Jeremy Cowart was named the “Most Influential Photographers on the Internet” by Huffington Post in 2014. He’s the founder of a global photography movement, Help-Portrait, to give back to those in need. As well as many photography projects bridging empathy and creativity into awareness and action. If you’ve been a long time listener / watcher of this show, you’ll recognize Jeremy from one of the first episodes nearly 10 years ago. Jeremy’s vision and ambition have not slowed down. Today on the show, we get into his new book I’m Possible and his biggest project to date, building a hotel where every aspect serves someone in need. We get into facing fears, overcoming doubt, and how to turn the seemingly impossible to possible. In this episode: The fear of having a dream that’s so big. Chasing a dream for a decade or lifetime. How do you take action and get paralyzed because it’s so big? How to chase curiosity despite your fear of starting something new? Whether you’re just starting out or you’re thinking about transitioning from something you love doing and are already good at.... Battling against our inner monologue pulling us away from the thing we know we need to do. and lots more... Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Today’s episode is going to rock your world … pun fully intended because today’s guest is an actual rock star. You may remember a band called Presidents of the United States of America. They took the world by storm in 1995 with their self titled album, Presidents of the United States of America playing songs like Lump and Peaches. Yes, that’s right. My guest today is frontman Chris Ballew. Chris and I have been friends for years, including collaborating on a music video together and at least one live performance (gotta listen to find out ;). Of course we get into his musical journey, a meteoric rise to success, and then realizing something was missing. We take some deep dives into Chris’ creative process, including his method for capturing his small bits and later using those to write new works, including his new project Casper Babypants.   In this episode: Consider what kind of artist you are and how you relate to other artists. For years Chris played in bands, but what he learned about himself is his work is actually solo. Don’t censor yourself while you’re creating. Get it out, no matter how crazy or ridiculous or unusual and then look back later. For years Chris didn’t allow himself to write on certain topics because it seemed silly. It wasn’t until he realized that was a false limitation that it help unlock a new level for him. How staying curious with a childlike imagination will give you fresh perspectives. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

When it was time to think about the cover - the whole design package - for my NEW BOOK, Creative Calling, I knew I wanted it to be something different. After all…see if you follow me here… it’s just wrong to make a book about creativity with just any old trend, cliche book cover.  Instead, the package needed to embody the ideas within. So when we approached this design challenge of hard bound book, it had to meaningful, beautiful, AND stand out in a sea of other books on the shelf.  No small task…     And consider this:  you know that this isn’t just a nice story about the book cover.  This is a metaphor for any creative challenge.  Like every episode of podcast is full of practical advice….this is the real life story of ups and downs on this process...on how we struggled to overcame the challenge front of us… with costs, design options, time, publisher feedback, and other real-life constraints.  In short of EVERY CREATIVE PROCESS.  I’ve included 2 live-recorded phone calls with the designers on the project, Lou and Vasco, so you get their take on the creation process, challenges, the concepts behind what we set out to create…and where we ended up.    Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Even though I’m an extrovert, I have a feeling the future favors the introvert. Beth Comstock was at the CreativeLive studios in Seattle and I could not help but snag her for a quick moment to pick her brain on one of the most popular topics on my channel — navigating an extroverted world as an introvert. As a self-described introvert, Beth knows what it’s like to find elevate your strengths and have the courage to defend your creative ideas. Beth was named one of the most powerful women in business. After leaving a 27 year career at GE as their Chief Marketing Officer and Vice Chair, she decided to got a completely different direction to focus on new areas such as writing, art, exploration, and discovery. In this episode, Beth shares her advice to embrace your nature, and bring those strengths to any client, team, or situation. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Ditch the idea of yourself as a starving artist. Throw away the notion that you’re doomed to be another poor creative soul. My long time pal Ramit Sethi is back on the show to remind us we need to get back on track to building and living a rich life. And believe me, that doesn’t have to mean cutting back the lattes. Ramit has been on the show a few times, but if you haven’t caught up yet, let me fill you in. Ramit Sethi is the author of the NYT bestseller “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” and writes for over 500,000 monthly readers on his website, iwillteachyoutoberich.com. It’s one of my favorite go-to finance resources covering psychology, personal finance, careers, and entrepreneurship. No one has single-handedly given me better insight into the business side of art, than Ramit. Ramit has updated & expanded 2nd edition of his book and joined me for a LIVE studio conversation on money confessions. In this episode we get into: A rich life isn’t only about save money, it’s about defining & prioritizing the things you love the most. It’s one thing to manage our own personal finances but navigating that with our spouses and loved ones can be tricky. We talk about how we’ve navigated that in our own relationships and Ramit shares some strategies that can help all of us. Negotiating your salary, lowering your interest rate, or removing pesky fees, Ramit digs into the psychology of money - those invisible beliefs about money that may be holding you back. and much more. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Brace yourself for a TRULY powerful episode with the bestselling author and creative genius, Elizabeth Gilbert. Although best known for her memoir Eat, Pray, Love--which went on to sell over 12 million copies and became a film staring Julia Roberts—she’s also one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world… The whole world. Spend some time with her in your ears on today’s podcast and you’ll know why in under a minute...   In this episode, we cover How Liz considers mental health her full time job, and writing / being a professional creator is a hobby.  How the only way out of pain is through honesty. Liz shares her experiences working through the loss of her partner to cancer. The things we won’t even admit to ourselves will cause us pain, even to the point of mental and physical breakdown Her latest INCREDIBLE novel called City of Girls (…a "delicious novel of glamour, sex, and adventure, about a young woman discovering that you don’t have to be a good girl to be a good person”) Why mercy is the foundation to any creative endeavor. How creativity and writing can be a tool to slow the mind during hard times. And lots more. Liz is seriously remarkable - a force of nature that you’re going to love…   Can’t wait for you to dig in. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

It was surreal to sit down at the mic and record this show after spending the last few years (5 a.m. mornings, late, late nights, and many long weekends hunkered down) writing a book that I’m proud and beyond excited to share with YOU and the world.  It’s called CREATIVE CALLING and it’s officially available for pre-order TODAY! In this episode, you get the little sneak peek at the book (yes, I read a little from it) and a little background on why I needed to write it.  After all, life isn’t about “finding” fulfillment and success – it’s about creating it. Creativity is a force inside every person that, when unleashed, transforms our lives and delivers vitality to everything we do. Establishing a creative practice is therefore our most valuable and urgent task - as important to our well-being as exercise or nutrition.   The good news? Creativity isn't a skill—it's a habit available to everyone:  beginners and lifelong creators, entrepreneurs to executives, astronauts to zookeepers, and everyone in between. It’s only through small, daily actions that we can supercharge our innate creativity and (re-)discover our personal power in life. Everything you need is inside you right now. Whether your ambition is a creative career, completing a creative project, or simply cultivating a creative mindset, I wrote this book for you. 

