Podcasts about Superstars

Hier sind die Links: https://linktr.ee/NBAFanPodcast Am Besten hört ihr den Pod kostenlos bei Apple Podcasts, damit gebt ihr maximalen Support: Link zu Apple Podcasts (kostenlos) In der heutigen Episode bringt euch der NBA Fan Podcast alle wichtigen Infos zur heißen zweiten Playoff-Runde der NBA inklusive der beiden Games 7.  Dazu: Alles zur wichtigen Draft-Lottery und den kommenden Top-Rookies.     Viel Spaß mit dieser Episode!   Ab sofort könnt ihr den NBA Fan Podcast auch auf steady supporten, werde NBA Fan Podcast Supporter: https://steadyhq.com/de/nba-fan-podcast68/about    ab (00:35) Draft Lottery und Top-Picks: Worum geht es in der Draft Lottery? Wer hat die besten Chancen auf die begehrten Top-Picks? Welche zukünftigen Superstars können die Teams draften? Das alles und noch viel mehr erklärt euch Steffen.   ab (25:00) Review der bereits beendeten Serien: Die Heat schlugen die Sixers ebenso mit 4-2 wie die Golden State Warriors sich gegen die Memphis Grizzlies durchsetzten. Was ging in den beiden spannenden Serien ab?  ab (37:24) Zwei Mal Game 7: Bei den Celtics und Bucks geht es in das entscheidende Spiel 7, genauso wie bei der Serie Suns gegen Mavs. Wie es dazu kam und wen er als Sieger sieht, das verrät euch Steffen hier.  Am Besten hört ihr den Pod kostenlos bei Apple Podcasts, damit gebt ihr maximalen Support!  Wenn euch  der Pod gefällt, lasst gerne auch ein Abo und / oder Like da auf Social Media: https://twitter.com/NBA_Fan_Podcast https://www.instagram.com/nba_fan_podcast/ Oder auch bei Tiktok: NBA Fan Podcast bei Tiktok

Hier sind die Links: https://linktr.ee/NBAFanPodcast Am Besten hört ihr den Pod kostenlos bei Apple Podcasts, damit gebt ihr maximalen Support: Link zu Apple Podcasts (kostenlos) In der heutigen Episode bringt euch der NBA Fan Podcast alle wichtigen Infos zur heißen zweiten Playoff-Runde der NBA inklusive der beiden Games 7.  Dazu: Alles zur wichtigen Draft-Lottery und den kommenden Top-Rookies.     Viel Spaß mit dieser Episode!   Ab sofort könnt ihr den NBA Fan Podcast auch auf steady supporten, werde NBA Fan Podcast Supporter: https://steadyhq.com/de/nba-fan-podcast68/about    ab (00:35) Draft Lottery und Top-Picks: Worum geht es in der Draft Lottery? Wer hat die besten Chancen auf die begehrten Top-Picks? Welche zukünftigen Superstars können die Teams draften? Das alles und noch viel mehr erklärt euch Steffen.   ab (25:00) Review der bereits beendeten Serien: Die Heat schlugen die Sixers ebenso mit 4-2 wie die Golden State Warriors sich gegen die Memphis Grizzlies durchsetzten. Was ging in den beiden spannenden Serien ab?  ab (37:24) Zwei Mal Game 7: Bei den Celtics und Bucks geht es in das entscheidende Spiel 7, genauso wie bei der Serie Suns gegen Mavs. Wie es dazu kam und wen er als Sieger sieht, das verrät euch Steffen hier.  Am Besten hört ihr den Pod kostenlos bei Apple Podcasts, damit gebt ihr maximalen Support!  Wenn euch  der Pod gefällt, lasst gerne auch ein Abo und / oder Like da auf Social Media: https://twitter.com/NBA_Fan_Podcast https://www.instagram.com/nba_fan_podcast/ Oder auch bei Tiktok: NBA Fan Podcast bei Tiktok

Hier sind die Links: https://linktr.ee/NBAFanPodcast Am Besten hört ihr den Pod kostenlos bei Apple Podcasts, damit gebt ihr maximalen Support: Link zu Apple Podcasts (kostenlos) In der heutigen Episode bringt euch der NBA Fan Podcast alle wichtigen Infos zur heißen zweiten Playoff-Runde der NBA inklusive der beiden Games 7.  Dazu: Alles zur wichtigen Draft-Lottery und den kommenden Top-Rookies.     Viel Spaß mit dieser Episode!   Ab sofort könnt ihr den NBA Fan Podcast auch auf steady supporten, werde NBA Fan Podcast Supporter: https://steadyhq.com/de/nba-fan-podcast68/about    ab (00:35) Draft Lottery und Top-Picks: Worum geht es in der Draft Lottery? Wer hat die besten Chancen auf die begehrten Top-Picks? Welche zukünftigen Superstars können die Teams draften? Das alles und noch viel mehr erklärt euch Steffen.   ab (25:00) Review der bereits beendeten Serien: Die Heat schlugen die Sixers ebenso mit 4-2 wie die Golden State Warriors sich gegen die Memphis Grizzlies durchsetzten. Was ging in den beiden spannenden Serien ab?  ab (37:24) Zwei Mal Game 7: Bei den Celtics und Bucks geht es in das entscheidende Spiel 7, genauso wie bei der Serie Suns gegen Mavs. Wie es dazu kam und wen er als Sieger sieht, das verrät euch Steffen hier.  Am Besten hört ihr den Pod kostenlos bei Apple Podcasts, damit gebt ihr maximalen Support!  Wenn euch  der Pod gefällt, lasst gerne auch ein Abo und / oder Like da auf Social Media: https://twitter.com/NBA_Fan_Podcast https://www.instagram.com/nba_fan_podcast/ Oder auch bei Tiktok: NBA Fan Podcast bei Tiktok

More on the NBA playoffs and expiring superstars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Die Schauspielerin Choi Eun Hee und der Regisseur Shin Sang Ok sind Mitte des letzten Jahrhunderts DAS Power-Paar in Südkorea: Verliebt, schön und erfolgreich beherrschen sie die Kinoleinwände des Landes, brechen alle Rekorde. Doch eines Tages verschwindet Choi – kurz darauf auch Shin: Ihr größter Fan hat die beiden Superstars entführen lassen, denn er hat noch Größeres mit ihnen vor. Das Politische wird plötzlich privat. Und das reale Leben der beiden Hauptprotagonisten dramatischer, grausamer, absurder und romantischer als alle Action-, Trash-, und Liebesfilme, die die beiden je zusammen gedreht haben. *** Instagram *** Folgt Weird Crimes auch auf Instagram @weirdcrimes_podcast und bleibt auf dem Laufenden! Hier posten wir auch die Fotos, von denen Ines und Visa im Podcast sprechen: https://www.instagram.com/weirdcrimes_podcast/ *** Weird Crimes Playlist *** Die Qualitätsplaylist zum Qualitätspodcast findet ihr hier: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fRcgANqe611Q0WRiBIFBf?si=d9ddacad61a14cfa *** Werbung *** Ihr möchtet mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findet ihr alle Infos & Rabatte: https://linktr.ee/weirdcrimes

Welcome to the one-hundred and eleventh episode of the Dunkin' with Dom podcast! On today's episode of the pod, Eisman and I provide more updates on the NBA playoffs as we approach the Conference Finals as well as other NBA news headlines from the past couple of days. We'll start with the postseason and talk about Miami's upside against either Milwaukee or Boston, why every team is looking to avoid Giannis, Jayson Tatum's stock, James Harden's scorching play the past few games, why this postseason means so much for Chris Paul and Luka Doncic, why Golden State is the sleeping giant contender out West, and more. Then, we'll react to Nikola Jokic winning the MVP, why the MVP is so controversial this season, and more. Today's guest(s): Alex Eisman Episode Note: this episode was recorded during Game 5 of Heat vs. Sixers and before Game 5 of Mavs vs. Suns. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Round 2 is spicy! Golden State & Memphis are giving us flashes of 80s and 90s basketball but its to the detriment of players. Gary Payton II fell victim to a hard foul. Now Ja Morant could miss the series with a unexplained knee injury. Its the young guard versus the old guard and its going to be a 6 games. We talk about the Luka show and how tough it will be for them after fans poking the bear. We talk Philly's dragging series with the Heat. Then we talk NBA Draft options and how they will shake out. Catch More Of Our Content Here! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/creator-home Twitter: https://twitter.com/travelinghooper?lang=en IG: https://www.instagram.com/traveling_hoopers/?hl=en Website: https://travelinghoopers.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-traveling-hoopers/support

The Mayor and Brent are back with part 2 of our special SummerSlam 92 show! This week we also get the Mayor Picks for WrestleMania Backlash, Watch Crush vs The Repo Man and Randy Savage defend the WWF against The Ultimate Warrior. If you like what you hear and want to kick us a few bucks to keep this podcast thing a running visit Patreon.com/AWIPOD! Hear us on SportzWire Radio www.sportanarium.com/player Follow The Mayor and AWIPOD On Twitter! Twitter.com/Mayorofcanton Twitter.com/AWIPOD Follow us on Instagram and Twitch (We're live every Friday) Instagram.com/AWIPOD Twitch.tv/AWIPOD --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awipod/message

Ihr Gang war Legende - ihre Kurven sowieso. Ein Portrait von Marilyn Monroe nutzte als Andy Warhol nach dem Tod des Superstars für seine berühmten Siebdruckbilder. Was machen seine «Marilyns» so besonders und warum wird eines davon heute abend für wahrschienlich viel Geld verkauft werden?

