Now Go Create

What’s really sabotaging group brainstorms, and how can we create space for better ideas? In this episode of Now Go Create, Claire Bridges digs into why classic brainstorming often disappoints and lays out practical steps to get more from your next creative session.

This episode unpacks the default pitfalls of group ideation: lack of facilitation, untrained listening, and a tendency for ideas to circle the drain instead of sparking breakthroughs. Drawing from research, personal experience, and tried-and-tested exercises, creativity trainer Claire offers actionable alternatives and fresh thinking tools to upgrade any creative meeting.

Key Takeaways:

• Listening is the missing ingredient. Most people wait for airtime; the real magic happens when you’re willing to be changed by what you hear, not just waiting to speak.
• Group brainstorming is flawed by “collaborative fixation.” After hearing the first ideas, teams unconsciously cluster around those, limiting originality.
• Silent brainstorming works. Start every session with a few minutes of silent individual idea generation to unlock more diverse contributions and include quieter voices.
• The best ideas rarely arrive in the room. Real insights often show up unexpectedly after the session; on a walk, in the shower, or in a stray conversation.
• Bias in capturing ideas is real. Who gets heard and whose ideas make it to the whiteboard is often about volume, not value. Counter this by capturing every idea and, where possible, co-facilitating.
• Change how you listen. Bring frameworks, creative triggers, and make listening a conscious team habit. The more you notice, the stronger your ideas become.

Something to Try

In your next meeting, do two minutes of silent brainstorming before anyone shares an idea. Try “filling in the blanks” prompts (“If this goes brilliantly, what happens…?”) during group discussion. After the brainstorm, ask team members to write down the one question or open idea still on their mind, and leave it visible for the days that follow; you’ll be amazed what turns up in that quiet afterwards.

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

What do you do when you want to get more creative but there's no classroom, no team workshop, and no facilitator in sight? In this hands-on episode of Now Go Create, Claire Bridges hands you a solo toolkit to supercharge your creative thinking, just you, a notebook, and twenty minutes.

The episode was sparked by a call from an ambitious agency professional itching to sharpen her creative skills on her own terms. So Claire maps out a self-guided journey built from the exact moves, mindset, and exercises she teaches in her acclaimed Creative Ninja courses, drawing on research, real-world examples, and the anniversary of her book In Your Creative Element.

Across the episode, she walks you through five creative practices designed for immediate use on live briefs and real business challenges. Each one comes loaded with coaching questions, reflection points, and techniques you can put to work straight away, so grab a pen and follow along as you listen.

You'll discover why creativity is a muscle anyone can build, and learn how to challenge your assumptions, ask sharper questions, borrow from unexpected worlds, fuel creative incubation, and evaluate ideas without killing them too soon. With nods to thinkers like Carol Dweck, Alan Alda, and Julia Cameron, this is your invitation to turn creativity into a daily, repeatable habit.

Key Takeaways

• Creativity is a skill and a mindset, not a lottery win - swap your fixed beliefs for a growth mindset.
• Surface and challenge your hidden assumptions to unlock fresh solutions.
• Try "question storming" before you brainstorm, so you understand the real problem first.
• Steal inspiration from unrelated fields (related worlds) to break out of your rut.
• Feed your creativity with new experiences, fresh input, and deliberate incubation time; try some Julia Cameron-style ‘artist dates.
• Separate generating ideas from judging them, and give fragile ideas room to grow before you critique.
• Make creative thinking a repeatable habit; practice always beats perfection.

Something to Try

Take a real business challenge and run it through Claire's five moves: list and challenge every assumption, question storm around the problem, hunt for inspiration in a completely different field, deliberately step away to let your subconscious do the work, and only then start evaluating your ideas. Treat it like a creative workout, twenty minutes at a time and watch your confidence and creative muscle build.

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

In this toolkit episode of Now Go Create, Claire Bridges dives into the power of asking better questions at work and introduces the concept of a "question storm." Instead of jumping straight into brainstorming solutions, Claire Bridges explains how focusing on generating well-aimed questions can unlock true creative and problem-solving potential. Drawing on real-world insights and her years of experience helping teams boost creative thinking, she shares why curiosity and challenging the status quo are essential for innovation.

