All the Hats We Wear

Maggie Montville recently completed her debut novel called "The Sideshow" and she's still in high school! Hear all about her creative process for writing the book and learn the ins and outs of self-publishing using Amazon. Maggie shares her inspirations, writing habits, and the secrets to her success.

Today's outline:

(2:30) The Living Sea Wall

(5:07) Brainstorming Example: Eminem Board Game Design

(7:42) Iron Maiden Creativity

(10:43) Turn the Lights on and Watch Them Scatter

(12:09) Facade of Celebrities

(16.33) Inspiration at the Movies

(19.13) Iron Mike and His Alter-Ego

(20.00) Drawing Your Roles

(22.22) Secrets! Keeping Your Private Thoughts Private

In today's episode, you'll hear:

(0:45) When to look outside yourself to improve performance

(3:00) Voice recording app

(3:45) Routine and Countdowns

(5:00) Talk Scary to Me Podcast

(7:07) Leadership and Thin Slicing

(10:30) Lessons from the book "Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two" by Jim Koch, Founder of Sam Adams Brewery

Quintessence is the purest form of perfection. It is something that is perfect within itself and it any one thing is added or removed it is ruined.

Jerry Seinfeld is a huge inspiration for me - not just for his comedy but more so for his approach to life. Here are about some of the things I love about Jerry in today's episode.

1:20 Jerry Seinfeld and quintessence

4:40 Inspiration from a Michelin-starred restaurant

6:40 Grateful Dead at the Sphere in Las Vegas and the future of live concerts.

8:00 WNBA Badassery

10:00 Models for your roles

13:30 Role Flag

15:40 Little Shop of Horrors and great endings

17:00 Furiosa film

Marcie Brown is a life coach and professional musician. She shares many of her insights on creativity and entrepreneurship.

Outline:
2:15 Get to know Marcie

6:50 Yuself Lateef

12:20 Cirque Du Soleil

15:00 The Cello Guru

24:00 Bes improvisation lesson ever

25:20 Benefits of playing an iinstrument

27:50 Goalsetting

28:00 Thinkific

31:40 Marketing advice

35:45 Authenticity

It was a pleasure having Jovanna Mullin on my podcast. She served as section leader of the world-class drum line for the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps. We discussed leadership, positive mindset, and peak performance.

1. Break-through at a writer's club

2. Marilyn Manson and Creativity

3. Retirement Requires Purpose

Learn the creative process of the award-winning spoken word artist, Amanda Shea. Enjoy Amanda's insights on being authentic and vulnerable through art. 

Amanda Shea is a renowned spoken word and multidisciplinary artist, educator, mentor, activist, publicist, and mother. She's hosted BAMSFest and countless poetry events; she facilitates youth workshops for spoken word poetry, visual arts, and public speaking; she is a publicist for hip hop artist Brandie Blaze; she has managed and supported countless other artists in Boston. In December 2022, Shea won the inaugural category for Spoken Word Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.

Here's a counter-intuitive approach to creativity that will help you get the best ideas of your life on demand. 

Episode outline:

0:30 Let’s See the Magic: Approach to Creativity

7:45 Hovering and Self-Development

9:57 Read Newspaper

15:19 Rabbi Steve Leder

Today’s guest will help you recapture the childlike wonder you once had. 

Kevin shares how he:

* Remains inspired
* Creates a vision for a show
* Supports his cast to get their very best performances
* Refines a show
* Balances improvisational freedom with structure
* Approaches his creative process
* Facilitates actors to access their role through aspects of their identity
* Uses journaling in a very unique and powerful way

Kevin McGerigle is a director, designer and educator. He has worked on over 150 productions - this work has been viewed internationally and mentioned in Opera News, Boston Globe, Worcester Magazine, Telegram & Gazette, and many others. Kevin has worked on over 50 premier productions from off-broadway, The Farm New Works Festival, Black Lives Matter, and the Clark University New Works Festival. His work includes Plays, Opera, Ballet, Musicals, and Installation. Kevin is Professor at Clark University and Production Manager at Chamber Theatre.

Gain new insights into your own creative process and learn how to manage many projects at once in a fascinating conversation with composer, investigative reporter, and future funeral director, Amy Webb. 

Today’s fascinating guest is Arjun Khemani. He’s an unconventional high school student from India with an insatiable yearning to understand the world. He’s a blogger, podcaster, and writes a newsletter called Amazing things & Ideas. He’s passionate about psychology, creativity, philosophy, and education reform. 

Want to learn a simple productivity tool that will unleash your natural creativity, help you get more organized, and make it so nothing slips through the cracks anymore?  

Author and executive coach, Matt Spielman shares his innovative approach to living with passion. He describes his unique approach to goalsetting that may cause you to reconsider how you incorporate vision and purpose into your biggest goals. This is a fascinating interview so get out your notebook!

CEO and Head Coach, Matt Spielman, draws upon decades of senior-executive operating experience at both large, public and younger Venture Capital-backed organizations. He partners with high-performing executives and their teams to realize business and personal success. Matt is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and he graduated from the Executive Coaching program at Columbia University. Matt was named one of the leading coaches by Institutional Investor and recently appeared on Good Morning America to discuss his ACHIEVE goal setting model.