Jan Santos holds a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts major in Advertising from Batangas State University, Philippines and International Baccalaureate Teaching Certification for Visual Arts and Theory of Knowledge (Epistemology) He is the CEO of The Creative Scoop which is a Branding Agency that helps businesses from Australia, Germany and the UK, grow through the utilization of social media and modern creative content. He also coaches entrepreneurs, abroad either 1:1 or group, with his Branding and Identity Program. Moreover, he started The Creative Talk Podcast on Apple/iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music, supporting entrepreneurs, leaders and creators to stand-out and establish a market competitive edge. Currently with 10k solid supporters from 16 countries worldwide. His goal is to solidify one's branding and identity, ensuring the business to be unique and memorable by means of creating a consistent visual style, goal and focus. His drive is to enhance ones' brand credibility and recognition. Jan Santos is presently residing in Batangas City, Philippines with his wife Farrah Arellano-Santos and little boy Enzo Mariano Santos. Timestamp 2:51 From comics, to fine arts, to advertising and branding - Jan's unique journey 7:10 Emotional appeal, the fall of traditional advertising and the rise of branding 11:25 Two icons that inspire Jan 13:27 Three points to create a solid, strong brand 15:03 Aligning business visions with his purpose in life 17:53 Forging diamond brands from the rough 19:50 Visions for the future 22:55 Daily routines and how they changed during COVID 25:09 The Creative Talk - introducing his podcast 26:32 The fruits of labour often provide the best answers to those who don't understand 28:43 Keeping up with ever-evolving platform algorithms 33:10 The importance of putting intent before content Social Media Web:https://www.thecreativescoop.me Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thecreativescoopjansantos/ Podcast:https://linktr.ee/thecreativetalkpodcast Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/upyourcreativegenius/ Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-dobrowolski-532368/ Up Your Creative Genius - https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/ Patti Dobrowolski 00:03 Hello, Superstars! Welcome to the Up Your Creative Genius podcast - where you will gain insight and tips to stomp on the accelerator and blast off to transform your business and your life. I'm your host, Patti Dobrowolski. And if this is your first time tuning in, then strap in - because this is serious rocket fuel. Each week, I interview fellow creative geniuses to help you learn how easy it is to Up Your Creative Genius in any part of your life. Patti Dobrowolski 00:39 Hey, everybody, it's Patti Dobrowolski! Oh my gosh. I have Jan Santos here. I don't know if you've looked at my Instagram feed, but it totally changed this year - and it's thanks to Jan Santos and The Creative Scoop. Because he came in and scooped me and scooped me up, and like, elevated me to 10,000 followers - all these different things that happen. Now let me just tell you a little bit about him. He's the CEO of Creative Scoop, which is a branding agency that does work with people in the UK and Australia, Germany, US - I'm the US, right - and he helps entrepreneurs to grow their brand online. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts and Advertising from Bantagas - is that how we say- Jan Santos 01:24 Batangas, yeah. Patti Dobrowolski 01:25 - Batangas. Batangas State University in the Philippines and an International Baccalaureate teaching certification for Visual Arts and Theory of Knowledge. He is amazing and incredible, and I love everybody in his team that's helping us - so please welcome Jan Santos to the show! Jan Santos 01:46 Wow, wow. Thank you, buddy. Amazing, amazing intro. Love that. Love the vibe. Love you. Wow. Patti Dobrowolski 01:52 Yeah. Well, you know, I love you back. And here's the thing - you know, it's almost the middle of the night there for him. So just want to say: thank you for coming on the podcast today to share some tips and drop some big wisdom on us. Jan Santos 02:08 Always welcome, Patti. Three coffees, and lots of love. Patti Dobrowolski 02:12 Exactly. Love is the key booster. We know that right? It's the essential dopamine within us. So tell everybody, Jan, tell us a little bit about you - how you came into be doing brands at all. You've got this fine arts degree. So tell us, you know, where did you come from? And you can tell us even a little bit about your family, and then how you got to where you are today with your branding agency? Jan Santos 02:37 Wow. Yeah. Well, I'm always into arts. You know, when I was a kid, I'm - well, you can see that. I'm a Batman collector. Comics, books - Patti Dobrowolski 02:48 Yes, yes. Behind you. Yeah. Jan Santos 02:51 So a lot more behind that. So I'm - you know, I love illustration. I love the creativity. I love the world of imagination. So, but growing up, you know, we're doing okay. But my parents, they work hard, and things like arts are very expensive. Yes. But then I remember like, walking, and there's a comic toy store. And they're very expensive. So I can only read comics - like, if they're past two months issue, they put in a basket - so I go there, and I read it, but you cannot bring it out, so you just read it, and then you put it back. So, you know, that fuels my creativity, and that's my journey. And then I'm always, the thing that - I don't know, that's my special sauce - the thing that makes me different is that I'm always interested even when I was a kid, in the process. So if I see - like, for example, I can never forget: if I see Batman artwork, I was always think, like, how did they do this? How did they create this? What are- not the word process, because I'm a kid at that time, but - you want to know the journey, things like that. That- you know, fast forward now, that is something that I could say: it's the process of the journey, that what makes a piece valuable. So that paves the way for me to you know, tell my parents that I'm really into art, even though it's expensive, what's the plan? Patti Dobrowolski 02:53 Yes. Jan Santos 03:03 But you know, my mom and dad, they really supported me - mostly my mom because, you know, we're not a complete family. She really invested a lot in me entering the world of arts and, you know, Fine Arts major and Advertising. And that opened the door for me to see, there's a lot more - more than arts, you know, yes. And this is going to be an arguable topic, but for me when I entered fine arts, the highest form of learning is art, because only art can go past human logic and straight to human emotions, and I love that. Yes. Patti Dobrowolski 05:12 Yes, it can. Jan Santos 05:13 And when that happened, when that happens - human judgment will always follow. You know, that's the reason why when we watch a movie or a cartoon, or you listen to radio, you know: you get captivated, you're pushed, you cry, you're happy, you get mad at the protagonist and antagonist about what's happening - that's the power of art. And I was there - I've seen that happen, I've been a part of that. And at that time, advertising is utilizing that power. You know, so in that core is branding. It's not branding yet, but the essence of it is hidden in advertising. So you know, cut the story short: I love arts, I was given an opportunity to be in that industry, and here I am now. Patti Dobrowolski 05:25 Yes, no doubt! I mean, really, what I love about what you were saying is that you talked about, and this is what I see reflected in your work. Like, if you go to Jan's website, you go to his Instagram - it has a very cartoon style. And so I can see that you came from that, because - and, you know, me, too. That's what I did. My favorite cartoons were Mad Magazine, but not the magazine itself - it was the little tiny cartoons at the bottom of the page. That's what I feel like my style represents that, really: everything I draw, I'm always thinking - will this look good on the bottom of the page of Mad Magazine? Because I think it imprints you, and then you see the world through that lens, but you're talking about advertising - and this is old school advertising in a way before it came into brand. When you go to an advertising, you know, fine arts in advertising, really, we're talking about looking at the big brands, understanding what advertising's goals are, etc. But how did you find your own voice in that sea of advertising? How did you find you? Jan Santos 07:10 You know, let's give a backstory of what advertising really is. And there's a distinction between advertising and, you know, fine arts, because when you say Fine Arts that's in the realm of creativity, right? Yes. But when you say about advertising, that's- it's using that creativity to really - I'm gonna use the word - manipulate people. Patti Dobrowolski 07:35 Yes, yes. I was gonna say get the audience, you know, grab them, and then inculcate them with whatever it is you want them to buy. Mm hmm. Right. Jan Santos 07:45 Yeah. And when I was there, I always say this until now, I'm more of an artist rather than you know, an advertiser. Patti Dobrowolski 07:53 Yes. Jan Santos 07:53 Or a coach or a speaker. That's me, God created me to be an artist. Patti Dobrowolski 07:57 Yeah. Jan Santos 07:57 So in some way, it made me uncomfortable. I say - yeah, we're using the power of arts, and we're operating an advertising-driven business. We're dictating the masses. We're controlling the masses. Patti Dobrowolski 08:12 Definitely. Jan Santos 08:12 Whatever we want, you set the trend. Patti Dobrowolski 08:15 Yes! Jan Santos 08:16 You utilize radio, TV, print ads. That's the only three powerful mediums before, right. So yeah, so it's something that "Nah," I said, deep inside it's like, "no, this isn't it." Patti Dobrowolski 08:16 I know. I know, I feel your pain there. Yes. (laughs) Jan Santos 08:34 Again, I never knew that it would, you know, explode. There's a new industry, there's a new generation that will come. I never knew that. But I always felt that there is a genuine power hidden in advertising. So, you know, I studied, and I really invested my heart, my mind, my soul into it. And I understood: okay, so there's a pure essence hidden in advertising, but it won't work, because it's not the time - yet. Patti Dobrowolski 09:07 Yes. Well, and also, then social media happened, right? Jan Santos 09:12 When social media happened, that was the signal - because there was an option now: you know, it's not monopolized by the three major mediums, which is print ad, TV, and radio. There is now what we call free media. Patti Dobrowolski 09:30 Yes. Jan Santos 09:30 And when free media came into play, it changed the gameplay already. Patti Dobrowolski 09:36 Yes. Jan Santos 09:36 It now gave the opportunity to everyone. To be a creator, speaker, artist - and when that happened, boom - branding came into play. And because, you know, it was the perfect signal - It's like the bat signal- Patti Dobrowolski 09:52 Yeah. Jan Santos 09:52 - it's ready. We're ready, come out. Boom! Patti Dobrowolski 09:55 Yes, that's right. Jan Santos 09:55 When that branding came into play it knocked out advertising. It's still there. But you know, they don't control it - the power shifted already, they no longer call the shots - it is given to the people. Everyone has their own brands. Everyone can set up their brands. So that was the shifting part- Patti Dobrowolski 10:15 Well, and that, then, becomes the open door for you to walk through. Because the kind of branding you're talking about is really creative. It's taking even if you have like- uh, I'll give an example, right - I have a keynote talk. You take a piece of the keynote talk, and you serve it up to the public in a certain way with content attached to it. And then people are interested in that - they're like, "Where is she? Oh, she's at the UN", right? Jan Santos 10:40 Yeah. Patti Dobrowolski 10:40 And then that - that gets all these thousands and thousands of views, right? But that takes creativity to understand which piece of that is going to be the saleable product - which piece of that represents the person in their brand, most authentically - which is really, I think what, you're really good at this. Jan Santos 11:03 Well, that's the good thing of starting in an advertising world. Because, you know, that's the contribution of advertising. You know how - how to use the product, how to use the brand. You know, which talent has potential, which app, you can add, you have the eye. So that's a good thing from advertising that I have. Patti Dobrowolski 11:25 Yeah, and that is no doubt, no doubt. Now, who are you inspired by? Now, when you look out there in the world, like who inspires you? Not just your clients, but who inspires you in the world that's doing something interesting that you think we should look at or be interested by? Jan Santos 11:41 Well, not in the branding world, but first guy who really talked about revolutionising everything in this world? For me, it's Gary Vaynerchuk. Yeah, so when I heard that- Patti Dobrowolski 11:54 Gary Vee. Jan Santos 11:55 Gary Vee, yeah. When I heard him speak about, not about branding, but you know, really making a difference, changing the gameplay - that was my dilemma before, it's like: I need something, but I have no power to change it. I'm waiting for it. And then I heard him speak. And I was like, wow, he understands me in somewhat way. So yeah, so I can't say that he's my mentor. But he really, you know- Patti Dobrowolski 12:23 Influences you. Jan Santos 12:24 -influenced me in a way. Yeah, up to a certain extent. But yeah, he's one of them. And then a big part of it is Myles Munroe. Dr. Myles Munroe. I think I have a book somewhere there, yeah, "The Power of Vision". And it's connected to you know, being visual, as a branding and identity coach. So he really talked about looking past beyond what eyes can see. If you can look beyond what you can see, then you can really create something that can revolutionize the game. So those are not branding related, but those are the powers that contributed what I have now. Patti Dobrowolski 13:05 Yes. And so now in your agency - so you have a number of people that work on a number of different projects. But what do you feel? Like, what do you think that someone who is developing their brand - what do they need to know? What should they be thinking about if they want to really establish a strong brand like you have? Jan Santos 13:27 Right? So first, you know, everyone has a brand, alright. But I love what you said that, if they want to have a strong brand - my term is if you want to have a solid brand - and you can only achieve that by understanding three points: who you are, what you do, and what you offer. If you put that in place before anything else - if you put that in place, you're one step closer in making a solid brand: who you are as a brand, what do you offer as a brand, and who you are, what you do as a brand? Are you, you know, giving value in terms of education? Or are you in the realm of entertainment? So if you can really be concise and consistent in that three major points, you're one step closer to achieving a solid brand. Now you can follow that question: hey Jan, but you didn't answer. Yes, I have that in place. How can I have a solid or strong brand? When you have those three points in place, you need to make a difference: you need to connect, make an impact in your tribe and make a difference. Only then - only then can you say that your brand is solid or strong or successful. When you connect the people around you, you make an impact - may be good or bad, negative or positive - and you transform people's lives - again, good or bad. When you achieve that, you have a strong brand. Patti Dobrowolski 15:03 Wow, that's so good. Because I think that often people think: I'm just gonna create this thing, and then, you know, and that's because I love it, and I love doing it. You know, I remember as a performer, I'd be like: yeah, but if you don't have an audience, then you can perform to seven people - which I have, you know - so you have to understand how important it is to this piece, especially now connecting to your audience, and then helping them transform their lives, helping them to transform their lives, right. And I think this sometimes gets lost on people who are interested just in making money, right? They're just wanting to make some money. And so they go out there, and then they'll try to do all these things, and sometimes you're successful doing that. But are you really then? And I wonder if this is something you think about? Are you really aligned with your purpose? Like when I would ask you like, what is your purpose? Jan Santos 16:01 Funny thing, I always answered that with a comic connected visualization. If you're familiar with Alfred - Alfred of Batman - you know, his purpose is to help Bruce Wayne be the best Batman or be the best Bruce Wayne ever. And that's me. My purpose given by God is to connect with people and catapult that brand, those people, to the next level, by all means necessary. I'm a helper. Patti Dobrowolski 16:30 Yeah. Jan Santos 16:30 The reason why sometimes my clients, my partners, they don't see what I see in them, I see paths beyond what they can visualize in their brand. And I believe in that brand. So my intent before anything else, is to bring that into something tangible. And I push them - you know, I believe in your message, I believe in your brand, so let's do this - until they see what I see. So I'm an Alfred, that's my purpose. I'm a helper. (laughs) Patti Dobrowolski 17:01 Wow, that is - and you know, I think that I love that you're talking about it in this way. Because I think that people underestimate how powerful that is. But if you don't have people, or surrounded by people who can help you, you never get things done. Because you, you know, sometimes are just caught up in the experience that you're in, and you miss the support underneath. And for me, I think of that, too. Like, often people will call me and they'll say, I know that you speak to big audiences, will you - you know, I have a classroom and they need some of these speakers to teach art. Last year, you know, during COVID, somebody called me and said, I have all these students online. Will you teach art one day? Like, of course, are you kidding? Because that's really why we're here. We're not really here to gain accolades. And so- Jan Santos 17:53 - yeah, you know, running a business, it's natural, you know, earning money. Of course, that's business. But I love what you said, you know, it's a blessing that there are people that are willing to help around you. And yeah, not just that - people that are passionate in helping you regardless of there's something in return. And I think I remember it right, this is somewhat connected to our past conversation, you know, even though there's nothing in return. Patti Dobrowolski 17:55 Yeah. Jan Santos 17:56 I would always be committed to you. Because first, I love you. Second, I love your brand, and I love the message - and I see great things happening in your brand. Patti Dobrowolski 18:33 You see that vision of it. Well, and I feel very similarly to you. I see the vision of your brand and your greatness going out there because everyone that you touch, their brand explodes. It does because they are ready for someone to help them and you know how! Jan Santos 18:56 It's not all because of me. I always say this: if you guys watched the movie Rambo - Rambo, part two, I think, if I'm not mistaken - there's a part there that, you know, his commander came and he wants to recruit Rambo again for a mission and he said, No, you turned me into a monster. I don't want to do that anymore. And then he said, No, no Rambo. You're the same, you know, there's a rock and we transform it into a statue. You're the same rock, we just send it out to transform into a statue. That's what I do. I just chisel it out - me and my agency, we just chisel out, you know, the rough edges - but what makes that brand unique is still there. Patti Dobrowolski 19:40 Yeah. Jan Santos 19:40 That makes you, you - we just you know, just chisel it out - Patti's just, it's the same amazing brand. We just, you know, shine it there, polish it here. (laughs) Patti Dobrowolski 19:50 Yes. But what I love is that's a spiritual principle you're talking about, really. Because you come into the world as a piece of coal, and experiences with other people really work you down until you're a diamond when you leave, right? If you make that a conscious choice, and that's- I love that, because it's very linked to that. Now, when you think about the vision for you and your brand, firm, your agency, where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? What would you like to be doing? Jan Santos 20:21 You know what Patti, you know, this is an audacious dream. As far as I'm concerned, there is no branding agency- and when I say branding, because in the Philippines, when you say branding, they're still stuck in the advertising, you know, post-industrial age terms. Patti Dobrowolski 20:35 Those three things. Yeah. Jan Santos 20:36 Yeah. So when I say there is no branding agency like what we have operating, I want to make it big. I want to make it you know, local based, because a company that is people centric, client centric - that's what we need in order for an industry to triumph. And it's not there yet. But step by step with connection, with the right people like you guys, my dream is to really make it big locally, in the Philippines, because you can see all the partners, all the clients are non Philippines-based. So yes, speaks a lot, right. So in the long run, you know, maybe three, five, ten - as long as I'm here, still playing the game - my dream, and prayer is you know, to start locally to help small entrepreneurs, introduce them to a different perspective in how you run your business, how you look on your brand, how you look with your, your clients, your partners, how to harness that relationship. It's not about money - it will come, trust me. Yes, so that's my goal. Patti Dobrowolski 21:44 All right. I love that. Because I think there is something to where you are in the world - I always think, oh, yeah, it will be great. Now, you remember, I've moved to four major cities, right? Five, four or five now. And so, but now we're in Texas, and all I can say is, when I start getting work in Texas, then that means that my brand will begin to be established here, and that matters - it matters to my ability to influence the consciousness here, in a good way, right? Because that's what needs to happen. They need to see me, they need to draw their future and understand that anybody can do it and make a change. I love that you're going to do that. Now, tell people what- I want to know what's it like, you know, you getting up with your agency every day? What's it look like, start to finish? Because today, you got up early, and it's late. Jan Santos 22:43 It's all Patti's fault. Patti Dobrowolski 22:45 Right, it is, it is. Jan Santos 22:46 So, everyone that is listening and watching for this podcast episode, It's Patti's fault. (laughs) Patti Dobrowolski 22:52 Oh, thanks. Thanks. I'll take it, I accept that. Jan Santos 22:55 Yeah, that's why I wake up, I start my day - 5am. Jog, exercise, before I do trainings, Muay Thai. But it- first I'm lazy. Yeah, that's the that's the main thing. And then you know, COVID happened. So I can't go out to things like that. So it's basic stamina, and exercise. And then yeah, 6 to 7 - that's a lot of emails, a lot of messages from different social media platforms. And then 7.30, that's the, you know, the morning briefing with my PA, handing over a lot, dumping everything to her. And then 9 o'clock, that's where everyone in the agency starts to check in. There's another team briefing, handing over of tasks, delegation of whatnot, projects and everything. And then yeah, so we end, Mondays to Thursdays, we end the day 5pm. And then if I don't have schedules for speaking engagements, Clubhouse, or Lives, and if I still have some juice in me, we do online games. We do online games - we love you know, shooting games, me and my friends - so that's what we do. But recently, because of - you know, we are really triumphing on COVID, so it's getting better and better - there's a lot more face to face events that are happening. And I've been invited, like before, to go speak about branding and social media. So, again, that's an addition and a big adjustment because you need to go out. Before, you can like just put on a good shirt and - boom, let's do it. But not anymore, you know? Patti Dobrowolski 24:39 Not online. Yeah, not anymore - you got to put on slacks and shoes now. Jan Santos 24:43 Yeah. Plus, you need to take in consideration the traffic - you know, if a driver will drive me so I can then, you know, make a video content going there. But yeah, no one - it's going to be me. So things like that. So I usually end 11pm, because 10 o'clock should be the start of my podcast recording. It's all just like that, 10 to 11, 11.30 is the latest.(whispers) Again, guys, your host- (laughs) Patti Dobrowolski 25:09 Yes. (laughs) I did. I made him stay up late tonight. But tell everybody - like, what's your podcast about? Because I love being on, a guest on your podcast. But also who are the kinds of people that you're interviewing, so they can follow The Creative Scoop, Jan Santos 25:26 Guys, please check the Creative Talk podcast, available in your favorite podcast platform. It's a podcast where leaders, entrepreneurs, creators worldwide gets to be highlighted - the focus is not the host, which is, you know, even though the host is very handsome and very witty (laughs) - the focus is not on him. The focus is on those people because again, like my fascination when I was a kid, to understand the discovery, the process, the journey I adopted into this podcast, we see those icons, and you know, your host, Patti was featured in one of my episodes, we see them as a successful icon - creators, leaders, entrepreneurs worldwide, but we don't know the story. You know, what happened? So that's the focus of the show - it's all about them, and we make it very, very, very focused on our guests. It's their show, it's not mine. So that's my podcast, guys - again, the Creative Talk podcast, please check it out. Patti Dobrowolski 26:32 Yes, definitely. I highly recommend it. I also- I want to know, so when you were starting out your own branding, I mean, like, you must have had challenges building your company going along the way. So what did you do to help yourself get through it? What was challenging for you, or still is - if there's anything at all? Jan Santos 26:53 Well, again, it's something new in the Philippines. So when you know, it's human nature - if we don't know something, we tend to be against it. Because we can't understand. Patti Dobrowolski 27:07 We're fearful, yes. Jan Santos 27:09 And if we don't understand, and we're against it - you know, because we can't control it. So that was the challenge back then - everybody that is connected to me doesn't know anything about what the heck am I talking about. (laughs) That's true! Patti Dobrowolski 27:11 Oh, my gosh, so you have to show pictures and draw sketches? Wow. Wow. Jan Santos 27:31 No, no, no, no. It was like, first, it was frustrating explaining to them. But you know, by prayer and God's wisdom, it's just - alright, okay, in time. You know, when you plant a seed, you don't explain how it will grow - you know in your heart that time will take its effort to grow, and it will grow, right? Patti Dobrowolski 27:57 Yeah. Jan Santos 27:57 You just need the work. You just need to do the effort in watering it, make sure the soil is right, make sure the sunlight is right, protecting it from rodents and pests like that, you know. But you know, the plant will grow - and when it does, when it does - it will bear fruit. That fruit will explain everything for you. Patti Dobrowolski 28:19 Yes. Jan Santos 28:19 And let's, you know, fast forward: people around me, some doesn't still understand that, they don't have a clue. But they see the output. And you know, with that they have security that: oh, okay, he knows what he's doing. People are being blessed, people are being- you know, he's helping out a lot of people, he must be doing something good. Patti Dobrowolski 28:43 That's right. That's right. That's right. I think proof is everything. You know, I used to draw, I would tell people, you know, nobody understood about why you want to picture the future, right? Why would you want to have a drawing or someone drawing in the room. So I go to these big clients like Morgan Stanley - I go into their office in New York City, and I have a contact there, and I put a piece of paper up on the wall, and I do the process with them - to see if they would hire me right? To come in and do one about their company. And they had this during this time, you know, in the mid 90s, early 2000s, they would simply look at the drawing, and they'd say: that's nice, but we don't really have the budget for that, and they'd say, but could you leave that drawing with us? And I'd be like, oh, yeah, so now they got a free drawing, right. But later, you know, many years later, I'm back in that same room - working. So maybe that's 10 years later, right? But it took a long time for the industry of graphic recorders to come to the forefront, which is really what we see in terms of what you've been doing and the branding help. Now, you are really an expert on algorithms. That's what's true, right. How do you keep your acumen, how do you keep your skills up in the algorithm in Instagram or Facebook, or how - what do you do? How could people research for themselves to get more educated? Jan Santos 30:09 Well, stop thinking that you know a lot. Patti Dobrowolski 30:14 That's right. Jan Santos 30:14 Yeah, The moment you say to yourself that, you know, you're good in this area, and you understood everything, is the moment you lose the game already. Patti Dobrowolski 30:23 Yeah. Jan Santos 30:23 Because, you know, algorithm, it's a system. In any platform that's all about YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok - it's constantly changing, because they're constantly innovating - because of the constant creation of content, because of the constant usage of consumers. You know, they are always adjusting- Patti Dobrowolski 30:45 - And all the data, and they're not even adjusting - the algorithm is adjusting for them. Jan Santos 30:51 Yes, imagine the amount of data that comes in. That's like, what - billions of billions of data and they're always improving. You know, when I say adjusting, and innovating, it doesn't mean like always a drastic change. It could be small- Patti Dobrowolski 31:06 No, it's incremental, it could be an incremental thing - you see it, you see it happen, and then you're like, what, something's different now? They're not, this is not happening, right? This, we're not getting as many views, right? Jan Santos 31:18 Yeah. Patti Dobrowolski 31:19 And that's generally because something has changed, based on the algorithm. Jan Santos 31:24 When you have that mindset that you don't know a lot, so you will really invest your time in, you know, researching - you spend time in the platform. And when I say spend time in a platform, it will really take you, you know - months, years - because you know, imagine a platform is a human being, you cannot say that you know a person in like what, a few months? No, you spend time, you build relationships with that human being. And that's the same with platforms. When we talk about Patti, Instagram, I was like, when Instagram launched the Carousels, that was way way back, it was the newest feature of Instagram - I was there. I was there understanding, what is this? Because you know, Instagram before was a online portfolio for photographers- Patti Dobrowolski 32:17 Yeah, it was just visual, it was pretty photos, pretty photos. Yeah, it wasn't about business, exactly. Jan Santos 32:23 So when that happened, I was like, I was spending - I remember, 6am to 9am, I should, you know, watch videos, talk to people on Twitter, you know - I am stalking people. I need to know more about those platforms. Connect with, making collaborations with people that I know are well-versed- Patti Dobrowolski 32:42 Yes, ahead of the game. Yes. Jan Santos 32:45 Yeah. And you know, it really gave me an insight. And then the same principle applies, but different interface, you know, things like that - different platform, but the same principle: TikTok, YouTube shorts, and a lot. You just need to spend time - one platform at a time. Research, talk, listen, join Clubhouse sessions and really, you know- Patti Dobrowolski 33:10 Hear people talk about it - hear what they're saying, take a bunch of notes, that's what I did. And now, you know, in the NFT space, doing the same thing - you know, what can you learn about NF Ts and how could you leverage that in the future because that's the future and we know that, we can see that building and if you follow Gary Vee at all, you see what he's done with his brand, and everything in that space. So it's very inspiring. Well, you are so incredibly inspiring. I hope that everybody has just pulled away these big nuggets. Now tell us - you know, I don't want to keep you because I know we have to go into a class in a moment - so I want to know like, tell people who are wanting to make a change and refresh what they're doing: what is a tip that you could give them on how to, you know, continue to persevere in this space? What would you say to them? Jan Santos 34:04 No, you know, I always say this: intent comes before content. Your intent will always come before content, what ever it is. So know that first: when you put that in place, and you sort that out, you have a solid foundation already with your brand. And trust me: things will be visual for you, you know what to do next. We always hear this from gurus online. You know: know your niche, niche down, or understand your target market, or your only few thousand fans or something like that. And that's not wrong - that's correct. But before anything else, know your intent. Know - you know, Simon Sinek's famous "why", things like that. But more than that, you know, the intent - your Jedi force in you - know that everything will be in place. Patti Dobrowolski 34:58 I love that. That is such incredible advice. I love this time with you, I'm so glad I get to spend more of it. I'm so grateful to you for everything you've done for my brand. And for anybody listening, you know, be sure to look in the shownotes to see how you can connect with Jan - he's really easy and accessible, he'll have a conversation with you to see what you're up to and how we can help you - I know that for a fact, and so I just think that you are amazing. And the fact that I met you is like this magical moment in time. And so I just am capturing that in my head like, ah, this moment right now is a beautiful moment. And so, thank you for taking the time today, Jan - you're just incredible. Jan Santos 35:43 Thank you so much Patti. And again, for all the listeners and viewers out there, I am just a vessel. You know, people like Patti are blessings to me - I learn a lot from them, and I do a little contribution to bring their brand to the next level, but I'm just a vessel. Without God's grace. I'm nothing. And again, guys, people like Patti, they are really transforming people's lives. Please do connect with her, check her podcast- Patti Dobrowolski 36:11 Alright, he's promoting me now, I love it. I love it. Thank you, Jan! All right, everybody. You know the drill - if you like what you've heard, please pass it on to your friends, and get everybody to follow and listen to the podcast, and also just follow Jan and his podcast, because it's amazing. And until next time, Up Your Creative Genius. Thank you! Patti Dobrowolski 36:37 Thanks so much for listening today. Be sure to DM me on Instagram your feedback or takeaways from today's episode on Up Your Creative Genius, then join me next week for more rocket fuel! Remember, you are the superstar of your universe, and the world needs what you have to bring. So get busy, get out and Up Your Creative Genius! And no matter where you are in the universe, here's some big love from yours truly, Patti Dobrowolski, and the Up Your Creative Genius Podcast. That's a wrap!