One of the most common questions I get is about how to stand out + how to develop personal style. So when fellow photographer Alex Strohl stopped by the studio, I wanted to get his take on this ever-popular question. If you’re not familiar with Alex’s work, a quick spin on instagram will fill in the blanks. He’s a photographer that tells stories through pictures and film. And when you see his work, there is a distinct thumbprint on it. Developing a personal style is critical. It’s the reason why someone would seek you out vs someone else. It’s the thing that differentiates your work from everyone else. There’s a thousand ways to develop your personal style. In our conversation, Alex shares some of his insights he’s gained along the way. Though each of us may take a different path to get there, there is one constant, and that’s doing a lot of work. So take a listen and then get back to work. :) Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

“It’s impossible to move forward while staying the same”. That’s what motivated Tyler Babin, a 25 year old up & coming filmmaker, who hustled his way into his dream job only to leave it to pursue the riskier thing, an even bigger bet - on himself.   I’ve had literally hundreds of requests over the years to have someone on the show who isn’t Richard Branson or Brene Brown or {fill in the blank star}…ie. host someone who hasn't "made it big" and is, instead, on the come-up themselves…someone from within our very own community who has been listening for years, connecting dots, gleaning knowledge and is now taking major action on that.  Well THIS is Tyler’s story.   If you’ve  followed my pal Gary Vaynerchuk, it’s likely you’ve actually seen some of Tyler’s work. For the last 3-4 years, he’s been a whirlwind tour traveling the world with Gary, shooting photo + video, creative directing projects at Vayner… and it all started right here on this show nearly 8 years ago.  This episode goes full circle, friends.   Also - instead of the usual studio conversation, Tyler and I recorded the show while grabbing a burger & margarita just around the corner from CreativeLive in Seattle. It’s a bit loud at times, but I think the ‘fly on the wall’ experience is absolutely worth it.  It’s a personal, raw, authentic conversation.  Please DM me on insta, @ me on twitter and let me know what you think.   In this episode: what it takes to start from ZERO.  No skills, no clarity - just a dream How to listen to your intuition Why saying yes can send you on an adventure worth pursing Tyler’s new gig at the Adobe Creative Residency, an award which pays him to simply create art How to know when to quit something that once served you well and more ;)  Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Can you believe this show has been running for 10 YEARS! Today’s guest was one of my earliest guests, and long time friend, Jasmine Star. Jasmine is a photographer, business strategist and founder of Social Curator. If you're an OG listener, you'll hear some behind the scenes stories of some our collaborations, including the internet’s first ever LIVE wedding (where Jasmine taught CreativeLive’s first wedding photo class - attended by 150,000 students!) More important than reminiscing, though, we go deep on finding your voice, adopting children, homemade tortillas, dropping out and reinventing yourself in an entirely new career. Jasmine's journey is one that many creatives can identify with, from facing difficult times, how she found her feet and her personal process of transitioning from one career to another. She articulates how to make that transition and gives us very practical advice that will add heaps of value to you. We also talk about... instagram strategy - she’s a master - and you should know all about her business socialcurator.com Mentors, leaders, and inspirations the evolution of a career, how to transition from being known / building a community as a one thing (like a wedding photographer) and re-shaping that vision to your next big thing moving away from anything seen as “safe” - law school, a traditional career, or living with your parents - to pursue a crazy dream career in the face of doubt and discouraging surroundings. Jasmine is so good, so fun, and I can’t wait for you to hear the show. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Graduating or have a loved one who is?  Learning for creators & entrepreneurs doesn’t end when you leave school. Learning is forever. This might be seem obvious, yet so many people leave traditional education and become passive in their pursuit of knowledge. Don’t be fooled - learning is ACTIVE and the best learning of your life is yet to come. It actually gets better when you’re out in the real world - IF you know what to focus on…which is the focus of today’s episode. Whether you are a twenty-something just about to enter the job market, you're transitioning to a new career, or you know someone who is and you want to help them be successful, this quick 5-minute episode will add value.    Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

He is one of the most insightful voices on one of my favorite topics: building and maintaining a creativity habit. Today on the show please welcome my long-time friend and creative inspirator - Austin Kleon. If you’re not familiar with this work, Austin is a lifelong artist and the bestselling author of three earlier books (Newspaper Blackout, Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work)…but today we’re all about his new book titled Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad.     And BONUS - this episode is an extra special treat because Austin came out to Seattle and we chatted in front of a live audience! Some great questions, a few good laughs, and it all takes place in a huge church! Want to avoid burn-out and stay creative in good times and bad? This’ll be a great listen.   We also cover… Maintaining creative momentum Austin’s personal daily practice Kids and creativity Getting unstuck The value of time as a great editor for your work And…the value of 'going away so you can come back.’ Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Hey introverted friends -- I see your comments on how participating in the community can be tough. I get it! Believe me -- it's a skill you can master with practice. Here are three tactics to get you started...

