In this episode, Whitney Dawn Pyles sits down with Jae Gibbs (Freedom Yard) and Pid'or Tampa (Coach Play, PTPlays) to explore the transformative potential of play in our lives and work (coaching, facilitation, space holding, etc.). The conversation begins with personal stories of discovery, as both guests share how their journeys led them to The Somatic School and why it became a pivotal step in their personal and professional growth.
The discussion then unfolds into a deep dive on the power of play—a way back to our truest selves, a path out of burnout, and a radical act of resistance against societal systems that stifle authenticity and creativity. Together, they examine how play can be a profound practice for freedom, connection, and self-expression, and how it challenges the industrialized, capitalistic norms of Western society.
Whether you're curious about somatic coaching, passionate about personal growth, or intrigued by the intersection of play and societal transformation, this episode offers insights and inspiration for a more authentic way of living and working.
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or YouTube or head to our website thesomaticschool.com. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram @radiosomanaut. You can also learn more by registering for our free 40-minute WebClass.
Jae Gibbs works with healers, creators, change makers, helping professionals, and coaches. In 2025, she is opening up a small group program and she’s interested in having a short connection call with anyone who identifies as one of the above about their challenges and hopes around brand marketing.
Find her on her website https://www.freedom-yard.co.uk or via Instagram @our_living_tree or @empowering_purpose.
Jae is a curiosity nerd, who's always been fascinated by why people make the choices they do. It led her into a 20 year career in brand marketing, alongside a personal wellbeing and empowerment journey. Along the way she became a yoga teacher, sound healer, space holder and somatic coach, rooting all of her work in a holistic and relational approach, through a decolonising lens. As a body-oriented space holder Jae offers one to one somatic self-empowerment coaching and group explorations cultivating rituals of rest, rites of being and paths of play. As a brand strategist, Jae offers a person-centred, purpose-led approach to brand marketing; Empowering Purpose, a co-creative experiential methodology that supports creators, change-makers and healers to embody and empower their authentic self through their business.
Pid’or Tampa’s work brings together somatic practices, play tools, and creative artistic activities. She is currently looking for people who resonate with those ways of working or are women in frontline services or people who are in some kind of service role (education, medical field, etc.) or anyone else who’s feeling like they are on their way towards burnout or they are already there (check out her Embodied Against Burnout offering or additional 2025 programs).
Find her online at PT Plays Coach or via Instagram, LinkedIn, Substack, or LinkTree.
Pid’or is a multi-disciplinary practitioner, playing between the fields of creative health, theatre, education, art, poetry, and music. Her career started out in applied theatre; a practical approach to generating community engagement, skills development, mobilising community and political action, whilst educating on social and personal well-being issues.
Through the work she has partnered with community and youth projects, vulnerable, at-risk groups, those with special educational needs, and theatre companies. She credits this period of her life as the time in which she developed her creative voice and understanding of the dynamic, impactful changes the arts and social engagement initiatives can have on personal development and well-being.
She went on to train as a theatre teacher with an intention to bring these same holistic benefits into the statutory education sector. Teaching for over 10 years now Pid’or has worked across state, independent, private, and international schools both here in the UK and in south-east Africa. What she brings to the classroom and applied theatre space is also lived experience as a performer.
She proudly shares “I have relied on my voice and body as a singer, actress and teacher constantly, but not always consciously. My professional journey has been a full-bodied experience that I continue to learn and draw wisdom from. I love it and don’t want to know any other way.”
Whichever field you find Pid’or working in these days, she maintains a clear mission to use art as a means of expression that supports well-being and personal development. No wonder then that she has found herself in the field of creative health; she has launched a specialised integrative well-being service (PTPlays) where her approach utilises a combination of somatic and creative health practices alongside play as meditative, processing, and self-regulation tools.
*** Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school. ***
00:00 Introduction to the Guests and Their Work
02:15 Jae’s Path to The Somatic School
10:07 Pid’or’s Journey to The Somatic School
23:10 Introducing the Topic of Play
23:42 The Significance of Play
33:34 Play as a Path to Freedom
45:50 Exploring Freedom and Play
52:50 The Power of Creative Expression
57:54 Breaking Free from Performativity
01:01:55 Shifting Perspectives for Freedom
01:02:52 Meeting Ourselves: The Journey of Self-Discovery
01:06:29 The Power of Vulnerability and Witnessing
01:09:36 Resourcing and Embracing Our Fullness
01:11:41 Curiosity and the Spirit of Play
01:15:59 Dreams and the Courage to Imagine
01:17:04 Final Encouragements for the Listeners
