What happens when adults stop playing, and what does that mean for parents? In this episode of Parenting, Apparently, Melissa chats with Katina Bajaj, a creative health scientist and co-founder of Daydreamers, a company helping adults bring creativity, play, and wonder back into their lives.
They explore why so many grown-ups—especially parents—feel creatively unfulfilled, and how the pressure to be productive can crowd out play, curiosity, and imagination. Katina explains the difference between creativity and play, why adults may lose the fearlessness of childhood but not creativity, and research-backed nuggets like how the presence of flowers can reduce pain.
Melissa and Katina also explore creativity in everyday life: seeing a chaotic morning through a more playful lens, taking an “awe walk,” doodling when you're overwhelmed, and letting yourself daydream instead of reaching for your phone. They discuss why frustration and experimentation are essential to creative growth, how parents can model creativity and joy for their kids, and why we need to resist optimizing every part of our lives—including with AI.
If you've been feeling burned out, disconnected from your creativity, or like parenting has left little room for your own identity, this episode is a reminder that play, imagination, and wonder aren't things you outgrow—they’re actually essential to our wellbeing.
Follow Katina @katina.bajaj and https://www.katinabajaj.com/
Learn more about Daydreamers at https://daydreamers.co/
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