It’s easy to look as those who are seemingly wealthy and think — oh, that’s so unachievable. They’re standing on a mountaintop somewhere, waving that “I’m rich” flag. Not so fast. David Bach thinks you can wave that flag too - while earning “enough,”  but a lot less than you think.  David Bach is a 9-time New York Times bestselling author and one of America’s favorite financial experts of our time. He has taught millions to live a rich life through his seminars, live events, courses, books—and Oprah appearances. And in his new book: The Latte Factor he uncovers what he says is the best kept secret to building long term wealth - yes $5 at a time.  And there’s some pretty handy life lessons that go along with this idea as well.   More than anything - what David does so well is articulate how to be intentional about both your dreams and your financial future. Both just take time and consistency.    In this episode, we also get into: David’s rarely-discussed early life, including lessons in finance --and life-- that he learned as a 7 year old from his grandmother. How to listen to your intuition and follow the path that leads toward your dreams, even if it’s riskier and scarier.  Recovery.  Even when you are following your passions, we still need to recharge our batteries. David talks about his work grinding him down - and how rebounded with simple tools and behaviors available to us all  Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Every artist faces rejection and setbacks on the road to finding an appreciative and paying audience. Today, I wanted to share a couple lessons from a class I took from Lisa Congdon on becoming an artist... and while she specifically mentions art, her insights and tactics really apply to any creative endeavor. If you’re not familiar with Lisa’s work, she is a fine artist, illustrator and author. She is best known for her colorful paintings and hand lettering. She works for clients around the world including MoMA, REI, Harvard University, Martha Stewart Living, Chronicle Books, and Random House Publishing, among many others.  You'll also be happy to know: The first step to embracing yourself as an artist or creator is believing you have something to offer the world. We all have fear. It’s what you do with that fear that matters. Lisa talks about how to use fear to empower us to share and create And because our world is full of creative constraint, she sets us on a solid foundation by helping us identify our core values. For example, I love how she simplifies it to this statement: “making and selling my work will feel good as long as I ________” (work with environmentally conscious clients) Making money as a creator doesn’t have to be far-fetched dream. If any of this resonates, her full class is avail on CreativeLive.com  - Become a Working Artist.    Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Here’s an important reminder:  you’ll never feel ready to start.  But you’ve got to do it anyway. And the operative word there is “do.” Just start. This episode is the kick in the ass you need.  Too often we get bogged down in the dreaming, the research, and the preparing - without the DOING.  Feel me on this?  It’s a common excuse that most of use…that we just need a little more planning…  Wrong.  This is not to say that planning isn't necessary, just that it shouldn’t be the crutch that prevents you from executing.  And for most it is. Let’s change that. If you’ve ever felt stuck - or heck - you’re feeling stuck now, this episode is for you.  We talk about the right balance between the planning and executing in a way that will get the results you want. Take a quick listen, and then get back to work. :)    Enjoy!   Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Today I’m sitting down with one of my favorite humans, but in a twist of fate, the tables are turned. I’m in the hot seat - being interviewed by my dear friend and design-industry legend, Debbie Millman.   Debbie Millman is chair of the Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts in NYC…and she has an insane track record going back decades: she’s the author of 6 books including “How To Think Like A Great Graphic Designer,” and a prolific design writer in outlets like NYT, Fast Company, and Design Observer.  She also hosts the longest-running design podcast called Design Matters with over 300 interviews over the last 10 years.    In this conversation Debbie really digs into my personal past - and asks me questions I’ve never had in any public interview. Her detailed research and talent for pulling tidbits out of my past covered ground about my deep-seated beliefs on the future of photography, creativity, my love for crows, and my biggest professional failures to date.   Hope you enjoy it. Please give Debbie a shoutout on social she’s just @debbiemillman … and be sure to check out Design Matters podcast.   Enjoy!   Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Today we welcome back on the show the 6x international bestselling author, Robert Greene.  Robert has had huge impact in my life with books like Mastery, 48 Laws of Power, and the 33 Strategies of War.  And in this episode we go deep on his newest book - and my new favorite -The Laws of Human Nature, a brilliant consolidation of the various theories on human nature - how to better understand them and use them to grow.   We dive deep into: You are a lot weirder than you think you are. WE ALL ARE in fact. We’re repressing so many sides of who we are - most often without even knowing it. We’re trying to stand out.  We’re trying to fit in. The stuff we repress and try to hide are like a stranger within us.  Knowing all this - and how to navigate it - gives us personal power. It it possible to harness our "dark side" for increased creativity, wisdom, strength and character? Robert argues that, not only is it something worth tapping into, it’s THE source of power missing in your life. Robert’s recent near-death experience has given him a profound sense of gratitude, how it has compelled him to be more patient and has challenged him to apply the advice he offers to others.  That ugly, self-sabotaging voice in our head…how to manage and counteract it to increase joy and personal performance.  it’s no surprise that we create our own circumstances by the attitudes we have (self-perpetuating) - but Robert gives us new strategies to change our own attitudes.  In short - this interview is a doozie.  We cover the parts of Human Nature that you’ve had a hunch about but never had the guts to dig into, for fear of what you might find.  Robert has done this research for us - in a heartfelt and nuanced way - and delivers us to the doorstep of answers that surprise, frighten, delight, and most definitely makes us think.   Enjoy!   Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Tabatha Coffey is an Australian entrepreneur and TV personality. Her no-nonsense approach and savvy business mind inspires us to take charge of our lives, and - most importantly - make the tough decisions required for us to live the lives we were meant to live.    I recently took a class from Tabatha called How to be Bold, Resilient & Better Than Ever and I was very impressed. So impressed that I managed to share some of my favorite parts of the class here with you. In this episode, Tabatha delivers some great, hard-hitting truths around fear, heart, and mindset.   We also cover: How so many of the stories we tall ourselves are exactly what’s  holding us back. Tabatha helps us recognize those stories. Fear is a lot of things. Of course it’s stress and worry, but it can also be a barometer for action.  How our stories become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  How to flip the fear script and build better resiliency against our unhealthy thoughts  This is a phenomenal episode I hope you’ll love.   [And - small tip- If any of this resonates, the full class is avail on CreativeLive.com  - How to be Bold, Resilient & Better Than Ever ]   Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Rich Roll is a New York Times best selling author, endurance athlete, parent and beautiful human being. He first came across my radar a few years ago when he completed FIVE Iron Mans in five consecutive days. That’s a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, finished off with a marathon in one day — TIMES 5 DAYS!!     On the show, we dive into reinvention, overcoming addiction and depression, explore plant based diets, and his spiritual calling...   We also cover: After a decade of living what he though the “American dream of success” was, he found himself miserable and in a career that he pursued because he thought that’s what we should do. He shares his journey OUT OF THE MESS… and advice for pursuing what our hearts tell us.  We cover parenting and helping to develop agency in our kids and future generations - to leave the planet better off than we found it.  And, how embracing our weakness, our struggles, and our pain in life - just might be our strongest ally in living the life we were meant to live… This episode is a whopper.  Enjoy!   Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

By working to highlight a diverse set of narratives from under represented populations, Joshua Kissi and Karen Okonkwo — two of Inc Magazine’s 30 Under 30 — are addressing a huge gap in the creative market.     Karen was at Arizona State University when she decided to start a blog for sorority women. It gained immediate attention. Yet, when a friend asked why there wasn’t any African Americans showcased on the site, she was defensive. As an African American herself, she thought - of course we do! But as she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the site, she realized her friend was right. She had fallen into the subconsciously biased, racially one-sided trap. Desperately focused on change, she began to showcase all types of women of color, sexual orientation, and under represented groups on her site. But she had a sense she was not doing enough.   This work caught the attention of  the Ghanian-American fashion, lifestyle, and brand photographer Joshua Kissi, and together they co-created TONL a photography and media agency focused on creating images of diverse people and sharing their stories with the world.    Enjoy this inspirational, heartfelt and meaningful story of self reflection, discovery, creativity, and action, as we drop in on their presentation from CreativeLive’s PhotoWeek. Learn more and help amplify your creative arsenal at: http://cr8.lv/pw2018   Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Arlan Hamilton built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless and living off of food stamps.  Now she’s on the cover of Fast Company Magazine - and she has invested millions in startups run by people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ community.   Through pursuing her curiosity and passion,  Arlan’s found a way to create a living and a life for herself and work on a really tough problem: reconfiguring the ways that money and funding flow through these underrepresented and underserved populations. In this episode we also cover: Persistence forever pays. No matter how many no's Arlan received, she shares the driving force behind her determination. We are all privileged in some way. Arlan has a beautiful perspective in how we can all share in that privilege without diminishing our own. We can all give ourselves strength and support by surrounding yourself  people who are positive and motivational - even if that's virtually through the internet. We discuss some of Arlan’s routines and her particularly interesting habit of writing her own future headlines.  and lots more…. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Rainn Wilson is best known for his legendary role as Dwight in TV’s award-winning show "The Office,” but he’s also a movie actor, a best selling author, the founder of media company SoulPancake, founder a non profit called Lidé Haiti, an amazing human….and a self-professed sci-fi and fantasy nerd!      In this episode Rainn takes us on journey through his early life and into his ideas on art and creativity, hard work, parenting and spirituality.  We spend some quality time around the lessons he learned trying to make it as an actor and the difficult years that preceded his breakthrough. And we also go deep into what inspires his work away from acting - his family, SoulPancake, and why he founded Lidé Haiti, a non-profit organization helping young women in Haiti via the power of creativity.    A few more hot topics: Rainn never earned more than $20,000 acting in the first 9 years of his career. His advice? Keep cost of living low, do side jobs, and …. tune in to check it out ;). We examine Rainn's personal challenges parenting from a place of privilege while simultaneously aiming to foster hard work, motivation, and drive. Rainn shares his spiritual journey, from questioning and challenging the faith he was raised with - to ultimately rediscovering that faith and why it’s right for him. and more my dear friends - much much more! Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.   

