HEART TO HEART PLAYLAB

When was the last time you played like nobody was watching?

For BIPOC women, trans & nonbinary folks ready to play their way back to their whole selves. (Yes, your WHOLE weird, wonderful, slightly feral selves.) 🐯

Applications close October 5

Your "Professional Self" Is Exhausted. Your Creative Self Is Ready to Play.

You've mastered the art of showing up perfectly. The code-switching. The careful calculations. The constant proving you belong. (Exhausting, right? Your inner child is OVER IT.)

But what if there was a space where you could be gloriously, rebelliously, authentically messy? Where your weird laugh is welcome? Where "that's not professional" is a compliment?

Heart to Heart PlayLab is a revolutionary workshop series where play becomes resistance, where laughter heals, and where your whole self—not just your LinkedIn self—gets to show up and party. (Your LinkedIn self can wait in the car.)

This Isn't Your Corporate Wellness Workshop

Through drama therapy, improv, and embodied play, we're creating something different:

  • A playground for grown folks who are tired of being so damn serious 🤹🏼‍♀️

  • A laboratory for authentic expression (where "too much" is just right)

  • A community where "professional" and "playful" can finally be friends (maybe even besties?)

Four Transformative Workshops

Imposter Syndrome: The Remix (October)

Tell that voice in your head it's time for intermission.

Ever catch yourself thinking "they're gonna find out I don't belong here"? Time to give your imposter a character, a voice, and then... a new ending. Through embodied play and improv, we'll literally step outside those limiting stories and into "wait, I'm actually pretty amazing."


Burnout to Breakthrough (November)

When grinding isn't working, maybe it's time to play instead.

Burnout isn't just tired—it's when your whole system says "nope." Through embodied play and gentle movement, we'll honor that exhaustion while exploring what wants to emerge. No toxic positivity, just real humans finding authentic ways back to aliveness.

Authentic Art Practice (January)

Discover what you create when nobody's grading you.

Remember making art before anyone told you it wasn't "good enough"? Using embodied creative exercises, we'll explore what emerges when perfectionism leaves the room. Haven't created since middle school? Perfect. This space celebrates all expressions of your creative self.


Professional Creativity Jumpstart (February)

Bring your whole creative self to work—watch what happens.

They want innovation but expect conformity. Sound familiar? Through improv and play, we'll practice channeling your full creative power in spaces that weren't designed for you. Your creativity isn't separate from your professionalism—it's what makes you unstoppable.

Here's What We're Really Doing:

  • Saying the quiet part out loud 📣 —in a space that can hold it AND celebrate it!

  • Moving our bodies because healing isn't just from the neck up (your shoulders have opinions!)

  • Laughing until our cheeks hurt because joy is revolutionary (plus it confuses the patriarchy)

  • Creating together because isolation is overrated (and boring👎🏽)

  • Playing with possibility in a real/not-real space where anything can happen (and probably will, watch out!)

This has therapeutic benefits but it's not therapy. It's better—it's community. With snacks. (Okay, BYO snacks, but still.)

“Yesss all y'all go to Marcia's class! Perfect mix of movement, silliness, vulnerability, and connection. Plus if you tell her to hold you like a baby for a group selfie she'll happily oblige.” -Jillian

Who This Is For:

You're our people if you:

  • Identify as BIPOC women, trans, or nonbinary

  • Are professionally accomplished but creatively starving (your resume slaps but when did you last make weird noises for fun?)

  • Believe healing happens with others, not just in your journal (journals don't laugh at your jokes)

  • Want to meet folks who get it without you having to explain

  • Are spiritual but not trying to be sanctimonious about it (crystals optional, humor required)

  • Know that self-care is great, but community care hits different (like, actually works)

You're especially our people if you're thinking: "Is there another way to be?" (Spoiler: There is! It involves more giggling)

“Marcia was warm, sensitive, caring, and respectful. Her presence and willingness to be vulnerable herself made her a light to follow as we endeavored to be more authentic and playful.” -Alexis

The Details

When:

  • Imposter Syndrome: October 19th, 12-3pm

  • Burnout: November 16th, 12-3pm

  • Authentic Art: January 18th, 12-3pm

  • Professional Creativity: February 15th, 12-3pm

Application Deadline: October 5th (for all workshops) Space is limited to 12-15 humans per workshop - apply early!

Where: TBD

Led by: Marcia Aguilar + trainees from iWest Institute

Investment: Free! (Yes, really. No, there’s no catch. Yes, we’re sure. Stop looking suspicious.)

Thanks to generous support from the SF Arts Commission, we're able to offer these workshops at no cost to participants. This grant allows us to remove financial barriers and create truly accessible spaces for BIPOC women+ to explore, play, and heal together.

This collaboration with iWest Institute (Institute for Embodied PlayWork and Drama Therapy Training) brings professional drama therapy techniques to our community.

Meet Your Playful Healing Companion

Hey there, fellow playful soul! I'm Marcia, your wild, weird Tía in the world of healing through drama therapy. Ever felt trapped in a never-ending loop of anxiety and turmoil? Yeah, me too. I used to hide behind silly jokes, but now those jokes are all about pleasure, not pain.

Growing up, I wanted to be a teacher, an actress, and a stand-up comic all rolled into one. But anxiety had other plans. It wasn't until I stumbled into theater, comedy improv, and drama therapy that I found my way to heal and move forward. Oh, and I worked in community mental health for a while too, but that stress nearly knocked me flat.

You see, my life's mission is to facilitate healing through play and theater. I'm all about bending and breaking societal rules in the playspace, and helping others find their way to self-awareness and transformation. I believe that healing oneself is a step towards world peace, and I'm passionate about sharing this with others, especially women of color.

I value authenticity, vulnerability, peace, healing, and transformation. I see theater as a means to explore worlds that are different, and it's my job to bring those worlds to life on stage and truthfully tell their story.

Ready to get rebellious (courageous?) with your healing and break free from that cocoon? Join me in this journey, and we'll laugh, play, and heal together. Come on, let's create a space where you can finally spread those wings!

FAQs

Do I have to attend all four workshops?

No! Each one is a complete experience. Come to one that calls to you or come to all four and become our favorite regular!

Is this therapy?

Nope! It has therapeutic benefits but this is play, not therapy. It's better—it's community. With significantly more giggling than your average therapy session.

What if I'm not creative/can't do improv?

Perfect! This is for humans, not performers. If you can laugh, move, and breathe, you're ready. Can you make weird faces? Bonus points. But not required.

What is Developmental Transformations (DvT)?

It's a playful, embodied approach to healing where we use movement, sound, and storytelling to explore what's real/not real. Think of it as improv meets therapy meets play—but we're just playing, not doing therapy. You'll experience it rather than analyze it. Your inner child already knows how to do this, trust us.

Your Next Steps:

1. Click Apply Now (5-minute form-we timed it)

2. We'll review applications and connect with selected participants by October 12th

3. If selected, you'll receive a personal welcome email

4. Not selected this round? We'll keep you on our list for future offerings - this is just the beginning!

5. Show up ready to play!

Questions? Email marcia@bodymindimprov.com

Ready to Reclaim
Your Play?

This is about remembering who you were before the world told you who to be. (Remember them? They’re fun! Probably have opinions about your current playlist)

Application Process: We're curating a special group of humans for this experience. Tell us about yourself, what you're craving, and what you'd do if your imposter syndrome couldn't stop you. (Dream big. Dream weird.)

Applications close October 5