Wake Up Excited!
Brad Frost
Inspiring conversations with exuberant humans about how to live a creative, fulfilling, and authentic life. Hosted by enthusiasm enthusiast, Brad Frost.
We experience a brief moment of truth when we first wake up in the morning. Before the cold shower of reality, our infinite to-do lists, and macro-level woes seize our consciousness. We experience a brief moment of excitement — and this pure moment tells us something important about ourselves.
There are people out there who seem to move through life with intention, authenticity, creativity, kindness, and enthusiasm. And they do this despite the deeply inperfect world we inhabit. This podcast is an attempt to learn from these people.
Through wide-ranging conversations, Wake Up Excited explores guests' passions, interests, enthusiasms, and philosophy of life.
We experience a brief moment of truth when we first wake up in the morning. Before the cold shower of reality, our infinite to-do lists, and macro-level woes seize our consciousness. We experience a brief moment of excitement — and this pure moment tells us something important about ourselves.
There are people out there who seem to move through life with intention, authenticity, creativity, kindness, and enthusiasm. And they do this despite the deeply inperfect world we inhabit. This podcast is an attempt to learn from these people.
Through wide-ranging conversations, Wake Up Excited explores guests' passions, interests, enthusiasms, and philosophy of life.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 16, 2025 • 1h 19min
Exploring Life's Design with Aarron Walter
Aarron Walter, co-host of the Design Better and Reconsidering podcasts and author of 'Designing for Emotion,' shares his insights on creativity and personal growth. He discusses the philosophy of 'super activities' that fulfill multiple needs and emphasizes curiosity as a key to creative reinvention. Aarron delves into money as a tool for freedom and aligning spending with personal values. He advocates for living an examined life, reflecting on how seasons of life influence priorities, and encourages continual learning and presence in everyday moments.
Jul 16, 2025 • 1h 14min
Restoring Cast Iron as a Pathway to Creativity with Denise Jacobs
Brad talks with author Denise Jacobs. Denise shares her insights on restoring cast iron, building connections between past and present passions, and navigating today's challenging environment. They also delve into the importance of empowerment through creativity and highlight Denise's incredible backyard garden as a sanctuary. Additionally, Denise discusses her journey in teaching and her philosophy of sharing knowledge.Topics discussed:(00:00) - Introduction
(00:12) - Meet Denise Jacobs: Creativity Evangelist
(01:25) - Restoring Cast Iron: A New Passion
(03:05) - The Process of Cast Iron Restoration
(07:02) - Connecting Past and Present Passions
(08:17) - Empowerment Through Creativity
(12:59) - The Importance of Curiosity and Learning
(21:48) - Teaching and Sharing Knowledge
(29:38) - The Journey of Overcoming Inner Critic
(31:21) - Creativity, Community, and Collaboration
(35:28) - Starting Out: Teaching Soap Making
(35:47) - Starting the Soap Making Class
(36:38) - The Popularity of Soap Making Classes
(37:02) - The Popularity of the Class
(38:05) - The Joy of Teaching and Speaking
(40:21) - Embracing Vulnerability and Curiosity
(42:22) - Recognizing Opportunities and Serendipity
(46:51) - Creating Safe Spaces and Community
(53:18) - Transforming Spaces: The Edible Food Forest
(56:32) - Upcycling and Creative Constraints
(01:04:38) - Empowerment Through Creativity
(01:10:02) - Music That Inspires: Moon Child
(01:11:43) - Where to Find Denise Jacobs
Links Mentioned:Banish Your Inner Critic (Book by Denise Jacobs)The CSS Detective Guide (Book by Denise Jacobs)Denise Jacobs' WebsiteBrad Frost's Online CoursesLinkedIn Learning Courses by Denise JacobsCast Iron Chris (Instagram)Josh Shapiro (YouTube/Instagram, Cast Iron Restoration)Moonchild (Band)Albums mentioned: Little Ghost, Voyager, Please Rewind, and their first albumOfferUp (Upcycling Materials)South by Southwest (SXSW)LinkedInInstagram (Denise Jacobs)Facebook (Denise Jacobs)
Jul 15, 2025 • 2min
Introducing Wake Up Excited!
Hosted by enthusiasm enthusiast, Brad Frost, welcome to Wake Up Excited!I believe that we experience this brief moment of truth in the morning when we first wake up before our calendars, our responsibilities, and the often depressing state of the world takes over and steals our attention away. We have this very brief window of time where we're excited about getting into something and I think that this actually tells us a lot about ourselves and how we should be spending our finite time on earth.I feel that we all have the capacity to wake up excited and to cultivate that enthusiasm in order to live better lives.
