The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

Srinivas Rao•podcast.unmistakablecreative.com

Timeless Practical Wisdom For Living a Meaningful Life

Inspiring stories and practical advice from creatives, entrepreneurs, change-makers, misfits, and rebels to help you become successful on your own terms

Our listeners say, “If TEDTalks met Oprah you’d have the Unmistakable Creative.” Eliminate the feeling of being stuck in your life, blocked in your creativity, and discover higher levels of meaning and purpose in your life and career. Listen to deeply personal, insightful, and thought-provoking stories from the world’s leading thinkers and doers including best-selling authors, artists, peak performance psychologists, happiness researchers, entrepreneurs, startup founders, artists, venture capitalists, and even former bank robbers. Former guests have included Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Justine Musk, Scott Adams, Rob Bell, David Heinemeier Hansson, Elle Luna, Jordan Harbinger Brett Mckay, and Simon Sinek.

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Episodes

Bridging the Gaps in Our Productivity with Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey, author of The Productivity Project returns to the show to discuss how to bridge the productivity gaps in our lives, and how to effectively manage your time, attention and energy. HIGHLIGHTS How to create a structure for your projects Why limitations and constraints increase your creativity The difference between production and accomplishments Character traits coordinated with a lack of productivity Dealing with our addiction to “productivity porn” The biggest mistakes that people m...

Jan 27, 2016•44 min

Exploration as an Expression of Our Humanity with Adam Steltzner

Adam Steltzner, an engineer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory joins us to discuss his new book the Right Kind of Crazy and lessons in creativity from landing spacecrafts on Mars. HIGHLIGHTS Going to the edges of what we might be capable of Making a significant internal identity shift Searching for what’s wrong to find what’s true Managing fear in high-stakes situations The power of bringing in outside perspective The right kind of crazy vs the wrong kind of crazy Why our fear of failure is more...

Jan 25, 2016•47 min

Leveraging Incremental Progress to Level Up Your Life with Steve Kamb

Steve Kamb, rebel leader of Nerd Fitness joins us to talk about the power of using incremental progress to level up your life. HIGHLIGHTS Lessons learned from The Legend of Zelda Applying the progress principle to our biggest goals Structuring your environment to induce flow states Finding the distinctive identity and fingerprint in our work Removing the need for willpower and motivation Determining the type of game that you want to play The power of creating an alter ego and character to level ...

Jan 20, 2016•53 min

Getting to the Heart of What You Want to Say with Jamie Varon

Jamie Varon, writer and designer joins us to discuss design and writing in a way that gets to the heart f what you want to say. HIGHLIGHTS Thinking along the lines of what a professional would do The role of self-motivation in our work The power of teaching yourself Overcoming the desire to just be comfortable Recognizing the disconnect between where you are and where you want to be How our imprints motivate or demotivate The variables that create the spectrum of human performance How extremely ...

Jan 18, 2016•51 min

The Benefits of Living a More Curious and Creative Life with Jeffrey Veen

Jeffrey Veen , design partner at True Ventures, and founder of Typekit joins us to discuss the benefits of living a more curious and creative life. HIGHLIGHTS: Lessons in design and content creation from the earliest days of the internet Finding the things that are infectious to us Why empathy is one of the most vital skills that we can learn The power of democratizing tools The power of marketing from a place of sharing everything you do The psychology of being an employee, entrepreneur, and in...

Jan 13, 2016•49 min

Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World with Cal Newport

Cal Newport, Georgetown professor, and author of of So Good They Can’t Ignore, and Deep Work joins us to talk about how to produce work of real of value while training your ability to focus. HIGHLIGHTS How positive serendipity pays dividends going forward Exposing yourself to positive randomness The issues with “follow your passion” The role of engagement, craftsmanship Why deliberate practice is the byproduct of hard work Applying systematic thinking to our work The 3 keys to becoming a straigh...

Jan 11, 2016•56 min

Living a Life of Intention, Meaning and Purpose with AJ Leon

AJ Leon, founder of the creative agency Misfit Inc, returns to the show to discuss living a life of meaning, intention and purpose. HIGHLIGHTS Why you always have a choice in your life Letting go of our need to prove people wrong Evacuating a life plan that had gone horribly wrong Why you should never stop asking for what you want Understanding the difference between courage and defiance The difference between starting a company and starting to live deliberately Wisdom from AJ’s Cuban Grandmothe...

