Game. Set. Life. — Make it count.
So, What Is the Well-Played Collective?
We dreamt up the Well-Played Collective with the belief that we all deserve a world, a life well-played where winning (your way) is the journey. It may sound mildly or wildly delusional right now 🤪. Yet we think its possible to bring joy back to the game so to speak, back into what we do, how we live, and who we truly are.
We envision Well-Played Collective as an unconventional playground for collaborative experiments and projects with like-minded rebels that promote and empower what we’re throwing down. Changeovers is one of them. And we’re just getting started…
I learned early on in my career that rest is just as important as the really hard workouts that I do…I think you just need to prioritize taking care of yourself, and coming back to whatever the thing is refreshed and feeling good.”
— Allyson Felix, Harper’s Bazaar
Speaking of “We”
Who the Heck Is Running This Thing?
Excellent Question! You passed. We’d be worried if you didn’t ask. 😬
We (Kyra Khanna and Malini Sekhar) are friends, former college tennis teammates, and the rebel alliance behind the Well-Played Collective.
In a nutshell, we were chatting, exchanging notes, laughs, and visions of a better world from which the idea of Changeovers emerged! And, Changeovers are just the first of many projects powered by the Well-Played Collective.
The Rebel Crew (so far) 😎
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Current favorite quote: “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.” - Anthony Bourdain
Most used emojis these days: 😂 🤙
What sparked your interest in Changeovers and how do you hope they will support you?
Lately, I’ve been leaning hard into the “life” side of work-life alignment because, let’s be real, climbing the proverbial ladder gets plenty of airtime. But what about the messy in-between? The space where personal meets professional. That’s where Changeovers come in. The rest, the reset, the recharge that happen on a tennis court (or in life!)…all of these are increasingly part of my daily routine. And, I’m excited about leaning even more intentionally into them with the Squads and community we build.
Speaking of community, I love the magic that happens when a crew of bad-ass humans comes together to support, learn + grow, and shake things up for the greater good. And the best part is we all bring our own superpowers, stories, and expertise; that powerful mix is where real transformation happens. Plus, tough topics are more fun to tackle with a little play and a lot of humor (cue the laughing emoji, see above).
If a loved one (including your pet—if they could talk! 🐶🐱) were to introduce you at a gathering, what would they say?"
To quote my husband, son, and maybe even my dog: “Here’s the thing about Kyra. She may seem chill on the outside, but underneath, um, she’s not. BUT that doesn’t mean she’s uptight, she just appreciates bringing order to chaos.”
I kid…in all seriousness, I think they’d focus on my warmth, open-mindedness, and loyalty; my ability to go with the flow pretty much all the time; my spontaneity and passion for exploring places near and far; my deep love of family + friendship; my competitive nature; my calm and strength in the face of hard things; and my commitment to bridging worlds.
What was your favorite game 🧩 as a kid and why?
It’s probably a toss-up between Trivial Pursuit and Taboo. If I had to choose, I’d go with Taboo.
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Current favorite quote: “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” - Dolly Parton
Most used emojis these days:🤪 🫶🏾
What sparked your interest in Changeovers and how do you hope they will support you?
Well, in tennis matches these are clutch especially as body parts start to grump out on me! An opportunity to hydrate and pick up a short breather before jumping back in. In our lives, we may not call them changeovers but I’ve noticed how being intentional about taking pauses and space while working, playing, living can help me, and support the folks around me. They give me nourishment, can disarm a more tense interaction/situation, and even spark creativity.
I must also honor a dear soul friend named Anne Vlahos who was leaning into the spirit of this idea and could have used more Changeovers in her life. She has since transitioned. I miss her dearly. But I know she is making magic on the other side.
If a loved one (including your pet—if they could talk! 🐶🐱) were to introduce you at a gathering, what would they say?"
Hmm… they would say Malini (like the word colony but she doesn’t like that word 😜) or Mal/Mals among friends and Bob (at Starbucks) is a deeply empathic spirit who wants to be a loving, magical honey badger when she grows up. She enjoys being active, creative, silly, meditative, doesn’t enjoy cooking unless its more social, and has very eclectic taste in music and tv shows/movies depending on her mood (sans heavy metal, muzak and horror). With the superpowers and gifts she is growing and grateful for, Malini wants to continue supporting others in accessing their own superpowers and inner Yoda. If this loved one was my 13 yo son, he would add that he can “cook” me in all sports except tennis (if he’s not “capping”) 🙄
What was your favorite game 🧩 as a kid and why?
Hide and seek with notes! You leave clues for the seeker in different places until they find the spot where you’re hiding. I loved the mash up of a scavenger hunt, puzzle + the thrill of stumping folks with a wickedly good hiding spot! Those were the days.
For those of you who enjoy a good backstory….
Kyra and Malini met on their college tennis courts many full moons ago while playing competitive tennis. They stayed connected through more than a decade of valuable experiences in the public, private and citizen sectors, and through the highs and lows that life and our different roles bring.
From lessons learned both on and off the court, to reflecting and exchanging notes over this wild ride in all areas of life, to co-creating projects (including a children’s board book!), they realized they were vibing on several things:
Our current ways of working and living in the world are designed for robots - not people. No offense bots but it doesn’t work for most of us to compartmentalize our humanity. We both care deeply about reimagining our current ways of working, and being seen, heard and valued as our WHOLE selves. And we actually think it’s possible.
We’ve both grown a really magical set of complementary skills and experiences over time that make us well-suited to support this type of work; and
We heart the values and lessons that come with playing sports and being part of a team. They stick with you (clearly!). In fact, we wanted to find ways to integrate sports lessons, metaphors and the joy of play in what we’re doing.
Notes of Gratitude
As our coaches used to say: there is no “I” in team. We’d like to acknowledge and express our gratitude for the land, people, and energy that lift us up so we can do this work. Our deep respect for the lands we live and work on of the Piscataway and Manahoac (Malini) Luiseño and Kumeyaay (Kyra) tribal nations. And, great love for the dear ones/teammates in our life in different forms who have been offering guidance, support, boosting the signal on our work and cheering us on.
