The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

Colin Wright walked away from a bountiful financial opportunity to conduct extreme lifestyle experiments, like letting the readers of his blog vote on which country he should spend the next four months of his life in. This eventually resulted in the writing multiple books, and the development of an independent publishing company, Asymmetrical Press. Finding the balance between professional and per...

Sam Polk’s childhood ambitions of becoming rich led him to a career on Wall Street in which eventually he discovered that he had become addicted to money and success In this episode we discuss overcoming that addiction an the similarities that success and addiction have in common.  The influence that Sam’s dad had on his view of the world A period of loneliness and depression in col...

Growing up under the dictatorship of Noriega, Lisa Fabrega has overcome incredible odds in developing the courage to speak her truth. In this episode, we discuss the role of speaking your truth, and finding compassion in your ability to be a leader. Growing up under the dictatorship of Noriega When we ignore our artistic inclinations Facing death and dealing with a terrible illness The problem wit...

In this unmistakable classic we revisit our interview with Georgetown professor and author Cal Newport who talks to us about how to be so good they can't ignore you.  How Cal Has Blended a Traditional and Untraditional Path  A Look at the Early Creation Process of Cal's Study Guides Lessons from the MIT Theory of Computation Group The Importance of Focus and Resisting Distractions W...

Jessica Hagy’s dissatisfaction with her work led her to self expression in the form of visual storytelling, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions and to actively participate in each narrative. She combines mixed data with humor, insight, and visuals, making complex concepts accessible and relevant. Coping and dealing with work that is predatory Why it’s important to create what you want t...

In this episode of the show we speak with anthropologist, writer, actress, and comedian Natalia Reagan. She talks to us about how she’s combined her love for science, comedy, and primates into a rather unusual career. An early obsession with King Kong nightmares Dealing with a tragic and life changing car accident Natalia’s foray into the study of spider monkeys The creation of “butt” week th...

In this Unmistakable Classic, we revisit a thought provoking conversation with Patti Digh, author of Life is a Verb.  The importance of feeling good about the work you’re doing Asking yourself what you’d do if you have 37 days to live The keys to writing your voice with a sole intention How art history and English degrees shaped Patti’s world view The 3 blocks that keep dreams from coming tru...

Jodi Avrigan has chosen a rather unusual way to get his art out into the world. He’s the creator of Ask Roulette, an unscripted conversation in which participants ask and answer questions of each other in front of a live audience. In this interview we discuss the craft of narrative journalism, and the creation of Ask Roulette. Making films in the early days of high school The parallels betwee...

Storytelling is how we make sense of the world. In this episode of the podcast Lisa Cron talks to us about how we're hardwired to respond to story.  Lisa's early love for story telling from an early age The reason finding the thing you love is a struggle  Why story is a hardwired survial mechanism  The reason stories help us to navigate reality  Understanding how to sha...

Andy Dixon’s life has been anything but conventional. Born into a life of crime, he grew up imprinted with the notion that violence translated to love. In this amazing story, Andy talks about a journey of redemption and reinvention after a life sentence. Coming from a long line of people who lived outside the law An early vision of possibility in Andy’s life How Andy wound up shooting somebody at...

Andy Dixon’s life has been anything but conventional. Born into a life of crime, he grew up imprinted with the notion that violence translated to love. In this amazing story, Andy talks about a journey of redemption and reinvention after a life sentence. Coming from a long line of people who lived outside the law An early vision of possibility in Andy’s life How Andy wound up shooting somebody at...

Nick Onken’s journey began at crossroads of art and technology, with his work in desktop publishing and design. Upon discovering his passion for more hands-on means of expression, he eventually chose to take the entrepreneurial leap into digital photography. How an early trip to Africa opened Nick’s eyes to photography Why you should be constantly creating in order to improve your art Nick’s signa...