Jan 06, 2016•1 hr 14 min

How to Make this The Most Prosperous Year of Your Life with Philip Mckernan

Phillip Mckernan returns to the show to discuss how to make 2016 the most prosperous year of our lives. HIGHLIGHTS Why happiness is the byproduct of meaning Letting go of our attachments to create space Leveraging a wakeup call to become more of who we are The danger of giving too much of your identity to external outcomes How to resist the temptation to dilute your truth Developing the courage to stay true to your message The relationship between self-worth and prosperity The biggest questions ...

Jan 04, 2016•53 min

What We’ve Learned from Podcasts Guests in 2015

In this 2015 wrap up episode, Brian Koehn and I steal an idea from Tim Ferriss, and share some of the things we’ve learned from podcast guests in 2015. Episodes Mentioned How to Live Well and Die Well ( Part 1 and Part 2 ) with Greg Hartle A Soulful Exploration of Inner Wisdom with Susan Piver The Art of Living a Noteworthy Life with Bob Goff Why You Should Never Miss an Opportunity to be Fabulous with Tina Seelig Honoring the Intentions of Our Legacy with Patti Digh Creating Your Immortal Beaut...

Dec 31, 2015•26 min

Best of 2015: Accepting the Transparent Reality of Your Core Identity with Wes Chapman

Wesley Chapman shares his personal story of 12 documented suicide attempts, and the tremendous power of accepting the transparent reality of our core identities HIGHLIGHTS: Wes’ experience with 12 document suicide attempt Finding your identity after it’s been lost How our stories and circumstances become our power Connecting the experiences of your life to expression of your identity Why healing from our pain frees us from it Seeing past people’s weaknesses in order to see their strengths An hon...

Dec 30, 2015•1 hr 17 min

Best of 2015: Why You Should Never Miss an Opportunity to be Fabulous With Tina Seelig

Tina Seelig author, educator, and executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures program, talks about why most rules are just recommendations, the power of writing a resume of your failures, reframing problems to give us an expanded set of solutions and much more. HIGHLIGHTS: What happens when we do the right things for the wrong reasons Why passion follows engagement and experience The problem with being completely rigid about your life and career plans Why most rules are just recommend...

Dec 28, 2015•42 min

Best of 2015: Creating Your Immortal Beautiful Work With Jennifer Boykin

Jennifer Boykin discusses what it takes to create your immortal beautiful work, getting comfortable with something unplanned happening and how we can use mastery of one craft to build confidence in others. Why you can have everything, but not at the same time Learning about your dreaming instead of pursuing it Meeting the enormity of what is possible for us in our lives Using small wins to build confidence and overcoming failure Why our culture teaches to use grandiose language is not strategic ...

Dec 23, 2015•52 min

Best of 2015: The DNA of a Storyteller with Robert Kurson

Robert Kurson shares his journey from being an F-student in high school, to a desperately unhappy Harvard educated Lawyer and eventual New York Times Bestselling Author HIGHLIGHTS: A formative relationship that played a fundamental role in Robert’s career Why a strong work ethic is important for a creative career The struggles of a challenging academic career Finding a level of belief that keeps you going From F’s in High School to Harvard School The power of being desperately unhappy Making a d...

Dec 21, 2015•51 min

Best of 2015: The Psychology of Visionaries with Justine Musk

Justine Musk discusses creativity, emotional resonance and the psychology of visionary leaders like Elon Musk, Coco Chanel, Steve Jobs, David Bowie and many others. Highlights The questions that we need to ask in an identity transition How crisis forces complacency to be thrown out the window Coming out of the shadows in our lives Learning to read your life like a mystery novel and searching for clues Finding the things in our lives that lead to creative renewal Creating emotional resonance with...

Dec 16, 2015•52 min

Best of 2015: The Art of Living a Noteworthy Life with Bob Goff

Bob Goff joins us to talk about love, what we’re made to do, and living a life filled with whimsy in this best of 2015 episode. HIGHLIGHTS What you’re able to do vs what you are made to do Infusing your life with a sense of wonder and taking a childlike approach to everything Viewing things as additions and interruptions How curiosity and humility can shape our lives Factors that cause love to start to emerging The 8 most important people in your life Why we are not defined by successes or failu...

