Process with Marcella Chamorro: Creativity | Mindset | Mental Health

Welcome back to another episode of Process! 

This is episode #021, and it's the last episode of this year. I hope you enjoy this special episode, which is all about a topic close to my heart: women in technology.

In this episode:

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Kate Brodock is my guest on this episode #021 of Process, and this episode is all about how Kate's passion for women in entrepreneurship and technology has led her to all kinds of opportunities throughout her career.

I first met Kate at SxSW when she was working with an organization called GirlsInTech. Since then, Kate's expanded her work to other ventures and I'm excited to hear about how she's incorporating that passion into her projects.

Show notes

- Kate's personal website

- Kate on LinkedIn and Twitter

- Kate's writing on Forbes.com

- Untapt, where Kate is currently working

- Girls in Tech, the organization through which I met Kate

Thanks for listening!

Like I mentioned before, this will be the last episode of the podcast for 2015. Thanks for listening! Whether you tuned in for just this episode or many past episodes, I'm so grateful for your time, your support and your ears!

And, of course, a huge thanks to Kate for joining me on this episode #021 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode (or past episodes) of Process, I'd love if you'd take a moment to leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Review & Subscribe on iTunes →

I'll be back in the new year. I'm wishing you the happiest of holidays! :-)

xo,
Marcella

Welcome back to another episode of Process! 

Before we get to the episode, a little note...

I'm so grateful you're tuning in this week. This is episode #020, isn't that crazy? Time is flying and I'm having so much fun working on this podcast. But the best part is hearing that you all are enjoying it, too.

Thank you for hanging around and listening to our conversations. I appreciate the support and hope that these interviews help you on your creative path, too. :-)

Anyway, let's get to today's episode....

In this episode

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Victor Saad, my guest on this episode #020 of Process, is taking higher education by storm. His creative journey started when he chose to design his own 12-month Master’s program instead of applying to an existing school, wrote a book about his experiences and then created an organization that provides a similar learning experience to students every year, called Experience Institute, which is his main project nowadays. He was even named on Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work in education.

I’m excited to talk to Victor about what it’s like to disrupt (and improve) higher education and what his big goals are for the future.

During our conversation, we cover:

• How his own experiences led to his project Experience Institute
• Why he feels so passionately about higher education
• What crowdfunding has done for improving his reach
• Who he chooses to work with at EI and other projects
• How disconnecting from his work and ideas eventually helps to inspire him

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"You're running so fast, so hard all the time that if you don't just stop and look at how far you've come you don't really piece it all together or see everything you've learned or share the best things because all you're doing is just running."

Show notes

Here's everything we mention during the show:

- Victor's projects: Experience Institute / Leap Kit on Kickstarter / Twitter

- Misfit Con, where we first met

- Jason Zook on episode of #009 Process

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Victor for joining me on this episode #020 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process, I'd love if you'd take a moment to leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Review + Subscribe on iTunes →

Until next week!

xo,
Marcella

Welcome back to another episode of Process!

Let's get to it!

In this episode

Listen below or check out the episode on iTunes:

This is episode #019 of Process. And guess what? It's just me on this episode!

This is a solo episode—and a very special one—where I share a behind the scenes look at the creative process behind my upcoming book Make. I talk about:

• Choosing Amazon over Gumroad
• How I almost messed up the book's landing page
• How much I'm writing and how often
• What Resistance feels like and how I'm dealing with it
• Who I'm writing the book for—which is a bit strange, I realize
• and more...

Hope you like it! And thanks for listening, of course.

Show notes

- The landing page for my upcoming book Make

- CreateSpace: the service I used to publish a physical book on Amazon back in 2011

- Gumroad: the self-publishing service I've used in the past but won't be using ever again

- Steven Pressfield's book The War of Art which covers Resistance at length

If you enjoyed this episode and Process, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Click below:

Leave me a glowing review on iTunes Pretty Please →

By the way, next week I'll be back with a regular interview episode—and I get to talk to Victor Saad of Experience Institute! Super excited to share that with you.

Stay tuned...

xo,
Marcella

Welcome back to another episode of Process!

Let's get to it!

In this episode

Listen below or check out the episode on iTunes:

Cathryn Lavery and Allen Brouwer are my guests on this episode #018 of Process.

Cathryn and Allen are the duo behind the latest Kickstarter success the SELF Journal, a powerful yet simple daily planner to help you structure your day, enjoy life, and reach your goals quicker than you thought possible. The duo behind this project asked for $15,000 to make the SELF Journal happen … and received $322,695.

Talk about a crowdfunding success!

During our conversation, we cover:

• How they found each other online and became co-founders
• Why they chose to create a physical journal, no technology included
• The life-changing benefits of morning rituals
• What it's really like to bring a best-selling Kickstarter campaign to life
• The challenge and opportunities they're facing now
• How they collaborate living in 2 different states
• Beating Resistance when it creeps up on you
• The balance between quantity versus quality
• PS. Be sure to listen through to the end for a special downloadable gift from Allen & Cathryn. (Thanks, peeps!)