Claire takes inspiration from experts and researchers, offering practical steps to facilitate effective question storming solo or in groups. She touches on how assumptions can stifle creativity, using cautionary tales from companies like Nokia and Kodak. She also shares techniques from influential books such as Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow and Michael Michalko's ThinkerToys.

You’ll pick up question-based prompts to spark fresh thinking, learn why slowing down to ask the "right" questions matters, and discover creative confidence isn’t about having all the answers, but about challenging what needs to be asked.

Key Takeaways:

1. Creative progress thrives on curiosity, not certainty - be a "learn-it-all," not a "know-it-all."
2. Rushing to brainstorm solutions often means tackling the wrong problem; question storming realigns your efforts.
3. The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) sets four rules: ask as many questions as possible, don’t judge or answer yet, document questions exactly as stated, and reframe statements as questions.
4. Spotting and challenging assumptions can break automatic, potentially faulty group thinking.
5. “What if the opposite were true?” and “What would a beginner do?” are just two examples of powerful disruptive questions to use.
6. Creating a safe space for questions, no matter how obvious or ‘silly’ they seem, unlocks creative confidence and uncovers hidden insights.

Something to Try:

At your next team meeting, run a "question storm." Set a timer and challenge everyone to write down as many questions about your current challenge as possible, without answering them. Afterwards, review them for new perspectives, assumptions to challenge, and better-framed problems to solve. Notice how it shifts the group’s thinking and the quality of ideas that follow.

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

In this episode of Now Go Create, host Claire Bridges welcomes facilitator, connector, and author Jan Keck, who is on a mission to make meetings more meaningful by moving beyond cringey icebreakers. Drawing from his own experiences with the anxiety and dread of the standard “go around the room and share a fun fact” activities, Jan reveals how these methods often backfire, leaving participants feeling disconnected, anxious, or locked in competition rather than genuine connection.

Instead, he introduces us to "ice melters," a concept that reframes how we help groups bond, collaborate, and take creative risks together. Using stories from his forthcoming book Ice Melters and real-world examples, he shares practical tips for facilitators, leaders, and anyone eager to empower their team whether you’re leading an in-person workshop, training session, or Zoom call.

Key Takeaways:

• Traditional icebreakers often ask participants to take bigger risks than they’re ready for, undermining true connection
• The physical environment matters, think more “campfire” and less “boardroom” when designing group experiences
• A thoughtful, layered approach (like customising name tags) creates authentic inclusion from the moment people walk in
• Great facilitators adjust to the group’s energy and needs like a thermostat, not a fixed agenda
• Building trust is a gradual process; creative breakthroughs happen when people feel safe
• Managing your own energy and creating flexible structures is as important for facilitators as for participants.

Something to Try:

At your next meeting or workshop, replace your standard “let’s go around and introduce ourselves” with a low-risk “ice melter.” Give everyone a choice like picking a sticker for their name badge or answering a simple visual and let conversation flow naturally. Notice how this shifts the room’s energy and paves the way for deeper, more creative collaboration.

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

About Jan Keck:

Jan Keck is a trainer, facilitator and experience designer.

He is driven by a simple belief: real, deep connection beats small talk, every single time.

During the pandemic, Jan has taught thousands of trainers, facilitators and educators how to recreate the “magic” of in-person gatherings online

There’s nothing that breaks his heart more than witnessing individuals trapped in awkward icebreakers, feeling more isolated despite being in a group. This is why he is currently dedicating his time and energy into writing his first book “Ice Melters”, where he advocates ditching traditional Ice Breakers and shares his framework to increase engagement, build trust and foster deep connections - without making people cringe.

Connect with Jan:

Website: https://www.jankeck.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jankeck

YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/mrjankeck

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

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

If you’ve ever found yourself in a frustrating, awkward, or downright pointless meeting, this latest episode of the Now Go Create podcast is for you. Host Claire Bridges explores facilitation mishaps she’s encountered over her decades working as a creative director and professional workshop lead and facilitator.

Drawing from real (anonymised) stories in client brainstorms and workshops, Claire Bridges reveals why even the most seasoned facilitators still get it wrong sometimes, and what they’ve learned through every’“facilitation mess-up.’ She dives into 7 common, messy realities that can derail great ideas: unclear briefs, unspoken criteria, resistant participants, hierarchy issues, tricky personalities, and windowless rooms that kill creativity.

