Creative Consultants

Ever feel like you’re fixing the car while driving 100km/h down the highway? Yeah, us too. In our latest quarterly catch-up, Trudi and Matt are pulling over to look under the hood. We’re talking about Trudi’s massive win as an award-winning author and her new project, Improvising Care, which uses the magic of "Yes, and" to transform life for dementia carers. Meanwhile, Matt's been le...

Join Matt & Trudi as they discuss what the heck has actually been going on! It's been a busy 2025 and in this quarterly review, the look at what worked, what didn't and why.🎙️ Join the conversation - what have you been up to this first quarter?_____________Get in touch with Matt Smolen⁠www.balloontreeproductions.com⁠Get in touch with Trudi Boatwright⁠www.trudiboatwright.com____________...

Feeling like your brain’s fried and your to-do list is never-ending? Trudi and Matt dive headfirst into the world of burnout, and reveal the surprising power of play as the ultimate antidote. From lunchtime naughtiness to people-watching secrets, they explore: Why taking intentional “white space” can skyrocket your creativity 🎨 The science behind how play actually rewires your brain for problem-s...

Ones, zeros, sandwiches, costumes… oh my! In this delightfully messy episode of Creative Consultants, Trudi & Matt dive headfirst into the weird, wonderful and slightly wobbly world of AI and creativity. 🤖 Can a machine really be creative? 🎨 Are we on the brink of a creative renaissance, or a creativity apocalypse? 💡 And what happens when you mash up LEGO, sharks, pirate ships, and artifici...

Trudi and Matt flip the script and put Matt in the spotlight! From dreaming up Balloon Tree Productions at 16, to building a thriving creative studio 14 years strong, Matt shares how he’s woven together his life, creativity, business, and family into one big, joyful story. In this episode you’ll hear about: 🌱 The origin story of Balloon Tree Productions 🎭 How theatre kids and collaboration shape...

Can politics ever be creative, or is it doomed to potholes, policies, and painfully long council meetings? In this episode of Creative Consultants, Trudi and Matt throw the rulebook out the window and invite the wonderful Cr Connie Boglis OAM into the Treehouse of Curiosity. Connie is many things: counsellor, advocate, author, world-traveller. Today, she’s here to help us explore: ✨ How advocacy...

Creative Consultants is back with Season 3! We dive into Trudi’s extraordinary journey: from chocolate workshops to biker bars and everything in between. Over 48 jobs, countless stories, and one big mission: to bring playfulness into places it’s never been before. Do you believe play can change the way you work, think, and live? If you’ve ever thought “I’m not creative” or “play isn’t for me,” thi...

Can creativity survive the AI revolution? In this episode of The Creative Consultants, Matt, Trudi, and new recruit Danny Ginsberg tackle everything from West Side Story to robot overlords. They ask: Will AI make us less creative, or free us to become more creative than ever? Join us as we dive into: 💡 Why your favourite musical reveals your true self 💡 The art of winning hearts (and budgets) fo...

What if the secret to great leadership was… tap dancing? This week on The Creative Consultants, Matt and Trudi sit down with special guest Danny Ginsberg to explore: How does a theatre nerd become a powerhouse in learning and development? In this episode, we uncover: 💡 How theatre kids can rule the workplace 💡 The surprising power of tap shoes over footy boots 💡 Why feedback in theatre is a mas...

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to think? This week on The Creative Consultants, Trudi and Matt dive into the art of going slow to go fast - and why deep creativity can’t be rushed. Could a little daydreaming unlock your best ideas yet? In this episode, we explore: 💡 Why thinking time is golden (hello, Mind Palace) 💡 How “going slow” actually speeds up your creative execution...

Is PowerPoint killing your creativity? This week on The Creative Consultants, Matt and Trudi tackle the death by PowerPoint epidemic and ask: What would happen if we ditched slides altogether? In this episode, we explore: 💡 Why theatre kids make the best presenters 💡 How many slides really fit into a 2-minute video (it’s wild) 💡 The art of “popcorn PowerPoint” 💡 Why images beat bullet points e...

In this playful, thoughtful, and occasionally chaotic kickoff to Season 2 of The Creative Consultants , Matt and Trudi unpack the powerful link between creativity and change - at work, at home, and everywhere in between. From John Cleese quotes to Dan (or is it Dave?) Huberman hot takes, we explore how play unlocks new thinking, why failure needs to be safe, and how the experiential learning cycle...

What if your company had someone whose only job was to make people feel good? In this joyful and thoughtful episode, we chat with Alyce Lampe, a self-described “day maker,” who shares her dream role: Chief Happiness Officer. It’s part career manifesto, part workplace rethink - and 100% wholesome energy. We talk about:• The power of manifesting your dream job• Why emotional well-being should be par...

How do you make the mundane magical? In this episode, we explore the tiny, powerful ways to inject creativity into the everyday - no big budgets or rebrands required. Our guest Alyce Lampe shares a beautiful piece of advice sparked by a moment in one of Trudi’s legendary workshops: what if we made the ordinary playful? From whispered spy names at summits to shaking up the seating plan in a boardro...

What does Green Eggs and Ham have to do with brand messaging? Everything. In this episode, we crack open the real power of storytelling - why it matters, how it works, and what makes it essential for individuals and organisations trying to make meaningful change. You’ll hear: Why storytelling is not just fluff - but a tool for deep understanding How simple language (like 50 words from Dr. Seuss) c...

What if the secret to better performance, more profit, and happier teams… was play? In this episode, we tumble headfirst into the world of creative thinking at work - with a tip of the hat to Viola Spolin, the grandmother of improvisation. Discover why setting playful boundaries can unlock serious innovation, how routine might be strangling your potential, and why embracing creativity isn’t just f...

Welcome to the very first convening of The Creative Consultants ! In this inaugural episode, Matt (Chief Content Consultant) and Trudi (Chief Communication Consultant) dive deep into one deceptively simple question: How can you afford creativity? (Spoiler: The real question might be, how can you afford not to?) From playful processes and conference parodies to champagne metaphors and radioactive b...

A tease of what to expect from the upcoming Creative Consultants podcast!