Because ‘work hard, play never’ is a terrible life plan.

Creative Recess was born from a rebellion against grind culture. My name is KP Williams, and I’ve seen firsthand how play unlocks potential—whether in Fortune 500 boardrooms or middle-school classrooms. I realized the most transformative ideas emerge when we’re curious, not crushed by to-do lists. Now, I’m on a mission to make ‘play’ a professional superpower.

At Creative Recess, our ‘rigorously playful’ approach blends improv, design thinking, and reflective exercises to help you:

  • Reframe ‘I can’t’ into ‘How might I?’
  • Turn stagnation into creative fuel.
  • Design a work-life rhythm that feels expansive, not exhausting.

My Journey: How I Knew it Was Time for Recess

Born and raised in rural Pendleton County, Kentucky, I’m a first-generation college graduate who nearly didn’t make it—cycling through three majors at two universities and a semester with a 1.0 GPA before finding my footing in year two of college. That rocky start became the foundation for my life’s work: empowering others to navigate their own challenges with courage and creativity.

After earning my B.S. in Community and Leadership Development (2010) at the University of Kentucky, I served as a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA and VISTA Leader in South Carolina and Kentucky, respectively. During my terms of national service, I also earned an M.A. in Leadership, Public Policy, and Social Issues (2012) at Union Institute & University. I went on to work and teach at several universities, including Lingnan University in Hong Kong, Tulane University’s Center for Public Service, the University of California, Irvine, and Chapman University, where I earned my Ph.D. in Education and Leadership Studies (2019). In addition to higher education and work experience, I am also a Certified Life Coach (Mindvalley) and Certified Constructive Dialogue Facilitator (Constructive Dialogue Institute).

But my most transformative lessons came outside the classroom: as a gay, HIV+ man in recovery from alcohol use disorder, I learned that true leadership begins with radical self-honesty.

In 2025, I left higher education to prioritize my growth and healing—and Creative Recess was born. Here, I blend two decades of professional expertise with hard-won personal insight to help clients reclaim their potential, rewrite their stories, and build lives of purpose. Because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that setbacks don’t define us; they prepare us to lead.

Throughout my career, I’ve immersed myself in higher education and community engagement, coaching emerging leaders and social changemakers. My research and experience kept revealing the same truth: authentic leadership thrives on curiosity, clarity, creativity, and community. These are the tools that bridge divides and spark real change.

But let’s be honest—traditional systems often stifle the very innovation they claim to cultivate. After years of watching creativity get sidelined by grind culture, I stepped away from my faculty role to take my own Creative Recess. This wasn’t just a break; it was a rebellion. A reclaiming of play as a catalyst for transformation.

Now, I blend my academic rigor with improv exercises, design thinking, and ‘failure fairs’ to help others unlock the same potential. Because growth shouldn’t feel like a treadmill. It should feel like play with purpose.

Creative Recess: A Labor of Love (and Scholarship)

Creative Recess Coaching & Consulting is where my scholarship meets my stubborn optimism. We’re a sanctuary for possibility-thinking, designed for mid-career professionals, educators, and leaders who are tired of:

  • Burnout masquerading as ambition.
  • Meetings that could’ve been emails (and soul-sucking emails at that).
  • ‘Innovation’ frameworks that feel anything but innovative.

Here, we use research-backed tools—improv, reflective play, storytelling—to turn ‘I can’t’ into ‘How might we?’ No jargon. No performative icebreakers. Just joyfully disruptive methods that actually work.

WHO IS CREATIVE RECESS FOR?

While everyone’s welcome, our tools resonate deeply with:

  • Mid-Career Professionals & Leaders (30–50): You’re skilled but stagnant. You want to:
    • Rekindle curiosity in your team (without another generic ‘brainstorm’).
    • Turn burnout into creative fuel—because exhaustion isn’t a badge of honor.
    • Design work/life alignment that feels expansive, not exhausting.
  • Educators and Facilitators: You need engagement tactics that:
    • Replace lecture fatigue with playful, sticky learning.
    • Build resilience in students or clients (hello, ‘failure fairs’!).

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?

Our blend of academic research and rebellious optimism challenges grind culture—because play isn’t frivolous. It’s how we rediscover our best selves.

We don’t do ‘corporate training.’ We design rigorously playful experiences where:

  • Doodles > PowerPoints.
  • ‘Failure Fairs’ > Forced positivity.
  • ‘Possibility Partnerships’ > Solo hustle.