Join Lee Benson as he chats with Melissa Cash, co-founder and CEO of Pok Pok, an innovative digital play space for young children. They explore Melissa’s journey from Disney to creating a company focused on diversity, inclusion, and fostering intrinsic motivation in kids through technology.
In this episode, you’ll discover:• How Melissa’s focus on adding value shapes every aspect of Pok Pok• The importance of intrinsic motivation in early childhood development• How Pok Pok is designed to spark curiosity and self-directed learning• The challenges and joys of building a brand that parents love and children adore• Melissa’s leadership lessons on creating a strong team and staying true to your mission
Whether you’re a parent, educator, or entrepreneur, this episode offers valuable insights into building a business with purpose and fostering a generation of intrinsically motivated and creative thinkers.
Quotes:
On Value Creation and Impact: “If there’s no value, like what’s the point? I think when it comes to kids they can sniff it on you. If you’re not adding value, they’re gone. So, it’s the best age range to work with for us at least because these kids are brutally honest. And I think also as adults we have to remember too that life is really short, and if you’re wasting time supporting people or doing things that don’t add value then it’s just actually just very sad I think, and disappointing. So it’s a really good kind of self-gut check to make sure like what am I doing and are we adding value and for whom.”
On the Essence of Entrepreneurship and Education: “I’ve always thought the purpose of an education is to create value in the world, not get a good grade, get a diploma, get a degree, get a job. I always felt like when kids are going through that machine, they’re doing what they think they’re supposed to do instead of what they were meant to do. I’m always trying to help them find their value-creation superpowers.”
On Building Meaningful Connections and Products: “We really set out then to decide to kind of expand this busy book into a playroom of activities for kids that would be just as diverse and wonderful as a real playroom of toys that can grow with your kids from like, let’s say two to eight years old.”
On the Importance of Self-Reflection in Leadership: “It’s really important to remember, I mean you surely already know this, but just for anyone listening to, and it’s always good to rethink this even myself, is like kids are forming their biases and assumptions about the world super, super early. So like they pick up on everything and if they catch your bias as a parent and that’s okay, like you know it’s that’s very tough to avoid, we all have our own biases.”
Don’t miss this inspiring conversation about the power of intrinsic motivation and the art of value creation.
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