Rebel, Reject, Create

Cyriel Kortleven is a keynote speaker and long-time trainer in creativity, innovation, and—more recently—change mindset. In this conversation , Cyriel explains why people resist change (fear, control, cognitive overload), how modern media amplifies that resistance, and what leaders can do instead: notice “idea killers” like yes, but…, deliberately widen perspective, and run small, safe experiments that build momentum. The episode connects change to creativity and innovation, and argues that action—not perfect plans—is the real gateway to progress.Find Cyriel online:https://www.cyrielkortleven.com/More on David Chislett:https://davidchislett.com

In this episode of Rebel Reject Create, I speak with Sofie Marin, founder and CEO of Arts Dynamics in Stockholm, about why creativity matters now more than ever. Together we explore creativity as a source of agency, resilience, and human meaning in a world shaped by crisis, distraction, and rapid technological change. Sofie argues that while organisations often say they want innovation, they frequently struggle to make room for the people who actually think differently. The conversation moves from cultural stereotypes about creatives, to intentionality, leadership, embodiment, and the importance of grounding yourself physically in order to stay imaginative and effective. It is a thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion about what it means to remain human, creative, and purposeful in unstable times.Find Sofie Online:LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiemarin/Arts Dynamics:https://www.artsdynamics.com/ More about David Chislett:https://davidchislett.com

My guest this episode is Joshua Baumgarten — American-born, Dutch-based poet, performer, musician, and founder of The Irrational Library, a long-running Haarlem creative project that’s been a shop, a stage, a band, and a platform for other misfits. He’s played in bands, released albums, hosted spoken-word nights, and given countless artists a first stage.We talk about creativity as a lived practice, not a brand. Joshua explains why he makes work first for himself, why the cult of celebrity actually scares people away from expressing themselves, and why DIY publishing and small gigs still matter. He shares how he built community around poetry and music in Haarlem, why he doesn’t chase social-media vanity metrics, and why one honest reaction from the right person can power you through months of silence. It’s a love letter to people who create because they can’t not.Check out Joshua's work here:Audio | The Irrational Libraryhttps://theirrationallibrary.bandcamp.com/https://open.spotify.com/artist/0X3j5iteqa7amL7MDcGawb?si=IgRw6cYuRhmJrMt1eyVZ3gInstagram Irrational Libraryhttps://www.instagram.com/theirrationallibraryband/Instagram Joshuahttps://www.instagram.com/joshuabaumgarten/More about David Chislett:https://davidchislett.com

My guest today is Dr. Myriam Hadnes — a Amsterdam-based facilitator, podcaster, and “facilitation evangelist” on a mission to make the world more collaborative. She hosts the workshops.work podcast, designs and leads workshops around psychological safety, feedback culture and collaboration, and champions what she calls “unprofessionalism” at work — dropping the mask so humans can actually work together.In this episode:Myriam and I explore facilitation as a creative act: prepared yet improvisational, grounded yet open to the unknown. We dig into psychological safety, not as a buzzword, but as the practical ability for people (including the facilitator) to admit “I don’t know” without going into defence mode. Myriam explains why creativity collapses when our nervous systems are in survival mode, and why nervous system regulation might be the critical skill for today’s workplaces. She challenges common facilitation myths about “bad ideas,” reframes them as prompt and safety issues, and shares simple practices — breathing, stretching, slowing down — that open the door to real collaboration. The conversation ends with her call for “unprofessionalism”: showing what’s behind the professional mask so we can see, and use, each other’s complementary talents.Find Myriam Online:https://www.linkedin.com/in/myriam-hadneshttps://www.youtube.com/c/workshopsworkhttps://www.instagram.com/myriamhadnes/https://substack.com/@myriamhadnes