Mindset is everything. And today on the podcast, I wanted to share a strong point of view on MONEY - something that’s a struggle for most creators and entrepreneurs.     Enter: Tonya Rapley!  Tonya is the author of The Money Manual: A Practical Guide To Help You Succeed on Your Financial Journey. She’s been called the "New Face of Wealth Building” by Black Enterprise Magazine, and one of the “Top 10 Most Influential Women in Personal Finance.”.  She’s also the founder of the award-winning site, My Fab Finance which is core to her mission is to help younger generations own their personal power and break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck   In this episode we cover: What is a healthy money mindset? The power of words on our psyche - whether they are negative or positive. How to grow awareness around that negative self talk that might be working against us and how to change it Developing rituals that help keep you on track - financially and psychologically Daily tactics on seeing abundance instead of limitations Let's end those classic creator + money mindsets we hear like “starving artist” or “why don’t get a real job” or “that’s nice but you need something to fall back on” If you dig this and want more - there’s a LOT more from Tonya Rapley's class on CreativeLive - check it out here: https://cr8.lv/2NPfTI7 Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Today’s podcast is a hero’s journey of sorts - featuring Tom Bilyeu, founder the billion-dollar nutrition brand Quest Nutrition and Impact Theory podcast and content agency. This episode takes us over the hills and through valleys of Tom’s career - from hiding in soul crushing jobs and destroying his health with crushing anxiety to personal transformation and meteoric entrepreneurial rise. We chat about neuroplasticity and how Tom has rewired his brain, undoing negative thought patterns and replacing them with healthy, positive loops. Tom oozes honesty and passion -sure to resonate in your own pursuit of your highest self. In this episode: Passion isn't something you're born with. It's something you need to discover, cultivate and nurture over time. We get Tom’s secrets for approaching this. Humans are insanely good at adapting to their environment - not just physically but mentally. Just by thinking differently you can rewire your brain. Tom drops some strategies to help you shape your next chapter Cold cold water therapy - one of my favorite things. Tom shares his experience of exploring this himself, and we geek out about what we’ve both learned so far and plenty more... Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

After a difficult divorce, Jason Mesnick wanted to rediscover himself, rekindle his sense of adventure, and try something new. That was his mantra. And it sparked an unexpected journey that pushed him into the leading role in the 13th season of The Bachelor. Though he presents himself as a “normal guy” he clearly has lived an extraordinary reality tv experience that so few of us have (and of course we talk about this in depth, how unusual it really was) — but also how in many ways it’s a journey that parallels ours...building a living and a life around the things we love. Jason is a sage when it comes to coaching us to our follow inner instincts, focus on what matters, and take chances to expand our lives in unexpected ways. I’m pretty sure this interview is a side of a reality TV star that few people have ever experienced. In this episode we also: Dig into the very unique world that is The Bachelor TV show. As someone who admittedly doesn’t watch the show (but I’m married to someone who does!) it was a fascinating and at some times head scratching experience receiving very honest account from someone at the epicenter of prime time reality TV. Explore Jason’s mindset for vulnerability and overcoming fear and rejection. Of course we get some inner scoop on his fantastic relationship with his wife, Molly Mesnick and their entire family Hear from Jason what his key takeaways were from the experience, and how he’s parlayed his experience into big success as an entrepreneur in real estate. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

I’ve always taken the approach that you don’t do something to become happy — you are happy, and great things happen. Happiness is a super power that we all have in us. Admittedly this is a very tough mindset to keep, so I brought an expert on the topic: my good friend Vanessa Van Edwards. Vanessa bills herself as a “behavioral investigator” - what that means is that she is absolutely amazing at unpacking what makes people do the things they do and turning that into proven, actionable techniques. She’s written for publications like CNN, Fast Company and Forbes and is the author of the new (and incredibly good) book “Captivate: The Science Of Succeeding With People.” You’ve heard me talk many times about the critical importance of soft skills in building a successful career as a creator, and Vanessa is THE authority on this mega-important topic. You might be thinking happiness can be a bit of a soft topic. It’s the age old question right? What’s the secret to happiness? We’re all on that journey, and what Vanessa so masterful does is use research backed studies to help us zero in on what really matters to us, how we cultivate that more, and bring awareness to the things that might be negatively affecting our happiness. In today’s episode, 45% of people largest source of unhappiness is feeling unfulfilled. But here’s the thing - If you never prioritize your happiness, no one else will. Why the “When / Then mindset” never works … When I _____ then I’ll be happy. We don’t need to put off happiness for “someday” Our brain is wired for the negative bias, which helps keep us safe, but when we’re constantly scanning for things that could be wrong it totally blocks us from enjoying the good. We’re our own buzzkill. The good news is even though our brain is wired for it, but we can re-wire it. The material in her course goes much deeper than what I was able to share here, and I highly recommend you go check her class on CreativeLive if you want more. I also encourage you to check out the large number of free materials available for download that can help you audit your current happiness level, as well as some powerful tools to maximize your happiness. Remember, happiness does not happen because we are successful, success happens because we are happy. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Today we have a very special episode with my pal Lewis Howes. Lewis joined me a few months back at the CreativeLive studios to during Podcast Week to help me pull back the curtain of how we create this show. If you’re listening to the audio version of this podcast, you’ll get a special behind the scenes look at how we produce the show, my thoughts behind interview style and the process end-to-end. To help with that process, Lewis is back in the hot seat dropping some serious gold. When his pro football career ended abruptly by injury, he found himself broken and broke with the massive challenge of reinventing his entire life. Through building small, manageable goals he took on one by one, he got off the couch and end up where he is today — one of the leading voices in the new generation of lifestyle entrepreneurs, bestselling author and host of the wildly popular School Of Greatness podcast. In this episode, we discuss: Our biggest fears are holding us back, but we can systematically conquer them by creating a season to set a goal, and start working toward it Self-doubt is the killer of dreams. Our mindset can be reprogrammed and Lewis shares his insights in how he overcame self-doubt, negativity, and those 3 AM gremlins that told him he wasn’t enough Giving yourself challenge and a deadline achieve your goals and much more … Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Mel Robbins is the most booked female speaker in the world, an American on-air CNN commentator and television host, contributing editor for Success magazine and author of The 5-Second Rule. Her TED Talk around the 5-second Rule is a simple framework to turn inaction into action and has garnered over 10 million view. Mel has been on the show previously, and this week, I wanted to share a portion of a class she gave on CreativeLive on building self-confidence. Confidence is an important part of success and when those 3AM gremlins creep in, we all need a set of tools we can use to help give us the courage to put ourselves out there, and try something we’re not 100% sure about. Mel helps us unpack the what confidence is, how to build it, and gives us 5 habits that enable us keep us on track. What I love about Mel is not only is she insanely inspirational she is also super super actionable. I love to share her content when I can and today is a lesson on self confidence that we all need to hear. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