My favorite moment is when Allen shared the truth and hardest part of being an entrepreneur:

"Being an entrepreneur, there's no one looking over your shoulder or giving you deadlines to get things done. It's yourself at the end of the day pushing yourself forward."

Show notes

Here's everything we mention during the show:

- Best Self's website and the SELF Journal on Kickstarter

- The Foundation

- The 5 minute journal

- Fitbook fitness journal

- Article on SumoMe: Kickstarter Step-by-Step: Making $15,000 in 28 hours

- Clay Hebert's guide for crowdfunding

- News Feed Eradicator Chrome extension

- Steven Pressfield's book The War of Art

- Article on Cathryn's blog: How Overcoming Resistance Can Lead to a 322K Product Launch

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Allen & Cathryn for being on episode #018 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Click below:

Review & Subscribe on iTunes →

Until next week!

xo,
Marcella

image courtesy of breather.com

Welcome back to another episode of Process!

Let's get to it!

In this episode

Listen below or check out the episode on iTunes:

Julien Smith is my guest on this episode #017 of Process!

Back when I met Julien at SxSW a few years ago, he was a popular blogger and a New York Times bestselling author. Fast forward to today, and he's added a new title to his repertoire: CEO of a venture-backed startup. Today, running that startup, called Breather, is his #1 priority. Very quickly, Breather is growing its team, the cities it operates in, and the number of people that use its spaces.

But being a CEO of a startup is no easy feat. I talk to Julien about how he makes it all happen without impending doom levels of stress.

During our conversation, we cover:

• How past ventures (writing and podcasting) led him to Breather
• What being a startup CEO is really like
• Why he focuses on getting the most amazing collaborators possible
• How he integrated design from the beginning of the project
• What company he considers Breather's biggest competitor—and how he addresses that "threat"
• "Software eats the world" and how that changed his first concept of Breather
• How his disabilities force him to stay healthy
• His favorite activities for disconnecting and staying in the present moment
• What he's currently reading and writing

My favorite moment is when Julien talks about the creative rollercoaster:

"The ups are great, the downs are great, but if you manage to be somewhere in the middle, it's the most productive place to be."

Show notes

Here's everything we mention during the show:

- Julien's blog

- Breather, on-demand spaces where you can work, meet, or relax

- The Flinch, Julien's book which was edited by Seth Godin

- Two biographies of Charlie Munger, by Tren Griffin and Janet Lowe

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Julien for joining me on this episode #017 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Review & Subscribe on iTunes →

Until next week!

xo,
Marcella

Welcome back to another episode of Process!

Let's get to it!

In this episode

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Caroline Kelso is my guest on this episode #016 of Process!

Caroline started off in the advertising industry but quickly decided that wasn’t for her and eventually ended up trying her hand at freelancing and entrepreneurship. A few years down the road, Caroline’s work is helping soulful creatives become their most vibrant selves through handlettering, teaching online courses, writing and more. But this isn’t your typical “left my job, fell in love with my own work" story.

I’m going to ask Caroline about what life is like AFTER realizing you're able to make a living on your own. Caroline’s work now is well-established, so how does she keep pushing the boundaries to enable creative people like us?

During our conversation, we cover:

• Having her work support her life, instead of vice versa
• Why she transitioned to product work instead of freelancing
• How being a "deep feeler" led her to make all her difficult decisions
• How starting a blog can lead to things you never expected a few years down the road
• Retreats and personal practices she follows to channel her creativity
• Her favorite books and how they inspire her journey
• What taking ownership of her life means
• Why she's learning to protect her boundaries as an introvert
• How she powered through the lowest moment in her business

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"You ultimately are the person in control of the path your life is going to take ... Things don't happen to me, I happen to them."

Show notes

Here's everything we mention during the show:

- Caroline's projects: Made Vibrant / Lettering course / Branding course / Color Your Soul

- Caroline on social media: Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest

- Jason Zook on succeeding through struggle on episode of #009 Process

- Misfit Con, where A.J. Leon shared "This is not a practice life."

- A photo of Marcella's *NSYNC-filled room:

- Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander's book The Art of Possibility

- Elizabeth Gilbert's latest book Big Magic

- Slack community for Caroline's Self-Made Society

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Caroline for joining me on this episode #016 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Review & Subscribe on iTunes →

Until next week!

xo,
Marcella

In this episode

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Matt Wilson is my guest on this episode (#015) of Process. MI AMIGO!!!

Matt and I go way back to my early days on Twitter. After a few years of exchanging tweets, we finally met up in real life down here in Nicaragua where we hung out with my family, his customers and another blogger. Nowadays, Matt is focusing more than ever on his travel business (Under30Experiences) while always putting his wellbeing first. (He currently lives the surfer-dude life in Costa Rica!)

