Available Now
The Element of Play
A Rebel's Guide Through Burnout and Hustle Culture
Rediscover joy, curiosity, connection and the courage to live with the volume turned up.
If you've spent years being capable, responsible, productive and quietly exhausted, this book is for you.
The Element of Play explores how adult play, curiosity, movement, creativity and connection can help us step out of survival mode and reconnect with ourselves.
Grounded in science, leadership, citizen science and Jodi Salmond's own experience of burnout and rebuilding, it offers a practical alternative to another productivity hack.
Available now in paperback and Kindle.
Plus a free companion workbook: get The PLAYBOOK →
What if play isn't childish at all?
Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped playing.
We became productive, responsible, efficient, and often exhausted.
The Element of Play explores what happens when we reconnect with curiosity, joy, movement, wonder, and the parts of ourselves we thought we'd outgrown. It is a fresh look at adult play, burnout recovery, and finding joy after burnout rather than simply pushing through it.
Blending science, storytelling, lived experience, and practical tools, this book offers a fresh perspective on play and wellbeing, play and leadership, creativity and curiosity, and what it means to feel fully alive.
What You'll Find Inside
Inside the Book
This is not a book about escaping real life. It is about coming back to it with more energy, presence, courage, and joy.
Play as a serious wellbeing tool
How play supports resilience, burnout recovery, and a more sustainable way of living.
The science behind joy and connection
What neuroscience, positive psychology, and stress research tell us about play, learning, and nervous system regulation.
Practical tools for everyday life
Accessible ways to bring more energy, curiosity, and meaning into the day-to-day.
Play and leadership
How play can transform leadership, teamwork, relationships, and self-trust.
Joy as a return, not a reward
Why joy is not a luxury, but part of how we come back to ourselves.
Reconnect with your full self
How to reconnect with creativity, courage, and the version of you that feels fully alive.
Ready to turn the volume up?
The Element of Play is available now in paperback and Kindle.
Buy The Element of Play on AmazonWho It's For
This Book Is For You If…
You feel tired of being productive but disconnected
You are craving more joy, creativity, and meaning in your life
You lead teams, communities, families, or movements and want to do it differently
You miss the version of yourself that felt curious, playful, and alive
You are recovering from burnout, reinvention, or a season of pushing through
You believe life is meant to feel like more than a to-do list
Free Companion Workbook
Don't just read about play. Do it.
The PLAYBOOK turns the ideas in The Element of Play into real life, with reflection prompts, playful experiments and practical tools you can use this week. It's free, and it works whether you've finished the book or just started.
Get The PLAYBOOK free →What People Are Saying
"This is a timely counterpoint to the cultures and habits that keep capable people running on empty. Jodi's focus on play, presence and authenticity speaks to a more sustainable way of living, leading and performing."
Erin Barnes
Founder of A Human Edge | Human Performance, People & Culture Strategist
"Jodi is a rockstar in her own right. Through her charismatic personality and unique use of play, she inspires people to connect, collaborate, and create meaningful change – for themselves, for science, for conservation, and for the environment."
Chris Roelfsema
Associate Professor, Marine Researcher & Academic Director
About the Author
Meet Jodi Salmond
Jodi Salmond is a marine scientist, speaker, award-winning entrepreneur, and General Manager of Reef Check Australia. Her work sits at the intersection of science, storytelling, leadership, nature, and human potential.
Through decades of conservation, leadership, community-building, and personal reinvention, she has become a passionate advocate for play as a tool for resilience, sustainable performance, creativity, courage, and connection.
Ready to remember what lights you up?
This book is for the part of you that knows life was never meant to be all output, pressure, and beige little boxes. The Element of Play is available now.
Available now in paperback and Kindle.