A short while ago I had the great pleasure of taking the stage at the Seattle Interactive Conference with my dear friend and creative superstar Cal McAllister (Founder, Wexley School for Girls + Paper Crane Factory) for a very pointed conversation on inspiration, unlocking your best creative work, and how the eff to stand out in today’s noisy, crowded market. Hint: it’s not what you think.   IMHO this conversation oozes with value specifically because both Cal and I are: a) lifelong professional creators who care deeply about making this easier for people who want to be more creative; b) we both took very non-traditional paths to find our respective successes - so that path YOU’RE on won’t seem all that strange; and c) are both are transparent AF about exactly how we’d approach it today if we were doing it all over again… Oh, and the audience / Q&A is always a favorite of mine at any public appearance because so often we’re all struggling with the same things.   A sample of other topics we cover….  Why “the middle” (aka where everybody ends up gravitating because they listen to “advice” and “best practices”) is the WORST place you can be to make your way in any creative industry. Why the best stuff happens on the fringe- and how you can tap into that fringe. Why "creative cockroach” is a term of endearment. Like the cockroach, simply outlasting the quitters — stamina and persistence -- is key to success. I don’t know anyone who has been successful over a sustained amount of time that didn’t have stamina. How to charge and get paid what you're worth.  Free or full price, not some arbitrary amount that the client offers you and finally… audience Q & A that we alllll can relate to ;) Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

After more than a decade covering conflict, photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale couldn’t help but notice that the less sensational—but equally true—stories were often not getting told: the wedding happening around the corner from the revolution, triumphs amidst seemingly endless devastation. As a result, she re-committed herself to seeking out the stories within and around "the story". Ami is a photographer with National Geographic magazine, yet this episode of the podcast isn't expressly about photography. It's about human connection, how we listen to our inner compass and surface work that helps us find our true direction in life. In this episode: The stories we find in the headlines are only one view of the world. Yet if we just lift our head and gain a new perspective, we might see a completely different and untold story. Patience, hard work, and commitment open doors and opportunities. Real relationships with people or places takes time to build but with it comes powerful stories. What we tell ourselves shape our reality - and we can choose to tell ourselves stories that lift us. You’ll hear Ami articulate how she does this and how you can too...  We are more alike than we are different. Realizing this can be a powerful force in unlocking the way you move through the world - with tangible benefits to be found... Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Let’s face it, despite being more digitally connected than ever before, we’re more isolated and lonely. The cure for this loneliness epidemic? Human connection. That’s why I am excited to have entrepreneur, best-selling author, and researcher, Dan Schawbel on the show. Throughout his career, he’s interviewed over 2,000 people from celebrities to CEOs to politicians and even two astronauts on the future of learning and working. He’s synthesized these conversations into tactical insights on how to make technology work for us (not control us) and foster a more socially connected, productive, and fulfilled career and life.  In this episode: There’s no such thing as an overnight success. Dan shares his personal stories of rejection and failure with persistence and stamina. The dark side of remote working. While we glorify the flexibility and comfort from working outside the office, it also can contribute to isolation. Dan shares some strategies to combat this. We spend 1/3 of our lives working. Yet, so little of that time spent collaborating, negotiating, and communicating is spent face to face. Dan reminds us that simply having an in-person conversation is more effective than sending 30-40 emails.  Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Harley Finkelstein bounced from DJ gigs to a t-shirt business to law school before joining a small internet startup in 2009 dedicated to helping creators and entrepreneurs make money doing what they loved.  Today, he's the Chief Operating Officer of that same “startup" called Shopify now serving more than 600,000 businesses - and worth more than $15 billion.  In this episode we cover a lot of ground - from his early gigs, through struggle, failure, rejection and rebirth…and now thriving. I’ve had the good fortune to know Harley for nearly a decade now and his personal journey is both an inspiration and a play book of sorts for anyone who wants to tap into their life’s work - and what to do when you catch the ride of your dreams. You’ll also be inspired to know that: Building and creating may feel like a lonely process, but you're not alone. Harley shares his time tested strategies to get through the tough times and find inspiration to keep going. It’s an exciting time for creators. No longer do you need to get your product into a big box store. You can use the power of the internet and social media to reach your audience, cut out so many of the middle men and make great $$$. It’s never been a better time to serve even the most niche community. As Harley says, every niche has a mass market on the internet. and more… Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

There's some crazy stat -- 80% of people fail to achieve their New Years resolutions. Yet here we are, back to reflecting on how the past year has gone and what we'd like to do different.  Honestly, I love this time of year. Reflection & pausing is a way to have stamina. It's a necessary part of learning from our past. After all, you can only connect the dots looking backwards. If we never lift our head, it’s easy to miss the signals that we might need to course correct. But change is hard. That's why I'm a firm believer in not just focusing on the goal, but the behaviors you will need to do or change to get there.  If you've been following me for awhile, you've heard me talk before about how I track 10 habits every day. In this episode, I take a deeper dive into those habits, and how I take stock in what went well, what didn't go so well, and what I need to change to achieve my new goals in 2018. In this episode: I share a series of simple questions I ask myself as I look back, including the obvious what went well, what didn't go well, but also evaluating my clients, my relationships, and more Goals are great, but the secret to success are your daily habits.  It's not about perfections, it's about progress. I share how a few of my goals this year and my process for tracking and measuring my progress. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!   Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

