Unlocking Creativity And Productivity With Natalie Nixon - TWMJ #1032

41 snips

Apr 19, 2026

Natalie Nixon, creativity strategist and founder of Figure 8 Thinking, reframes productivity as Move, Think, Rest. She talks about burnout sparking a rethink of work, why busyness undermines imagination, and how AI raises the value of human creativity. Short experiments, play, culture shifts and rest are presented as tools to build creativity as a strategic capability.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Productivity Is Hiding Creative Capacity

Productivity's dominant model (speed + output) is outdated and hides creative capacity.
Natalie Nixon reframes productivity as creative capacity and previews Move Think Rest as a new operating system.

ANECDOTE

Burnout Moment That Changed Her Career

Natalie described a burnout moment at 5:15 PM walking from a photocopier where she thought I don't want to do this.
That moment pushed her to leave academia and rethink why high-achieving work left her disengaged.

INSIGHT

Busyness Not Creativity Is The Real Crisis

The crisis may be busyness rather than lack of creativity; creativity is the antidote to productivity theater.
Research: World Economic Forum ranks creativity high, yet 75% feel they aren't living up to creative potential.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Welcome to episode #1032 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

At a time when productivity is still measured in speed, output and constant motion, few voices are pushing for a more human… and ultimately more effective… way of working than Natalie Nixon. A creativity strategist, keynote speaker and founder of Figure 8 Thinking, Natalie has built her career helping leaders unlock the business value of imagination… not as a soft skill, but as a strategic capability. Her work sits at the intersection of design thinking, anthropology and business innovation, and her previous book, The Creativity Leap, positioned curiosity, empathy and intuition as essential leadership muscles. In her latest work, Move. Think. Rest. - Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship With Time, Natalie challenges the deeply embedded belief that more effort equals better results… arguing instead that we're not in a tech revolution, but a human one. She introduces the MTR framework (movement, thought and rest) as a way to rebalance how we work and live, emphasizing that creativity doesn't happen despite pauses… it depends on them. In this conversation, Natalie explores how burnout and busyness have become normalized, why organizations must move beyond outdated productivity metrics, and how leaders can cultivate environments where creativity and trust can thrive. She makes a compelling case that AI, while powerful, is not the story… it's the backdrop. The real opportunity lies in how humans choose to engage with it… whether we double down on efficiency or expand into imagination, play and connection. From rethinking workplace culture to redefining growth as a non-linear, deeply human process, this conversation is a call to redesign not just how we work… but why we work at all. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:02:21.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
Check out ThinkersOne.
Here is my conversation with Natalie Nixon.
Move. Think. Rest. - Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship With Time.
The Creativity Leap.
Figure 8 Thinking.
Sign up for Natalie's newsletter.
Follow Natalie on Instagram.
Follow Natalie on LinkedIn.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to Creativity and Productivity. (04:01) - The Crisis of Creativity and Busyness. (08:06) - Redefining Creativity in Various Professions. (11:57) - The Role of AI in Creativity. (15:52) - Human Connection in the Age of Technology. (19:51) - The Infinite Nature of Creativity. (24:14) - The Importance of Play in Work Culture. (32:35) - Cultivation 2.0: Rethinking Productivity. (34:01) - Proofs of Concept: Companies Leading the Way. (39:03) - Culture and Productivity: An Inextricable Link. (40:51) - Redesigning Work: The Need for Systemic Change. (45:51) - Navigating Liminal Spaces: Embracing Uncertainty. (50:47) - The Human Revolution: Beyond Technology. (56:07) - Rest as a Productivity Tool: A Paradigm Shift.