This Pittsburgh-based CEO is Changing How Kids Play Forever | Ketaki Desai of Dashstrom

Vote for Adam to be Thought Leader of the Year: https://technical.ly/voteToday: Prisoners get 2 hours of outdoor time a day. Kids get less than 7 minutes. How did we get here? And how do we fix it?In this episode of Thought Liters, Adam Conner shares a flight with Ketaki Desai, CEO of Dashstrom, to break down the crisis of "safetyism" and the loss of play. From the psychological impacts of over-parenting to the science of neuroplasticity, we explore how to rewire the next generation for resilience.We discuss why kids are more anxious than ever, the "growth mindset" methodology, and why confidence only comes from doing hard things—whether that's on the playground or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.About Dashstrom: Dashstrom builds resilience and confidence in kids through a unique curriculum of physical challenges and empowerment principles.This episode is part of our Six Pack mini-series with Innovation Works, spotlighting the founders and leaders building Pittsburgh's future.00:00 Trailer: Prisoners vs. Kids01:04 The Death of "Go Out and Play" 02:11 Why Parents Became Overprotective (Safetyism) 06:42 The Prisoner Statistic (20x More Playtime) 09:46 Ketaki’s Story: Growing Up Below the Poverty Line 15:40 Neuroplasticity & The Growth Mindset 18:34 The Dashstrom Origin: From "Smoking Pot" to Iron Man 24:18 The "Negative Thoughts" Game 27:58 The Crisis: Suicide Stats & Screen Addiction 32:20 Expanding the Vision to Pittsburgh Schools 37:23 The Summit: Climbing Kilimanjaro at -60°C 41:22 Advice for Founders: Focus on the Shoes 45:45 Outro & Cheers#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtlitersWHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.