In today's episode you'll learn one of the most valuable skills you can ever learn: bringing passion to every area of your life! 

Learn 10 tips for journaling that were inspired by the intense thriller, Se7en. Grab a bowl of popcorn, dim the lights, and take out your journal for a deep dive into self-development.

Take a deep dive into being more expressive and authentic in all that you do. We'll cover peak performance, creating a role list, and how a creativity-driven approach to planning your week will unleash your authenticity.

What does it take to be a visionary? 

Which time management skill will positively affect every area of your life? Listen to today's episode to find out!

Go behind the scenes today for an exclusive look at an actual brainstorming session. Follow the wandering path of a big idea I had for my business so you can do the same! Discover how to ride the wave of your imagination and follow your inspiration wherever it decides to lead you. 

In today's episode, you'll hear how Sara Blakely built a billion dollar company from five thousand dollars cash. We'll explore thinking big, setting huge goals, and having a vision to carry you through challenges, even though, mothers may laugh at your idea. You'll hear creativity tips gleaned from the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and we'll end with a goal challenge for you that will give your life direction and momentum.   

Podcast Outline:

1:00 Sara Blakely, CEO, Spanx Goalsetting

4:26 Learn from Successes Productivity Tip

5:16 Famous Pep Talk

7:18 Elizabeth Holmes - Theranos, CEO

8:49 Willy Wonka Vision and Creativity

15:49 Roles & Goals Self-Development Challenge

Do you want to be a peak performer at work and in all the roles you play? Let's start with the fascinating quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen. He focuses on extremely detailed issues of the mechanics of his movements with his coach. He excels at distilling large amounts of information into essential shards. Josh says there are two types of players in the NFL: those who figure it out and those who get figured out. 

Journaling is one of the greatest habits you will ever have. It will supercharge your creativity, help you to slow down and reflect more, and it's a way to sharpen your leadership skills. A journal will improve your decision-making, writing, and problem solving skills.

Let's face it - if you're not planning for what you want to become, then you're planning to remain the same. We all need to assume future roles right now and begin taking daily actions towards them. When you assume future roles today, you begin to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Hear how you can take that first step towards the next chapter of your life in today's show.

Michael Woodall has extensive experience in leadership positions. You'll learn a lot from him about prioritizing your life, being an effective leader, and work life balance.

Outline:
2:10 What actions do you take on a daily and weekly basis to stay on track?

5:20 As you know, there is a huge challenge with the possibility of 24/7 connections to work due to technology. How do you turn it off?

8:25 Do you have any advice for someone who works for a micro-manager?

9:55 You’ve been passionately involved with the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps youth non-profit organization for over 30 years. You’ve played the role of member, instructor, and currently serve on the board. How has that experience enriched your life?

15:40 How have you taught your kids to prioritize?

18:15 How do you keep your children on track if they make decisions you don't agree with?

20:25 Lastly, what advice would you give to a professional just starting his/her career in terms of productivity?

21:40 Would you describe the life grid form you use to prioritize time in your life?

Michael Woodall is Chief of Operations and President of Investor Services for Putnam Investments where he is responsible for Investor Services, Accounting, Middle Office and Control Services, Fund Administration, and Investment Operations. A 28-year financial services industry veteran, Michael also held senior management positions at First Data Corporation, Allmerica Financial & Fidelity Investments. Michael has been deeply involved with the Boston Crusaders for over 30 years. He has served on the Board of Directors for more than 20 years and is on the Executive Committee. He was a member, previously served as head of the visual program, staff coordinator, and on the management team. He is a member of the Crusaders Hall of Fame as well as the Massachusetts Drum Corps and Music Educators Hall of Fame.

0:58 Start with Why

3:35 My book 

4:58 Eagle's View

9:34 Michaela Cole Advice

13:00 Just-for-Fun Goals

14:30 Productivity Tip: Capture Notebook

16:52 Roles & Goals Coaching Offer

0:55 Leap of Faith

7:39 Amanda Seales and Vision

10:46 Knot-tying Hobby 

13:21 Color Words in the News

15:20 Janis Joplin vs. Billie Eilish

18:13 Count Me In Drumming Documentary

21:40 Free Coaching Offer

0:58 Better than To-Do Lists

9:12 Bill Belichik’s Preparation

13:42 Captain Kirk & Deep Thinking

17.45 Blog vs. Journal

22.33 Goals & Streaks from the Twilight Zone

25.30 Level Five Leadership

29.05 Roles & Goals Coaching Offer

1:00 Transition from All the Hats We Wear to Think Like a Musician

1:40 Henry David Thoreau quote

2.00 Audio journal

3:10 David Lynch's analogy for transcendental meditation

4:00 Life as a masterpiece

5:20 Dr. Yusef Lateef

7:00 Professor Lew Spratlan

Learn all about setting up the SEO (search engine optimization) for your social media! As busy entrepreneurs, we wear many hats - so get better at all of your business hats. Alex shares his wealth of experience for SEO and digital marketing. He covers the biggest mistakes small business owners make with SEO, tips for keywords, blogging, videos, TikTok, Youtube, Instagram, and valuable techniques for widening your net so you can build your business and serve more customers! Get out your notebook.