Process

Spencer is a 32-year-old serial entrepreneur from New York. His latest project, Coach, is his fourth project, and it focuses on helping creators make a living off their passion. From email marketing to online courses to landing pages, Coach is dedicated to helping creators grow their audience while making money. (Because you're listening to this podcast, chances are you have a passion that you'd love to make a living off of, so I'm pumped to share Spencer's experiences with you.)

Violeta is an online entrepreneur based in Bulgaria who helps creative rebels build unique and authentic businesses. She's spent the last few years exploring the online space: writing, consulting, becoming a coach, and much more. Starting this year, she's decided to make building community her biggest priority.

Moose is a photographer who runs a website called CameraTips.com, which he describes as "the beginners only tree house in a backyard filled with photographers of all skill levels." I personally have used his products to get to know my new camera and take better photos. But photography isn't Moose's greatest passion—that honor belongs to his family.

It's been months and months since my last episode, but I'm coming back full swing in 2017. I've got great episodes scheduled for the next few months, so stay tuned for all of this awesomeness on creativity and making stuff with peace of mind. This first episode of the year (#035) is what I'm calling a Coffee Break, or an episode where I take you behind the scenes of my own creative process and struggles I'm navigating with my projects.

The best way to describe Anna is the word storyteller. She likes to tell all kinds of stories: about motherhood, fitness, nature, and more. For many years, she worked a corporate job—but, after a serendipitous encounter with a photographer on the beach, she worked hard to make her jump into freelance writing and achieve the freedom to live every day the best way possible.

After a few months "on a break" from the podcast, I'm back with episode #033 of Process. Which kind of begins "season 2" of the podcast, I think? In the last episode, I told you about why I felt it was necessary that I go on a creative "break" of sorts, to really do some heavy thinking about this upcoming book and work hard on finishing it. WELL, I have some news about that... You can listen to the full episode below to get the entire story, during which you'll hear more about:

I have a new podcast episode for you—and it's a special one because it's the LAST one for a few months. Not going to lie, I'm a little sad about it because I love recording the show ... BUT there's a very exciting reason behind this decision. Which I explain in depth during this episode, including: - What I define as "making" (and an example from a good friend) - Why I need to stop podcasting to make ONE thing - How to better understand our creative energy - The ONE question that focused my work - More details on my next project

My guest on this episode is Jean Powell, master of sales! Jean is an old friend of mine, and I've asked her to come on the show to talk to us about how selling can be a creative endeavor—and something we don't have to shy away from! While she's currently VP of Sales at MiiR (which she loves), she's also a writer, and I'm excited to ask her all about her love for sales, her job, and her own creative process.

Today's episode is very different from any I've recorded in the past. I decided to ask a bunch of my friends to share a short clip with us. Each of them tell me the following: 1. What they're making 2. What they're struggling with 3. How they're managing that struggle

Last summer, I was invited to Panama to give a talk during the Central American Entrepreneurship Forum. Being there was an honor—and so much fun, too! I loved sharing my talk with the 300 people who attended plus everyone who watched the livestream online (including my family back home)! But I haven't given that talk ever again. Until this episode.

My guest on this episode is John Lynn of Startup Institute. Our conversation is geared toward a topic dear to my heart: education. Which I know you're interested in—because if you weren't, you wouldn't be listening to podcasts! John and the team at Startup Institute work hard to give people the skills, mindset, and network to find a job they love, doing work that matters. Essentially, it's a full-time eight-week program that takes place in Boston, Chicago and New York City, all focused on helping students find awesome jobs and help startups build awesome teams.

This is another solo episode where I discuss the ups and downs of my own creative process. Most episodes of this podcast are interviews with the makers and creative people I admire, but all of you listeners have spoken! You want me to talk about my own projects and what it feels like to create them...