If you’re already a professional creator, then you know that you had to hear a lot of “no” for every “yes”. If you’re not yet a pro, or perhaps more importantly if you are a pro whose enjoyed a taste of success, then hear this: Get Used To Hearing “No”. Quite honestly, understanding this will be some of the best medicine you'll ever take - because once you get it...you GET it, and it will be with you forever.  The powerful result of taking this medicine TODAY is that the word NO will change from bumming you out to inspiring you and driving your actions to get to the next YES.  As such, enjoy this tasty medicine ;) This week's episode is a short and sweet reminder: Let “no” serve as a motivator. Let “no” keep out the other people who don’t want it as bad as you do. Let “no” remind you that this job isn’t for everyone, especially the uncommitted. Let “no” turn you into a better artist. If you're not hearing “no”, you’re not really getting your work out there enough, pushing what’s possible, pushing yourself. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

With so much information, and gadgets and access and hustle and email and …and.. aren’t you overloaded at work!? It’s understandable and it’s a real problem. If this describes you or someone you love…you’ll LOVE this episode of the show.   Enter: Jason Fried.  He’s the brilliant NYT best-selling author and co-founder of the software firm, Basecamp.  Since long before meeting Jason in person he’s always caught my eye as perhaps THE outspoken thinker / critic of the current status of work, our unhealthy habits around our jobs, and our addictions to busy-making. Whether it’s the toxic hustle, the grow-at-all-cost mentality, or the idea of working your fingers to the bone…Jason helps us all see why 99% of this approach is rubbish. And within 3 minutes of meeting him / listening to this episode, I’m banking you’ll be in agreement with him. The one refreshing difference with Jason?  He also gives us a roadmap to fix what we’ve broken. In this episode we talk about is latest book (co-authored with previous cjLIVE podcast guest David Heinemeier Hansson!) called It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work, which lays out a play-by-play on how to avoid all exhaustion, stress, and burnout and how to find tools for reshaping success, habits, trust, self care, and gaining that much-needed fresh perspective. In this episode, we cover lotsa stuff, including... How hard work and hours are not the same thing. In fact, long hours not only leads to burn out, but to lack of new ideas AND disease. Why instant communication (slack, messenger, text etc) is making us slaves to our devices, less effective, and spending more time on the conveyor belt of information consumption than doing any real work!  Some insights and strategies for regaining control over our screen time, our sleep patterns, and where we put our our attention. A re-framing of our always-busy culture around the JOYS of missing out. Not FOMO…we’re talking JOMO.  Why regaining control of our time starts with learning how to say no. …and that’s all in the first 10 minutes. Just kidding but you get the point. This episode of the podcast is chock full of inspired virtues for reclaiming our spirit, doing GREAT work and loving life in the process. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: You’re lurking a peer’s social media account, and what started as a cursory browse quickly takes a detour down the rabbit hole of self-doubt and envy: “S/he is so much better at X or Y than I am – I’ll never catch up! Look at his/her amazing X or Y and s/he’s always hanging with X or Y celebrity and nobody even knows who I am – ugh, I should just quit and do something else, I’m just not cut out for this” – and so forth. If the above scenario rings painfully true for you, it’s because you’ve felt the power of something embedded deep in the semi-conscious, caveman part of our brains: a powerful engine for comparison – one that works with ruthless efficiency. Occasionally we have the wherewithal to AVOID that ruthless voice in our heads that doesn’t serve us – and it’s common knowledge that we’re doing ourselves a favor when we do so.  But – at the risk of taking an unpopular stance here, I believe that comparative thinking can be — in fact, MUST be — a part of any creative pro’s toolkit. In this episode, Comparing yourSELF – that is, your overall “worth” as a human being – to others is harmful and undermining your goals. Remind yourself that you are worthy. You are enough.  You are a good human. And remind yourself, “That’s their highlight reel”. Comparative thinking is not only good, but vital for creative pros: Make a habit of reviewing the WORK of others. You must compare your work to the best, and you must do it with an unflinchingly honest eye, and with the explicit goal of learning from the comparison, using what you learn to improve your own work. Real craft stands out. People gravitate to strong, creative work.  Done with stamina.  Over time.  And consistency. and much more. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Let’s face it. We all have our inner journeys and the compulsion to improve, yet how can we both be growing and improving without feeling less than or inadequate?  It’s a trap. ENTER: Danielle LaPorte - a best-selling author (White Hot Truth, The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map), poet, former think tank executive and business strategist - and she’s on the podcast today to help us, among other things, to reconcile these competing principles. As one of Oprah Winfrey’s “Super Soul 100 Leaders”, Danielle is a sage at helping us answer life’s biggest questions for ourselves. And, while taking care of one’s self + staying true to who we are seem both obvious and something that should be easy…but why - if you’re at all like me- is doing both waaay harder than it should be.  Again, Danielle to the rescue in this amazing episode of the show, served up nicely for you ;)  Also in today's episode, Danielle and I discuss: SELF LOVE.  How to love yourself now, even though you are not where you want to be. Modern day life. How is it that social media can be both medicine and poison? It’s essential for business and getting your work out there, but being addicted to growth is killing us. How can we reconcile this? The secret. How about “conscious growth”, including saying no to some things because that’s the most nourishing thing you need.  And how to know what these things are - and what they are not. Why we MUST be our own guru…. We all have the capacity to know the answers we seek in our own heart, yet we struggle to listen. WHY? ….and a bunch more ;) Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

I’m a huge believer that so much of ‘THE GAME’ is mental. Mindset is everything. I’ve shared my thoughts before on this podcast, on my youtube channel, and my blog about one of the most powerful tools in my toolbox to harness positivity in a seemingly tough situation: a daily gratitude practice. Many of you have asked me what that is, how I do it, and how you can start. As we head into Thanksgiving here in the states, I wanted to dig a little bit deeper and actually walk you through my practice. You can listen in if your curious, or use it to jump start your own. If you’d like to fast forward directly to the guided practice, skip to about 6 minutes in the episode. Enjoy!

Legend alert!!! Seth Godin is a force of nature and a shaman to so many creatives and entrepreneurs. He has taught and inspired millions of entrepreneurs, marketers, leaders, and fans from all walks of life, via his blog, online courses, lectures, and his 18 (yes, count them - 18!) bestselling books. If you’ve been following his work, you’ll know he’s one most brilliant marketing minds of our time. Seth’s latest book, This Is Marketing, helps reframe how thinking small is the new big! More precisely how we will find success if we at first make our products - whatever they are — for the smallest viable audience.  Seth believes your most generous and insightful work needs this help - YOUR HELP - finding the people it’s meant to serve.... If there has been a guest that can speak directly to that little voice in your head - and help you get this marketing stuff RIGHT - it’s Seth. Pure sage. And purely actionable.   In this episode: The riskiest thing you can do it make average stuff for average people and pitch it to the masses. Instead, focus on the smallest viable audience (e.g. your patrons at table 4 of your restaurant) and bring magic to them, they will come back and they will bring their friends. If you try to please everyone, you’ll stop pleasing the people you care about. Seth shares some strategies on how to focus on the people that care about your work and better serve them. We all want to do work that matters for people who care. But we trip ourselves up thinking we need to become an evil marketer and spam the world. Fortunately, the best way to achieve your marketing goals is to help others become who they want to be. and much more…! Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

