Cafe Con Pam: Nurturing Playfulness with Gary Ware

In today’s episode, we have a special guest, Gary Ware, the founder of Breakthrough Play and a renowned corporate facilitator and international keynote speaker. With nearly a decade of experience in improv theater, Gary has mastered the art of peak performance through experiential methods. But how did he go from pursuing improv to master public speaking to incorporating play into the business world? Join us as Pam sits down with Gary to dive deep into his background and explore how embracing our inner child can unlock creativity, improve relationships, and drive success. So grab your coffee and get ready for an engaging conversation on the power of play with our guest, Gary Ware.

Gary Ware, the Founder of Breakthrough Play is a sought-after Corporate Facilitator and International Keynote Speaker with nearly a decade of experience as a performer in improv theatre. He assists teams with unlocking creativity, confidence, and sparks collaboration with experiential methods proven to drive peak performance. Some of the notable companies Gary has partnered with are SAP, HP, Intuit, GoFundMe, and The United Nations Staff College to name a few.Gary spent over a decade in the corporate world and originally pursued improv to master public speaking. He quickly discovered that combining improv and play could be a powerful solution to achieve various business challenges. Naturally, he created workshops for his team and other executives in his network to deepen relationships and improve creativity. Gary became obsessed on learning how to use play as a transformational tool and as a result, happily transitioned from marketing to pursue facilitation full time. When Gary isn’t leading workshops and keynote speaking, you can find him learning magic or off an adventure with his wife Courtney and sons Garrett and Cameron.

During our conversation we talked about:

  • His college experience
  • The stepping stones in his journey
  • Failing his first business after college
  • ADHD diagnosis
  • Getting into improv
  • Redefining the work life
  • The importance of prioritizing play
  • The relationship between being in a play-like state and learning
  • The different play personalities