In this episode my guest is Claudia Thompson — leadership coach and author helping small and mid-sized business owners get out of firefighting and back to purpose. In our conversation, Claudia reframes creativity as everyday problem-solving, shows how to dismantle assumptions, and uses group workshops (with “no stupid ideas”) to grant permission and surface honest insights. We talk reverse brainstorming, the cost of zombie processes, how AI/delegation can return focus, and why many leaders don’t get what they want—because they haven’t decided what they want.Find out more about Claudia here:www.linkedin.com/in/claudiadthompsonwww.instagram.com/claudiadthompsonwww.thebusinessfabrik.comFind out more about David Chislett here:https://davidchislett.com

My guest this episode is Anton Marshall, a Cape Town–based creator, musician, presenter, and all-round maverick. Anton has spent decades on stages and in studios, crafting music, hosting shows, and building projects that put joy and honesty front-and-center. In this episode, he argues that creativity is a daily rebellion against the status quo, unpacks why fear (not effort) blocks opportunities, and shares a practical formula: align your earning with your energy through incremental, compounding action. We get into the NASA “creative genius” drop-off, why school trains shame around being wrong, how to use AI to bolster—not replace—your ideas.There's also a story of shrinking a 5-piece band into a nimble trio to ship a new live show in weeks. The closer? Stop saying “no time”—make a choice and do the next small thing.To find out more about Anton:https://antonmarshall.co.zaTo find out more about David Chislett:https://davidchislett.com

My guest this episode is Hanne Kristiansen — a people-obsessed corporate innovator; ex-Head of Innovation for Kellogg Europe (London, New York, Dublin.She is also the founder of Creative ID, a research-backed framework (with University of Sheffield, since 2008) that maps how creativity actually shows up at work.In this episode: Hanne reframes “rebellion” for big organizations, replacing noisy disruption with stealth reframing that gets traction. She introduces Creative ID and its five styles—Stimulating, Spotting, Sculpting, Selecting, Supporting—showing how generative and enabling creativity combine to move ideas from abstract to adopted. We unpack creative intelligence (preferences over personality), why this matters for burnout and performance, and how each style partners with AI without outsourcing human judgment.Find out more about Hanne here:https://www.wearecreativecreatures.com/And about Creative ID here:https://www.yourcreativeid.com/And find out more about me, David Chislett, here:https://davidchislett.com/

This episode's guest, Arne van Oosterom is the founder of Future Skills Academy, renowned design thinker and facilitator. A self-described school dropout with dyslexia who never stopped learning, Arne has worked across art, music, theatre, design, and strategy. He sees creativity not as a personality type but as a supported behavior. In this conversation, Arne unpacks how psychological safety enables curiosity and experimentation; why labels (designer, artist, engineer) limit our potential; and how humanity cycles from chaos to order and back. He challenges today’s AI panic, arguing the real risk is platform power concentration — and predicts a shift toward smaller, ecosystem-based communities. The episode lands on radical listening: we won’t share the same experience, but we can start from a respectful “movable middle” to build together.Find out more about Arne's work here:https://futureskills.academyFind out more about David chislett here:https://davidchislett.com

We don’t have a creativity problem at work.
We have a compliance problem.

In this episode of Rebel, Reject, Create, creativity trainer and ex-PR creative director Claire Bridges (Now Go Create) drops some uncomfortable truths:

Her invitation:
Stop waiting for permission or “purpose”.
Start asking: What do I actually want?
Then decide what you’ll stop, start, and continue to getthere.

Maybe the real rebellion isn’t wild ideas in the brainstorm.
It’s refusing to live your working life on autopilot.

Find out more about Claire Bridges here:https://www.nowgocreate.co.ukFind out more about David Chislett here:htpps://davidchislett.com

In this episode of Rebel, Reject, Create, we explore how creativity actually emerges between people: through psychosocial safety, visible listening, and experiential practice. My guest, Simo Routarinne is an interaction designer and culture shaper, contrasts individual vs. team creativity (“cathedrals” vs. blocks), shows why culture is behavior (not slogans), and shares practical micro-moves (nodding, appreciative tokens, “first idea” drills) that spread viral change. Expect improv wisdom, habit design you can use in your next meeting, and a liberating reframe: stop trying to be original—be obvious (to you), together.Find out more about Simo here:https://www.proimpro.fi/Find out more about David Chislett here:https://davidchislett.com