My guest today is Consuelo Reinitz of Pink Fries Paperie. She tells us her story: how she got into watercolors and art (a very unexpected hobby turned Etsy shop) and what it's like juggling her creative work with caring for her 9-month-old son Lucas. I've known Consuelo since I was in diapers, but I never in a million years would've guessed she had an interest in art—and neither did she! I spend the majority of this interview digging into how she unsurfaced this love for watercolors and creativity.

My guest today is A.J. Leon, founder of Misfit, which he describes as the "coolest company on this beautiful planet." About eight years ago, A.J. left his prestigious job in finance in New York City to explore his love for travel, Shakespeare, and changing the world. Shortly thereafter, he founded Misfit, which started off as a boutique digital agency but now is also a conference, an incubator, a publishing house, a foundation, and more. I mention A.J. on so many past episodes of this podcast because his influence on the creatives I surround myself with is just palpable. I'm so pumped to share this interview with you because A.J.'s creative defiance is contagious—consider yourself warned!

Another solo episode! During this episode, I cover: - A quick read-through of this week's article on doubt - An update on how I'm decreasing self-doubt in my creative life - The truth about my upcoming book Make - Being enough versus always striving for something more

My guest today is Steve Kamb, founder of a fitness website called Nerd Fitness. Can you guess what it’s about? And who it’s for? … YUP! It’s a website that helps nerds learn about fitness. Over the past few years, Steve has grown Nerd Fitness to an incredible community of hundreds of thousands of people getting healthy and fit together. Nerd Fitness offers courses, a summer-camp like event and more—all dedicated to helping “nerds” get fit. I invited Steve to be on the show because I’ve personally watched him grow from being a writer to being a boss and now an author. And Steve just published his book called Level Up Your Life!

Galo talks to me about the difference between movement and fitness. He shares with us his journey from finance to movement and how teaching CrossFit has impacted him. Later on in the episode, we discuss how Instagram has played an important role in his collaborations and his upcoming project: a magazine named MOTUS.

Kate Brodock is my guest on this episode #021 of Process, and this episode is all about how Kate's passion for women in entrepreneurship and technology has led her to all kinds of opportunities throughout her career. I first met Kate at SxSW when she was working with an organization called GirlsInTech. Since then, Kate's expanded her work to other ventures and I'm excited to hear about how she's incorporating that passion into her projects.

Victor Saad, my guest on this episode #020 of Process, is taking higher education by storm. His creative journey started when he chose to design his own 12-month Master’s program instead of applying to an existing school, wrote a book about his experiences and then created an organization that provides a similar learning experience to students every year, called Experience Institute, which is his main project nowadays. He was even named on Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work in education. I’m excited to talk to Victor about what it’s like to disrupt (and improve) higher education and what his big goals are for the future.

This is a solo episode—and a very special one—where I share a behind the scenes look at the creative process behind my upcoming book Make.

Cathryn Lavery and Allen Brouwer are my guests on this episode #018 of Process. Cathryn and Allen are the duo behind the latest Kickstarter success the SELF Journal, a powerful yet simple daily planner to help you structure your day, enjoy life, and reach your goals quicker than you thought possible. The duo behind this project asked for $15,000 to make the SELF Journal happen … and received $322,695. Talk about a crowdfunding success!

Back when I met Julien at SxSW a few years ago, he was a popular blogger and a New York Times bestselling author. Fast forward to today, and he's added a new title to his repertoire: CEO of a venture-backed startup. Today, running that startup, called Breather, is his #1 priority. Very quickly, Breather is growing its team, the cities it operates in, and the number of people that use its spaces. But being a CEO of a startup is no easy feat. I talk to Julien about how he makes it all happen without impending doom levels of stress.

Caroline started off in the advertising industry but quickly decided that wasn’t for her and eventually ended up trying her hand at freelancing and entrepreneurship. A few years down the road, Caroline’s work is helping soulful creatives become their most vibrant selves through handlettering, teaching online courses, writing and more. But this isn’t your typical “left my job, fell in love with my own work" story. I’m going to ask Caroline about what life is like AFTER realizing you're able to make a living on your own. Caroline’s work now is well-established, so how does she keep pushing the boundaries to enable creative people like us?

