The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

The way I started thinking about middlemen initially was this very simple definition: the person who connects buyers and sellers in a marketplace. In my reporting I actually came across a more expansive and smarter definition. This came from a VC in the valley named Mike Maples. And he says “a middleman in a network is that node in a network that connects other nodes to increase the value of the network.” That’s looking at it from a more positive view and it’s obviously a network view. It’s really looking at the value of the person who is making those connections because not all middlemen can create value or can increase the value of the network. Even if they do they don’t necessarily help both parties enough to justify their cost. I really like that positive angle. Also, it’s so expansive that it goes beyond buyers and sellers. If I know somebody who I think you should meet, I can make that introduction. I’m a middleman who has improved the value of my network by making both people hopefully better off. – Marina KrakovskyMarina Krakovsky is a social science and business journalist with a degree from Stanford University, and author of The Middlemen Economy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In classic cult psychology or cult literature, there’s really two characteristics to a cult. First is that it’s ideologically intense and of course that can describe a lot of organizations. Everything from say something like the Landmark forum to the United States of America. We have an ideology that sits behind the organization. In order to be a part of the US government you have to adopt a certain kind of ideology. There’s this idea that we have an ideology. And cults for that reason pray on people like myself who really want to make the world a better place, want to change the world or feel dissatisfied in some way. There can be political cults. There are quite a few of those out there. There can be spiritual cults. There can be even commercial cults. Real estate is apparently a really common place right now where you find people who are learning how to flip houses and do all this stuff. And they began to develop these really intense ideology around how they approach the world and how they see the world. – Bob GowerSince 2010, Bob Gower has been a coach and consultant, helping apply agile and lean principles at companies like Ford, Travelers, SunTrust, and GE.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve become absolutely convinced, when we look at how innovation happens inside organizations or how individuals come up with interesting ideas, where such powerful insights come from the most unexpected places. And the way leaders increase the chances for those insights or innovations to happen is when they can put lots and lots of people from lots of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives together. And develop this architecture of participation where people who wouldn’t otherwise be talking or otherwise wouldn’t be on a project team, people who otherwise wouldn’t be in the same room are in fact in the same room. It’s amazing the kind of insights that can pop out. I think that way of going through life is a much more enriching and rewarding way of going through life. – Bill TaylorBill Taylor is the co-founder of Fast Company and the author of Simply Brilliant: How Great Organizations do Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In terms of of the new definition of success, at its most basic we have previously defined the American dream as one individual creating wealth. And usually we define that monetarily, for themselves and their family. So this is everything from the white picket fence and all of your needs are met within it to having a job that has a very clear trajectory, straight up the ladder, and you get all the glory and it’s all about your individual hard work and giftedness. I think that what i’m trying to argue for is breaking apart that whole idea that success is an individual pursuit and instead thinking of success as interdependent pursuit that is about the quality of life that you can create by doing work that you find meaningful that allows you to earn enough money by creating community around you, whether that’s where you live or in cowering spaces, but really having this sense that wealth is most accurately expressed through your relationships. The more people that you have deep, genuine and even daily relationships with, the safer you’ll be and probably the healthier and happier you’ll be too. – Courtney Martin Resources and Links MentionedCourtney’s TED TalkHow to be a Person in the World by Heather HavrileskyCourtney Martin is an entrepreneur, columnist at On Being and author of The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the core, any community around this world, if you do the simple things that require the human element of caring, loving and being present, it shifts the dynamic and trajectory for the lives of children. And that’s what I do for these kids, just offering hope in a state of what’s considered helpless. – Nadia LopezSponsorsHostgator hosts your website. As you have heard on the show, you can get a 30% discount on the hosting of your next creative or business project’s website hosting by clicking here.As an educator, Nadia Lopez is pioneering a path of inspired leadership to show the world how under-privileged communities can make beat the odds and create positive institutions that have a global impact.  