Drake gets a positive COVID test, just as he's about to jump on with us for his season finale. He's getting ready to suit up next week for Team Canada at the World Hockey Champioships. We talk about that and what's it's been like training and skating with Sidney Crosby, Nathan McKinnon and Brad Marchand each summer. Drake says Marchand is the nicest guy in the world off the ice.

David's new “addiction” has been taken to a new level (0:00) what are the qualifications to be a superstar in the NBA (17:07) is Draymond Green's antics becoming a problem (21:40) difference between star and superstar (41:30) Pull up a chair and join the conversation!

On a very special Mayor of Superstars The Mayor and Brent are watching SummerSlam 1992! This is part one of a 3 part series as we relive the last major WWE PPV outside of the United States! We See LOD vs Money INC, Nails vs Virgil and Shawn Michaels vs Rick Martel! If you like what you hear and want to kick us a few bucks to keep this podcast thing a running visit Patreon.com/AWIPOD! Hear us on SportzWire Radio www.sportanarium.com/player Follow The Mayor and AWIPOD On Twitter! Twitter.com/Mayorofcanton Twitter.com/AWIPOD Follow us on Instagram and Twitch (We're live every Friday) Instagram.com/AWIPOD Twitch.tv/AWIPOD --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awipod/message

This episode we discuss the recent NXT roster cuts and if more are coming, Superstars return to New Japan, AEW lets contracts expire this week, and what about Kurt Angle's claims that Jericho has passed Shawn Michaels as the G.O.A.T?Music and Sound provided by BenSound.com and Purple-Planet.comStop by our homepage at:www.frowrestling.comSupport our sponsors at:www.wwwawrestling.com

Party Shirt on the Virtual Sessions presented by The DJ Sessions 5/3/22   About Party Shirt -    Before topping the TikTok pop chart, Party Shirt was born when Xavier Di Petta (“X”) and Nick Iavarone (“Ivy”) met in a USC dorm room in the summer of 2016. The two music producers immediately knew they wanted to work together after bonding over a mutual appreciation for music, acting, and fashion.    They began partnering on music projects, forming a DJ duo and released the first single off their EP Liquid Powder under the name Party Shirt. Their debut single "Dancing Tonight" hit No. 1 on the TikTok pop chart. Since then, the song has been featured in more than 50,000 TikTok videos and has accumulated more than 200 million views.    When the pandemic hit, being entertainers at heart, they turned to TikTok. After they gained followers by posting their music on the app, they began producing the “Fact or Cap” series. They became one of fastest growing creators on the platform and they currently have over 20.9 million TikTok fans. They also became popular on Instagram gaining 400K followers.    They have been featured in several online publications and have appeared on several podcasts. Party Shirt had also launched their NFT project called SUPERSTARS which is designed to empower content creators of all kinds to do what they love and to inspire their community. And recently, they started their own podcast called IDK Tho. It is about just two 20-somethings navigating life, love, and the pursuit of happiness in a crazy, mixed-up world.   PARTY SHIRT SOCIAL MEDIA:  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partyshirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/partyshirt Twitter: https://twitter.com/partyshirt YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/partyshirt Podcast: https://www.idktho.com/   FIND MORE ABOUT PARTY SHIRT HERE: Superstars NFT Page: https://superstars.world Superstars NFT Twitter: https://twitter.com/superstarsnftee Superstars NFT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superstars.nftee Discord: https://discord.gg/superstars   About The DJ Sessions -   “The DJ Sessions” is a Twitch/Mixcloud "Featured Partner” live streaming/podcast series featuring electronic music DJ's/Producers via live mixes/interviews and streamed/distributed to a global audience. TheDJSessions.com   The series constantly places in the “Top Ten” on Twitch Music and the “Top Five” in the “Electronic Music", “DJ", "Dance Music" categories. TDJS is rated in the Top 0.11% of live streaming shows on Twitch out of millions of live streamers.   It has also been recognized by Apple twice as a "New and Noteworthy” podcast and featured three times in the Apple Music Store video podcast section. UStream and Livestream have also listed the series as a "Featured" stream on their platforms since its inception.    The series is also streamed live to multiple other platforms and hosted on several podcast sites. It has a combined live streaming/podcast audience is over 125,000 viewers per week.   With over 2,300 episodes produced over the last 12 years "The DJ Sessions" has featured international artists such as: BT, Youngr, Sevenn, Party Shirt, Robert Babicz, Jens Lissat, Alex Bau, Elohim, Leandro Da Silva, The Space Brothers, Dave Winnel, Cuebrick, Protoculture, Jarod Glawe, Camo & Crooked, ANG, Amon Tobin, Voicians, Bingo Players, Coke Beats, Yves LaRock, Ray Okpara, Lindsey Stirling, Mako, Still Life, Saint Kidyaki, Distinct, Sarah Main, Piem, Tocadisco, Sebastian Bronk, Toronto is Broken, Teddy Cream, Mizeyesis, Simon Patterson, Morgan Page, Jes, Cut Chemist, The Him, Judge Jules, Patricia Baloge, DubFX, Thievery Corporation, SNBRN, Bjorn Akesson, Alchimyst, Sander Van Dorn, Rudosa, Hollaphonic, DJs From Mars, GAWP, Somna, David Morales, Roxanne, JB & Scooba, Kissy Sell Out, Massimo Vivona, Moullinex, Futuristic Polar Bears, ManyFew, Joe Stone, Reboot, Truncate, Scotty Boy, Doctor Nieman, Jody Wisternoff, Thousand Fingers, Benny Bennasi, Dance Loud, Christopher Lawrence, Oliver Twizt, Ricardo Torres, Alex Harrington, 4 Strings, Sunshine Jones, Elite Force, Revolvr, Kenneth Thomas, Paul Oakenfold, George Acosta, Reid Speed, TyDi, Donald Glaude, Jimbo, Ricardo Torres, Hotel Garuda, Bryn Liedl, Rodg, Kems, Mr. Sam, Steve Aoki, Funtcase, Dirtyloud, Marco Bailey, Dirtmonkey, The Crystal Method, Beltek, Dyro, Andy Caldwell, Darin Epsilon, Kyau & Albert, Kutski, Vaski, Moguai, Blackliquid, Sunny Lax, Matt Darey, and many more.   In addition to featuring international artists TDJS focuses on local talent based on the US West Coast. Hundreds of local DJ's have been featured on the show along with top industry professionals.   We have recently launched v3.1 our website that now features our current live streams/past episodes in a much more user-friendly mobile/social environment. In addition to the new site, there will be a mobile app (Apple/Android) and VR Nightclub (Oculus) coming soon.   About The DJ Sessions Event Services -   TDJSES is a WA State Non-profit charitable organization that's main purpose is to provide music, art, fashion, dance, and entertainment to local and regional communities via events and video production programming distributed via live and archival viewing.   For all press inquiries regarding “The DJ Sessions”, or to schedule an interview with Darran Bruce, please contact us at info@thedjsessions.

Tyga loses a battle over his limited edition Wavy Baby sneaker collab w/MSCHF, DABABY AT IT AGAIN, Ross & Tory Lanez squash beef after a back & forth initially over alleged Meg shooting, Pusha T gets his 1st solo #1 on Billboard 200 charts, Thoughts on Future's New Project, Predictions on Jack Harlow's upcoming album, Can you claim to be a “music head” if you don't listen to new music, specifically from artists that aren't Superstars/very popular? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/amor351-king/support

In this episode of New Gen on a Mission, Justin Pratt & Tim Slomka talk through the fallout from the King of the Ring! Along the way they discuss the Smoking Gunns, a Bastion Booger debut fail, crazy Tag Team Title changes and, as is tradition, Mr. Fuji.

If you'd like to chat with me on the scuttlebutt show join me live Thursdays at 1800 pst and check the description for the Zoom link! https://www.patreon.com/thescuttlebuttshow ScuttleButt Merch: https://scuttlebuttshow.com The ScuttleButt Show: https://anchor.fm/thescuttlebuttshow ScuttleButt Discord: https://discord.gg/EwDXr8Etzm VETERAN CRISIS LINE: 1-800-273-8255 or text 838255 https://www.veteranscrisisline.net

On a very special Mayor of Superstars The Mayor and Brent are watching SummerSlam 1992! This is part one of a 3 part series as we relive the last major WWE PPV outside of the United States! We See LOD vs Money INC, Nails vs Virgil and Shawn Michaels vs Rick Martel! If you like what you hear and want to kick us a few bucks to keep this podcast thing a running visit Patreon.com/AWIPOD! Hear us on SportzWire Radio www.sportanarium.com/player Follow The Mayor and AWIPOD On Twitter! Twitter.com/Mayorofcanton Twitter.com/AWIPOD Follow us on Instagram and Twitch (We're live every Friday) Instagram.com/AWIPOD Twitch.tv/AWIPOD --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awipod/message