During our conversation, we cover:

• What spurred him to become an entrepreneur (as far back as the lemonade stand times)
• How he runs his business out of Costa Rica when his team is all in the USA
• The communities he's grown at every stage of his life, and especially now with U30X
• How he balances the fun parts of his job with the not-so-fun parts
• Why and how he is letting go of wanting more
• What he learned about himself (and his ego) through yoga

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"I detached from my business and realized it doesn't mean anything about me."

Show Notes

Here are links to everything we mention during the show:

- Matt Wilson on Twitter and Instagram

- Under30CEO and Under30Experiences

- Matt's article My Battle Banishing Stress: Why I Detached From My Business

- The book Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Review & Subscribe on iTunes →

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Matt (amigo!) for being on this episode #015 of Process.

xo,
Marcella

In this episode

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This episode of Process is a bit different. There is no guest on this episode—it's just me!

I'll be speaking mostly on creative vulnerability and its twisted sister: self-doubt.

During this episode, I cover:

• The butterflies you feel in your stomach when creating something new
• How a fear of judgement is at the root of much self-doubt
• Stories of failure from my past
• The big wins I've achieved by taking creative risks—changing lives
• "What will they think? What will they say?"
• My creative challenge for everyone listening—and for myself

A little snippet of what I shared:

"Remembering everything we're supposed to do each and every day every single moment is impossible! But you know what counts? That I try. And you know what counts even more? That I'm compassionate with myself as I try."

Show notes

Because this episode was just me, the show notes are a little shorter.

- Gary Vaynerchuk's book Crush It! that got me into blogging, and later entrepreneurship

- Join me on Instagram where I'll be posting proof that I'm creating!

- The quote I share at the end of the episode:

“Give up on yourself. Begin taking action now, while being neurotic or imperfect, or a procrastinator, or unhealthy, or lazy, or any other label by which you inaccurately describe yourself. Go ahead and be the best imperfect person you can be and get started on those things you want to accomplish before you die.” - Shoma Morita

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & Review on iTunes →

Thanks for listening! Let me know if you enjoyed this episode #014 (of just me)?

xo,
Marcella

A new week, a new episode of Process!

Are you ready?! Let's get to it...

In this episode

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Aaron Gailmor is my guest on this episode #013 of Process.

Aaron and I met our first week of college in Boston in the fall of 2004. After graduation, though, we never kept in touch ... but Facebook, of course, kept me posted on his whereabouts. That's how I found out about his new company SuperEats, and I knew I had to invite him on Process to tell his story. You can hear more about this in the episode, but I'll give you a bit of backstory: Aaron left his corporate job in New York City to start a company that makes kale and chia chips to provide healthier snack options. Brave, am I right?

During our conversation, we cover:

• The family crisis motivated him to create his company
• How he formulated the recipe for his kale chip (despite not being a chef)
• Who he chose as a cofounder and why
• How he discovered the healthy snack niche
• What he did to overcome entrepreneurship's many learning curves
• His concerns for the future of SuperEats

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"The little things are the big things happen."

I also loved this:

"Everything is stuff that you need to do, but it's all stuff you can teach yourself ... Teach yourself how to teach yourself everything and have the confidence that everything can be learned."

Are you down with healthier snack options? If I lived in the US, I'd be all over SuperEats! You can find Supereats here on their website  or on their Facebook page.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & review on iTunes →

Thanks for listening. And a huge thanks to Aaron for being on this episode #013 of Process!

xo,
Marcella

You know why I love Fri-yay?! Because it means a new episode of Process!

Are you ready?! Let's get to it...

In this episode

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James Clear is my guest on this episode (#012) of Process.

PUMPED!!!

I met James a few years back at World Domination Summit, and I'm so glad we were able to catch up again ... this time via Skype for this podcast! For those of you who haven't read his stuff yet, James is an accomplished writer who studies behavioral psychology, habit formation, and performance improvement. If you're looking for science-backed advice on habits and productivity, James is your guy!

During our conversation, we cover:

• How he lets his audience decide which topics he'll cover
• Why he wrote in private for about a year before publishing it online
• What content he decides to post on which social network
• The main driver behind his business and creativity
• How his sleep habits help his output
• The key rules for every entrepreneur
• Why he manages his energy instead of his time
• How he focuses on cutting habits out of his life

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"I manage my energy rather than my time ... You can have one hour available to to do a task but if you don't have any energy to do that task and feel exhausted then having the time doesn't really matter. Time management is overrated in that sense."

I also loved this:

"You need to have more than just your work. If you rely or pour your sense of self-worth into just one thing and that one thing happens to stagnate, then all of a sudden you're judging yourself and feeling shameful."

Show Notes

Here are links to everything we mention during the show:

- James's website, where you can find his articles and seminars

- James's article Identity-based habits: How to actually stick to your goals this year

- The book  The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

- The app Freedom for Mac to block certain websites

- The book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Curry

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Review & Subscribe on iTunes →

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to James Clear for being on this episode #012 of Process.

xo,
Marcella