She’s the principal of Mott Hall Bridges and the author of The Bridge to Brilliance. At the core, any community around this world, if you do the simple things that require the human element of caring, loving and being present, it shifts the dynamic and trajectory for the lives of children. And that’s what I do for these kids, just offering hope in a state of what’s considered helpless. – Nadia LopezSponsorsHostgator hosts your website. As you have heard on the show, you can get a 30% discount on the hosting of your next creative or business project’s website hosting by clicking here.As an educator, Nadia Lopez is pioneering a path of inspired leadership to show the world how under-privileged communities can make beat the odds and create positive institutions that have a global impact.  She’s the principal of Mott Hall Bridges and the author of The Bridge to Brilliance.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What causes a lot of people to quit is the first time they fail, the first time they weren’t good enough. It doesn’t matter how great of a football player you are, it doesn’t matter how strong you are. I can have you do pushups in the cold California surf until your arms give out. No matter how strong you are, eventually your arms will give out. That’s what seal training does. It pushes you past your limits. A lot of people aren’t comfortable going past their limits. They have a mindset that’ become fixed. They only like to do things that they can be good at. They tie in everything that makes them feel good about themselves by being naturally good at something or being able to do something with little to no effort. And for guys who make it through seal training ,what we feed off and what we pride ourselves on is the effort. – Eric DavisEric Davis served our country as a U.S. Navy SEAL and decorated veteran of the Global War on Terror. Eric has been recognized as one of the premier sniper instructors in the U.S. military and has served as a Master Training Specialist at the SEAL sniper school in Coronado, CA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Focus is about the ability  to attend at will. And to do so in the presence of distractors. And focus ends up becoming then a balance of continuous resources against transient resources. Transient resources, things where you’re being alerted or oriented to new stimulus in the environment and sort of vigilant as a sustained attention piece where you’re able to laser like focus and also be flexible enough to pull things out of your mind. Not stay so focused on something in front of you that you can’t think. It’s actually not just more. Performing better is not simply more attention, more focus, it’s about control over these things. – Andrew HillAndrew Hill, PhD. Dr. Hill is the Founding Director of Peak Brain Institute and the lead neurotherapist at the flagship Peak Brain Institute location in Los Angeles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If it looks good on paper and other people are impressed maybe that means it’s the right thing. And for me, one of the main lessons I learned was that you can have a job that on paper is perfect. The right company, the right title, the right salary, the right kind of influence, and prestige. Your parents are super impressed or it looks good on Linkedin. Deep down if you know that’s not the right fit for you, that’s on you. No one else is going to say something. – Smiley PoswolskyAdam Smiley Poswolsky is a millennial career expert and author of Quarterlife Breakthrough: A Career Guide for Millennials to find Meaningful Work   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anybody who has achieved in sports or in music or has traveled globally, anyone who has broken out of their social circle has realized there’s a whole big world out there. It gives you a certain amount of inner authority where you have the courage, when your social circle is dragging your down or not agreeing, it takes what I call Inner authority vs. Outer authority. Outer is authority is “what does the Bible say, what does the Quran say, what do my parents say, what does society say?” It’s always an “ism.” It’s always “I have a decision to make. Let me check with an outer authority to see what I should do” And there’s a lot of people who live that way right now. Inner authority is “I might check with an outer authority, but I’m going to make the decision myself and trust that my opinion is valuable.” – Dean KosageDean Kosage has more than 16 years of professional experience and specializes in motivational speaking and life coaching. An entrepreneur at an early age, he owned a restaurant and online retail stores with affiliates worldwide. By age 23, he gained such success that he was able to retire and focus his attention on Kosage Motivation, Inc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover the secrets to living a fulfilling life with Jonathan Fields in this enlightening episode of the Unmistakable Creative podcast titled 'How to Live a Good Life'. Jonathan Fields, a renowned entrepreneur, author, and host of The Good Life Project, shares his insights on the iterative process of growth and learning. He emphasizes that success is not the only metric but rather the lessons learned and personal growth achieved along the journey.Fields encourage listeners to answer a deeper calling within themselves, acknowledging that the path to creating something meaningful often takes years if not decades. He references the classic Ira Glass quote, highlighting that one's sense of taste develops long before the ability to produce at that level. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to understand the essence of living a good life and the importance of being open to the possibility of a long, rewarding journey.In addition to the enlightening conversation with Fields, this episode also features a guide to unlocking your mind's full potential. Learn how to build a 'second brain' with Mem.ai, a tool designed to capture, organize, and retrieve your knowledge effortlessly. Never let a good idea slip away again and supercharge your productivity. Start building your second brain today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.