Heading into this season, the Lakers, with a superteam headed by LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, were considered among the favorites to win a championship. But like the equally star-laden Nets and Clippers, now find themselves with questions to ponder after a massively disappointing season. Around the league, is chasing stars at all cost emerging as a faulty approach? Joining today's show is ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz, one of the smartest basketball writers out there, who introduced the idea in a column a couple weeks ago. One major problem he identifies is culture and chemistry, and the challenges sustaining either in situations where stars come from the outside and don't have any proverbial skin in the game. The Lakers certainly had problems with both this season. Do they need to create some sense of culture that reaches past "Superstars!" What are the problems that can come with the "all mercenary" superteam construction? Wh does it matter if players don't have deeper skin in the game, that can come from spending time in an organization during more formative periods? What might be happening on Earth 2, where the Lakers made a point of leveraging the talent of the "Baby Lakers," rather than making it abundantly clear that the only purpose of the young guys was as trade fodder for a star. What is LeBron's future with the team? Why it might benefit the Lakers to build a culture that goes deeper than "superstars... and go!" HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky (Guest, Kevin Arnovitz!) SEGMENT 1: Why the Superteam! construction might be in peril. Where they tend to go wrong. SEGMENT 2: What can the Lakers rebuild a culture given all their roster turnover? SEGMENT 3: Do the Lakers use "Win at all costs" as a shield to avoid making harder, and potentially unpopular, decisions they'd have to explain? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PrizePicks Check out PrizePicks.com and use promo code: “NBA” or go to your app store and download the app today. PrizePicks is daily fantasy made easy! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Shady Rays EXCLUSIVELY FOR OUR LISTENERS, HEAD TO SHADYRAYS.COM AND USE CODE LOCKEDON TO GET FIFTY PERCENT OFF TWO OR MORE PAIRS OF POLARIZED SUNGLASSES. Athletic Greens To make it easy, Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/NBANETWORK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. David Cutler, a self-proclaimed WEEKEND TRAVELER, is a pianist and composer equally comfortable with classical, jazz, popular, folk, and world music. Stretching what it means to be a performer, events regularly involve crazy antics: extreme eclecticism, choreography, humor, interdisciplinary collaboration, superhero costumes, character ushers, celebrity cameos, kazoo playing marching bands, you name it. Cutler's remarkable composition SuperNova dramatically reimagines the most popular string method of all time, SUZUKI VIOLIN SCHOOL, VOLUME 1. While melodies remain unchanged, rhythm section accompaniments are virtuosic and exploratory, inspired by music genres from around the globe (tango to techno, Baroque to boogie). This project includes 4 full albums, a SuperCreativity eCourse, string ensemble arrangements, and more. One of the world's leading voices on ARTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP, Cutler has led keynotes and workshops for Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, Juilliard School, Dutch Classical Music Meeting, Chamber Music America, New World Symphony Orchestra, Indiana University, and Italy's soundSCAPE music festival. His books The Savvy Musician and The Savvy Music Teacher, which provide tools for amplifying income, impact, and innovation, have shaped a generation of musicians. Dr. Cutler is a distinguished professor of music entrepreneurship at University of South Carolina, and a Yamaha Master Educator. Cutler and his consulting firm The Puzzler Company work with arts, business, and education organizations to foster innovation. His upcoming VISUAL book (illustrations and design throughout) The GAME of Innovation: Gamify Challenge, Level Up Your Team, and Play to Win helps teams turn problems into GAMEs and play to win. Timestamp 1:31 How two different worlds in music shaped David's perspectives 4:03 Making a Difference - The Savvy Arts Venture Challenge 6:46 The birth of “The GAME of Innovation” 8:26 Dissecting the GAME 12:33 How does the GAME result in positive change in a fast paced world 15:17 The Problem Solving Process - getting everyone in play 18:18 Future university work in Indiana, while being a facilitator and musician 21:26 Big changes and success are the result of teamwork 23:37 David's typical daily routines 25:04 Finding sources of inspiration 25:51 Putting the GAME into practice: a COVID case study 32:30 Project management tips for anyone seeking change Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjcutler USC Faculty page: https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/music/faculty-staff/Cutler.php The Savvy Musician: https://www.savvymusician.com/ The GAME of Innovation: https://www.thepuzzlercompany.com/book Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/upyourcreativegenius/ Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-dobrowolski-532368/ Up Your Creative Genius - https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/ Transcript Patti Dobrowolski 00:03 Hello, Superstars! Welcome to the Up Your Creative Genius podcast - where you will gain insight and tips to stomp on the accelerator and blast off to transform your business and your life. I'm your host, Patti Dobrowolski. And if this is your first time tuning in, then strap in - because this is serious rocket fuel. Each week, I interview fellow creative geniuses to help you learn how easy it is to Up Your Creative Genius in any part of your life. Hey, everybody, it's Patti Dobrowolski, and I can't wait for our guest today - you are going to meet one of the smartest human beings I've ever met in my life. I love him, he's creative - his name is Dr. David Cutler. He's a jazz and classical composer, a pianist, a conductor, a collaborator, a concert producer, a speaker and advocate and author - and author of the newly minted book, "The GAME of innovation"! And let me just say that Dr. Cutler is a distinguished professor with the University of South Carolina, and he's got a whole bunch of things up his sleeve. He's also a collaborator of mine in The Puzzler Company. So welcome, David, woo! Here we are in the podcast. David Cutler 01:27 Thank you, Patti. It's always so great to talk to you. You're one of my favorite people in the world. Patti Dobrowolski 01:31 All right. Well, I love that - I'll take that on. So I would love for people to hear your story, David, because it's fascinating to me how you got to where you are. And you're so wacky - if you Google him, you'll see just how wacky he is. But tell us a little bit about how you got into music, how you started to be helping other entrepreneurs in the music industry and other arts industry to expand themselves, and now your journey into corporations. What are you doing? Tell me all about it. David Cutler 02:01 Well, my story. Well, it goes way back when I can't quite remember what happened first, music lessons, or my mom yelling at me. Patti Dobrowolski 02:11 Either one, both work. (laughs) David Cutler 02:13 Right, about the same time. But I started playing classical piano at the age of maybe four or five. But even back then, I was not like the other kids. So I'd be playing my Mozart and just, you know, changing the notes and the rhythms, you know, change it up a bit to make it better, which I'm not sure that did but you know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Patti Dobrowolski 02:33 It did. I'm sure it did. David Cutler 02:36 Maybe, arguably. Well, my mom was in the next room and she was not happy. And she would say, "David, that's not what it says, David, play what's on the page. David, you are doing it wrong." Patti Dobrowolski 02:45 Oh, wow. David Cutler 02:46 Even back then. Yeah, it was - it was really tough, Patti. But there was something inside of me that just had to find my own voice, my own take on things. Patti Dobrowolski 02:56 Yeah. David Cutler 02:56 And it was those urges that ultimately led me musically towards both jazz and composition - two places where creativity was not only tolerated- Patti Dobrowolski 03:06 -it was embraced. David Cutler 03:07 Exactly, it was like, the thing. Patti Dobrowolski 03:09 Yeah. David Cutler 03:10 And so these two very different worlds shaped my world, my - you know, my whole perspective on everything from classical music, it was about attention to detail, getting stuff done, having a work ethic; from the jazz world, it was about taking something that already existed and making it your own, walking the tightrope, finding your own voice. And those themes are still with me today. Patti Dobrowolski 03:34 That is so true. And so, but, you know, the thing is that I met you at Savvy 'cause you invited me to Savvy. So tell people about Savvy. Your first book is called The Savvy Musician. You know, the Kronos Quartet wrote a really nice thing, saying you're just, you know, above and beyond, this was the go to handbook for musicians to use to get into business, but tell people about the Savvy workshops that you run, because those are incredible. David Cutler 04:03 They're pretty amazing. Well, over the last 10-12 years, I've been running many different types of what we call innovation games. And sometimes a game lasts an hour or a day, or in the case of this program, the Savvy Arts Venture Challenge, a week. And the idea is to bring together a highly diverse community of people. In this context, the idea is artists - so from all different disciplines, but different ages, races, religions, backgrounds and perspectives. But hopefully, if we get it right, everyone is super amazing, super committed to making a difference in the world. And we put them together in this very intense environment for one week, where they work on teams, and they're charged with solving some kind of a problem. And that ends in a competition - it's a tournament, where they get awards and feedback. Patti Dobrowolski 04:54 Yeah, they do a pitch. It's really - they have to come up with something brilliant that they sell and then some of those get funded, isn't that right? David Cutler 05:03 Absolutely, absolutely. And each season, we've just taken it further and further. And part of that has been, you know, not only bringing together these different perspectives to come up with remarkable ideas. But of course, you and I met in part because of the visual art element - you know, I'm a musician by training - but even most musicians are visual learners first: they just need to see it. So from even the first iteration of that game, one of the really fun things that we've done and something that separated from so many other events, is that in addition to their pitch, each of the teams would create this exhibit - a 100 by 100 inch exhibit showcasing their proposal and their big ideas and their pitch. And so that was actually part of the competition. But we've always brought in visual artists to help with the visual communication about the projects. So by the time you got there, we just had artists in our community, and you were such an important voice in that. Patti Dobrowolski 06:05 Yeah. What I love about you is that, you know, the visual artist of me, which is fantastic. And I would just say to people listening, you know, I was an actor, and I was all these other things and a facilitator. But David really called me out as a visual artist back then, he'd be like, I don't know why you keep saying you're not a visual artist, you are. And so, as a matter of fact, every illustration - almost every, I think, maybe there's only two in that book, "The GAME of innovation" I drew - that was like 500 illustrations in there, and along with all this beautiful layout, that Cara Belloso did - did I say her name right? David Cutler 07:02 Belloso. Patti Dobrowolski 06:46 - Bellosso. And Lance LaDuke helped with- but that is, I think, in a nutshell, that's like Savvy into a book, it's really about how people can work together better, to create something amazing, some kind of change in their community. So where did you get the idea for "The GAME of Innovation", for the book? Because that really came from you - it came from all your work in doing innovation workshops. So tell us just what stimulated you to write such a volume of material that is incredible and laid out so beautifully. David Cutler 07:26 Well, you helped a lot with the beautiful layout part. But you know, for a long time I've been running- Savvy was one example of these, but I've been running these experiences where teams work to solve a problem. We've worked with all kinds of different organizations from different sectors on different kinds of challenges, but the one thing that connected them was they were working as teams to do something different than they've done in the past. And it took a long time to even figure out what it is we were doing. At first, we called it a retreat, but we figured out it is not a retreat. Patti Dobrowolski 08:00 We're not going backwards. We're not holding hands here at all. No. David Cutler 08:04 That's right. And then someone said, well, maybe it's - it's like a bootcamp. And it is kind of like a bootcamp. Patti Dobrowolski 08:10 It is. David Cutler 08:10 And we're working hard, but it's more than that - because in boot camp, you're just training; here, we're getting something done. So we went through all these different concepts. And actually our colleague, Lance LaDuke, it came into focus one day in talking to him and we were just chatting, we said, you know, this is kind of like playing a game. Patti Dobrowolski 08:26 Yeah. David Cutler 08:26 And we went further with this idea of "game". Ultimately, "GAME" became an acronym that is kind of the foundation for all of the, you know, productions - all of the events that we run. G.A.M.E. stands for: "G" - guidelines, which is what constraints you're trying to solve. Patti Dobrowolski 08:44 That's right. David Cutler 08:45 What's the problem you're trying to solve? What are the non negotiable constraints? What constitutes success? Then there's "A", Arena, which is what do you have to work with? Who are your puzzlers, the people that are solving the problem? The period - how long do you have? And the place - where are you going to do the problem solving? "M" is Materials - the tools of problem solving, whether they're virtual tools, or physical ones, like crafts, and post it notes, and all the things that you have in front of you right now. And "E" is about the Experience - what are the questions that are asked, in what order, and for how long. And so, that's really where the idea of the GAME came from. In terms of the book, Lance and I got this idea that: Wouldn't it be cool if we didn't just talk about gamifying innovation, but it actually looked that way? And I still remember when we approached you about working on this project, and we're like, Patti, we have a crazy idea - you want to put this together in a book. And it has been so rewarding and different from anything I've ever done before, because of course the other books were word books- Patti Dobrowolski 09:51 Yes. David Cutler 09:51 -and this was a visual book. And what I've learned, in large part because of you, is that - you know, maybe a beautiful word, or word with a great sense of humor, or word with a long fancy background - but when you've got too many of them, it just looks ugly in a visual context. Patti Dobrowolski 10:12 This is so funny, because when we first you know, David would send iterations of the book - and me and Cara, we'd be like, "Too many words! Too many words - get rid of the words, streamline!" And you were so fantastic. Like, what I love about you is that you took feedback and take feedback - it's this really extraordinary pace, like you take it in, and then you figure out, how can I do that? Is that the right feedback? You know how to sort and sift for what's good. And then you flip - you flip the thing over and back. David Cutler 10:44 Yeah, I mean, part of that feedback actually came out of music lessons. That's what you do when you're working on perfecting music. In this case, I remember, even before I started, when I was just putting this together, I knew that I needed short sentences, short paragraphs. I made the Google Document kind of look like the book - so a page of text would be a page in the book. And I will never forget sending in to you my "concise poetry" - and you said, "Oh, my God, David" - it just goes on and on and on and on. Like, what? There are no words there, what do you mean? I said, can you just show me some examples? And you went through and just went slash, slash, slash - and it really changed my life and the whole way that I write every sentence now. I learned so much from that, and I'm really grateful for your insights. Patti Dobrowolski 11:34 Oh, well, you know, I mean, I'm grateful that you accepted the feedback. Because what I know now is this book, not only is it incredibly beautiful, like the way that Cara has laid this out, like, here's one of my favorite pages: you know, it's got these incredible illustrations, but it's full color. And so this makes it beautiful to hold and look at - every single person that I've given a pre copy to, they've said the very same thing, "Oh, my God, that book is gorgeous", and I'm like, yes, because we want you to have an aesthetic experience. All of us are about the aesthetic experience, and making it an experience that you get into and you want to read more, and you want to learn and apply the process. So what's your dream of that book? What are you envisioning is going to happen now that you've got the book and it comes out, you know, it will come out shortly - may have even dropped by the time this podcast comes out - but what's your big vision of that? David Cutler 12:33 Of course, the whole reason for doing any of this is to help organizations and teams make positive change in a world that is changing at an exponential pace. So we use the book and a whole bunch of ways - sometimes it's, we get the privilege to work with the organization first, and then afterwards, they will get this state to go deeper into the methodology; and it works the other way too. So we have many different types of organizations, buying bundles of the book to give to employees, or partners, or collaborators. The idea is to get them to start thinking about how might we work, team wise, to solve some of these challenges we have in a very non threatening way. You know, one type of leadership that does not work so well is the top down thing - "we've got to do this, I'm going to tell you how to do that". First of all, if it comes from the top - I mean, it's just impossible that the CEO is going to have all of the best ideas. It's always better when you're collaborating. But even if they do, it turns out people do not like being told what to do. But you know, you can't tell people what to think, but you can tell people what to think about. And that's what good processes do. And so the hope is that with this book, it just gets people to start to think about what changes we need to make, what's the most important problem to start with? And with the resources we have, the hand we've been dealt - what can we actually do? Patti Dobrowolski 14:02 Wow, I love that. Because what I know from working in big companies is that: there's always one change initiative or another that's happening, and that if you can get good at understanding the process that you could use and make it creative and fun and turn it into a game, it's so much more fun. You know, somebody just called me yesterday and said: you know, you came and did this, it was so much fun - you made it gamified, the whole room - and I'm like, yep, and we'll do it again. She's like, "That's good, because we want you to come back", and I think to myself - that's really what people need. We have enough people telling us what they think and what they think we should do. We have a lot less fun and play - and this book, to me, really gives permission to people to A) understand how to interact with other people that are different from you. The prickly personality is a big part of it - I love that part of the book. Understanding really what motivates them, so we understand that everybody's perspective is good, and that you need to work with people to figure out where can we put their strengths in this environment, and how can we work with them - so that we can get the best out of all of us, and that book really shows you how to do that. David Cutler 15:17 For sure. Your people are the right people - you know, sometimes when solving a problem, you have the permission to really figure out who are the most qualified people to work with on this problem? And how can you identify folks who all care about the root issue, but intersect with it in different ways? Patti Dobrowolski 15:36 Yeah. David Cutler 15:36 But a lot of times, the people you got to solve problems with are just folks that got stuck on the elevator with you, there are people in your- Patti Dobrowolski 15:42 Volunteers, they're volun-told to go into the committee. (laughs) David Cutler 15:47 And those people are the right people, because they're the only people. So as I see people wishing, "Oh, I wish we had different people here" - you don't. So how can you get the most out of this community? And in terms of - you know, in the first part of the book, when we really talk about the GAME structure, there are no solutions. It's just about, let's look at this part of designing the process. And I think that's very difficult for a lot of people because they just want to dive in and figure out what should we do. Patti Dobrowolski 16:14 They want to solve it because it's painful, and they know that the process might be painful - they might have to reveal themself or their ideas or go machinate - because we all have that experience with working in a team in the past. So- David Cutler 16:20 Totally. Patti Dobrowolski 16:29 But, that's part of the beauty of working out, working a problem all the way through. David Cutler 16:36 So totally. So much of our educational experience is about we're told the answers, right? When having a test, the job is to come up with the right answers. But great innovators focus a lot of time on thinking of the right questions, right before they even start to consider what the solution might be, just thinking of a provocative question that might get us to think in a different way. So we had to be very disciplined, and we encourage people to be very disciplined to really think about the process before you get anywhere close to solutioning. And then when you bring people in, not only does that - if it's a great process, you know, when you start a game, you have no idea what the end game is going to be, what the solutions are going to be. But a great process is designed in such a way that multiple great solutions are almost guaranteed. Patti Dobrowolski 17:27 Yeah. David Cutler 17:28 And by bringing people in, what you do is not only get their ideas, but you also get their feeling like they're empowered- Patti Dobrowolski 17:36 They're part of it. David Cutler 17:37 Absolutely. Patti Dobrowolski 17:38 They came up with the solution for it. And I love that - when we did something at the University of South Carolina, where you teach, we did that around creating a space where people could collaborate, like a drop in place and all of that. And there were so many multiple perspectives that came into that process, and so many amazing ideas that came out of it. So now- David Cutler 18:01 And not every idea - not every idea can get selected. But I think people just feel- you know, but although we will take a little bit of this one, a little bit of this, a little bit of that one. But I think just by enabling people to be part of the process to play the game, they feel more excited about the initiative. Patti Dobrowolski 18:18 Yeah, that's fantastic. Now tell us what are you doing now? So the book's coming out, and so then what's happening in your world - your personal world, because you got invited to be the guest Dean and tell us a little bit about that. David Cutler 18:34 Things are happening at this moment - of course, I continue to go and work with organizations and designing these innovation games and giving workshops that are hands on and interactive and the likes - and so that's an important part of my life. But I was invited to serve as an interim dean for a University in Indiana - so well, I almost have about a year-long game to solve where they have a lot of amazing assets and some big challenges: they're going to transform their model, they're taking a school that's built in a certain way, and expanding it and changing the vision to actually become a creative school. So the question - what does that mean to have a creative school? What does it look like? What kind of offerings will we have? How do we get interdisciplinary connections to happen? And so it will be extraordinary in wearing that hat, to have a year with that community to kind of work through this and build a sense of team that hopefully is all "plan this to win" and do something unprecedented and extraordinary. You know, Indiana has all of these communities that are spread all over - and it's a, it's a very small town, which has its own inherent challenges and opportunities. And so one of the great things about having a university in a town, is to figure out how can you really touch each aspect of this community that's around you. Patti Dobrowolski 20:00 Yeah, I love that. That sounds like a perfect game for you to play. I love it. They don't have no idea what they're getting with you, the jewel coming into their community - that's the way I see it. So that's what you're doing next year. And then- David Cutler 20:16 That's a part of it- Patti Dobrowolski 20:17 Yeah. What else are you doing? What else you got- David Cutler 20:19 Well, just, you know, we all wear many hats. So I'm still working as a musician, and I'm working with all kinds of organizations. When I just look at one calendar, we've got four different organizations in the same week, which is super exciting. And this kind of work and you know, every community has its own aspirations, has its own challenges, has its own fears. And so part of the process is just working through all of those. Patti Dobrowolski 20:48 Wow, and this thing I know to be true about you from having been in, you know, at least three of those sessions with you, Savvy, and otherwise, here's what I know - is that, you're one of the best listeners I have experienced. Like, you really understand how to listen to people and then reflect back what it is that they're saying, in such a way that the whole room feels heard and seen by you. So I think Indiana, they're just gonna have a blast with you. Of course, I think you're gonna ruffle some feathers there, I hope? Because that always is the good thing. Right? David Cutler 21:26 Well, thank you for saying that. You know, that really has been the first step in this pre- moving to Indiana period - you know, for that question is I've just been - you know, I haven't started yet. I don't have the budget, I don't have any authority - but what I do have is a Zoom account. So I've been setting up all of these meetings just to talk to people and to ask questions, and to listen and build rapport and understand. It's this reconnaissance - just to learn, yeah, what do we have to work with? And what are the landmines ahead? And what are the aspirations of folks? And how can we work as a team? And how can we put people on that team and positions where they're most likely to succeed - which may not always be the position that is most comfortable, or most familiar, or what they've even seen themselves do in the past. But I really feel to, in order to make the big important changes - we have to do this together. It can't be just one individual or this, you know, small community of leaders to do it, we really have to pledge. So it's very much like a sport - we are working as a team, moving towards the large goal of success. And it doesn't mean that everyone's going to get their way for every single thing; I promise, we will listen to what you have to say and see if there's a place for it, but ultimately, ideas belong - this is a core belief that ideas belong not to individuals, but to the team. Doesn't matter your rank. Patti Dobrowolski 23:02 Yeah, and especially when you're trying to make change, it's even better if you can forget your rank, right? So that you can come in at a level - find a way to make it a level playing field by being authentic and showing up, right? And I think you do a great job of helping people to step into that, remember who they are, who they were before, who they are now, right? So that they can respect other people. Now, so in the day of David Cutler - what happens in a day, what do you do in your day? What kind of rituals do you have, what's it look like, start to finish? David Cutler 23:37 Mmm. Yeah, I do feel like I'm one of those people that doesn't really have a typical day, because I just wear many, many hats. But there are pieces of the day that I try to keep consistent, and I try to at least touch a piano for some minutes every day. I try to be curious every day, I try to connect with people every day. So you know, it's very inconsistent schedule when you're on the road, obviously, there are planes to worry about and there are projects to worry about - but I am very aware of not just time, but also project management, and making sure that there's always forward motion, that every day I'm a little closer to something important than I was yesterday. Patti Dobrowolski 24:22 Yeah, I think you really inspire people to build a legacy in whatever it is that you're doing. And, and I think that is really one of the things that I love about you and I respect that you have, you know, came into the town of where the University of South Carolina is and you transformed the town. You really embraced the town, you included the town - you included everyone in it. So, you know, I'm sure you're quite the celebrity there, you know, in many circles because of the kinds of transformation that you brought there. And I think that's what Green Hill, Indiana, right? Green Hill? David Cutler 24:59 Greencastle. Patti Dobrowolski 25:00 Greencastle - oh, that's even better, Greencastle, Indiana. David Cutler 25:04 It is nice, isn't it? (laughs) Patti Dobrowolski 25:04 It is - sounds very good, it's going to have an experience with - now, who inspires you right now? Who's inspirational to you? David Cutler 25:12 Well, you're inspirational to me, Patti. Patti Dobrowolski 25:15 Thank you. David Cutler 25:16 I find inspiration and all kinds of people - I do a lot of reading, I just- I'm looking at a book over there called "Teaching Change", written by a gentleman named Jose Bowen. I've been reading a lot of books lately on - culture is where I've been focused recently. I listen to a lot of speakers, I look at a lot of art, and the likes - I try and find inspiration from all kinds of places. And often I don't succeed every single day, but I try many days to see if I can push myself to do something that I've never done before. Patti Dobrowolski 25:47 Yeah, do something different, right? I think that- David Cutler 25:50 And that kind of curiosity- Patti Dobrowolski 25:51 Yeah. Well, I was gonna ask you to- you know, so when you come up against a challenge, or a problem to solve, what kind of game do you play with yourself around it? Is it different every time? Or do you often find yourself using a particular game to solve it? David Cutler 26:12 That's a really good question. I mean, it is different, because every problem is different. And also, by playing different games, it causes you to come up with different solutions. But I've always tried to be the kind of person that: if 1000 people look at something, and 999 see it one way, to be the one who finds a different kind of solution. And I can give a big example, which has impacted all of our lives. Now, let's try and see if you hit an obstacle: is there a way you might look at it as an opportunity, so that what you do on the other side is better than if you had not hit that obstacle in the first place? And an obstacle that has challenged all of us in the last few years, of course, has been COVID-19. Patti Dobrowolski 26:58 Yeah. David Cutler 26:59 COVID. And it's- you know, I don't want to belittle it in any way - I mean, it touched all of our lives, it's been difficult for many of us, we didn't see other human beings. For many years, many people died from this thing - so I don't mean to minimize that. But in a moment even like that, I was determined from the beginning of it, and for myself, and for various communities, where we're - what is the opportunity in the moment? We have to be better as a result of this thing. You know, Patti, I am- you know, I'm an innovator to my core. Patti Dobrowolski 27:33 No doubt. David Cutler 27:34 I am not nearly as creative as COVID-19. Like, I'd never think, or done- a world where you'd have to be six to 12 feet apart, wearing a, you know, a Darth Vader costume, just to get by anyone. I mean, you never could have imagined it. And of course, when you change the rules, you change the game - and the world changed the rules on us. And so, on so many levels. I went into that moment thinking: how can we become better because of this? And as I hear people say: I can't wait till this COVID stuff goes away, so we can just get back to the way things used to- Patti Dobrowolski 28:10 -it was, yeah, the way it was- David Cutler 28:12 -first of all, it ain't going back to the way it was. Second, you weren't that happy with the way it used to be - do you remember just two years ago, most people weren't that happy with it at that moment? And third, isn't it a shame to wish away years of your life, right? This is, this- now we've got a new tragedy that's happening, and there will be another one after that - but this is life. The moments of our life are the moments of our life. And so to lean into that, I can give you an example of one of the things we did here in South Carolina. Patti Dobrowolski 28:46 What's that? Tell me. David Cutler 28:47 -came out of a game. But basically, this was the idea: as musicians and artists, what do we do? What is our need, at a moment like this - when every performance venue worldwide is closed down? Patti Dobrowolski 29:00 - shut down, shuts down. David Cutler 29:02 What do we do as musicians? I mean, we can't cure you. We can't give you the vaccination. We can't. I did some volunteer work, just helping people get signed up for vaccinations - I filled out this form, I never felt so worthless - I had no skills except for telling jokes on the form. So one of the things that we came up with is, you know, one of the things we can do is we can offer art in a way that tells a story and builds community. So we came up- if you can get people together. So we came up with this initiative called Celebrating Local Heroes with the concert truck. Part of that - the first part, Celebrating Local Heroes, was - we identified 10 professions that were on the frontlines of this pandemic. And then we went through a whole process where we had folks nominated and ultimately identified these 10 neighbors - not the CEOs, but people in the trenches doing amazing work as nurses and truck drivers and grocery workers and custodial staff and the likes. Then we had to figure out how can we offer art - and we came up with this idea of a concert truck that would go throughout the community - some former students of mine invented this thing several years ago before COVID as another cool way to experience music - now, it's the only way where it was for a while. And we create all these concerts around town: we made these vignette videos that were scored by local composers and recorded by local ensembles, we created community conversations where they came together and would just talk as neighbors but also had an artistic underlying. And I'm so A) proud to have done this really meaningful thing for our community during that. And I'm so inspired by these neighbors who do such important work. It changed- Patti Dobrowolski 30:55 -It was very moving - I watched it, I watched the live stream of it, It was incredible. It was really incredible, and the music was beautiful. And the people that you - you know, brought up in front of everyone and acknowledged - it was really, really so very cool. So I love that idea. That was a perfect way to bring together a community during a time of, you know, crisis in a way and serve them with no ask on your end, right? David Cutler 31:25 No ask, other than just be part of this community. And you know, we're all in this together. One of my favorite stories from that is, remember, one of the truck drivers who's talking is like: "You know, when you're on the freeway, and a truck gets in your lane, and it's so slow, and you can't switch lanes and get so frustrated, you're pulling out your- you're cursing under your breath, you're pulling out your hair? So that's me, delivering toilet paper." Your local grocery store at the time, you don't remember when the aisles were just empty? Patti Dobrowolski 31:54 Yes, yes, yes. David Cutler 31:55 That just makes you think we are all in this together - we all have a role to play. And since that, I have not looked at a car or a truck or a building in the same way. Patti Dobrowolski 32:05 Oh, I love that. I know, that is so amazing - that's such a beautiful story. Well, I wish I could talk to you all day, but I'm going to wait until the book comes out, and we're going to come back and talk more about it. So tell us, really: From your perspective, so if somebody's out there that really needs to make a change, and they aren't quite sure what to do or where to go, what are some tips you would give them about how to pivot? David Cutler 32:30 Well, one of the most important lessons that I would stress and something that I've been working on in my own life - you know, we talk often about time management, and time management is very important. But the idea of project management - I mean, seems kind of obvious, if you've got a project that will take you, you know, two spaces further, and another one that will take you six spaces, you should do the one that's going to take you further in life, yet people often don't make that choice. And furthermore, finding projects that interlock: so that with each problem you solve, you're building something bigger and more important, as opposed to being, you know, veering off in so many directions, that each effort actually competes with everything else that you do. So I think that would be my number one step: is to take some time to really figure out, what is the single most valuable project for you? And then how do you get that done? What kind of process will get you there? Patti Dobrowolski 33:32 I love it. And I'll add to that, you know, find yourself a mentor to help you because I think that's what's been very valuable about the process of working with you - I see you as somebody who gives me feedback, I give you feedback - and that's part of how we grow and learn. Like, you're in a whole space that I never lived, in the music world - other when I was a bad rapper, which we've experienced, we've experienced that together, so- (laughs) But you're amazing. And I think of you - when I think of you I think of one of the videos I saw of something that you did, where you've got a grand piano and you're playing it, but there are ping pong balls inside. And so it's just this beautiful little metaphor for how life is - you know, add something different, something on top of it that will surprise an audience and surprise yourself, too - take the risk and surprise yourself, which you certainly have done over and over again in your career. So I'm excited about this next risk you're taking to be the Dean, and I can't wait to hear how it goes for you. David Cutler 34:36 Thank you. Patti Dobrowolski 34:37 Well, thank you so much for coming and just speaking to us and inspiring us. You're just such an inspirator - I love having you here. And so thanks for your time today, David. It's been really incredible. David Cutler 34:50 Well, thank you. I just have to say, you know, when you work on a great team, it is truly - it fills you with life; and the whole experience of working with you and Lance and Cara on "The GAME of Innovation" has worked the way that a team is supposed to work. Everyone had their own contribution that made - I could never have done this on my own, and none of you could have done on your own, or any of us individually. It is so much better because we were in this together. So thank you for that, Patti. Patti Dobrowolski 35:19 I love that. Thank you, David. All right, everybody, you know the drill. If you like what you heard, be sure to forward it to your friends, and go and pick up your copy of "The GAME of Innovation", transform your community, transform your your team - everything you need to know about how to have fun and create change is in that material there. I love it, and we'll be doing some other YouTubes about it. I'm sure we've got - you've got a whole bunch of stuff up your sleeve, so I look forward to that. And until next time, please, everybody: Up Your Creative Genius. Patti Dobrowolski 35:58 Thanks so much for listening today. Be sure to DM me on Instagram your feedback or takeaways from today's episode on Up Your Creative Genius, then join me next week for more rocket fuel! Remember, you are the superstar of your universe, and the world needs what you have to bring - so get busy, get out and Up Your Creative Genius! And no matter where you are in the universe, here's some big love from yours truly, Patti Dobrowolski, and the Up Your Creative Genius Podcast. That's a wrap!