You’ll walk away with practical fixes, honest advice, and the confidence that if things go sideways, you’re definitely not alone.

Key Takeaways:

1. Preparation is everything. If the brief is fuzzy, your session will flounder. No amount of facilitation magic can save a dishonest or incomplete brief.
2. Agree on criteria upfront, always clarify what “good” looks like and the non-negotiables before diving into idea generation.
3. When people don’t want to be there, whether due to politics, lack of context, or simple resistance, find ways to regroup and reset the room (which can be as simple as a coffee/tea break).
4. The loudest or most senior voice shouldn’t dictate outcomes. Try silent brainstorms, the 1-2-4-all method, and clear ground rules to support psychological safety and equal participation.
5. Set and share “rules of engagement”. Use frameworks, brainstorming rules to keep sessions on-track, encourage wild ideas, and create safety for experimentation.
6. Don’t take resistance personally. Participants’ attitudes often have nothing to do with you - focus on maintaining your energy, professionalism, and supportive “scaffolding.”
7. Physical space matters, the venue, environment, and even the coffee can impact a workshop. Acknowledge discomfort, adapt on the fly, and prioritise participant wellbeing.

Something to Try:

Before your next workshop, spend extra time sharpening the brief and agreeing success criteria with the group. Make your brainstorming rules visible – print them, write them up, and refer back to them to reinforce psychological safety.

If resistance surfaces, call a break. Step away, regroup, adjust.

And if you’re stuck in a windowless room with bad coffee and low energy, let people get some air or grab a proper coffee. Ten minutes of goodwill can unlock far more creativity than forcing another half hour of effort. It could be the difference between ideas that land and ideas that never take off.

For more ideas and practical tips, follow @NowGoCreate on social media, and don’t forget to follow or subscribe for future episodes focused on unleashing creativity at work. Now go create!

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

In this toolkit episode of Now Go Create, Claire Bridges introduces the concept of the premortem, a powerful technique for anticipating project pitfalls before they derail your ideas. Drawing from her extensive experience in creative thinking and strategy development, Claire demonstrates how asking the right questions early can transform uncertainty into opportunity and help teams avoid costly missteps.

Clare shares real-world examples from organisations including Google, Stripe, Pixar, and Netflix, illustrating how pre-mortems foster honest feedback and more robust creative outcomes. You’ll learn practical steps to run your own pre-mortem, alongside insights into building resilience and healthy collaboration in creative projects.

Key Takeaways:

1. Many projects fail from overlooked risks, not the initial idea.
2. Premortems give permission to voice concerns without negativity.
3. Run premortems when ideas are solid, not in their early stages.
4. The process helps surface hidden assumptions and blind spots.
5. Use individual reflection before group discussion for unbiased input.
6. Pixar and Netflix embed radical candour and continuous feedback in their cultures.
7. Brain trusts provide expert peer feedback, helping refine ideas without hierarchy.

Something to Try:

Before your next project goes live, gather your team and run a pre-mortem. Imagine your project has failed six months down the line, and ask everyone to individually list reasons why it might have happened. Then, share and discuss the risks together, prioritise the most serious ones, and brainstorm ways to prevent them. Finish with a reflection on what you learned. This could be the critical step that takes your idea from good to great.

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

How do you turn a frustrating workshop into a creative, inclusive space where everyone feels heard without reinventing the wheel each time? In this enlightening episode of Now Go Create, host Claire Bridges sits down with Robert Cserti, co-founder of SessionLab, the go-to platform for workshop and meeting design loved by facilitators worldwide.

Claire and Robert get honest about the art and science of facilitation, what makes a meeting truly work, and why embracing both introverts and extroverts is the secret sauce to group creativity. If you ever find yourself leading meetings, brainstorming sessions, or workshops (even with a little dread), this episode is packed with practical tools, stories, and mindset shifts plus a few laughs around “the dreaded icebreaker.”