Dec 14, 2015•1 hr

Best of 2015: A Journey to the Crossroads of Should and Must with Elle Luna

Elle Luna shares her journey to the crossroads of should and must in this best of 2015 episode. Highlights: A recurring dream that served as a sign for a calling Why the crossroads should and must appears over and over again How getting rejected from every law school changed Elle’s life Learning to trust the intelligence that lies beyond ourselves Opening the floodgates of creativity through collaboration Looking to peers as our mirrors when things don’t go according to plan Lessons in life from...

Dec 09, 2015•53 min

Best of 2015: Designing Your Environment for Optimal Performance and Creativity with Jim Bunch

Jim Bunch talks about rapid transformation, why will power fails to change the behavior of 96% of people and, how you can design your environment for optimal performance and and creativity. Why transformation has been the glue that held together Jim’s businesses The importance of having a bigger brighter vision for the future A Look at why willpower fails to change the behavior of 96% of people How every environment we’re in inspires or expires us Designing your environments so that they express...

Dec 07, 2015•1 hr 9 min

Defining Freedom in a Way that Serves You With Ryan Moran

Ryan Moran joins us to talk about defining freedom in a way that serves us, learning to separate ourselves from our stories and much more. HIGHLIGHTS Breaking away from the Beliefs of Our Past and Upbringing Navigating a Painful Identity Crisis Rebuilding Your Life after and Identity Crisis How Absolutes Get in Our Way Being Informed vs Defined by Other Perspectives Why We’re More Wired for Certain Tendencies Letting Go of Our Attachments to Success and Failure The Choice Between Taking a Red Pi...

Dec 02, 2015•47 min

Making a Career out of Rebelling Against the Status Quo with Sarah Cooper

Sarah Cooper, creator of the The Cooper Review, a satirical blog that features weekly original articles, videos and cartoons on corporate humor, news, and other stuff joins us to talk about how she’s made a career of out rebelling against the status quo. HIGHLIGHTS Dealing with Our Desires to Do Less Practical Things Finding an Outlet to be Wild and Unhinged The Challenges of Being Different in an Immigrant Family Nurturing the Seeds of Curiosity and Self Awareness The Importance of Exploring, E...

Nov 30, 2015•46 min

Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times with Allison Carmen

Allison Carmen, author of The Gift of Maybe talks about how we can use the power of maybe to find hope and possibility in uncertain times. HIGHLIGHTS How We Suffer from Our Addiction to Certainty Why Our Stories Cause us to Spin out of Control Using the Power of Maybe To Create Possibility Moving form Intellectual Understanding to Awareness The 2 Questions We Can Ask Ourselves How Hope and Possibility Shifts us to Presence The Story of Regret That Limits Us Letting go of Our Need for Life to be ...

Nov 25, 2015•40 min

Connecting with Your Voice to Create Work that Matters with Brad Montague

Brad Montague creative director and co-producer of the wildly popular web series Kid President, talks to us about the process of how a creative project finds its voice. HIGHLIGHTS How Small Moments Create Encouragement Brad’s Mission to Make Other People Feel like they Matter The Origin Story of Kid President The Importance of Messengers in our Lives Finding the Element that Causes Your Work to Connect at Another Level Why Everyone of Us Needs to a Build a Cabinet Bringing a Sense of Wonder to Y...

Nov 23, 2015•46 min

How Kids Can Have a Profound Impact on the World with Matt and Eva Webb

In an effort to teach their own kids how they could change the world, Matt and Eva Webb took a one year road trip to all 50 states on which they interviewed 75 young change makers from all over the United States. HIGHLIGHTS Creating Opportunities for Children to Make a Difference How Expectations Get us Sucked into Keeping Up with the Joneses Making Good On Our Most Ambitious Dreams How the One Year Road Trip transformed Matt and Eva’s Family What Shapes Kids to Want to Be Change makers Why Rout...

Nov 18, 2015•1 hr 18 min

How to Experience the Entire World from Your Kitchen with Sasha Martin

In this episode of the podcast, Sasha Martin talks to us about her journey of cooking a dish from every country in the world. HIGHLIGHTS What Causes us to Ignore Our Spark Moments How a Recipe Book Turned into a Memoir The Search for a Sense of Belonging Finding The Purpose of Your Quest Diffusing The Negative Stories of Our Past How Food Can Serve as a Bridge Between People Seeing People for Who They Are Instead of Who We Want them To Be Experiencing Every Country in the World In Your Kitchen W...

