Aloha mai, I’m Malia’Kekia Nicolini. Growing up as a dancer, I quickly learned that the best artist in the room received the harshest criticism. If you weren't given a critique, it not only meant you weren’t “the best”- you weren’t even acknowledged. Which one was worse? Jeesh! This kind of learning continued throughout my years of conservatory theater training. When I entered the field as a professional, I was a triple threat; I was leading, choreographing, and directing arts education programs (usually several at one time). My schedule was fully booked as I toured internationally and my worthiness was tied to saying "yes and” to maintain constant productivity. I didn’t have the skills needed to advocate for my own needs, yet I didn’t have the emotional endurance to continue to betray my own integrity. I quickly realized that I had much unlearning to engage in so that I could build the kind of world that I wanted to contribute to. In response to my experiences, I sought to design creative processes that felt aligned and nurturing to combat against this all too familiar scarcity based approach. I co-founded Play Pathways Initiative, formerly known as B4 The Other Creations, in 2018 with the intent to teach play-based strategies for the realms of education and business. Rooted in Western Mass, Play Pathways travels throughout the US and internationally, as play is a universal language. Guiding people, including myself, through a play-filled process, where people don’t have to bargain with their identity in order to belong, is what allowed me to reclaim my life, my ancestry, and my artistic essence. Learn more about my work on the Building Our Own Tables Podcast: From Perfectionism to Play, hosted by Yura Sapi and produced by Howlround Theater Commons. www.playpathways.com