Here are this week’s highlights:

1. Robert Cserti shares the story behind creating SessionLab
2. What are the most popular workshop templates?
3. The debate around icebreakers: cringe or crucial?
4. Designing sessions for every kind of thinker
5. What to do when your agenda goes out the window
6. Incorporating movement and mental breaks: Claire’s “cloud walk” and other playful ideas to reignite energy and imagination
7. The rise of facilitation as a professional superpower
8. Behind the scenes at SessionLab
9. The challenge (and chaos) of hybrid meetings
10. Managing your energy as a facilitator.

Try this week:

Next time you plan a meeting or workshop, pick one new tool or method this episode or a simple silent reflection exercise. Notice how it pulls in different voices and improves the outcome.

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

About Robert Cserti:

I'm fascinated by the art and science of facilitation. Since taking my first facilitation training in 2009, I've been captivated by how thoughtfully designed workshops transform the way people collaborate and learn together.

This passion led me to co-found SessionLab. After years of designing and facilitating workshops myself, I grew frustrated with the lack of tools that truly supported the creative process behind effective group experiences. I wanted to create something better – not just for myself, but for all the facilitators in the field.

Today, SessionLab has grown into a platform that helps thousands of facilitators, L&D and OD professionals design thoughtful group experiences. While building our company, I continue to facilitate workshops whenever possible – these hands-on experiences keep me connected to the challenges and joys of bringing people together for meaningful collaboration.

Connect with Robert:

Website: https://www.sessionlab.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertcserti/

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

What if your best creative breakthroughs aren’t sitting on your laptop, but waiting for you outside? In this episode of the Now Go Create podcast, Claire Bridges invites you to step away from your desk and into a more embodied creative practice. Claire draws on her own experience running creative workshops, her creative director roots, and insights from psychology to explore how movement, the world around us, and even a simple walk can spark fresh ideas and deeper creative thinking.

Inspired by John Cleese’s quote, “We don’t know where we get our ideas from, but we know we don’t get them from our laptops,” Claire challenges the default habit of expecting ideas to emerge from our teams when they’re glued to screens and instead encourages everyone to embrace a Creative Safari as a way of working and generating new perspectives.

In this episode:

1. The science behind why staying glued to your screen actually blocks great ideas
2. How embodied cognition thinking with your whole body can help generate creative breakthroughs
3. Why “thought walks” and creative safaris are Claire’s go-to approach for teams and individuals to unlock new perspectives
4. Practical exercises you can try: from tuning into your senses on a walk, to noticing new things through your peripheral vision
5. How giving your mind and body space (even just 10 minutes outdoors) enriches your creative process
6. Why noticing, not forcing, is key: letting curiosity and observation lead you to new insights
7. Using themes (Claire plays with the idea of “abundance” in the podcast) to subconsciously expand what you see, notice, and connect with
8. Tools for working alone or with teams including photographing what sparks your interest during your creative safari
9. How the principles of incubation, permission, and curiosity nurture original thinking and help fight creative blocks

Try this week:

Don’t force your next idea. Instead, take Claire’s advice and go on your own creative safari, or take your team on one.

1. Leave your desk, walk with a loose prompt or question, and see what you notice.
2. When you return, ask yourself how your fresh observations might connect to your creative challenge or simply enjoy the wider perspective it brings.

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

In this short, slightly, scrappy, 10-minute bonus episode, the strategist’s strategist Julian Cole joins me again - this time for a real-time riff on how to devise a usable strategy brief… when you don’t actually have one.

Julian has worked with Uber, Apple, Facebook, Disney and more, and is known for demystifying strategy and making it accessible. In our previous full-length episode, we got so deep into strategy chat that my producer gently told me off for going way over time. So here’s the fun bit we couldn’t bear to delete.

Where to start when no usable brief exists

1. Julian shares his “brief audit” approach — the mandatories, the nice-to-knows, and how to avoid reinventing the wheel.

Live strategy development: The Dog Teeth Whitening Brief

1. Yes, really. We take a fictional vet chain launching a dog teeth-whitening service and unpack:
2. The business problem vs the consumer problem
3. How to explore audience motivations, goals and fears
4. Why aesthetics is never really about aesthetics
5. How social connection, status and even loneliness show up in strategic thinking

Inside Julian’s strategic process

1. We walk through:
2. Defining goals and problems
3. Using goal/fear dynamics to find emotional territory
4. Spotting potential insights
5. Building three “strategy napkins” — quick, rough territories you can test with clients or creatives

Why messy thinking is part of the process

1. Strategy rarely arrives fully formed. This episode shows the real-world expansion phase — the part most people never see.