2022-05-01 Sind die Superstars der Bruins gut genug für einen letzten Playoffrun, oder ist das Kollektiv der Hurricanes am Ende der entscheidende Faktor? Vorschau auf die Serie zwischen Carolina und Boston. NHL Bracket Challenge von Sportpassion ------------------------------------------------------------ Sportpassion Unterstützen? Kauf mir einen Kaffee  Host @Lars_Mah Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | CastBox | Deezer | Google Podcasts | Overcast | RSS | Spotify | Stitcher

Bei WWE Raw gab es nicht nur das Wiedersehen mit Becky Lynch. Zudem kehrten zwei Superstars zurück, die wir seit Monaten nicht mehr gesehen haben. Und mit einem wilden RKO-Feuerwerk wurden 20 Jahre mit Randy Orton im Sports-Entertainment gefeiert. WWE Raw vom 25. April 2022 aus Knoxville, Tennessee. Mit @HerrBruns und @MarcusHolzer.Raw schriftlich + Videos: https://www.power-wrestling.de/2022/04/26/wwe-raw-25-april-2022-ergebnisse/*** Rund 1600 Podcasts auf Abruf, alle aktuellen Reviews, keine Werbung, 20-30 neue Episoden jeden Monat. Hier anmelden und unterstützen. Jetzt auch Anmeldung per LASTSCHRIFT (neben PAYPAL und KREDITKARTE) möglich: http://www.patreon.com/powerwrestling

Welcome to another episode of In the Lab with Hoopsology! Tonight we're previewing Round 2 Match-ups, discussing the fallout of the Brooklyn Nets, and analyzing the deeper implications of the Lakers and Nets' lack of success in 2022. Is it actually better to have 2 Superstars than 3? Thank you as always for tuning in and supporting the show! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hoopsology/support

Auston Matthews makes history once again with the Toronto Maple Leafs after scoring his 59th and 60th goal of the season against the Detroit Red Wings. Connor McDavid has the Art Ross Trophy locked in the bag at this point and still has two games remaining in the season. 9 games on the schedule for Thursday Night! Huge DFS selections and Big Time Bets! Its another Flip Triple Dip Baby! Thanks for making Locked On Fantasy Hockey your 1st listen, every day. We are free and available on all platforms and make sure to subscribe and follow us for the latest episodes everyday! Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline BetOnline..net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Athletic Greens Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/NHLNETWORK. Shady Rays EXCLUSIVELY FOR OUR LISTENERS, HEAD TO SHADYRAYS.COM AND USE CODE LOCKEDON TO GET FIFTY PERCENT OFF TWO OR MORE PAIRS OF POLARIZED SUNGLASSES. Twitter handles: Srodin_77 Flips_Picks #NHL #Hockey #FantasyHockey #Goalie #Goalies #Draft #Fantasy #Picks #Value #Forwards #Defenseman #Waivers #FreeAgent #Add #Trade #Trades #DynastyLeague #AllStar #injury #injuries Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Superstars and supergroups. Billy Joel, Madonna, Sinatra, Neil Diamond, The Four Seasons, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones. Which ones have YOU seen? Which met of exceeded your expectations? Which left you disappointed, wanting your money back. You'll be surprised with what some of our listeners had to say. Listen to the whole podcast to get their comments and play Boomer Trivia with us at the end of the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/peter-tauriello/message

On the 20th episode of The Mayor of Superstars we see an array of beautiful Mullets on the August 29th edition of the last Mulletastic WWF Superstars before Summerslam 1992! If you like what you hear and want to kick us a few bucks to keep this podcast thing a running visit Patreon.com/AWIPOD! Hear us on SportzWire Radio www.sportanarium.com/player Follow The Mayor and AWIPOD On Twitter! Twitter.com/Mayorofcanton Twitter.com/AWIPOD Follow us on Instagram and Twitch (We're live every Friday) Instagram.com/AWIPOD Twitch.tv/AWIPOD --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awipod/message

EPISODE SPONSOR:  CHIKMEDIA CHIKMEDIA is a brand management firm started by award-winning women and they create unforgettable marketing campaigns that blend traditional marketing with truly impactful digital marketing tactics to make your stuff memorable! Their clients start out as brands and they become SUPERSTARS! Are you going to be next? Visit the website.   KUTE … Continued

