Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Iverson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea for my playful wellness business, Curious Sunshine, started in grad school. I initially moved from California to Colorado to go back to school and acquire the tools and knowledge I needed to start my business. Ultimately, I wanted to create a positive change in the world.

The university that I went to was Mindfulness-based so I really got to dive deep into mindfulness and meditation techniques. An unexpected treasure that I stumbled across, was Dr. Stuart Brown’s studies on play. Discovering the world of play was an “ah-ha” moment and missing piece of to my puzzle. I have always intrinsically been playful and “childlike” so it only made sense that this was an integral part of Curious Sunshine. From that point on, I have worked to alchemize the magic of play, curiosity and mindfulness into a specially curated methodology to help adults learn how to play in order to cultivate joy, liberation and wholeness.

I knew this was worthwhile for two reasons. First, there is an imperative need for play in our society, especially with adults. One of the most challenging tasks in my work is getting adults to be vulnerable in their silliness. Second, my passion for playful wellness, is soul-deep. I would even say it’s transcendental, in that, the work I do is bigger than myself. The feedback I receive from my classes, workshops, and healing sessions always reaffirm to me that we need more play in our wellness initiatives.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a play alchemist, bringing elements of play and joy into wellness and spirituality! My love for all things magical and adventurous started when I was a child, collecting crystals, creating “make believe” adventures, making art and always asking for some sort of science kit for my birthday. This ultimately brought me to attaining my B.A. in Art and M.A. in Environmental Leadership. I bring that childlike curiosity to projects to help others tap back into their playful curiosity. I hold a strong passion for my work because play is a vital component to our wellbeing. When we allow ourselves to tap into a playful state of mind, we elevate our consciousness and raise our vibration because play is an expression of love. As a multi-passionate, creative entrepreneur, I have a “toy chest” full of experience and skills including reiki, herbalism, meditation, graphic design, publishing, dance, puzzle design, and painting.

I most recently launched my personal brand, Sarah’s Kaleidoscope Playhouse where I, “Color Your Word”, through playful solutions in work and daily life. Sarah’s Kaleidoscope Playhouse. is home to all of my offerings and services including visual arts, activity book publishing, puzzle hunt designs, brand development and of course, Curious Sunshine.

What I strive to do in my work is to make life more exciting, bring magic to the mundane and disrupt the status quo. I help my clients and workshop participants create new neural pathways and literally change the way they see the world in order to cultivate new possibilities in their lives. Our imagination is boundless. So why do we put limitations on what we can imagine for ourselves? If you are reading this article, this is your invitation to imagine bigger, play harder, and be more intentional with your joy.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I was in the beginning stages of Curious Sunshine, I was met with a lot of skepticism and doubt. Doubts that I could run a successful play-based business and doubts that people would even want what I am offering. Luckily, when it comes to something I am passionate about, I can be pretty stubborn about sticking with it. I saw a need within the community and created something to fulfill the need, and I get to have fun therein! Why would I give that up over a few naysayers? It was not a glamorous start either. I did not have generous amounts of funding, resources or support. I essentially had to leverage the skills that I had, and/or take the time to learn the skills to acquire what I needed. Fast forward to now, Curious Sunshine is still thriving! Surviving through the pandemic, as well as my own personal struggles has shown me just how important play is in our world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn was that I needed X amount of dollars, X amount of network connections, or X amount of resources in order to start a successful business. While that may be true to an extent, I have come to learn that what I really needed was innovation and creativity. You can have all the money and connections in the world and still not be a successful entrepreneur. On the flipside, I have seen people with next to nothing (myself included) become amazing entrepreneurs because they were authentically creative with their brand and developed something unique and prosperous. If I had let those stipulations affect my goals and vision, Curious Sunshine would not exist.

Contact Info:

• Website: curioussunshine.com & sarahskph.com
• Instagram: @playfullysarah & @chiefchillybeans
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-iverson-456a3252/
• Youtube: @PlayfullySarah

Image Credits
Brandon Colby Photography