AJ Jacobs is a multiple NYT bestselling author, a journalist, a lecturer as well as a warm and hilarious human soul.  He’s on this weeks podcast and is…SO GOOD. In this show we learn why AJ intentionally puts himself in the most extraordinary circumstances ... like when he strove to be “the world’s healthiest man” going from Dad bod to ultimate health (Book = Drop Dead Healthy). Or when he lived according to the bible for a year, beard, goats and all... (Book = The Year of Living Biblically). In this episode we have a blast, learn and laugh a lot, and discuss AJ’s new book Thanks a Thousand, which chronicles his journey of gratitude in the same lovable - but brilliantly insightful - way.  AJ has more tools in his toolbelt for being happy, healthy and productive than nearly anyone I’ve met. And because he’s experimented so deeply with each of these tools, he knows just when to put them to good use. He’s the rare blend of incredibly relatable and wildly successful at the same time. If you know his work already this will be a huge boost to your week. If you are new to his work, be prepared to thank me ;).  You’ll also be inspired to know that: If you’re struggling with feeling like your life is too boring to write about, or put on Instagram or build your wildest dreams upon…try doing what AJ does and immerse yourself into an experiment. Make your life interesting by putting yourself into extraordinary circumstances. Interesting circumstances = interesting life. AJ realized that somehow the more energy he put into making himself happy, the more miserable he got. When he flipped the script and focused on making others happy, even at what he thought was at his own happiness’ expense, he became increasingly more happy. Paradoxical, but effective! NOT fake it till you make it….but fake it til you feel it. "It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting." Don’t let yourself get stuck in the cycles of endless thinking and planning. Take action. …and a hundred or so more hilarious and wise takeaways from AJ. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

David Bach is a legend in the personal finance space — a master at helping creators and entrepreneurs make -and keep- more of the money we earn. He’s one of America’s best known financial gurus, having put nine consecutive books on the NYT best sellers list.  In short, when David Bach talks - and you’re a creator who wants to make money - you listen.  We had David in the CL studios not long ago to share wisdom from his epic class Start Late, Finish Rich.  Some of this material was so fundamental for creators making a living and a life doing what they love that I felt was crucial to get it seen by as many people in our community as possible.  So much so that in addition to the class on CL, I wanted to share it here on the podcast, for free.  So…in this episode, David covers so many things, among them the mindset around how to best get paid…AND how to pay yourself first (as in pre-tax and pre-debt collectors).  If this sounds curious already - it’s a must listen.  Think you got it all sorted and don’t need financial advice? Think again. This is helpful stuff to anyone who wants to earn money over the long haul.  From concept down to the detailed tactics, these 30 minutes are a quick code for getting your long term finances on rails.  In this episode, There are six routes to wealth. Winning it, marrying into it, inheriting it, suing for it, budgeting for it and PAYING YOURSELF FIRST. Every paycheck you get or dollar that you earn, make sure you get your cut before Uncle Sam, debt collectors, or anyone else. All it takes is stashing 14% of every paycheck to be a millionaire. Pay yourself 14% of every paycheck before it touches Uncle Sam’s fingers (through legit mechanisms!) and if you can bump that up to saving 20% of every dollar you earn, you’ll have enough to retire early. The government makes it pretty easy for self employed people to save money. BUT, of acronyms like IRA, SEP and IRS make you queasy you need to spend this 30 min with David in your ears.  Stuff like this sounds scary but in reality setting up a SEP IRA to save money pre-tax only takes ten minutes to set up. …and more ;) Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Julien Smith is a long-time friend and familiar face on the podcast. I first brought him on in 2013 to talk about why not caring about what others think is a useful skill to have as a creator in any field (translation: he penned a LEGENDARY blog post called 'the subtle art of not giving a f*$k' - which went crazy viral and later inspired a best selling book by Mark Manson...).  And now Julien is BAAACK…this time talking about both his best selling books (The Flinch, and Trust Agents) and…drumroll please... his latest startup venture called Breather - an amazing service the provides on-demand meeting and studio space all across North America, which has raised more than $100M to date.  When I need recording studios for the podcast on short notice in LA or NYC?  I use Breather.  A quick headshot where you don’t want to rent a photo studio for $3000.  Yep, Breather again.  $150 bucks.  You get the picture. But more than anything,  this episode is simply rich with a dose of reality that all of us creators and entrepreneurs need to hear:  namely that we’re all in this together.  That we all have imposter syndrome.  That we all simultaneously love AND fear what we’re doing when we’re setting out to create something with our name on it.  And that we’re all….human.  You’ll also be inspired to know that: The rules are made up. You can invent the future if you’re willing to rewrite the rules. Staying flexible along the way is key to long term success. Just how do you do that when you’re stubborn?  (hint: it’s not easy but you can do it) We can all manufacture safety nets to protect us from letting small failures turn too big.   Money in the bank? The support of those who love us?  A plan B? Safety nets come in many forms and it’s a skill for entrepreneurs and creators to master…instead of just jumping into our next big adventure blind to the risks… and more!... Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Scott Belsky is an entrepreneur, author, and early investor in companies like Pinterest, Uber, and Periscope, and others. He also co-founded Behance in 2006, sold it to Adobe in 2012 and recently became Adobe’s Chief Product Officer.  But more than his list of accomplishments, Scott is a passionate advocate for creativity. He has that rare perspective of the world-class artist and entrepreneur with the ability to communicate VERY clearly about the ups, the downs of the messy middle. ... And that just so happens to be the title of his new bestselling book which just dropped last week. In this episode of the podcast, we go deep into that book, The Messy Middle:  finding your way through the most crucial part of any bold venture. It doesn’t take long to realize that as creators we love to talk about the thrilling start of something new, and our victorious - or fiery - end! Yet, what we need to be talking about (and nobody is…) is the crazy ups and downs that are inevitable in anything worth doing.  The MIDDLE is where all the difference is made. This is a dose of REAL in a sea of normally-glossy books on creativity and business.   This book is one of my top recommends thus far for 2018.   And, if any of this resonates with you, you’ll LOVE our conversation.   In this episode: Are you doing “insecurity work?” Turns out that when we’re faced with a lot of uncertainty, we spend too many cycles checking analytics, social feeds, or what others are doing to assure ourselves everything is okay, The kicker = NONE of this moves the needle for us. Scott shares some strategies to compartmentalize and manage these insecurities. We romanticize the starts and finishes of everything. When we tell the story of our journey, we sum it up in about three sentences. It does little to capture the highs and lows (and often years) of what it ACTUALLY took to get there.  Propagating this myth is harmful and Scott does an amazing job of helping us shed our lies and face the truth. There’s a price to postponing decisions that you KNOW in your heart…but that you don’t want to tell your co-worker, or client or boss or partner. When we fail to make decisions, we're creating "organizational debt.”  When this debt accumulates it really slows us down, so Scott shares some strategies that will help you zero in on doing the hard things you know you need to do, but are avoiding. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Michael Hebb is an artist, activist, restaurateur, long time friend of mine and probably the closest thing that comes to an expert on death. He is a hyphenated renegade, seemingly more comfortable swimming upstream and addressing taboo subjects than he is going with the crowd. He co-founded Portland’s unsanctioned underground food movement, was my co-conspirator for Songs for Eating and Drinking, and he recently wrote a powerful book about death that will change the way you view life. Let’s Talk About Death (Over Dinner) is a tactical guide for having the most important conversations with yourself and your loved ones about what you want when you die, but more importantly what you want out of life. This book and this conversation is about tapping into the human experience to help you live a more fulfilled and creative life. Thinking and talking about death will make you laugh more, bring you perspective and clarity onto your life, and will bring you closer to those around you.  You'll also be glad to know, You can do whatever your craft is with whatever supplies, tools, and environment at your disposal. Michael didn’t even have a commercial kitchen (or the FDA’s approval) when he started Family Supper. Don’t focus on what you don’t have; focus on the thing/experience/art/outcome you want to create. Start by starting. We need to talk about death. The taboo and repression around talking about death is causing us financial, emotional and even physical problems as individuals and as a society. Check out deathoverdinner.org if you need a little help talking about death with your loved ones. Death puts life into perspective. There are no experts on death. Nobody knows what happens after you die. What we do know is that death is a human experience and we will all face it eventually. What happens between now and then is something you can (and should) plan. Let death help guide how you live your life. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