Originally from the Minneapolis area, Scott Ward studied commercial design and illustration at the University of Minnesota. Scott has worked as an artist and designer in advertising, clothing design, graphic design, theater design, landscape design, interior design, illustration and murals, and has shown his paintings in many galleries around the country. After his introduction to The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Scott found himself facilitating creativity groups and eventually becoming a community leader with a focus on community development and engagement. He presently serves as the Executive Director of the Fairhaven Association in Bellingham, WA. Scott still finds time to create art. Timestamp 2:22 Growing up as an artistic kid 3:03 Discovering The Artist's Way 4:26 Being a full time artist-entrepreneur 5:52 Getting into the world of community engagement 7:12 Fairhaven's initial organizational challenges and dealing with them 9:12 The importance of giving credit whenever it is due 12:15 Managing time as an active artist plus community leader 13:55 Drawing up the blueprint for Fairhaven's future 14:23 Working on the Space Needle mural project 18:27 Analyzing elements of Scott's artwork 20:04 Daily routines and rituals to power through the day 23:48 When rejection from priesthood brought clarity to life's purpose 25:30 Leaving a legacy and making a difference 27:15 Dealing with challenging decision making processes 29:16 Painting the big picture: keeping the whole community in frame 30:14 Thoughts about the future 32:56 Change is inevitable - taking small steps as a budding artist Social Media Website: scottwardart.com Instagram: instagram.com/scottwardart/ Facebook: facebook.com/scott.ward.18062 Enjoy Fairhaven: enjoyfairhaven.com Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/upyourcreativegenius/ Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-dobrowolski-532368/ Up Your Creative Genius - https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/ Transcript Patti Dobrowolski 00:03 Hello, Superstars! Welcome to the Up Your Creative Genius Podcast, where you will gain insight and tips to stomp on the accelerator and blast off to transform your business and your life. I'm your host, Patti Dobrowolski. And if this is your first time tuning in, then strap in - because this is serious rocket fuel. Each week, I interview fellow creative geniuses to help you learn how easy it is to Up Your Creative Genius in any part of your life. Patti Dobrowolski 00:39 Hey, everybody, it's Patti Dobrowolski with Up Your Creative Genius. Oh my gosh, okay, I just want to say: my most favorite person in the world today is on the podcast - Scott Ward. And Scott Ward, if you don't know him, he's an amazing visual artist, who became an accidental Executive Director for the Fair Haven Business Association. It's not really the business association, but the Fair Haven, you know, Association for where he lives. But he is amazing. He's been an actor, he's created clothing. He's done everything possible - interior design, like if you look out in the world, at things, you'll see Scott Ward imprinted on most of them. And he has a beautiful collection of artwork that has really just kept its its beauty over time - I was gonna say it's just so iconic, the stuff that you draw, I have a number of them in my home, I will say - and one of them he gave to us for our wedding, which is just so incredible. So, I thank you, Scott, for being here. Hey, by the way, I didn't mention this, but he also is a musician and singer. Really incredible. Okay. Welcome to the show, Scott. Scott Ward 01:51 Hi, Patti. It's nice to see you. Patti Dobrowolski 01:53 Nice to see you too. And so we haven't seen each other in a long time. Because of COVID - It's kind of a drag. I know but just in another month, I'm going to be standing - hopefully, cross your fingers, you know - side by side with you, that will be so incredible. So, Scott, tell people about you. How did you become an artist? And then how did you end up working as the executive director in Fair Haven? So, get us in the trajectory of how you, from the beginning of time, bring us to the present moment? Scott Ward 02:22 Yeah, it's not the life I ever imagined. You know, I grew up as the artistic kid. That's what I was recognized as, everybody saw me as the artistic kid. And fortunately, I had a couple of really fantastic teachers in Junior High, in high school who globbed on to me and said, "We're going to nurture you as much as we can", and then, you know, after high school kind of pushed me on my way. And then, you know, I went to school and studied fine art, and realized I could never make it as a fine artist; I have to, you know, get jobs that pay me. And so I was doing all that design work that you mentioned: I was doing interior design, and clothing design and graphic design and, um... Patti Dobrowolski 03:00 You had a whole line of cards at one point. Yeah. Scott Ward 03:03 Yeah. I worked for a card company and was just drawing - making little goofy cards. And then in 1994, actually, Patti, you sent me "The Artist's Way" - the book by Julia Cameron. And it had just come out, and at the same time, another friend of mine in Seattle found the book and recommended it, and I thought: I should maybe pay attention to this. And so, you know, over the next few years, I not only studied that book and went through it, but started leading and facilitating groups to get other people to go through that book. And it's a fantastic process. You know, it's set up to be this and discover your creativity, really, it's a whole life purpose kind of process. And so in that I realized, wait a second, I'm being a little hypocritical in that I'm urging all these other people to be artists in the world, and I'm just avoiding it by being a designer, which was not a bad thing - it just wasn't completely who I was supposed to be. And so, you know, I jumped into being a full time artist, like right away. And within six months, I had my first show at this little restaurant in Seattle and sold a few pieces there. And then six months later, I had my very first one person show in this gallery in Pioneer Square in Seattle, where all the- Patti Dobrowolski 04:15 Really, really big deal. Scott Ward 04:17 Really big deal. And you know, the amazing thing that happened there was I sold every single piece in that show. Patti Dobrowolski 04:24 Oh my god. Scott Ward 04:26 Yeah. And so you know, it had to have started as an idea like a full time artist, and then a year later have a sellout show - it was a real fast trajectory. And it was a little overwhelming. I mean, it was stressful because I thought: how am I supposed to live up to that, right? It was like yeah, oh my god, this success is kind of unbelievable. What am I supposed to do with it? And so, I had a little bit of a dip or I thought, you know - can I really do this? But now it's saying that in the next 15 years I was a full time artist and you know, traveled around the country and did shows in a lot of different places and became the representative artist for several different nonprofit organizations and really was having this really fantastic artist's life where I was meeting fascinating, interesting people and going places that I never imagined being and doing a lot of commissioned work. So, creating artwork that never would have crossed my mind. And at the same time, I got to work with you, and this process of your unfolding and the graphic recording and change management stuff, and so learned a lot in that. So, fast forward to being a full time artist: we were living in Seattle, and moved into the Magnolia neighborhood, which is a nice affluent neighborhood that has a little village and my partner, husband owns a little shop there. And I thought, well, you know, I should probably connect with the business community, 'cause sometimes being an artist can be a solitary experience, right? Patti Dobrowolski 05:52 Yes, definitely. Scott Ward 05:52 It's a lot of time at the easel. And if you're at all extroverted, that can become a really challenging life. And so I thought I needed to connect with the community and got engaged with the Chamber of Commerce there. And the Chamber of Commerce, there was kind of a mess. And not kind of a mess, it was really- Patti Dobrowolski 06:12 It was really a mess. Scott Ward 06:13 It was really a mess. And I thought, I think I know a few things that might be able to help them move forward. And so I stepped in and you know, within just a short amount of time became president of that Chamber of Commerce. And I have to say, that really is a lot of the work that I was able to do with you allows me to say to these folks, you know, let's get some clarity in what we're doing here, right? You have a vision, but you're not really living into it. And so let's really revisit that and start to line up with who we're supposed to be in the world. And so I made some changes there, which meant basically a whole turnover in their board. And- Patti Dobrowolski 06:54 Oh, yeah, it was tricky. It was a tricky time. Scott Ward 06:58 It was a tricky time, but I- You know, usually I'm so diplomatic and level-headed, and there were a couple of times where I lost it with them. I'm like: You are like 14 year old kids! I was yelling at them- Patti Dobrowolski 07:12 Oh my gosh. Scott Ward 07:12 You know, it was kind of what needed to happen because they were just stuck in a rut. And so anyway, now we live in Bellingham. And because I had that experience in Seattle, when we came to Bellingham, the little village that we live in is a neighborhood within Bellingham- Patti Dobrowolski 07:29 -called Fairhaven. Scott Ward 07:30 Yeah, Fairhaven. And it's a historic district. It's really sweet. And it's had this community / business association in existence since the mid 70s. So it's been around for a long time. And it was a completely volunteer organization. Patti Dobrowolski 07:45 Yeah. Scott Ward 07:45 And, you know, saying that those volunteers were able to do some really fantastic things over the years, like they really preserved the historic character, they created some wonderful events and some programs. However, there was a lot of dysfunction in what was happening, because the volunteers, they turned to their friends and they'd say: Hey, I want to put a statue in the village green. And their friends would say: Hey, yeah, let's do it. And then they would do it. And then they'd go to the board and say, Hey, we need $45,000- Patti Dobrowolski 08:14 To put that statue up. Scott Ward 08:16 Yeah. And the board would say, okay, great. And they'd kind of rubber stamp it, but there was no accountability, or no- Patti Dobrowolski 08:21 No plan, right. Scott Ward 08:22 No plan and no alignment with everything else that was happening. So every time somebody got a little wind to do something, they would do it. And that caused a lot of rifts in the relationships of the folks that were doing things. You know, it's like this recycled volunteer group that just went through, people would get upset, they get their feelings hurt, you know? And- Patti Dobrowolski 08:44 Yeah, like every volunteer organization, you know, you're like a piece of coal when you go in and you're a diamond when you come out, because- or you're kicked out one or the other before you're a diamond. Scott Ward 08:54 Yeah. And so there was this core group of volunteers that really had been active since the 80s. You know, it's only a handful, like half a dozen of them. And they would, like you said - they'd split people up, they use them, split them out, and became really, really dysfunctional. And so we show up, and of course, they had- Patti Dobrowolski 09:11 And you set up Current and Furbish. Yeah, you have that beautiful little shop there in Fairhaven, and everybody should go see there because it's fantastic. Scott Ward 09:21 Yeah, it's a great little shop and a great little village. And, you know, I thought - maybe I just should be done with this community work because it takes a lot of energy to do that, working with people and all the different personalities - but they came to me and they said: Hey, what do you want to do with us? Because they had written an article about me. So it didn't take long for me to realize that there was a lot of potential here. It wasn't quite as messed up as the Magnolia chamber head. And I saw that there was great potential here. And I also recognize there were some really easy things that could kind of fix what was going on. And that was - you know, one of the things was, in their volunteer organization, they'd never did any kind of acknowledgement - private or public - for their volunteers. There was- Patti Dobrowolski 10:10 Oh my god, are you kidding? Scott Ward 10:11 They didn't send out thank you notes. They didn't really say thank you. They didn't have an end of year celebration and I thought: You know, that one thing would make a huge difference. Patti Dobrowolski 10:24 Yeah, people come back if you appreciate them. That's what it's all about. Scott Ward 10:25 That's exactly what it's about. And then, you know, even just the folks that show up, they want to volunteer for one thing, it's important to acknowledge them, right? It's- Patti Dobrowolski 10:34 Yeah, definitely. Scott Ward 10:35 And even the people that say: Oh, no, no, I don't need anything, do not thank me publicly - find a way to thank them. Patti Dobrowolski 10:42 Yeah, what I love about that is you acknowledge that they have their own way of liking to do that, because everybody's different. So some people, it's mortifying and frightening for them to be acknowledged publicly. So if you can find a way to do it, that gives them the spotlight in their own way. Scott Ward 11:00 That's right. You know, I think it's even as easy as, say, you're in a group, we have monthly meetings, right? And so make sure, like, let's say, John is over there. And John doesn't ever want to be publicly thanked or appreciated, right? Make sure that whoever you're talking to, you say: Hey, I just want you to know that John did most of the work so that John overhears it, right? Then it's this thing where it's private, he gets it, you know, that he's getting it in theory, right? Patti Dobrowolski 11:25 Yeah. Scott Ward 11:25 And that will carry him. Carry him to the next bit of whatever he's doing. Anyway, we come in over - you know, the first few years we were here, I had heard several times, we really have wanted an executive director for a long time. But we just haven't done anything about it. Is this the universe telling me what I'm supposed to be doing? Right? How many times do you have to hear it? Patti Dobrowolski 11:49 Yeah, that's right. That's cool. Scott Ward 11:51 So finally, I just, yeah, went to the board. And I said, okay, it feels like I'm supposed to throw my hat in, help this organization by creating this position. And that's what they did. So that's why I really became the accidental Executive Director. I never intended in doing community work, I thought I was going to be a full time artist. This kind of, you know, exciting life. But I still get to do a little bit of that. Patti Dobrowolski 12:15 Yeah. That's fantastic. So all right. Now you really run Fairhaven, but you're still like a full time artist. Right? So how do you balance all your time of all the things that you're doing, Scott? Cause you have a million things on your plate. How do you organize yourself? Scott Ward 12:32 That's a lot. This kind of counteracts that the artists lifestyle and mindset is that I'm very disciplined. So I know that Thursdays are my studio day, like I have tell everyone - I put on my email, you know, the message, it says, Hey, I'm in the studio today, I'm not going to take your calls. And I'm not going to answer your texts. And so I just really am clear that at least Thursdays, I know, I have a full day of being in the studio. Then, there are other days where I'm a little more flexible about it. But it's- Patti Dobrowolski 13:01 Yeah. Scott Ward 13:01 And then when I'm working for the Association, I'm just really clear like - these are the days I'm available for the Association. But it really is that discipline that makes it happen, otherwise, I don't know how I could do it. It really is a lot. Patti Dobrowolski 13:16 Yeah, I think when you have multiple things going on, it's important to - you have to schedule everything. And you know, people think, Oh, you've got, you know, you've worked for yourself, and so they have lots of free time. And yeah, that free time is filled up with a lot of things that are the behind the scenes part. And you have really finessed that over time, so that you're continuing to show your work, it's really well received, and - you've built Fairhaven into this consistent community engagement, which is awesome. Now you've got like a Draw your Future picture behind you, Scott - did you do that for your organization, for Fairhaven? Scott Ward 13:55 Yeah, for Fairhaven. So three years ago, when I first started the process, we created a strategic plan, because they had had one - we revisited the mission statement, and then created that plan. And so in that three years, we really accomplished everything we had set forth. And so this process now is, what do the next 3 to 5 years look like? So since we've accomplished this, yeah, let's look forward. And you know, this is a fantastic process. People love it. Patti Dobrowolski 14:23 Yeah, it's a little gap analysis, and then you're drawing real time and you're writing words, and you can see, here's this - it's very messy back there. So if you think to yourself: Oh, I can't draw and I can't do that - well, look, it's messy. That's the way we want it to be because you'll call out the things that are most important. And I just want to - for those of you listening, as Scott Ward really has been the behind the scenes studio artist for me for so many years - so these companies that I work with, I often will go in and and I'll do a rough illustration of their vision, but then I bring it home and I have Scott finesse it in the studio. Because I'm not a trained fine artist - you heard him say he was trained - but the stuff is incredible. But I wanted to share this one experience that we had doing a mural for the Seattle Space Needle because I thought this was- So, Scott, tell us a little bit about what happened. When we went in I got a commission to do a mural and the interior for the employees, right. So we ran some focus groups, and then we were going to do this. Now I knew I wasn't a muralist, so I immediately hired Scott to come in - I like wrote him right in the contract, so that I would have someone who actually knew how to do what I said I could do, right? And so, tell everybody what happened. Scott Ward 15:39 Well, we had a lot of things happen. Patti Dobrowolski 15:41 You mean, are you talking about meeting Five Seconds of Summer as they ran past us? (laughs) Scott Ward 15:47 (laughs) It's crazy. But, you know, it was a good process, because we met with all the different department heads and got their input into what this image should be. And it really was - how long was that wall? Patti Dobrowolski 16:01 It was 40 feet. Scott Ward 16:03 Yeah, 40 feet long, and it was just the top half of the wall. So it was this long, skinny- Patti Dobrowolski 16:09 4 feet high and 40 feet long. It was the mural that we did. Scott Ward 16:13 Yeah. And it was kind of basically tell the whole story - the Seattle Center, and the Space Needle. And you know, it was taking all those ideas and putting it into this image, and it really was alike an elaborate map that you would do in, you know, a brainstorming session. It was great. I mean, I loved it. Patti Dobrowolski 16:34 We had a little, a couple of SNAFUs in that though. So okay, so when you do a mural, like you pencil out the whole thing, and just want to say that it didn't totally match the drawing. I was in charge of moving the projector. So that was one of the things that Scott was able to fix. However, we go in to start to- We buy $1,000 worth of these paints, pens, no, paint, what were we- we've got pens- Scott Ward 17:01 We started with the markers. Patti Dobrowolski 17:01 We were going to use Copic markers. So we went in - I had tested it on the paint already, so I knew it would work and we go in on that day to do it. And the first pen stroke that we do, it pulls the paint off onto the pen. So if we spent $1,000 on markers, we were going to spend 5 or 6 thousand dollars to do the whole thing. So I go to Scott: Oh, no, what do we do? And of course, Scott knew the answer - you were like, let's go get some paint pens. Yeah, so we ran to the art store, and then we painted that whole thing together, which was so much fun. Scott Ward 17:38 My favorite was - what was the little misspelling that- Patti Dobrowolski 17:45 It was on the bus. I can't remember what it said, but it was- I missed a letter. Scott Ward 17:51 (laughs) Patti Dobrowolski 17:51 I did all the lettering. I had missed a letter in it. But it made sense. We've made sense, what I had written - but it was a funny in-joke, but they made us change it. I can't remember, I wish I had that here so we could show it off. I'll have to look at it, drop in the picture. (laughs) You know, do you prefer to- You did that that large format with me, but you spend many hours and days- you use some repeat images in your illustrations? What did they mean, and why do you use the same images? Tell me a little bit and give us some insight into your artwork? Scott Ward 18:27 Yeah, you know, I think like most of us, we have recurring themes just in our life in general, right. And I think for me, I grew up in Minnesota, in a Catholic German family, and you know, all those things are very restricted, right. And so, are restrictive. And, especially as a gay man it's really restrictive, or as a little gay boy. And so I think I often paint about feeling trapped or wanting greater freedom. So you know, I did a series of images based around cages, birds in cages, and the birds kind of represent the soul, the cages, the situations I find myself in and then there's- I do a lot about home and feeling, wanting to feel a place of home and, you know, connection. Yeah, a lot of that. And I use a lot of green, because green represents growth and life to me and wanting to really grow into fully who I am. So it's a lot about freedom and belonging. Patti Dobrowolski 19:26 Yeah, it's fantastic. And then you had a whole "Red Ball" series, which was really cool - really, so playful and fun. And all of his artwork has been described as very whimsical and it's really beautiful. It's just incredible. So kudos to you for all that sitting at that easel all that time. But now, tell us - I want to know, like what- and I bet you, other people want to know: what's your day look like? Like, give us the run of show for the whole day for you. So we know, like, how do you stay focused and in yourself and how do you, you know, complete your day, what kinds of things at the end? Scott Ward 20:04 You know - like you, I have a little routine that sets me up for the day. So, the first thing I do in the morning is: with my little pot of coffee, I sit down and I write. I journal every morning - I have journaled every morning, for the last, I'm gonna say 35 years. Patti Dobrowolski 20:22 Yeah. Scott Ward 20:23 And in that, there is this great centering that happens - it allows me to kind of get the menial, gritty stuff out and really focus on what's important. And I can't imagine what my life would be without doing that every single day. And in that, it's also this sense of meditation and contemplation that sets me up in a really kind of peaceful and calm way for the day. Then, I do some kind of exercise: I run about four to five days a week, and we live- Patti Dobrowolski 20:54 - About five miles, right? Five to something miles, like, you're crazy. Yeah, he's a crazy runner. I tried running with him, I just want to say: No, no, I can't really- Scott Ward 21:06 I don't really like running. I don't like running. I mean, I like being done running. And a good run is when I don't realize I'm running, right? Like, when the ideation part of me takes place, and I forget I'm running, that's a good run. (laughs) Patti Dobrowolski 21:20 (laughs) Oh, my god. Scott Ward 21:22 But it's important, because there is also something really valuable in putting your body into a rhythmic mode that brings up the clarity and ideas. So, problem solving and creative processing all takes place in that- Patti Dobrowolski 21:38 -In movement. Scott Ward 21:39 -uh, physical activity. And that takes place in walking, too, especially when you walk alone - if you're walking with somebody, you have a tendency to have a conversation with them- Patti Dobrowolski 21:48 Yeah. Scott Ward 21:49 -which is something different. And so- Patti Dobrowolski 21:51 -then yourself, talking to yourself in your head - or out loud! Sometimes I caught myself talking out loud - I'm like, don't talk out loud, it's no, not appropriate. Scott Ward 22:01 Yeah. And we live close enough to the village, it's a mile. And so we walk - and that walk also is a really important thing, as far as just staying centered. And so then my day, who knows what the rest of the day is going to be like - with the Fairhaven Association, I sit in a ton of meetings. Like I, you know, it's not unusual for me to have five or six meetings in a day. And, you know, that gets to be a long day. So taking breaks in between, getting outside, moving a little bit is important. Patti Dobrowolski 22:29 Getting coffee. Scott Ward 22:30 Getting coffee, yeah, exactly. Chocolate- Patti Dobrowolski 22:35 All the key things. Scott Ward 22:36 Yeah. And then on my studio days, I really just am so focused on being an artist that it really is basically closing the door to my studio, being in there drawing out new images, or - I do a lot of commission work now, like most of what I do is commission work. And so, really, that process is connecting with the client, and getting their thoughts on what they're looking for. And then, you know, it's all about the creative process on that day, and really is staying focused on being an artist and wearing my painted clothes and not caring what I look like or, you know, being seen. And so - but every day is different. And that's what you get when you are working with, you know, all kinds of different people, and creating all sorts of different programs and events. And, you know, there's something kind of exciting about that, I don't know if I could live a life where every day was the same, right? It just wouldn't be stimulating for me or at all fulfilling - I just think there's something really exciting in the uncertainty of what the day is going to play. Patti Dobrowolski 23:48 Well, and also to - I mean, yours is a life of service. Since I met you, you've always been serving someone - you know, in the community, or you served in your church - you served in all these different ways. And so, say a little bit about why you think service is important, or why is it important to you? Scott Ward 24:08 You know, I recognized early on - well, in my 20s, I wasn't that way - I was pretty self serving, and part of it was this sense of survival - just wanting to know how I was going to make it through this life, because I didn't have clarity and, really, what I was supposed to be doing. And once I realized, oh yes, this is what I'm called to do- Patti Dobrowolski 24:27 You were going to be a priest. I mean, that was gonna be true. That's part of your story, was you were going to be a priest. And then when they found out you were gay, that was it. You had to make a choice. Scott Ward 24:35 Yeah, they rejected me. I mean, they out and out rejected me. And so, that was a huge thing, because for me I felt like, you know, I really am called to the spiritual unfoldment. Patti Dobrowolski 24:49 Yeah. Scott Ward 24:50 To have that kind of thrown back at me was really difficult. I thought: Really? I had this understanding that I was supposed to be making a difference. Not in just my life but in other people's lives. And so, it took me a while to bounce back from that - it was one of the best things that ever happened because it really made me clarify what my role was supposed to be. And being a priest - now, when I look back, I think I would have been miserable. Patti Dobrowolski 25:17 Yeah, so I was gonna say that was a good choice. Definitely. How rigid could that have been, yeah. (laughs) Scott Ward 25:25 There's some things about being a priest that I just found out that like- Patti Dobrowolski 25:30 Yeah. Scott Ward 25:30 And so, you know, just this idea of - I want to leave a legacy. And I think when people become parents, I think that's an easy sense of: Oh, yes, I'm leaving something behind in the world that will make a difference, right? Patti Dobrowolski 25:45 That's right. Scott Ward 25:45 And I don't have kids, I won't ever have kids at this point. And I just thought, what can I leave in the world that will make a difference? Yes, I have my art and my mission with my artists to create inspired and inspiring uplifting images, right? And so, yes, I'll leave that. But I also want to feel like I'm leaving my little corner of the world better than the way I found it. And I think, you know, we say I live in service, but there's a sense of selfishness about living a life of service, right? It is about feeling good about what I'm doing in the world. And, and no, that's not ultimately the goal, it is kind of a byproduct of doing good in the world and lifting others up in the world, right there. There is some satisfaction from that. And that, yeah. And so it really is about the wanting to just leave a positive- Patti Dobrowolski 26:41 Also, you know, you're very good about knowing - like, you really have a sense of 'knowingness' about what you like or dislike - and this I admire in you, because I'm not, sometimes not as clear in some areas around this, so I would default to Scott, when I was choosing certain things: "What do you think of that?" But you have a really clear sense. So when you're in a situation where you feel challenged, and you need to make a decision, what do you do to help yourself understand what the right thing is to do? Scott Ward 27:15 I think it's different every time, right? If it involves somebody else, and there is some, maybe, misalignment in what's supposed to happen - I always remember that the other people or person involved has a whole story that has brought them to their perspective, right? And so to honor that, at the same time, you know, I have a whole story that's brought me to my perspective. And, you know, is there something that can happen that honors both of those stories, right? That's always the place I go to, there's got to be - anything's possible, right? So, is there this solution, is there this way forward that gives a nod to both or all sides of what's happening? So that's one way - if it's just me trying to figure out what's going on, it really is going for an extra run, or spending an extra page writing, or going for a walk - it really is putting myself back out into this place of: Okay, let's kind of ruminate. I also say, you know, before I go to bed, before I fall asleep - I will say: Let's find some clarity about this tonight, right? In the middle of the night, let's bring it into our dreams, let's bring it into our sleep, and let it to kind of figure itself out without my getting in the way. Patti Dobrowolski 28:31 Yeah. Scott Ward 28:32 Right? And so all those things are kind of me trying to get myself out of the way because we can be our own worst enemy. Patti Dobrowolski 28:38 Yeah. You know, we have an opinion about what should happen, we have a - you know, we're always trying to make ourselves look good, our ego gets in there, and then instead of trying to see it from a distant field - like I sometimes will put it on a playing field, because like a chess board, and I can see all the players in the field, and then understand what their position is within that chess game, and then help us move closer to alignment - so that eventually, checkmate, and one of us wins. I mean, not in that sense, but you know, there's a solution that's better than both of us. That's fantastic. Scott Ward 29:16 I actually, uh, as an artist, you know, I see people as different colors and shapes, right? And so, you know, I can say: Oh, yeah, that color and that shape will work next to this one, but this one here, it really needs to be moved over the other side of the painting, right? And so, I kind of see it that way, because I'm so visual, that it just is kind of - for me to create a community as an image. And there's care that has to be done in that, because it's not just saying: Hey, you don't get along with those folks. It's like, really - it's putting into this place that you would work really well over here. You'd be so valuable over here. We need you over here, right? And never, ever, put them- Patti Dobrowolski 29:55 - put them outside of the picture. Scott Ward 29:57 That's right. Patti Dobrowolski 29:57 You're out and you're not in the frame. Scott Ward 29:58 Yeah, that's exactly right. There's - Patti Dobrowolski 29:59 I love that - what a fantastic, but - what a fantastic way of envisioning that. Especially when we talk about community, are you thinking about teams? Are you thinking about whoever it is - family, you know, they all belong in the painting, somewhere. Scott Ward 30:13 That's right. Patti Dobrowolski 30:14 Now, when you think about your future, and you envision your future, what's your big thing that you see happening for you? What's the one thing that you think: Oh, this would be so cool. Like, if this thing happened, you know, that's what I do. Sometimes this thing happened, Scott Ward 30:32 If this thing happened...It's interesting, because I really love my life, like I love my life to be - I actually think it'd be greater if we've been closer to each other. Patti Dobrowolski 30:39 Yeah. Guess we need to change that. (laughs) Scott Ward 30:42 Yeah. But, you know, there's, I think, I don't really have any lofty goals anymore. I think it really is just to continue living, and growing a sense of integrity. Like, really being authentic. I remember growing up, and my parents were young, when they had, like, just basically out of high school. And I think they were still kids, right? When I was even six years old, they were in their mid 20s. And so I remember watching my dad, and he still had his high school friends; and when you hang out with them, he was one person; when he was at home with my mom, he was another person; when he was with us, he was another person; when he was with my grandparents, he was a completely different person, right? And I just watched how he kind of morphed into these different areas. And I realized, even then, that I wanted to be who I was, wherever I was - it didn't matter who I was with, I wanted to be me. And so, I've worked really hard to do that. And I wanted to continue to be able to do that, I still find myself, you know, being maybe a little defensive, or, you know, hold back or whatever. But I just want to be fully me, wherever I am. So I think that was kind of a lofty goal. But it's been an ongoing, lofty goal. Patti Dobrowolski 31:53 Yeah, I think, and it's not always easy. I think, you know, a lot of things push, push everybody, you know, our buttons, and then suddenly we're back in an old frame of mind, where we are seeing things from a very black and white perspective, and we're not embracing and we're not, you know, open to whatever's happening. And I just want to say, you're honestly incredible. I just felt - I as a friend, as an artist, as everything that I've seen that you've done - I just have so much love and admiration for you, that I feel fortunate that I got into your schedule to get you on the podcast, so thank you so much for that. But tell the listeners if you would, like, you know, this is all about making change. Like, we need to learn how to pivot easily and be flexible to it. So what would you say to somebody who's listening, you know, who needs to make a change and isn't quite sure how to do it or wants to become an artist and isn't sure how to step out - what would you say to them to help them bring more of their authenticity to the world? Scott Ward 32:56 First, I want to say that change is inevitable, right? You can sit there and say you don't want to change, fight against it - but think something's going to force you to change. And it's gonna be more painful than if you had made that choice yourself. Patti Dobrowolski 33:07 Yeah. Scott Ward 33:07 And then the other aspect of it is, you have nothing to lose by trying, right? Just try. And so, if you're not going to do anything, you're not going to get anywhere - you can sit and imagine things are gonna happen, but without action, nothing's gonna happen. My suggestion always, for folks that say: Hey, I really do want to be an artist - I say, every day, put yourself out there. And it can be the smallest thing - it's sending an email to a gallery or to an agent and just ask for feedback or, you know, find out what the process is. But everyday, one small thing - it could even be looking up another artist and seeing what their art was like, or talking to an artist and just finding out what they did, or what their day is like. But every single day, just do one small thing. And eventually, you'll start to find things that resonate with who you are, as an artist, and doors will start to open. It may not be what you think it's going to be - in fact, I can guarantee you, it's not ever going to be what you think it's going to be - but you have to be open to that, and trust. Trust is a huge thing. And you and I have talked about this many, many times over the years, because we knew each other when none of what we are now in existence or even what we had dreamed about. And so, you know, we, in the process, both recognize that once you put yourself into that - that journey, that you have to trust you're going to be taken care of. And you and I are living examples that that is true - that once you trust that everything you need is going to be there, it will be there. Patti Dobrowolski 34:43 And that - if it doesn't look the way you think it's going to, just keep going, because something better is on the other side - cause you can't vision from our current reality. So we have no idea what the future is really like. So, if you can get way out there - like I always say, put the most outrageous things on your map, the most incredible things - because believe it or not, those are the things that you're going to be sitting there 10 years later saying, I don't know how that happened, but it did. Look, I put it on that map. Scott Ward 35:15 Yeah, that's exactly right. And I think, because I know you, I give you a lot of credit for the life I have. Because it's been that, that idea that, don't be afraid to, you know, have - what's called the BHAG, right? The Big Hairy Audacious Goal, right? Don't be afraid of that, put it out there. Because if you don't ever put it out there, you're never going to get there, you have to be able to do that there. And, you know, this also reflects or goes back to what it's like to work with people - and a group of people is there are no bad ideas. Right? Every idea has validity, anything is possible. And once you step into that - and the other aspect of is: Yes, set those goals, but you have to take a step - there has to be action behind it. You can't just put the goal out there and then anticipate- Patti Dobrowolski 36:02 -and sit in the chair watching TV at home, you know, it's just not gonna happen. You got to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Scott Ward 36:08 That's right, you can do that drawing and put that goal out there. You can dream about it, but you have to start walking toward it. And you know, like we both have said, you start walking, but then the road is gonna turn left when you thought it was supposed to turn right. Well take go left, because that's going to be a more beautiful road than the right would happen. Patti Dobrowolski 36:29 Yeah, that you ever imagined it'll turn into something you never even imagined. Scott Ward 36:34 Yup. Patti Dobrowolski 36:34 Oh my gosh, God, this was so incredible. I got kind of all moved by just the conversation. It's just so- Scott Ward 36:41 Me too. I love you. Patti Dobrowolski 36:41 I love you too. And it's just so great to have you here. I can't wait to have you back, and we'll have to do some kind of annual thing - and we'll just see where it goes. But for everybody that's listening, I encourage you to follow ScottWardArt.com. You know, go there and see what he's doing. If you're in Fairhaven, go to Current and Furbish, say hi to Cameron, his partner, and also find Scott - because where Scott is, a lot of incredible things happen - and there will always be art and there will always be play and there will always be fun, and probably wine too. I'm guessing- Scott Ward 37:14 Well, I don't know- (laughs) Patti Dobrowolski 37:18 There you go. Anyway, I love you so much. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here today. And so, for everybody that's listening, you know the drill - if you liked the show, you know forward it to your friends or, you know, write Scott an email at scott@ScottWardArt.com - just acknowledge him and then in the way that he acknowledges others, and just go out today and you know what to do, just - if you can - Up Your Creative Genius. Thank you so much, everybody! Patti Dobrowolski 37:51 Thanks so much for listening today. Be sure to DM me on Instagram your feedback or takeaways from today's episode on Up Your Creative Genius - then join me next week for more rocket fuel. Remember, you are the superstar of your universe and the world needs what you have to bring - so get busy! Get out and Up Your Creative Genius. And no matter where you are in the universe, here's some big love from yours truly - Patti Dobrowolski, and the Up Your Creative Genius podcast. That's a wrap!

