the financially flourishing rate, please know your investment allows us to help accommodate those who may be financially stretching by offering a lower rate.
We are dedicated to living a life of service and fully embodying B4 The Other’s mission in our everyday lives. Being that our work is based on intimacy, vulnerability and connection, your investment helps restore our business coming out of this pandemic by supporting the integration B4The Other’s work online. Register now!
“I am so grateful to B4 the Other Creations for creating the POP course. The dichotomy of their Buoys and Anchors of play creates a feeling that is the experience of the play mindset. It has enabled and empowered me to make significant positive adjustments in my personal relationships and my relationship to my artistic self. I will be much more gentle with myself and others.”
“Malia’Kekia and Christopher bring a unique and energizing mix of empathy, incisive insight, true listening, and playful provocation to everything they do. If you need to spark up some facet of your creative life (however you define that), they are skilled space-holders and playmates. Re-discovering with them how much I enjoy high-stakes play totally shifted my perspective on theater-making (and life in general).”
“If your inner child has gone missing/into hiding, POP has the power to help rediscover and nurture them! I was admittedly very hesitant to take the POP course due to its virtual nature and feeling “Zoom burnout.” After some gentle persuasion, I decided to dive in and I am so glad that I did! The connections and explorations that were achieved during the last many weeks went far beyond my expectations and I am left wanting even more! The work that Malia’Kekia and Christopher are doing is so essential to our daily lives, especially as “adulting” people who so easily forget how. They are an incredible duo, leading with clear direction and loving guidance, all while making sure that everyone is seen, heard, and valued. I recommend this course to anyone who is willing to break down their grown-up walls and fully dive in to experience a truly life-enhancing world of PLAY!”
“This experience was a light in my life. It came exactly when I needed it to. Yes, it’s about ‘play’ but that word has come to mean so many different things to me now. POP helped me open up doors I didn’t know were closed. Some weeks were effortlessly joyous and others were a massive challenge. Through it all, Malia’Kekia and Christopher lead with such present grace and love. Apart from that the community you gain is beyond what I thought possible, I wish it could have lasted even longer. SO WORTH IT! I also was able to see that the more work we do, the more work there is to be done. Love. Love. Love.”
“It is only your fear of facing your beautiful authentic self that is stopping you from taking this course. Dive in, the water’s fine and you are beautiful! This journey was tremendous. The support and open honest explorations by the POP group, Chris, and Malia’Kekia was just what I needed. It helped to reaffirm my path, my choices. It gave me courage to step forward with my dreams and supported me while I had my fears and doubts surface. POP reinforced my trust in myself and the creative process of play.”
“I always told myself I was a ‘chill guy’, super laid back, open, willing, flowing with the river of life. This journey led by Malia’Kekia and Chris showed me that those things are exaggerations at best. More than “experiencing sides of myself I didn’t know” I was encouraged to look at the sides I thought I knew. I was held in a safe space to be anyway that I needed to be along the journey and that acceptance was a little unnerving, because I personally have never experienced so much acceptance of myself from others. Especially in some of the messy ways I found myself in that were dug up by this adventure. 10/10 would recommend. POP is not fun, until YOU let it be, you are at choice. Chris and Malia’Kekia are amazing, gentle, understanding and accepting. Chris will ask you questions and your resistances will tell you he’s an a$$h0%* but it’s all gravy baby, when is the next one?”