Nov 16, 2015•51 min

How to Disrupt Yourself with Whitney Johnson

In this episode of the podcast, writer, coach, and co-founder of the investment firm Rose Park advisors talks about incorporating the principles of disruptive innovation into our lives. HIGHLIGHTS Dealing with and Resolving Parental Expectations Why Some of Our Biggest Strengths Come from Our Biggest Challenges The Different Types of Intelligence Identifying the Types of Intelligence You Have The Path from Secretary to Investment Banker Why We have to Play to Our Strengths to Reach Our Full Pote...

Nov 11, 2015•52 min

Make Your Work More Compelling with Tara Gentile

In this episode of the podcast business strategist Tara Gentile talks about how to make your work more compelling and yourself more effective. HIGHLIGHTS Developing a Sense of Abundance Living a Priority to Driven Life Where We Inherit Our Beliefs About Money Dealing with Your Blocks Around Money Why the Notion of a Solo Entrepreneurship is a Myth How Confirmation Bias Gets in Our Way Shifting from an Employee Money Mindset to an Entrepreneurial Money Mindset Building a Business Around What Make...

Nov 09, 2015•52 min

Designing a More Self Aware Life with Whitney Hess

In this episode of the podcast, Whitney Hess talks about designing a more self aware life and the power of empathy to become more effective leaders. HIGHLIGHTS Uncovering the the Desires that Drive Us Lessons in Self Sufficiency from Being an Only Child How We can Learn to Become More Resourceful Engaging in Experiences and Activities that Develop Our Skills Why You Have to Actually Want to Change Regardless of What it Takes Why We Need to Understand What People’s Needs Are Finding an Approach t...

Nov 04, 2015•1 hr 2 min

Creating a Platform That Gets People to Come to You with Patrick Janelle

In this episode of the podcast, Instagram Photographer Patrick Janelle talks about how creating a platform for your work that gets people to come to you. HIGHLIGHTS How Multiple Art for Forms can Impact Your Work Communication Lessons from Working on The House Floor Developing The Ability to Withstand Lots of Rejection Taking Risks Without Knowing Where They’ll Lead The Connection Between Risk and Fear Bringing Elements of Performance, Experience and Community Into Your Work Having a Comprehensi...

Nov 02, 2015•48 min

The Power of Expanded Awareness with John Assaraf

In this episode, spiritual entrepreneur, philanthropist, and teacher John Assaraf talks about the power of expanding your awareness. HIGHLIGHTS Changing Paths from a Life of Crime The Innate Desire to Feel Worthy Shifting Paradigms to Create a Sense of Worthiness Masks that we Create to Protect Ourselves Why Wisdom Comes From Experience How Pillars of Strength Come from Our Biggest Challenges The Value of Specialized Knowledge Separating Our Failures from Our Identity The Advantage of Looking at...

Oct 28, 2015•56 min

Making Our Childhood Dreams Come True as Adults with Steph Halligan

In this episode motivational cartoonist and creator of Art to Self, Steph Halligan joins us to talk about how to make our childhood dreams come true as adults. HIGHLIGHTS The Power of Doing Things Unrelated to Your Primary Work Why We Need to Feed Our Creative Interests Learning to Let Imagination Run Your Life Developing Your Creative Habits and Rituals Learning to Visualize Your Thoughts on Paper Resolving Creative Tension in Your Work Why Showing Up And Sharing Your Work Regularly Matters Cul...

Oct 26, 2015•49 min

Finding New Beginnings in our Endings with Geraldine Deruiter

In this episode, Geraldine Deruiter, creator and author of the popular travel blog Everywhereist , talks about how to find new beginnings in our endings. HIGHLIGHTS Why a Sincere Perspective Can be as Powerful as a Useful One Making Our Creative Work Richer by Infusing a Compelling Narrative Questions that Can Help you to Find the Theme of A Story The Importance of Letting Ideas Bake How We Find a New Beginning in Our Ending Why We Need to Sometimes Appreciate and Honor Our Losses The Role of a ...

Oct 21, 2015•43 min

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