Back in the day I was really fun. The funnest.

But that was a long time ago.

When I was younger I was boundless in my energy, drive and ideas. I wanted to be a camp director. What could be better than a little world full of singing, games and memories? My every decision was shaped around a playful passion for life. I burned with joy.

Hell, I actually have a degree in Therapeutic Recreation. It’s true. I wrote essays about Schiller’s “Man is Only Human When at Play” because I took play seriously.

Play is a lens—through it we can see ourselves. Our struggles and joys and our potential reside there.

But in my mid-twenties life whacked me a few times, hard. Then I was pregnant. Then I was a combination of chronically ill and exhausted. Which meant that I was really No Fun At All.

Click here to read the rest of Elke's story….

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About the Author

Elke

Elke Govertsen is a entrepreneur and founder of Mamalode. She has been featured in Real Simple, Forbes, Where Women Create, Ad Tech, and listed as one of Origin Magazine's "Top 100 Creatives." She has been a speaker at The Girls Lounge, Adweek, C2Montreal, HATCH, TEDx and (her favorite) in classrooms. She speaks on a variety of topics from entrepreneurship to overcoming obstacles. She loves consulting in the areas of community design, storytelling and brand building. Her special skills include extreme bootstrapping, overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities. Of the many things she has learned by doing Mamalode, her ability to work with absolute chaos/kids/mess just might be the best. She is learning that slowing down creates more impact.