No Deep Dive this time! Instead, join the Matt's as we give you another "commuter special" shorter episode, where we explore Superstars of the past that never received a title run. Who was a well-established Superstar from the Golden Era that surprisingly never had a championship around their waist? Who comes to YOUR mind? Were they deserving? How could it have happened? This is our first of hopefully many casts where we challenge each other to Book a Title Run for one of our faves, by RE-Booking some events of the past. This is what we LOVE, and we hope you enjoy!

Bonta and Shasky discuss Steph's time off the bench and how valuable his minutes have been against the Nuggets.

Nets go Down 2-0 in Boston. The @podthorn team breaks down and debates is it the coach, the org or the superstars to blame these 2 losses.

Why are the Nuggets getting so frustrated? Is it lack of Coaching? Leadership? What does Jokic need to do to establish himself as a player in the NBA that will get the kind of calls Superstars need to get to win a Championship? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE SPONSOR:  CHIKMEDIA CHIKMEDIA is a brand management firm started by award-winning women and they create unforgettable marketing campaigns that blend traditional marketing with truly impactful digital marketing tactics to make your stuff memorable! Their clients start out as brands and they become SUPERSTARS! Are you going to be next? Visit the website.   Kristen … Continued

Douglas Ferguson is an entrepreneur and human-centered technologist. He is the founder and president of Voltage Control, an Austin-based change agency that helps enterprises spark, accelerate, and sustain innovation. He specializes in helping teams work better together through participatory decision making and design inspired facilitation techniques. He has helped transform teams from Nike, U.S. SOCOM, Google, the Air Force, Apple, Adobe, Dropbox, Fidelity, Vrbo, Liberty Mutual, Humana, and SAIC. Douglas is a thought leader and master facilitator of Design Sprints, Innovation Acceleration, Team Alignment, Meeting Systems, Culture Transitions, and Change Transformations. He is also the author of four books: Magical Meetings, Beyond the Prototype, How to Remix Anything, and Start Within. He has been published in Forbes, Fast Company, Innovation Leader, and is a regular contributor to The Future Shapers. He publishes a weekly podcast called Control the Room. Motivated by a mission to rid the world of horrible meetings and offer meaningful magical meeings in their place, Voltage Control is calling upon fellow facilitators to transform meeting and innovation culture. From free weekly community meetups to Control the Room–the annual facilitator summit, Voltage Control is building a community of facilitators to change the world. Douglas is active in the Austin startup community where he serves on the board of several non-profits, mentors startups, and advises early-stage ventures. Prior to founding Voltage Control, Douglas held CTO positions at numerous Austin startups where he led product and engineering teams.When not facilitating or coaching facilitators you might find Douglas patching up his Modular Synth, boxing, or doing pilates.  Timestamp 2:12 Doug's early years, and getting into the startup space 2:36 From getting fascinated about collaboration, to an interest in facilitation 3:41 How his first experience as a speaker started his thought leader journey 5:26 What makes a meeting Magical 6:37 Small changes, big results 8:32 Personal experience in dealing with career change 13:17 Making clients acknowledge the human problem 16:33 How to face fear and identity issues in the change process 18:08 Dealing with organizational change as a result of the pandemic 19:43 How the tragic loss of a co-worker inspired creation of the Safe Pledge 23:39 Building a community of facilitators 26:19 Designing a memorable, accessible meeting experience for all 28:36 Doug's typical work day 31:44 Curiosity, creativity and self-challenge: taking small steps to start change 33:27 Upcoming activities and plans  Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasferguson/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/voltagectrl SAFE Alliance: https://www.safeaustin.org/ Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/upyourcreativegenius/ Follow Patti Dobrowolski - Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-dobrowolski-532368/ Up Your Creative Genius - https://www.upyourcreativegenius.com/  Patti Dobrowolski 00:03 Hello, Superstars! Welcome to the Up Your Creative Genius Podcast, where you will gain insight and tips to stomp on the accelerator and blast off to transform your business and your life. I'm your host, Patti Dobrowolski. And if this is your first time tuning in, then strap in - because this is serious rocket fuel. Each week, I interview fellow creative geniuses to help you learn how easy it is to Up Your Creative Genius in any part of your life. Patti Dobrowolski 00:39 Hey, everybody. Oh my gosh, I have Douglas Ferguson here. This guy is an author, a speaker, master facilitator, and he's the president of Voltage Control - and he's going to tell us what Voltage Control is all about - but let me just say that he helps companies to sustain and scale their innovation through design thinking and synthesis of visuals, and creating a Fast to Fail culture - and I love that Fast to Fail idea - so we're gonna get into that for sure. But he's also the author of "A Non Obvious Guide to Magical Meetings" - which if you don't know about the Non Obvious guide books, they're really incredible, and so you want to read his Magical Meetings, reinvent how your team works together. And he's got so much stuff happening that in the shownotes, you got to go right away to Voltage Control and see the events that he runs and the trainings that he has, and the coffee chats - he's just incredible. So, welcome to the show, Douglas. Douglas Ferguson 01:36 Wow, thanks for the warm welcome. And it's good to be here. So excited to talk to fellow facilitators. That's one of my favorite things to do. Patti Dobrowolski 01:45 Yeah, fantastic. I love that you're here. And it was so much fun to read about you and see what you'd been up to, kind of - you know, I love just going behind the scenes and like get any int- Is there any dirty laundry in here? I'm looking for, you know, like, is there anything fun in here? It's all fun in there - your sizzle reel on your website, it's really great and fun to watch, and I was thinking, wow, this is so cool to have you. So tell us a little bit about yourself, would you? Douglas Ferguson 02:12 Yeah, sure. Born in Virginia, it's uh, tobacco farmers and, you know, first generation to make it to college. I was really into computers from a young age, I was playing around on a Commodore 64 programming and even in high school, first program was to make a Frankenstein out of characters, so you know- Patti Dobrowolski 02:34 Yes, yes. (laughs) Douglas Ferguson 02:36 -that was a great use of time, I tell ya. So fast forward after school, I got bit by the startup bug pretty early. This is like in the 90s. I was like working for a startup that wanted to be Facebook before MySpace even existed, you know, it's like, it's like, needless to say, being early is just as bad as being wrong. So I got- I learned a lot, you know, through the years of writing code for tech startups, and then leading engineers and products, people and designers, what it took to build sustainable, highly collaborative teams. Patti Dobrowolski 03:14 Yeah. Douglas Ferguson 03:14 And I was always really fascinated about the mechanisms by which people bring forth collaboration. I didn't even know the word "facilitation" nor had I heard about it, but I kind of conflated it with like, moderation, or I was like, someone does negotiations, and I wasn't really quite sure. But I was always really fascinated with, you know, whether it was extreme programming, or agile or lean and experimenting with these different ways to have better meetings. Patti Dobrowolski 03:41 Yeah. Douglas Ferguson 03:42 And then fast forward to my last startup, which was - you know, I was kind of done with the startup world, and - but through that experience, I'd met the design team at Google Ventures. And on that team was Jake Knapp, who wrote the book "Design Sprints". So I got a lot of people asking me to come and speak on "Design Sprints", and so that led to a whole new world opening up around being a thought leader on this stuff. It was interesting, because I was able to tap all this other experience I had in this love I had for bringing people together - it was almost like a new lease on life, because I realized that, "Whoa, I can do this for a living". Like, I don't have to like a startup and do this with inside the startup, I can do this for a living. That was really, really pretty incredible. Patti Dobrowolski 04:26 Oh, that's so fantastic. What a great way to describe that. You know, on the podcast, about four episodes before you I interviewed Joni Wickham, who was the Chief of Staff for Mayor Sly James in Kansas City, and she grew up on a tobacco farm too. So just so you know, we got a theme going on here. So for those of you listening, anybody can come from anywhere and really become a game changer. And you really have, in this field of facilitation - I think that one of the things that I know to be true about you is that every experience in your meetings is so interactive, that people are just having a blast - though that you know, even though they're working on hard stuff, they're having so much fun. So tell the listeners, like if they get dropped into a meeting with you, or your team, what will be some of the differentiators between meetings they have been in before? Douglas Ferguson 05:26 Hmm. Well, I think one big one is that they'll know why they're there - before they show up. And while they're there, there'll be a very clear understanding of why they're there, and how they can contribute. And they're going to be invited to shape the outcome. Someone in our community once said that, you know, diversity is inviting everyone to the dance. Inclusion is inviting someone to dance. And so, something that happens in our meetings is that you will be invited to dance. Patti Dobrowolski 05:58 Yeah, that's fantastic. And in that dance, you'll tap into your own piece of the vision, because one of the things you talk about a lot - in some of the interviews with you, you talk about how important it is to make a commitment, adapting to the environment to make small incremental change, and know that those small changes add up to big wins when you want to step into your future. So say something about that for you as a person - how did you decide or learn that small things equal big results, eventually? Douglas Ferguson 06:37 It's interesting, I don't know if I can point to one particular moment where someone says "This is the equation to life", or "This is the way things work". But I think that it was just a culmination of a lot of lived experience, or lived experiences where I was always very curious. You know, I was the kind of kid that liked to take things apart and put them back together, and sometimes they didn't quite work the way they worked before. And so, I think one of the things, maybe, that was super pivotal for me: well, early in my career as a software developer, I got really fixated on what now some folks refer to as the "learning loop". And so, the time it took for me to discover that something was broken, or that I had introduced a bug or a defect was directly correlated to how expensive it was to fix it, or how much damage or pain it caused to my co-workers, or to how much money it made the company lose - the longer it took, the more you know, of an impact, negative impact that it would make - and so if I can reduce that time, it was better and better. And then I started to realize, like: Oh, wow, if I also can start to reduce the time to learnings, even when I'm trying things out in the code or experimenting with the way something works, the quicker I come up with solutions to almost the way it starts to become real time. You're almost intuitive, like you try something and you're instantly seeing the results. And so, I think that led me to this understanding of like, oh, wow, you don't have to have everything figured out at once. You can sort of probe the system and understand, and then probe the system and understand, which, like, years later, I came to understand from learning about complexity theory, that that is exactly how you need to operate in a complex environment or complex system, which is where we all find ourselves these days. Patti Dobrowolski 08:32 Yup. And so, that's something about getting yourself to test multiple tests, at the same time of something. I love this conversation we're having, because, you know, for me, I'm always coming up with these new ideas. And then, you know, I want to see: will this work? What, can this work? What about this? And then, I'll follow my intuition around some things, but the key that I think in design thinking is to get your customer involved in the process early enough. So you see if what the solution you're providing is something they can actually use. Because, you know, I love that book - it's about your mother or something? - I can't remember what the name of it is, but it's all about how we often create things that just our mother will like, because our mother likes anything that we do, right? Most of the time. And so, trying to get yourself to do that. Now, what did you see as challenges that you faced in your career trajectory? What did you and how did you learn to pivot and be able to shift from this software and design of the startup environment into this facilitator thing? What allowed you to feel like you had the confidence to do that? Douglas Ferguson 09:45 You know, I think surrounding myself with lots of mentors, and cheerleaders - yeah, like anyone who was willing to tell me that I could do it and help me see blind spots or gaps - you know, I think that really helped. Also, having someone anticipated the opportunity, you kind of, kind of prepare it a little bit. So I had a little bit saved, so I could, you know, could hunker down and go through a period of growth and building, you know? Patti Dobrowolski 10:16 Yeah. Douglas Ferguson 10:17 And then I was just kind of strategic around- it was down to basics, you know, I even created a little bit of budget, like, what do I need to bring in to even live by the most like, economic means necessary. And then, another thing I did is I'm a firm believer in being as economical and scrappy as possible in the beginning. And so, you know, I didn't - we didn't even have a website, we were using- At the time, Medium, let you use custom domains - on Medium. And so I used Medium as my website, because I did- I had a strong desire to blog and write because I felt like if I got my ideas out - Patti Dobrowolski 10:53 - then people would know who you were, and figure out what you were doing? Douglas Ferguson 10:57 Boom. That's the big thing, right? That writing helped me process, and then, meeting with my mentors and talking through those things, and then writing about it just helped me funnel the vision further. And so, those are critical points - are critical elements from the very beginning. Patti Dobrowolski 11:12 Well, now, are you a visualizer? Are you a illustrator, too, as well as being a facilitator? Or do you bring in somebody to do the part of drawing the pictures in that way. Douglas Ferguson 11:24 I'm not an illustrator myself. But I will say that I do like to draw and doodle, and I do express myself visually - but I'm not a finessed illustrator. And so, anytime that we're working with a client, or doing a project, where we want to bring that element in - whether that's because we're wanting to have a multi sensory experience, or you know, quite often we're having to create polished graphics for the website, or for, you know, some kind of like deliverable or whatnot, you know - we have folks on staff, and we have contractors that we work with. And you know, I've got this curse, right, that I have an eye for what I know looks good and is polished and is beautiful, but it takes me forever to get there. And so, that's why it's better for me to work with someone else. I know that deficiency on myself, but it's also somewhat of a curse, right? Because some people will happily be like, that looks fine. And I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no, that's not good. Patti Dobrowolski 12:24 I so know this. I mean, I have a studio artist that I'll use, if I feel like, oh, I need something that is just super dialed in for this client - so I'll send it to him, and I'll say, hey can you do this - and then, you know, it's one of those miraculous things when you get that product back, and then it turns into collateral, and you see it on the website, and all of that. You know, trained eyes can see the difference between what I would consider to be my hack - real time drawing, which sometimes is hacking - sometimes if I've really, you know, dialed it in, it's can be spectacular, but it takes a lot of time, right, which is what you're talking about. And sometimes you don't have the time, especially if you're in a meeting, and you've got a lot of things happening now, who do you- you know, like, what's your best ideal client that you've been working with that you love? What are the problems that they're having, and how do you help them? I'm curious. Douglas Ferguson 13:17 Yeah, you know, we work with all sorts of clients, because we're training folks that come to our website and sign up for a course or even certification. And so those students look vastly different, you know - some of them might be work for a nonprofit, so it might be the leader of a Fortune 100, so one might be a freelance facilitator. And so those cohorts are quite diverse, which is kind of fun, because they all learn from each other - and that's part of why the cohort approach is so powerful. But when we're talking about on the private side, where I'm facilitating, or we're doing, like bigger change efforts for clients, you know, I would say the the ones that are- had, were kind of stuck, and really struggling with the change, but they were receptive to change, and they're receptive to support and help. And so, they sought us out and they said, hey, we know we need help, and we're willing to have a guide here. You know, it's like- because oftentimes, people want to just go down the river rapids themselves, oh they think, "Oh, if I just rent their equipment, I'm good to go", but some folks realize, like, hey, it's gonna be helpful to have a guide to navigate these rapids with us. And, you know, it can be all sorts of different things that they're facing, you know, whether it's like we're trying to migrate all of our stuff to the cloud, or maybe our employee onboarding process is broken - or it has been broken forever, but now that we're all remote, it's very, very clear to how broken it is. Patti Dobrowolski 14:50 Yeah, exactly. Douglas Ferguson 14:50 You know, it can be so many different things, but I think the critical thing - just put the cherry on top - that makes it the best clients is when they really, really understand out of the gate that this is a human problem. And this isn't about like, coming in with some logistical, like, change management- Patti Dobrowolski 15:11 Org chart, org chart. Yup. Douglas Ferguson 15:12 Right. Network theory is really important, and that's one of the things we do - is we start to analyze the network. But the org chart is just one of the networks. Patti Dobrowolski 15:20 Yeah, I love that. I think, you know, for years, I would train people in change management. That's what I did, you know, but I always found that - and that's actually how I discovered Draw Your Future, because the meeting was so- They wanted me - the change management company that I worked for - they wanted me to go in with curriculum, and I knew that was never the entry point. So if I could get people to draw right at the beginning and talk about what the experience was like, everything changed right away. And they were open, and then we could figure out, okay, well, what's the solution? And should we try this, this, this - and I tried to give him like a smorgasbord of things, and let them choose. Which is really what I think, in your case, it's all about choice and accountability in the meeting itself, because you can come in with tons of solutions for people - but they're your solutions, and they're not your problems. You're not the one that's living their everyday experience. You might have a ton of people you've worked with like that in the past, but- So how do you handle the clients, or do you ever come across them that just want you to come in and fix it? Douglas Ferguson 16:25 Well, when they want us to come in and fix it, that we had to- We had to take them on that journey to a realization that it is about the people. Patti Dobrowolski 16:32 Yeah. Douglas Ferguson 16:33 -and they have to get on board with the sense of co-authorship, the stuff you talked about, you know, that we are going to be creating narratives about our future, you know, that storytelling is so important. Doing it through graphics, as well as through just oration as well can be powerful. But the point is, like, we had to do that explorative work together, and even look internally around what are the impacts, and how are people feeling, and what are the emotions about all of this? And one big one is understanding the impacts that it can have on identity, because a lot of times change can be very frightening from the sense of like, "I'm not going to be the same person I was". Patti Dobrowolski 17:15 Yeah. Douglas Ferguson 17:15 You know, that's very scary. And a lot of times people don't want to face that fear or don't want to admit it. Patti Dobrowolski 17:20 Yeah, I think this is so critical what you're talking about, because it's the scariest thing about knowing you need to shift personally when you're trying to make a change - is that yes, you will be afraid in that, and if you weren't afraid, I would be worried about you a little bit. You know what I mean? Like, then you'd be cliffdiving all the time - which some people can do it - but, if you can understand that to dive into your own psyche to see "who am I, if I'm not this", or "if I become this", then it's so helpful. Where have you had to do that in yourself? Like, did you have to do anything during COVID? Did it impact you? Did you find, you know- what happened to you in that experience? Douglas Ferguson 18:08 Yes, throughout the pandemic, we've had a few major shifts, and one of them was just the lockdown, and just a lot of the upheaval that happened when so many clients shifted to having to work from home, and just the uncertainty of all that. And from a capability standpoint, we saw this coming pretty early; and for us, the major shift was updating marketing language and just speaking to what we already knew, because at the end of the day, we were running remote workshops, because we couldn't fly into town to do a sales discovery. Patti Dobrowolski 18:48 Meetings, yeah, that's right. Douglas Ferguson 18:49 Right? And so we had programmed that stuff to be remote. And that was, you know- and so we just had to reprogram a few things, we had to like, you know, redo some assets, we had to change copy on our website - those are the main things. And then also, we had to spend time supporting our community who were all suffering, because a lot of the community didn't have experience with diverse distributed teams - they didn't have experience with technology. You know, me being a software developer, we were using neural- well, before the pandemic, we were like- I mean, I've been using Zoom since 2007, early 2007, or late 2006. And that's just how we operated, you know, and so, it wasn't that big of a jump for us, but we had to support the community through that. And so, you know, there was a lot to do. So we're busy, but it wasn't as frightening as some, you know, some people had to really, really reinvent themselves in a major, major way. I would say the thing that was the most, the biggest struggle for us to navigate was when we tragically lost our Head of Operations to domestic violence last fall - and many folks will know about this because we dedicated our conference to her this year, and we've been doing a lot of work with Safe Alliance, which is an amazing organization here in Austin, Texas. And we're about to launch - and by the time this comes out, it may already be launched or might be coming soon after - something called the Safe Pledge, that our work toward creating policies, our own internal HR policies around awareness of domestic violence, how to support discovery and conversations, what to do if we notice certain things that might be concerning, but like, should I do anything? Well, there's training for that sort of stuff. And so, socializing that and having policies around it., and then we're going to take that pledge public and try to get as many companies on board as possible- Patti Dobrowolski 20:43 Adopt it. Douglas Ferguson 20:44 - to raise these practices and adopt it. But yeah, that was- Patti Dobrowolski 20:47 Whoa, that's so intense. And so, you know, unfortunately, it's really common. Douglas Ferguson 20:54 Yes. Patti Dobrowolski 20:54 That's the thing. And sometimes you don't even know how common it is. But when it happens to someone near you, it really hits home - I will do everything I can to promote that. So you just know that - you send me that information, I'll send it to all my top clients and get them on board and get in touch with their HR, see if we can promote that. Because there are things you can do, but you need to know how to have the conversation, and how to- in such a way that the person doesn't feel shamed by it, because the shame will just drive them back. And yeah- Douglas Ferguson 20:56 You know, another thing that I learned from working with Safe so far - and I've got tons more to learn, but - the thing that really just, if we don't know anything else, the one thing we should know is, the time that people are most at risk, is when they're confronting it, just before, or just after they leave. Patti Dobrowolski 21:48 Yes. Douglas Ferguson 21:48 Because it's all about control. And so when they're about to leave, or when they've just left is when their controller is feeling the sense that they've lost control, or they're losing control - and that's when they go off the rails, and that's when really bad stuff can happen. And so, that's something to be very mindful of, and a time to bring in experts and make sure resources are available. Anyway, I think there's lots of ways we can support people that are in situations that, you know, are headed in that direction, or worse. And that's kind of where at this point, you know, having navigated this for a little while, where it's just like, how can we help others avoid similar situations. Patti Dobrowolski 22:27 Well, and so much grief around that - I can feel that, you know, just in you talking about it, and I appreciate so much that you're talking about it with the kind of care that you are, because it's really important. Especially during this time, and especially - we live in Texas, you know, you and I - so it's a bit of a different world, but honestly: if you look anywhere in the world, you'll see pieces of this everywhere, in all forms. And so, to be alert and awake to what people are experiencing, and then give a safe space for people to actually talk about what is happening and support them - I love that. I want to just circle back to what you said about the pivot during the change that you were supporting your community. So I'm assuming, you know, you do these facilitation trainings and certifications - so you send people out on their journey to become their own facilitation of design thinking and synthesis whiz, so that they can apply it to whatever they're doing, whether it's their small business they're building or whether they're internal HR or like this, correct? Douglas Ferguson 23:39 Mm hmm. Yeah. You know, in the community even goes beyond folks that have spent any money with us like, we have a free facilitation lab every Thursday. And in fact, I rarely get to facilitate anymore, the facilitation labs, because there's just so much going on with growing the business and stuff. And I'm actually going to facilitate one tomorrow, which just like will be in distant future by the time this comes out. But I'm super excited about it. And- but yeah, every week, we invite a guest facilitator to facilitate - and just hold that space and create something unique. So it's not a presentation, it's not a webinar - but it's a time to come together as facilitators, and watch a facilitator, model a facilitator and do a thing - experiment with something, have a conversation. So we do that every week, and then we have a Slack channel that we bring everyone together as well - and so there's open discussions around whatever is on people's minds, etc. We also kind of consider social media our community as well, because a lot of the people that follow us on social media - sure, there's clients, ex-clients and things and whatnot - but a lot of the folks that are going to tap in in our content and following us and in active dialogue are facilitators that are just there - kind of on that, on that journey, fellow travelers with us. Patti Dobrowolski 24:58 Yes, yes, like 17,000 of them on LinkedIn are following you. So I checked that out, I was like, yeah, way to go! And, you know, you have a beautiful- So, if anybody wants to just read anything that is been written about you and your company - you know, there's a Forbes 2020 article that came out, it's really great, you give some fantastic tips about how to do things online, most of us know some of them - but there's some things in there that I think you can always revisit and remember about creating an engagement, because an online experience, no matter what it is, should be engaging, right? From the beginning, it should be something where you feel like, "Oh, this is gonna be so cool!" right? And as we get further and further into doing more of hybrid work like this, the online experiences should be even better. That's what I, you know, want and strive for it, like, how can we make it even better that people are calling in, or people are, right there just showing up; that people are doing some theatrical presentation, and that they get a wig in a box that arrives, you know, the day before, and, you know, script that they can use or modify, right, to do some piece of it. Because I think we want to create an environment in which people are just exploding in their brain, in a good way, with new ideas. Douglas Ferguson 26:19 You know, I absolutely love that. And I always encourage people to think about, you know, can we think about how we make stuff tangible, physical, send something to someone? Or how are we designing in fun and play into these experiences? The thing I want to make sure we underscore though, is, that can be a bit frightening for folks. As far as like, if you're a designer of this thing, and you're unfamiliar with this stuff. And it's like, oh, how do I even start? What do I even do? And, I just want to say that if you're looking at it going - Well, that sounds great. But I don't even know where to begin? What do I do? This sounds like way over the top for what I'm capable of - just at least, if you do nothing else, think about the meeting equity. Patti Dobrowolski 27:03 Yeah. Douglas Ferguson 27:03 So think about everyone that's gonna show up. If you're doing a hybrid meeting, how are you making sure that the person that dials in, or the people that dial in, had the same or equal experience as someone else? You know, if someone is blind, do they have an equal experience as someone else? You know, there's an accessibility component to the invite and to the software, but there's also an accessibility component to your design, and the activities you're doing, and how you're asking people to dance. Patti Dobrowolski 27:34 Yes. And I think there's something about understanding the culture too, and really being respectful of that. So, you know, that you enter into play, I was thinking, when I was trained as a therapist, when you would do kid therapy, you knew that you hadn't firmly entered the play accurately, if the child stopped playing when you started to play with them - then you had not entered the field that way. And that is really how you think about it with clients, right? That if they stop playing, and they're frozen in fear or frozen in disbelief or whatever, then no, they're not in - and you're going to, then you have to really push the rock up the hill, Sisyphus, and hope it doesn't fall back down again. Right? So I love that. Now, when you just tell me like, what's just a day for you? What's it look like from start to finish? What do you do in the morning? How do you keep yourself centered and balanced? You know, you have a lot of people that you work with. So how do you stay in tune? Tell me, tell me those things. Douglas Ferguson 28:36 Yeah, you know, some days are different - you know, like different days have some different things scheduled on them. But everyday starts off with exercise. I kind of chuckled - I laughed as I started to say it just because I know some people like, aren't really into fad diets and things - but I've found that intermittent fasting really works well for me, so I don't eat breakfast. I exercise very hard in the mornings, either with Pilates or boxing. I'm into hitting hidden heavy bags. So sweat, and in the morning, and then I use- Patti Dobrowolski 29:07 Sweat and starvation, sweat and starvation. That's right. (laughs) Douglas Ferguson 29:12 And then you know, usually I'm starting off with some sort - I usually have some sort of something starting off the day meeting-wise - either, you know, diving in with my team or a workshop or what have you, and spend a lot of time in MURAL. I spend a lot of time in HubSpot if I'm doing sales-related stuff. So it's either kind of thinking about the operations or thinking about executing with the client. Patti Dobrowolski 29:36 And then when does your day stop, how do you end the day? Douglas Ferguson 29:40 You know, I typically work fairly late. I do take frequent breaks and my schedule's fairly fluid. I will kind of schedule around my needs or kind of take some serendipity along the way. But, generally, my evenings are filled with - you know, generally I'll break away and start like, just reading on Reddit or kind of spending a little time on TikTok - you know, my Netflix time got replaced with TikTok time - which like, I've managed to curate some really amazing creators that I think are pretty phenomenal, and they entertain me pretty well. So- Patti Dobrowolski 30:20 Oh, you should put those in your shownotes so we can- because I don't think people know how to curate on TikTok, I don't think they understand that there are some amazing people that you can follow. And to make sure that you are getting, I don't know - because it is so much fun to see what's happening now. And to watch Makers, I that's my favorite thing is to watch Makers in that space - see what they're up to, what are they creating - and then get to see the progression of something that they're building. To me it's exciting, people in a room full of people where it's chaotic, and then it becomes very expansive - you know, these things are fantastic. I'm about to go to Make48 in Wichita, so - I can't wait to go and be in that whole Maker experience. Douglas Ferguson 31:07 That's cool. I'm glad they're still doing those. Patti Dobrowolski 31:09 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that guy. He's amazing. God, I just felt like when I met him - you know, he's from New Zealand, and he's got a big sheep farm, and outside of Kansas City, and oh, like anybody from New Zealand, I'm in - you know, it's just like the most beautiful country in the world. So,anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for coming and spend time with us. Now tell us, you know, if you have any tips to give people that are listening, who are thinking they want to pivot or make change, are there anything that you would tell them to think about or do to help them? Douglas Ferguson 31:44 Yeah, I think the main thing is just to get started, you know. Like, get started, start small, just start learning - start asking questions, get curious, be creative, challenge your assumptions - you know, I assume that you've got some stuff wrong. That's about the only assumption that's valuable, right? Is that something about your worldview? Or that how you think things are gonna unfold is incorrect, and just assume that it's wrong, you know, share your thoughts. And one of the things I see when I'm mentoring startups - one of the number one things I see really common across startups that fail - are the ones that are like, really protective of their idea, and aren't willing to share the idea, or should be vulnerable about their concerns of their pains and their struggles. If you're not being transparent about those things, you're not - no one's gonna be able to help you. And unless you're just super lucky, and somehow you just like, got it all figured out - which like, I don't know, if I've ever met anyone like that - Patti Dobrowolski 32:50 No, me neither. Douglas Ferguson 32:51 Um, so, just share it out, no one's gonna steal your idea, because there's too many ideas in the world. And then just, you know, just talk to a lot of people and just try things. Patti Dobrowolski 33:02 Yeah, and ask for help. I think that's key, what you said to- Oh, my gosh, I just have enjoyed - the time just flew by with yours, like, this is crazy. So I can't wait to till we are in a face to face experience together at some point, or I'd love to have you back on the show to talk about what else is happening. So tell us a little bit about what you have on an ongoing basis, how people can connect with you. Douglas Ferguson 33:27 You know, one thing that I was gonna share at some point - but then we're just having fun with the conversation. I didn't even think to bring it up, but - was that, you know, we created this Work Now Report, it's - you know, our vision was it would be an annual report, but as we got into it, I think we might make it biannual. So we might do a Summer and a Winter, but we just launched the Winter one back in February, so Work Now 2022. And, one of the things I think's was really fascinating, is out of all the leaders that we surveyed in this research, over 75% of these leaders reported that facilitation played a major role in conducting change within their organization. So, you know, I had a hunch that it's becoming more common in the perception of, you know, valuable skills and roles within organizations - but to be over 75% was pretty shocking. So that's for all your facilitators out there is - we're on the right path, and it's been getting more and more popular. Patti Dobrowolski 34:34 That's job security. That's job security right there, I love that. Douglas Ferguson 34:38 That's right. That's right. Patti Dobrowolski 34:38 That's fantastic. So that's coming out- Douglas Ferguson 34:40 -the Work Now Report, the first one came out in February - we're gonna be releasing more of them, so check that one out, and stay tuned for more. And then we have our weekly facilitation lab. We also have, you know, regular courses and workshops that are available, and we do an annual conference for facilitators every February, so we're going to do that again here in Austin, in February of 2023. Patti Dobrowolski 35:03 Oh, that's fantastic. I can't wait for that. I love that. And I just can't wait to see what you're up to next. I'll follow in your footsteps and get my Non Obvious Guide to Draw Your Future finished, so I get it out there to people - I love that yours is out there, and I would highly encourage people to connect with him at hello@voltagecontrol.com - it's a great way to just post a question or how can you get involved because this is a community you want to be a part of in some way, and just keep up with what they're doing because it's really exciting. I'm just so happy to have met you and connected finally, and thank you so much for your time today. It was really amazing. Douglas Ferguson 35:46 Hey, thank you for having me, and Patti, I really look forward to when we do get together in person. Patti Dobrowolski 35:51 Me too. All right, see you soon. And now, everybody, you know the drill - if you like it, please repost this to all of the friends that you have - and colleagues - so they can learn more about Voltage Control, and until next time, Up Your Creative Genius - we mean it, don't we? Patti Dobrowolski 36:11 Thanks so much for listening today. Be sure to DM me on Instagram your feedback or takeaways from today's episode on Up Your Creative Genius. Then, join me next week for more rocket fuel. Remember, you are the superstar of your universe and the world needs what you have to bring - so get busy, get out and Up Your Creative Genius! And no matter where you are in the universe, here's some big love from yours truly, Patti Dobrowolski, and the Up Your Creative Genius Podcast. That's a wrap!