Dandapani realized at the age of 4 that he wanted be a monk. He saw it as the most efficient path to enlightenment. But it wasn’t until completing an electrical engineering degree and finding his teacher that he joined a monastery, where he decided not to renew his vows after 10 years.  How Dandapani knew at the age of 4 he wanted to be a monk  A formative childhood experience that would...

Josh Kauffman is a poster child for how to give yourself an education that kicks the crap out of the one you got in school. Instead of going to business school, he decided to create a Personal MBA. The result has been a book that sold over 130,000 copies, and an incredible journey. In this interview we get into the first 20 hours of learning any new skill. What You Can Learn from the Marketing of...

A moment that shook them to the core caused Betsy and Warren Talbot to reevalute what was truly important in their marriage and their lives. They got rid of their belongings and decided to travel the world together. But the dream hasn't comes without unexpected challenges and hurdles.  Being shaken to the core in order to make changes in your life Embracing the life you want to have vs the on...

Hugh Howey has on the surface what might appear to be Cinderella story from the world of self publishing. His best selling series Wool caught the attention of Ridley Scott and has been turned into a screenplay. But as you might expect, there's alot more to this story.  Why so few writers follow a traditional path The role that our life experiences play in our writing Saying yes to every o...

In this unmistakable classic we revisit our interview with Julliard faculty member, violinist and performance psychologist, Noa Kageyama. We discuss how to apply principles of peak performance psychology from the world of music to every area of your life.     A Look into the Influences of Suzuki Violin in Noa's Life Why You Can Only See Dots Connecting in Hindsight The Reality...

To say that Josh Long is an entrepreneur who keeps himself busy is an understatement. He’s the creator of the to-do list app Cheddar, the podcasting service Simplecast, and oversees sponsorship at the Great Discontent. In this interview he talks to me about the underlying themes and threads of his life’s work and how to identify yours.  Josh’s exposure to entrepreneurship at a very early age...

James Clear’s journey resulted in the intersection of entrepreneurship, health, and creativity. The byproduct of this intersection was an deep study on how habits impact our lives. In this interview we discuss the process of creating identity based habits in order to change our lives.  How habits impact entrepreneurship, health, and creativity  Lessons from the baseball field t...

Chris Mckinlay’s disparate career path has led to working as a Chinese- English translator, playing team blackjack, and eventually a math PHD program at UCLA. The perfect real world scenario to test the the knowledge gained from his math PHD was OkCupid. And using math to hack OkCupid eventually led to meeting the love of his life.  A look at an unconventional college experience in...

Meg Worden is a memoir writer and health coach with a scandalous past that led her through the federal prison system for selling ecstasy. In this episode she returns to the show to discuss the process of how we reintegrate after a significant emotional experience.  Telling the hard truth and finding peace within our stories  Finding the seeker that lies within yourself  The com...

Hillary Rubin’s difficult childhood resulted in an incredible work ethic in which she started creating demand for herself at a very early age. Her need to survive gave her what she referred to as a PHD in street smarts.  Learning to let go of the imprints that hold us back Saving yourself through forms of self expression  Focusing on the individual and connecting with people A look...

Joe Loya’s life trajectory of rising up and moving forward took a radically different turn after losing his mother at an an early age, and stabbing his father in the neck at the age of 16. This was beginning of of a life of crime, and 14 month bank robbing spree in which he robbed 30 banks. In this amazing chat about his life, we discuss the amazing power of innovating with your story.  The l...

In this Unmistakable Creative Classic, we speak with happiness researcher Shawn Achor about scientifically proven advice for become happier. His work in positive psychology has resulted in discoveries of incredibly simple and effective happiness advice.  A look at Shawn’s early work in religion and spirituality Why positive brains lead to better outcomes The opportunity to choose between mult...

In 2006 Ari Meisel was diagnosed with Crohns disease. Through a combination of yoga, nutrition, natural supplements and rigorous exercise he was able to fight back the symptoms of Crohn’s until he was finally able to suspend my medication. He leveraged self tracking and self exploration to develop an awareness the led breakthroughs in human performance.  Starting as a...