Maverick Mind

What happens when the things you've been working towards finally start happening, but you don't quite feel ready for everything that comes with them?

In this episode of Maverick Mind, we explore the relationship between nervous system capacity, creative growth and the experience of receiving more visibility, recognition and opportunity.

Inspired by last weeks conversation with Dom Morley, I look at why success can bring unexpected pressure, why we sometimes retreat when life starts getting bigger, and how we can develop the capacity to hold more of what we want.

A reflection on creative ambition, visibility, self-sabotage and expanding your capacity to experience the life you're working towards.

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Grammy-winning producer Dom Morley (Amy Winehouse, Adele, Mark Ronson) on why talent is the practice you don’t see, and the one artist who made him question that.

Dom has spent 30 years in the studio with some of the most extraordinary voices in music: Amy Winehouse on Back to Black, Mark Ronson and Amy on Valerie, Adele, Shakira, Sting and The Police, Jeff Beck, Birdy, The Verve, UB40 and more. He also has a book on creativity coming out soon. In this conversation, we get into:

• How a producer draws a performance out of an artist, and why the instrument is the human body
• The story behind Valerie
• Taste vs talent, and what Rick Rubin gets right
• Why some brilliant records never find their audience
• Discipline, daily rituals and the unglamorous work after you’ve made the thing
• How Dom’s book teaches you to trick your brain into being creative

Follow Dom on Instagram @dommorleyauthor

MAVERICK MIND is a podcast for creatives, hosted by Ellie Foden.

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What happens when the rush wears off?

As creatives, we can mistake excitement, intensity and emotional highs for passion. Then the novelty fades, the work becomes familiar, and we start wondering whether we've lost our passion or motivation.

In this episode of Maverick Mind, Ellie explores creative passion, identity and what it means to stay committed to meaningful work when the initial excitement changes. From romantic relationships to creative careers, we look at the difference between intensity and depth, and why devotion may have less to do with feeling inspired every day and more to do with staying in relationship with what matters.

If you're a creative navigating burnout, creative doubt, changing motivation or the less glamorous middle of building a creative life, this is a reflection on what it really means to keep going without forcing yourself.

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We're surrounded by advice about how to live better, work better, create better and become better. And while so much of it can be useful, what happens when we're taking in so much information that we can no longer hear our own voice?

In this episode, Ellie explores a different way of thinking about clarity — not as having everything figured out, but as developing the discernment to know what is actually true for you.

A conversation about information overload, curiosity, self-trust and the importance of returning to yourself before looking for another answer.

This episode also introduces The Anchor, a new 30-day initiation practice within Ember to cultivate that return in everyday life.

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This episode comes from EMBER, Ellie’s membership space for creative self-leadership, and introduces this month’s theme: POWER.

What does it actually look like to be the person you say you are?

We explore power not as force or confidence, but as the ability to stay rooted in who you are when the outside world hasn’t caught up yet. From comparison and external validation to waiting for permission, we look at the subtle ways we give our power away — and how we begin to build self-trust through the choices we make.

Drawing on the psychology of self-signalling and the yogic principle of Satya, this is an exploration of what it means to embody what you already know to be true.

Who do I say I am — and where am I not yet living like that person?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliefoden

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In this episode of Maverick Mind, I’m joined by Jonathan Schüßler — a wedding photographer and videographer who built his career not through a perfectly mapped-out plan, but by committing to something and figuring it out as he went.

Because at some point on a creative path, you realise…
no one’s actually going to tell you you’re ready.

Jonathan’s journey started in an unexpected way — he originally set out to buy a guitar, but left with a camera instead. Within a few months, he was shooting his first wedding, learning in real time and building from experience.

What followed wasn’t instant success, but a process of trial and error, investing in his growth, and continuing to show up — even in a highly competitive and saturated industry.

In this conversation, we explore:

• how to develop your style while you’re still learning
• dealing with self-doubt and never quite feeling satisfied with your work
• what it really takes to build a sustainable creative business
• and how to find the balance between what people need and what you want to deliver

We also talk about the shift from focusing purely on the craft, to focusing on the people you’re creating for — and how that can completely change the way you approach your work.

This is a conversation about committing to your path, taking action before you feel ready, and learning as you go.