If you ever need to develop a strategy without a proper brief (which, let’s be honest… is more often than we may like), this episode gives you a practical, human, and transparent look at how a top strategist begins to approach the problem.

About Claire Bridges

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 40,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Join our weekly email for free resources and worksheets to go with the podcast.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

About Julian Cole:

Julian Cole is a strategy consultant to leading brands including Uber, Apple, Facebook, and Disney.

Previously he was Head of Comms Planning at BBDO New York, where he oversaw a team of 15+ strategists who created award-winning work for Bacardi, Footlocker, Mountain Dew, GE, Snickers, M&Ms, Lowes, Interscope Records, Bombay Sapphire and the Sandy Hook Foundation.

Prior to that he was Head of Communications Planning at BBH New York, helping to launch the PlayStation 4 to be the highest selling console launch in gaming history.

With a void of practical strategy education, in 2019 Julian started the Strategy Finishing School and he has taken his world class experience and taught it to over 4,000 strategists.

Connect with Julian:

Website: https://strategyfinishingschool.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliancole/

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

What does it take to turn an idea into a brand new industry? In this lively episode of Now Go Create, host Claire Bridges sits down with Daisy Amodio, creative dynamo, founder of The Proposers, a royal wedding planner, and visionary behind 5,000 unforgettable marriage proposals.

Claire and Daisy dig into how an impromptu treasure hunt for her brother kickstarted Daisy’s journey from advertising account manager to “queen of proposals,” defying doubters, inventing her own playbook, and genuinely creating a category from scratch. If you’ve ever been told your ideas are ‘rubbish’ Daisy’s story will inspire you to trust your gut, experiment, and persist despite the naysayers.

Listen in for Daisy’s take on creating bespoke experiences for an audience of one, and turning Pinterest boards into live events, including dressing up cats and negotiating to have your face on the Eiffel Tower!

Here are the highlights:

1. Daisy turned her brother’s proposal into a creative business idea and, despite scepticism, pioneered the proposal planning industry
2. Even after surveying 500 men who dismissed her idea as “rubbish,” Daisy trusted her gut and pushed forward
3. How to get personal for an audience of one - Daisy and her team dive deep into clients’ lives, stalking Pinterest boards, social media, and more
4. Spectacular proposals: From a fake drug arrest in Barcelona to 50 cats dressed as waiters
5. Daisy and Claire discuss the unique challenges of balancing spectacular creative ideas with seamless execution
6. Daisy often says yes first taking on wild requests and figuring out solutions later
7. Dealing with burnout and Daisy’s journey to a more sustainable work-life balance.
8. Daisy urges aspiring entrepreneurs to be determined, trust themselves, and “fake it till you make it”

Try this week:

1. Got a “rubbish” idea you can’t shake? Take a small action toward it research, pitch, or share it with someone you trust.
2. Explore your creative niche: What’s your unique story, and how could you double down on it, even in the face of scepticism?

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

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

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

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

About Daisy Amodio:

Daisy Amodio is the trail-blazing Founder & CEO of The Proposers, the first-ever marriage proposal planning company, and the global pioneer of romantic event planning. Recognised as the No. 1 Proposal Planner in the World, Daisy transformed a heartfelt idea into a thriving industry, planning over 6,000 unique proposals with an unparalleled 100% “YES” success rate.

Operating from her office at the top of her game in The Shard London, Daisy leads a dedicated team of seven planners who bring the magic to life for international clients; including royalty, sports stars, actors, and many high-net-worth individuals.

Their work is celebrated across international newspaper press and radio and frequently by the BBC. Daisy is no stranger to TV either from her first Sky TV show in 2011, famously called The Proposers, to her most recent Channel 4 “Will You Marry Me” show. Daisy is a confident presenter and keynote speaker at business industry conferences and the global stage.

Connect with Daisy:

[email protected]

The Proposers https://www.theproposers.co.uk/

Will You Marry Me Channel 4 https://www.channel4.com/programmes/will-you-marry-me

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisy-amodio-9845ba48/

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