We have been spoon-fed the notion that creativity is the province of genius – of those favoured, brilliant few whose moments of insight arrive in unpredictable flashes of divine inspiration.  And if we are not a genius, we might as well pack it in and give up. Either we have that gift, or we don’t.  But that simply isn’t true.  Recent research has shown that there is a predictable science behind achieving commercial success in any creative endeavour, from writing a popular novel to starting up a successful company to creating an effective marketing campaign.   

As the world’s most creative people have discovered, we are enticed by the novel and the familiar. By understanding the mechanics of what is called “the creative curve” – the point of optimal tension between the novel and the familiar – everyone can better engineer mainstream success.   

Our guest on this episode reveals the four laws of creative success and identifies the common patterns behind their achievement.

We welcome Big Data entrepreneur, CEO of Trackmaven and author of the fantastic “Creative Curve” Allen Gannett.

• On this episode we talk:
• The origin of the creativity myth
• The myth of the lightbulb moment
• The patterns behind the creative curve
• The four laws of the creative curve:
• Law of consumption
• Law of imitation
• Law of creative communities
• Law of iterations
• The social acceptance of ideas
• The significance of the mere exposure effect
• Psychological safety
• Ben and Jerry as champions of the creative curve

More about Allen Gannet here:

http://www.allen.xyz

https://trackmaven.com/

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of other men”

Albert Einstein

Dogs don’t bark at parked cars. Dogs only chase moving objects. If you aspire to invest your life in a noble goal; you will experience barking dogs. But you do not have to stop the car for them.

Drawing from a lifetime of entrepreneurial experiences and relationships with some of today’s most dynamic business leaders, founder and CEO of SCB Marketing and author of “Dogs don’t bark at parked cars”, Jeff Piersall shares core principles that are the blocking and tackling of a successful life.

We discuss:

• Tackling the Naysayers
• Overcoming Fear
• Trust
• Social Enterprise
• Medicating Entrepreneurship
• Paying it Forward
• and much more

You can find out more about Jeff here:

http://www.jeffpiersall.com/

The world is full of leaders, from newly minted entrepreneurs to highly paid CEOs. There are nearly a quarter million CEOs in America alone. But according to a Gallup report, only one in ten people possess the talent that’s required of a CEO. If 90% of people lack innate management skills, how CEOs succeed?

CEOs can build incredible cultures, grow companies, and enhance the bottom line. But without the right guidance, they can just as easily burn out, cause cultures to stagnate, and lead their organisations to ruin.

Drawing from twenty-plus years of working side by side with today’s top leaders, Leadership expert and author of Finding Time to Lead, Leslie Peters pulls back the leadership curtain to reveal the shifts, practices, and tools that move leaders past the status quo.

We explore:

• Why “having all the answers” ultimately sabotages success
• How to recognise if busy-ness is, in fact, a sign of anxiety or discomfort
• Why there’s no such thing as a perfectly crafted corporate message
• How the lack of a counter-narrative can bring a CEO down
• How to lead change in a way that brings people along
• Three great shifts as leader:
• From doing to being
• From knowing to understanding
• From reacting to responding

More about Leslie Peters here: https://www.findingtimetolead.com/

“A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

This episode aims to introduce practical instruction for mastering the Wheel of Awareness, a life-changing tool for cultivating more focus, presence, and peace in our lives.

We will explore:

• The science that underlies meditation’s effectiveness
• How to harness the power of the principle “Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows.”
• How developing a Wheel of Awareness practice to focus attention, open awareness, and cultivate kind intention can help us grow a healthier brain and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in our lives. 

Whether we have no experience with a reflective practice or are an experienced practitioner, we are going to explore this hands-on guide that will enable you to become more focused and present, as well as more energized and emotionally resilient

Our guest is the author of 4 New York Times bestsellers and I’m sure today’s book Aware will be a fifth. His books include:

• The Developing Mind
• Parenting from the Inside Out
• The Mindful Brain
• Mindsight
• The Mindful Therapist
• A Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology
• The Whole-Brain Child
• Brainstorm
• No-Drama Discipline
• Mind
• The Yes Brain

And the focus of today’s episode:

Aware The Science And Practice Of Presence—A Complete Guide To The Groundbreaking Wheel Of Awareness Meditation Practice

More about Dan Siegel here:

TEDx Prague we refer to in the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyhxXwclfNs

Wheel of Awareness

http://m.drdansiegel.com/resources/wheel_of_awareness/

“There are truths which are not for all men, nor for all times” – Voltaire

True or false? It’s rarely that simple.

This episode aims to equip us to spot misleading truths that are all around us and to communicate more effectively with friends & family.

There is more than one truth about most things. Eating meat is nutritious but it’s also damaging to the environment. The Internet disseminates knowledge but it also spreads hatred. When we communicate we naturally select the truths that are most helpful to our agenda.

We can select truths constructively to inspire organisations, encourage children, and drive progressive change. Or we can select truths that give a false impression of reality, misleading people without actually lying. Others can do the same, motivating or deceiving us with the truth. Truths are neutral but highly versatile tools that we can use for good or ill.

Today we will explore how truth is used and abused in politics, business, the media and everyday life. We will explore how a clearer understanding of truth’s many faces renders us better able to navigate our world and more influential within it.

We welcome strategic communications expert, master storyteller and author of “TRUTH How the Many Sides to Every Story Shape Our Reality”, Hector MacDonald

More about Hector here: https://www.hectormacdonald.com/about/