Getting Work To Work

Last week on Getting Work To Work, I shared about the book I've been writing and read from a chapter about silence. I received a positive response, which encouraged me to continue sharing. So this week, I'm moving to the next section of the book, which is about close relationships. The chapter I'll be sharing is about human evolution, the changes we go through, and our expectations of others to never change. But before I do that, I want to let anyone listening know this: your art, your words, and your lives are important, so never stop sharing them with your loved ones.

What would you discover about yourself if you reexamined a significant portion of your career? Today's guest on Getting Work To Work recently collected and edited 25 years of essays into a collection called Who Hears Here?: On Black Music, Pasts and Present. Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. has many talents and interests: a musiqologist, professor, writer, pianist, composer, producer, podcaster, and filmmaker. In our conversation, he shares lessons learned from examining his past and how he continually weaves between interests and ideas. Guthrie talks a lot about collaboration and being open to others, the cycle of dream-plan-execute in creating new things, and how he is in constant dialogue between what he's collected and what he's experiencing now.

On November 1st, 2021, I embarked on the journey of writing my first book. My process was simple: I wrote every day by hand in a notebook. Little by little, I captured my thoughts until I completed the first draft over a month later, on December 5th, 2021. I then started transcribing the words into Scrivener, and over the next month, the book started taking shape. Another month went by—a little bit of editing happened—but I slowed down. Then eventually, I stopped. Why was I so willing to write ferociously in the beginning? Why was I not afraid of the blank page but frightened of finishing? I got in my head. I let fear stop my progress. And I became yet another person to start a book and never finish it until a friend challenged me.

How do you embrace change, not only for yourself but also for your team and your clients? Today's guest not only thrives with change but believes it is essential for the long-term success of life and business. Patti Julber is the owner of Complements Home Interiors in Bend, OR, not to mention a designer, contractor, coach, and board member of BendFilm. In this conversation, we talk a lot about change, learning new things, and the role of failure in business. She also shares what she learns from others as a coach and the value of nurturing a creative community. If you are struggling with change, I think you'll find a way forward in this conversation with Patti.

You ever have one of those moments when you knew you made the right decision, but then the outcome didn't reveal itself when you wanted it to? Did I make the right decision? Is the presence of doubt a sign that I should make changes to my plan? Should I have stayed? When doubt takes over, managing all the questions in your mind and conversations with trusted advisors can be exhausting. Today on Getting Work To Work, I'm getting curious about doubt and its relationship to impatience, fear, and the creative process. We all feel it, sometimes change our minds because of it, and mostly view doubt as a negative experience. But what if doubt is actually a positive indicator of something else? That you are right where you need to be on your creative journey.

What amends do you need to make for your past creative sins? How can you forgive yourself for the past creative mistakes you've made? Two deep questions from my conversation with Gary Rogowski—furniture maker, podcaster, author, and teacher. In this conversation, Gary shares stories that inspire his latest podcast project, Creativity: Hustlers, Fakers, and Thieves. Additionally, we discuss the creative process from different angles: forgiveness and humility. It was an enriching conversation to have and to return to in the editing process. I hope you'll learn much from it as you continue your creative journey.

Not too many people can draw out my silly side like gough of BeernutsProductions.com can. Back for his 15th appearance on the show to promote his 27th film, gough shares several behind-the-scenes stories about his latest film Couples Therapy. From buying provocative costumes and respecting actors to on-set hilarity and shenanigans, gough, as always, brings his wisdom as an independent filmmaker to the show. He even takes a few moments to be serious as he talks about maintaining confidence as an artist, taking risks, handling criticism, and how to live a creative life.

I always love conversations where I can throw away my list of questions and listen deeply. Lydia Lee is a Work Reinvention Strategist who is curious about how work can work for you. In this conversation, she shares her journey from breakdown to breakthrough and how she created a life that she is proud of and impactful for others. She talks about the role of disruption in her schedule, why moving to another country forced her out of her comfort zone, why you need the right people in your life to tell your dreams to, and why you don't need to make massive moves but can make change a project. Grab your notebook because Lydia brings all her wisdom to Getting Work To Work.

Today on the podcast, I want to talk about something important to every business: metrics. Specifically, the metrics, numbers, data, whatever you call it, that you chart to give you a glimpse of your business reality. When you work for a giant corporation, there is a wealth of data and statistics at your disposal. When you are a business of one, you still have a lot of metrics available to you, but which ones really matter? It can be hard to say—and depending on who you listen to—you might just pick the wrong one. In today's episode of Getting Work To Work, I'm exploring a new way to approach metrics as I rebuild my business.

What do you see when you stop and examine your life and career? Do you recognize a need to shift and actually change? Or do you stay for a myriad of reasons? Jennie Blumenthal is the author, speaker, and executive coach of Corporate Rehab and helps people detox from hustle culture to find purposeful work. In this conversation, Jennie shares her story of leaving a 20-year career in corporate America during The Great Resignation. She talks about her REHAB framework, what keeps people from moving forward and changing, how to pay attention to significant wake-up calls, and leading at a higher level without losing yourself. Whether you work at a corporate job or for yourself, there is a lot to learn in this conversation about bringing purposeful work into focus.