Chris Marshall is an entrepreneur and neurodivergent polymath, founder of The Playfulness Institute and Beyond Here, aiming to change the world through research and insights into playfulness and human thriving.
Author, researcher, behavioural scientist, psychologist, psychotherapist, investment manager, podcaster, speaker, financial planner, and master distiller. Chris has been told by multiple PR and branding gurus that he should refine his message and concentrate on just one aspect, lest he risk losing his time-starved audience. Yet he’s ignored that advice and gone with what feels right. After all, he’s the first to admit he’s happiest spinning multiple plates.
For Chris, it’s not just the joy of learning and discovery; it’s the integration and synergies that can be found between disparate fields of understanding. The golden thread that runs through his life is the aim to change the world by promoting human thriving – and the vital role that playfulness holds.
Q: I’ve emailed Chris but haven’t heard back. What’s going on?
Let’s be honest – Chris has ADHD and spins multiple plates simultaneously. Sometimes emails slip through the cracks or get buried under the avalanche of “I’ll reply to this later” good intentions. Don’t take it personally – even his closest friends and family often resort to multiple WhatsApp messages to get a response! The best approach? A gentle reminder email after a week. And if you happen to know an exceptional PA looking for work, do get in touch – Chris is actively searching for someone to help manage his correspondence more effectively.
Q: What’s the best way to contact Chris?
Email remains the preferred method of communication (contact @ chrismarshall.uk). This allows Chris to tackle correspondence during his focused work periods. For urgent matters, please mark your email accordingly in the subject line, though be aware that ‘urgent’ is rather subjective!
Q: Does Chris charge for public speaking?
Indeed he does. Chris’s talks draw from countless hours of research, analysis and insights, delivering transformative value to audiences. His fee structure is scalable, taking into account factors such as:
Chris does maintain a budget for pro bono talks where there’s a genuine charitable element. However, if you’re charging attendees for your event, please don’t ask Chris to speak for free!
Q: How does Chris manage to do so much? Does he ever sleep?
Contrary to popular belief, Chris prioritises sleep above nearly everything else! The secret isn’t burning the midnight oil – it’s consistent, focused effort. Starting at 5am each day, Chris dedicates a few hours to new projects before most people begin their workday.
Let’s break down what this means in real terms: writing just 600 words per day (about two pages) adds up to 219,000 words per year. Over five years, that’s nearly 1.1 million words. To put this in perspective, that’s actually more than the entire Harry Potter series (which totals around 1.08 million words across all seven books). This isn’t about herculean effort – it’s about the compound effect of showing up consistently. Think about that: in five years of steady, manageable daily writing, one could create a body of work larger than one of the most beloved and substantial series in modern literature.
This principle applies across all Chris’s work. Whether it’s research, podcast recordings, or distillery experiments, success comes from persistent, focused effort rather than superhuman hours or mythical productivity hacks. It’s about maintaining steady progress, one step at a time, whilst ensuring there’s plenty of time for rest, play, and creative exploration.
Q: Why does Chris call himself a polymath? What is a polymath?
A polymath is someone who develops meaningful expertise across multiple fields rather than specialising in just one area. While we often think of legendary figures like Leonardo da Vinci, being a polymath isn’t reserved for history’s greatest minds—it’s about maintaining genuine curiosity and drawing connections between different domains of knowledge.
The term comes from the Greek ‘polymathēs’, meaning ‘having learned much’, but in everyday terms, think of it as being intellectually adventurous. It’s about refusing to be boxed into a single specialty and instead exploring how different fields of knowledge can enrich each other.
Chris embodies this through his work across behavioural science, psychology, finance, and psychotherapy. For example, his understanding of human behaviour and decision-making enriches his approach to investment management, whilst his background in psychotherapy provides unique insights into organisational behaviour and leadership development. These intersections often yield the most interesting discoveries.
In today’s world, we’re often encouraged towards narrow specialisation—’stay in your lane’ is common advice. However, some of the most innovative solutions emerge when we cross-pollinate ideas from different fields.
The Playfulness Institute serves a specific and essential purpose in our modern world: to help leaders and organisations understand that playfulness—far from being a frivolous pastime—is, in fact, the key to building flourishing, productive, and engaged teams and businesses that thrive in times of disruption.
Playfulness, as Chris defines it, is a blend of creativity, curiosity, and connectedness. He suggests that side projects can be a powerful way to unleash these creative and curious aspects, and he has pursued several of his own—including founding and building one of the UK’s most awarded craft distilleries, whose spirits are now sold across Europe and making inroads into the US market.
Some thoughts and post on my own experience of being neurodivergent, in the hope it helps other with their own journey. I was diagnosed with Aspergers (now placed on the ASD spectrum) and dyslexia when I was 14 years old. However it was only in my last 30’s I discovered I also had ADHD too.
It’s no secret that Chris loves an audience, and over the years Chris has been invited to speak to a wide range of teams, organisations and conferences. Find out where Chris is speaking, or book him for your next event.
In 2016, Chris completed his MSc by research, diving into behavioural science and the fascinating area of investor decision-making and evaluation in relation to mental toughness and resilience—two concepts he had developed first-hand expertise in through his experience as a junior athlete and his work with performance psychologists. Chris now applies his insights from research on playfulness in his role as a consultant behavioural scientist with The Wisdom Council, helping to better understand financial decision-making, resilience, and risk.
Playfulness, as Chris defines it, is a blend of creativity, curiosity, and connectedness. He suggests that side projects can be a powerful way to unleash these creative and curious aspects, and he has pursued several of his own—including founding and building one of the UK’s most awarded craft distilleries, whose spirits are now sold across Europe and making inroads into the US market.
The Being Playful Podcast explores how playfulness can help leaders and teams thrive in today’s fast-changing world. Whether you want to boost creativity, build resilience, or foster a more engaged workplace, this podcast offers fresh insights and practical strategies. Hosted Chris, it features thought-provoking conversations with diverse guests on the power of curiosity, creativity, and connection in high-performance environments.
Chris Marshall is an experienced trainee psychotherapist, specialising in outcome-oriented psychotherapy. He currently works with a UK-based charity, supporting survivors of sexual and domestic abuse. His work in trauma recovery deepens his understanding of the vital role human connection, playfulness, and strong working alliances play in healing and rebuilding lives. His approach is rooted in evidence-based techniques, focusing on resilience, recovery, and meaningful change.
Chris Marshall entered the financial industry in early 2007, joining one of the major global banks just before the Great Financial Crisis. This experience gave him a front-row seat to one of the most turbulent periods in modern financial history, shaping his understanding of markets, risk, and investor behaviour.
He went on to become a Certified and Chartered Financial Planner, spending nearly a decade as an investment manager and strategist, overseeing asset allocation and risk for a boutique fund manager. Bringing his expertise in behavioural science to the financial world, he developed a behavioural macro approach—helping to interpret market dynamics through the lens of human behaviour.
During his time as an investment strategist, Chris authored Decoding Change: Understanding What the Heck Is Going On and Why We Should Be Optimistic About the Future. The book explores the forces shaping our world, the key drivers of change, and how we can improve our ability to navigate uncertainty with confidence.
How can playfulness help individuals and organisations thrive in disruptive times? This is the central question driving Chris Marshall’s PhD research at the University of Northampton. His work explores the impact of playfulness on organisational culture and outcomes, particularly in fostering resilience, adaptability, and innovation. By bridging behavioural science with real-world applications, his research aims to uncover how playfulness can be a powerful tool for navigating uncertainty and shaping the future of work.