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Web - www.jonathanschuessler.com / www.chuzlaire.com

In this episode of Maverick Mind, I’m joined by Chris Nielsen — whose path spans classical ballet, cultural communication, and now the world of therapy and past life regression.

This conversation starts with a question:

What if some of the things we struggle with don’t just come from this lifetime?

Chris’s journey began in the highly structured world of classical ballet, before reaching a point where something no longer fit — not because she didn’t love it, but because she realised she wasn’t meant to follow a path built on imitation.

From there, her path took a series of turns — through theatre, into cultural communication, including work at the Cannes Film Festival, and eventually into the world of therapy and healing.

Now, her work explores deeper layers of identity, emotional patterns, and the possibility that some of what we carry might go further back than we think.

In this conversation, we explore:

• what it feels like to be in the right world, but the wrong role
• how to navigate identity shifts and leave a path that once felt like everything
• following intuition when it doesn’t make logical sense
• and how exploring deeper patterns can shift the way we understand ourselves

Chris also shares her experience of past life regression, including what she believes to be a past life as composer Tchaikovsky, what she’s uncovered through that process and how she shared that through her book 'Being Pyotr Ilyich'.

This isn’t a conversation about what you should believe.

It’s an invitation to stay open, get curious, and explore a different perspective on identity, healing, and the stories we carry.

Take what resonates, and leave the rest.

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Find her website⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠

If you’ve ever struggled to articulate what you do, explain your work clearly, or feel truly confident in your voice — this episode is for you.

In this conversation, I’m joined by communication coach Sherry Fang, who helps creatives, founders, and experts translate their ideas into something that actually lands — whether that’s in their content, their brand, or their work.

Because the truth is, communication isn’t just about clarity.
It’s about identity.

Sherry has worked with everyone from doctors and PhDs to founders and creatives, helping them communicate their ideas, build their message, and feel more confident being seen.

She’s also the creator of Soft Power Project — a podcast and coaching practice exploring a more grounded, intentional approach to confidence and self-expression.

In this episode, we explore:

• why so many creatives struggle to express themselves clearly
• how to find your voice without losing your authenticity
• the tension between being understood and staying true to yourself
• what happens when you start putting a price on your work
• and how to move from overthinking into clarity and confidence

This is a conversation about self-expression, identity, and learning how to communicate your work in a way that actually connects.

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In this episode of Maverick Mind, I’m joined by author and illustrator Regina Linke — whose work sits at the intersection of art, storytelling, and ancient philosophy.

Regina creates in the traditional Chinese gongbi painting style — a highly detailed form of brush painting that’s been used for storytelling for thousands of years. But her path into this world wasn’t conventional. After a career in marketing and technology, she began studying this classical art form in her mid-thirties after moving to Taiwan with her family.

What followed was a creative pivot that would completely reshape her life.

After starting as an instagram account, her bestselling series The Oxherd Boy brings together influences from Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, turning complex philosophical ideas into simple, beautiful stories that both children and adults can connect with.

In this conversation, we explore:

• what it really looks like to start a creative career later in life

• the discipline of learning a traditional craft — and when to make it your own

• the balance between honouring tradition and creating something new

• how to move through the fear of sharing your work

• and why creativity often begins with following a path that doesn’t make logical sense

This is a conversation about trusting your path, embracing the long game, and allowing your work to evolve in its own way.

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Regina on Instagram ⁠⁠The Oxherd Boy | Regina Linke Art

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What happens when creativity stops being something you feel… and becomes something you just do?

In this conversation, choreographer, director and somatic practitioner Alexandra Beller joins me to explore the difference between executing the work and actually being inside the creative process.

Alexandra has spent decades working with movement — first as a professional dancer touring internationally, and later as a choreographer, teacher and somatic practitioner helping people reconnect with their bodies as a source of creativity, insight and meaning.

We talk about how many creatives are trained to prioritise external metrics — how something looks, how it’s judged, whether it’s successful — while losing touch with the internal signals that make creative work feel alive in the first place.

In this episode we explore:

• The difference between doing the movement and actually feeling it
• Why many creatives end up creating from the head instead of the body
• How productivity culture disconnects us from our natural creative rhythm
• The balance between intuition and analytical thinking in the creative process
• Why slowing down is often the key to deeper creativity and clarity

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Connect with Alexandra:

Web: https://alexandrabeller.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexandrabellerdances

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thelabanista

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8suG0TLGKqufov8IpqLrKw