The ExtraCooler Show is celebrating their 50th Episode by bringing you their recap of Superstars from June 27, 1992. This episode is full of jobbers along with some promo gems from Tatanka, The Natural Disasters and Legion Of Doom! Twitter: @ExtraCoolerShow  //  IG: @ExtraCooler Join Our Discord: https://discord.gg/2De3h6NC Merch: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/extracoolershow Pod Foundation: @PodFoundation  //  https://www.linktr.ee/podfoundation

The Colorado Avalanche had three days off. The Los Angeles Kings were coming off a game the night before. All of it showed. The Avalanche looked like a well rested, ready to roll team while the Kings looked tired and slow. In the end the Avalanche found the net nine times including a hat trick from superstar Nathan MacKinnon. Cale Makar added four points of his own and Nicholas Aube-Kubel and Valeri Nichushkin each had two goals as the Avalanche took control early. But there was even more excitement off the ice as well. Joe Sakic had to part with a couple highly touted prospects at the trade deadline. He is already making the moves to fill those spots and he brought in a big one by signing University of Minnesota forward, and captain Ben Meyers. Word is just about every team in the league was in on Meyers including his hometown Minnesota Wild. In the end, he picked the Avalanche. Joe Sakic did it again. No time for the Avalanche to enjoy this too much as they turn right around and play the New Jersey Devils Thursday night, and we all know how the last game against them went. Tune in and subscribe! BetOnline BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Howard Bender and Adam Ronis discuss everything happening in the early stages of the fantasy baseball season, including hit and cold starts, injuries and micromanaging MLB managers

While things were on the steep decline in 1998 for WCW, Vince McMahon and the WWE continued to grow. Then on April 13, 1998 something happened that shook the Monday Night Wars: Raw beat Nitro in the ratings for the first time in 83 weeks. Things were never the same, again. The main reason was the angle between Stone Cold Steve Austin and McMahon. But this edition of Raw had plenty of other moments and Superstars such as DX, the Rock, The Undertaker, Kane, the New Midnight Express, Sable and plenty more. We once again revisit an historic moment in professional wrestling. You can watch along with us by going to Monday Night Raw, Season Six, Episode 15 on Peacock. Support us on Patreon, get this show early and ad free, plus TONS of BONUS content: patreon.com/WHWMonday Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/WHWMonday Check out all the new cool merchandise at BoxOfGimmicks.com Buy a shirt at LoisRules.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/whw Save thousands at Savewithconrad.com

On Episode 19 of the show that brings you terrible matches but wonderful mullers, We're on the road to SummerSlam 1992 and we see a six man tag Papa Shango, Razor Ramon, Bret Hart and Tony Roy! If you like what you hear and want to kick us a few bucks to keep this podcast thing a running visit Patreon.com/AWIPOD! Hear us on SportzWire Radio www.sportanarium.com/player Follow The Mayor and AWIPOD On Twitter! Twitter.com/Mayorofcanton Twitter.com/AWIPOD Follow us on Instagram and Twitch (We're live every Friday) Instagram.com/AWIPOD Twitch.tv/AWIPOD --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awipod/message

Listen to the latest episode of What's Wright?, where Nick reveals #49 and #50 on his list of Top 50 NBA Players of the past 50 Years: https://listen.foxaud.io/WhatsWright?sid=ftf 00:00 Which NBA superstar is under the most pressure to get out of Round 1? 11:26 Does firing Frank Vogel fix anything for the Lakers? 20:05 Broussard's MVP ballot 33:25 Will the Nets make it out of Round 1? 43:27 Report: Brady only returned to the Bucs after a plan to join the Dolphins fell through 52:50 Stories to Start Your Morning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE SPONSOR:  CHIKMEDIA CHIKMEDIA is a brand management firm started by award-winning women and they create unforgettable marketing campaigns that blend traditional marketing with truly impactful digital marketing tactics to make your stuff memorable! Their clients start out as brands and they become SUPERSTARS! Are you going to be next? Visit the website. Lisa Simone … Continued

Listen to the latest episode of the Skip Bayless Show, where Skip reveals his Mt. Rushmore of All-Time Athletes across all sports: https://listen.foxaud.io/SkipBaylessShow?sid=und 00:00 Top 5 NBA Superstars for the playoffs 19:29 Should LeBron still have any say on personnel decisions? 31:05 Should Nikola Jokić win back-to-back MVPs? 40:30 Biggest NBA disappointments (not named Lakers) 47:38 Who will be under the most pressure in the playoffs? 1:10:41 Where should LeBron want to finish his career? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the majority does long for pure success, real greatness and their place at the table of genius, they refuse to install the beliefs, run the routines, do the work and live the days that would make so much of their readily observable reality.Add to this the fact that digital media has caused our brains to resist content that takes some effort, stretches our thinking and sparks our growth so you get a GCA [Gargantuan Competitive Advantage] available to you when you go contrarian by being a deep learner.Popular culture is selling us on the virtues of easy thinking and instant gratification lifestyles. But you know there's zero gain there. The great masters all think long-term, develop rigorous patience to train daily on their skillset and move toward their most difficult projects, for there is where legendary lives......Those who will win + shine + own the game also love ideas and information that push their limits. They ache to expand. They devote to ascension. They hunger for the heroic. They want to spend the rest of their lives on pursuits that are meaningful. And of service to others. While they exploit their potential on the road to mastery.For these Members of The Top 5%......personal elevation is their oxygen....relentless optimization is their addiction....making each year x100 better is their obsession.The rare-air few who lead their fields totally get that effort breeds reward. That hard work delivers beautiful fruits. That focus + practice provide genius.Oh, and that the path to amazing is a treacherous, dangerous and painful ride. Yet, it's so worth it.To help you stay positive, productive and peaceful in volatile conditions, Robin Sharma is giving away his #1 ebook for free. Click here to download yours for free.FOLLOW ROBIN SHARMA:InstagramFacebookTwitterYouTube