Matt Wilson is my guest on this episode (#015) of Process. MI AMIGO!!! Matt and I go way back to my early days on Twitter. After a few years of exchanging tweets, we finally met up in real life down here in Nicaragua where we hung out with my family, his customers and another blogger. Nowadays, Matt is focusing more than ever on his travel business (Under30Experiences) while always putting his wellbeing first. (He currently lives the surfer-dude life in Costa Rica!)

This episode of Process is a bit different. There is no guest on this episode—it's just me! I'll be speaking mostly on creative vulnerability and its twisted sister: self-doubt. During this episode, I cover: - The butterflies you feel in your stomach when creating something new - How a fear of judgement is at the root of much self-doubt - Stories of failure from my past - The big wins I've achieved by taking creative risks—changing lives - "What will they think? What will they say?" - My creative challenge for everyone listening—and for myself

Aaron and I met our first week of college in Boston in the fall of 2004. After graduation, though, we never kept in touch ... but Facebook, of course, kept me posted on his whereabouts. That's how I found out about his new company SuperEats, and I knew I had to invite him on Process to tell his story. You can hear more about this in the episode, but I'll give you a bit of backstory: Aaron left his corporate job in New York City to start a company that makes kale and chia chips to provide healthier snack options. Brave, am I right?

I met James a few years back at World Domination Summit, and I'm so glad we were able to catch up again ... this time via Skype for this podcast! For those of you who haven't read his stuff yet, James is an accomplished writer who studies behavioral psychology, habit formation, and performance improvement. If you're looking for science-backed advice on habits and productivity, James is your guy!

Ashlee Gadd is my guest on this episode #011 of Process! This conversation is a bit longer than most other ones ... mostly because Ashlee and I could've kept talking forever. As a photographer and writer based in California, Ashlee has been exploring the online world of motherhood by running a collaborative blog called Coffee + Crumbs. It's a site that hosts articles that speak honestly and openly about the art of motherhood and what she calls "the good kind of heartache." Currently, Ashlee is on a journey of grow Coffee + Crumbs as much as she can, which we'll talk about in the episode.

Justin Jackson rocked it on this episode (#010) of Process. I'm so excited to share this conversation with you because I had so much fun recording it. Justin calls himself a maker, probably because there's no better umbrella term for all the things he does. He writes for his blog and e-books, makes tech products like Wordpress plugins, runs membership sites, hosts various podcasts ... all while running a consulting business AND being a father to four kids.

My guest on this episode is Jason Zook, an entrepreneur daring enough to make a living wearing t-shirts, selling his last name, and most recently selling his entire future. WHAT?

My guest on this episode is Michelle Armas, an abstract expressionist painter whose blog and Instagram accounts are overflowing with adoring fans. As a new momma to a beautiful one-year-old daughter, Michelle has an inspiring and insightful approach to parenting and creativity.

My guest on this episode is Ryan Allis, a technology entrepreneur that sold his first company, iContact, for $170 million before turning 28! Nowadays, Ryan is the founder of Connect, an app that helps you get together with friends, and Hive, a global network of leaders and entrepreneurs who are creating a better world.

My guest on this episode is Adii Pienaar, founder of Receiptful and WooThemes. This conversation happened across the globe, from my desk in Nicaragua to Adii's in South Africa. The result is a raw, honest, and insightful talk about life, both personal and professional.

Aldo Aguirre of Techstars tell us about creativity for intrapreneurs.

Angela Mader, founder of fitlosophy and creator of the fitness journal fitbook, shares how she balances creative and administrative tasks in her growing business.

David Cain of Raptitude talks me through his mindfulness practice and how un-zen life can be, even with a dedicated practice.

My guest on this episode is Sean Ogle. As a location independent entrepreneur, Sean has worked on creating his ideal lifestyle over the past 6 years.

Ali Nelson is the founder of Alimakesthings, a handlettering and Instagram phenom.