My Secret Superpower: How Childlike Wonder Changed Everything
- Julie McVey
- 15 minutes ago
- 5 min read
A few months ago, I was teaching a sex therapist how to work with texture paste during a session at Wicked Rae’s. We were lost in conversation about techniques when she suddenly stopped mid-sentence, tilted her head, and gave me this knowing smile.
“You have childlike wonder,” she said. “It’s rare these days. And I think it’s wonderful.”
I laughed - not because it was funny, but because it was so perfectly timed. “My daughter says the exact same thing all the time,” I told her.
Just the week before, my daughter had caught me between client sessions - paint smeared across my arms, probably my face too - grinning like a kid while laying down a new floor. She shook her head with that familiar mix of amusement and love and said almost word-for-word:
“You have childlike wonder… and I love you for being exactly who you are.”
The Gift That Carried Me Through
This “childlike wonder” isn’t just a quirky trait. It’s been my secret superpower my entire life. And science is finally catching up to explain why.
Through every challenge, every heartbreak, every moment the world told me to “grow up and get serious,” this wonder has been my anchor. I wake up genuinely excited about the possibilities ahead. Not because life has been easy (trust me, it hasn’t), but because I still believe - deep down - that something magical could happen today.
Turns out, that belief isn’t just whimsical - it’s biological. Wonder literally rewires the brain for resilience. Neuroscience shows that curiosity and play activate the same neural pathways that make kids such extraordinary learners.
When we see the world with fresh eyes, we’re building what researchers call cognitive flexibility - our brain’s ability to adapt, grow, and form new connections at any age.
And that wonder?
It’s the spark that birthed Wicked Rae’s in the first place. I wanted to create a space where people could play again. Where judgment drops away, laughter fills the room, and paint ends up in places it probably shouldn’t.
And here’s the wild part: it’s not just fun. It’s brain science in action.
The Magic Is Real (And Science Can Prove It)
The messages come in all the time:
“Thank you for existing.”
“I really needed that.”
“I haven’t laughed like that since I was a kid.”
These aren’t just sweet compliments - they’re evidence of transformation. Because when adults give themselves permission to play, something shifts. Their brains literally light up with new pathways.
Neuroplasticity research has shattered the old myth that adult brains are fixed. The truth? We can keep learning, growing, and adapting forever. And wonder is the key that unlocks it.
When we silence the inner critic and dive into play - whether through art, laughter, or just trying something new - we give our brains permission to expand. Creativity, resilience, and joy aren’t luxuries. They’re built-in survival skills we forgot we had.
And every time someone walks out of Wicked Rae’s with paint on their hands and light in their eyes, I know I’m witnessing neuroplasticity in real time.
The Corporate Transformation Nobody Expected
One of my favorite moments? Watching a group of engineers walk in for a team building - buttoned-up, skeptical, arms crossed. One of them held up a soft, paint-dipped ball and asked nervously, “…What do I do with this?”
“Dunk it fully into the paint and hurl it at the canvas,” I challenged him.
The look on his face was priceless. Here was someone who spent his days solving complex technical problems - frozen at the idea of making a “mistake” with paint.
But that’s where the magic starts.
It takes about twenty minutes for the walls to fall. Twenty minutes before the inner critic quiets down and wonder starts creeping back in. But once it does? Game over.
The same group that walked in stiff and controlled ends up rolling on the floor, making paint angels, laughing like kids, and collaborating in ways no conference room ever inspired.
For so long, I thought my love of play was a flaw - that being “too childlike” made me unprofessional or not serious enough for the real world. But it turns out, it’s my greatest gift. Because when teams feel safe enough to play, they also feel safe enough to innovate.
What researchers call psychological safety and cognitive flexibility? We just call it “getting messy together.”
Your Daily Wonder Practice (Backed by Brain Science)
Want to bring more wonder into your life? Here are five simple practices to reawaken it:
Ask “What if?” once a day
Not the anxious kind - but the curious kind. “What if I tried painting with my non-dominant hand?” “What if I said yes to something a little scary?” These questions train your brain to stay flexible and open.
Get your hands dirty
Touch things. Garden. Bake. Squish clay. Research shows tactile play creates rich neural connections and strengthens mind-body awareness.
Notice three sparks of curiosity daily
The way light hits a wall. A stranger’s laugh. The pattern in tree bark. Wonder lives in the details we usually rush past.
Give yourself permission to be bad at something
Sing, paint, dance - just badly. It’s not about skill. It’s about silencing the inner critic and opening new pathways for growth.
Celebrate the ridiculous
Belly laugh. Snort. Cry-laugh until your ribs hurt. Laughter literally rewires stress into resilience. Wonder and laughter are cosmic twins.
The Revolution of Joy (And the Science of Thriving)
Here’s the truth: In a world obsessed with being serious and productive, keeping your sense of wonder is a radical act of rebellion.
And the science agrees. Adults who maintain wonder gain what researchers call cognitive superpowers:
Enhanced neuroplasticity: Brains that stay flexible and adaptive
Superior problem-solving: Approaching challenges from unexpected angles
Stress resilience: Wonder counteracts anxiety and lifts mood
Deeper connection: Curiosity fuels empathy and relationships
Greater life satisfaction: Finding magic in the ordinary builds lasting joy
When that sex therapist recognized my childlike wonder, she wasn’t just making an observation. She was witnessing the very foundation of thriving - something neuroscience is just beginning to prove.
Turns out, the fountain of youth isn’t a place. It’s a way of seeing. A way of engaging with life that keeps the brain young, flexible, and endlessly curious.
So go ahead.
Get messy.
Ask impossible questions.
Wonder at the ordinary magic around you.
Because the world doesn’t just need more productivity. It needs more wonder.
And wonder, it turns out, needs you too.
✨ Ready to rediscover your own childlike wonder?
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