Scott Harrison is the founder and CEO of one of my favorite non-profits:  charity:water which has brought clean water to 8.49 million people around the world. They’ve raised $320 million to date—and put it to good work. Scott just released his first book Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World and it’s about time. He’s an incredible storyteller and, both in his book and in this episode of the podcast, he shares stories of personal struggles, vices, darkest times and their ensuing transformation with vulnerability and openness. This episode is also a crash course in marketing through story. Scott’s rowdy past as a nightclub promoter taught him how to get people excited about joining his party, and he brought those skills to charity: water. He shares many of his tactics, and foundational frameworks about how to reinvent an industry through language and transparency. In this episode, you'll also be glad to know: If you feel lost, morally bankrupt, or you’re on the wrong path, ask yourself what it would look like if you did the exact opposite of what you’re doing now. Sometimes bouncing between extremes helps us find our way. There is a difference between mission and vision and succeeding in both areas requires different approaches. There is opportunity in any market if you can find a different way to look at it. It used to be common practice for charities to use guilt based marketing; i.e. you should feel bad for what you have, so donate some of it. Scott saw this as an opportunity to get people excited about donating their resources, which was a huge part of charity: water’s success. For more on Scott's story, visit thirstbook.com. 100% of the net proceeds from his book go to charity: water. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

You know him, you love him, you’ve heard him here before… today’s podcast guest is A DEAR friend and a legend by any measure. It’s the one and only, Mr. Tim Ferriss!  Author of five #1 New York Times best sellers, including his most recent Tribe of Mentors, star of his own TV show The Tim Ferriss Experiment, and host of one of the most popular podcasts in the world, The Tim Ferriss Show which has over 300 million downloads to date. In today's episode, we focus on Tim’s shift from writing as a central pillar of creation to a world where his podcast is central to most of the other media he creates (books, videos, blog posts etc). To say that this episode is “rich” with insight would be a dramatic understatement. In this episode we tear into… - WHO are his epic guests, how does he choose and land them? - WHY is he focused on his podcast? There’s some really good reasons... - HOW he does it…exactly what’s his workflow and key equipment - WHEN / where and all the rest of it ;)  Tim also has mastered the ability to set a goal and break it down into small actions that make insanely huge goals seem reasonable. So we get tactical on goals he sets for himself around the show…and his life.  We see a rarely before POV heard from Tim (I think he went deep here because we’ve been homies for about a decade) about his overarching life perspective about doing the things that bring you joy, and doing it in a way that's easy.  So whether you're a classic “Tim” fan, interested in starting or growing your own podcast, OR just simply looking to do more of the things you love, this show is a must.  You’ll also learn: Tim doesn’t start many projects with a simple “how much money will I make from this?” A better question that he asks himself to vet the quality of his next endeavor is “what relationships can I develop and what skills will I learn in accomplishing this project?” If you wait until you’re ready, you’re never going to start. Tim didn’t have a name for his podcast, didn’t know how he was going to monetize it, and admittedly knew nothing about the technical involvements of starting a podcast. He just had to jump in. The most important piece of the puzzle is being different. You will not find success in a crowded marketplace (like podcasting) by being 10% better. We couldn’t have Tim on the show without talking about time efficiency. Tim breaks down into deep detail the how and why he batch records his episodes and how he structures his week around recording. Regardless of what kind of content you’re creating, Tim shares so many useful tactics that you can poach. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times. 

One of the world’s most powerful women in business, Beth Comstock, recently left a 27 year career at GE as their Chief Marketing Officer and Vice Chair to go in a completely different direction - to a new life beyond the enterprise-exec world where her new areas of focus include writing, art, exploration and discovery.  Rarely do we see or hear of these evolutions - where someone like Beth who is so accomplished in big business reveals very publicly and vulnerably that she’s just excited to “do something new” and figure it all out along the way.  It’s simultaneously brilliant, empowering, and refreshing all at the same time.  And that’s in part what makes this episode of the podcast so extraordinary.  We talk about this journey she’s been on and this is among her very first interviews where she share’s key insights from her new book Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and The Power of Change. If you are interested in transformation, leadership, overcoming fear or the intersection of creativity and business you’ll love this episode.  Beth’s mission and our show aim to stand for the same things- imagination, courage, creativity, and the power of change. Beth shares stories and tactics alike around how she’s taking a renewed control over her future and next career, and how you can too. Whether you’re and artist, or you work as a middle manager, or you’re putting an idea into a niche market for the first time - there’s something great in here for you.   In this episode, If you are like so many of us creators out there, you probably have a bit of a perfectionist mentality. You want your ideas and art to be perfect before releasing it to the world. However, if you don’t release anything (be it a song, a painting, or a business idea) until it’s perfect, you’ll very rarely release anything at all. Get your ideas out into the world and let the feedback that you get help shape it into perfection. Who are you waiting for to give you permission to make decisions, to speak up, and to take action? Write yourself a permission slip to do what needs to be done. If you want to make something, you have to learn the skills necessary to build it. In order to learn something, you’ve got to be inspired enough to put in the amount of work required to learn it. If you aren’t inspired by anything, start with your own curiosity. Ask questions that you’d like to know the answer to until you find inspiration. Then start learning… which will lead to making. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.