The Creative Life Show

What if your moods and emotions were just signposts to how to live a fuller life? I talk to Andy Gibson, founder of Mindapples, about how looking after our minds is just as important as our bodies to lead full and creative lives - and how we can make prioritising our mental health a normal part of our routines.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Leading life coach, author and editor of one of the UK's most successful - and thought-provoking - women's magazines, Suzy Greaves shares her story of how her first book went disastrously wrong. We talk about how her inner critic scuppered what seemed the opportunity of a lifetime, and how it nearly led to her giving up writing and coaching. Suzy shares frankly and openly how she had to overcome her own demons to write her next book, as well as the practical steps she took to keep her fear and resistance under control.

We also talk about the challenges and joys of having to create new content every month for a successful magazine. Suzy shares how she takes her team to a place of vulnerability and openness to create stories that separate Psychologies from other magazines.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Leading life coach, author and editor of one of the UK's most successful - and thought-provoking - women's magazines, Suzy Greaves shares her story of how her first book went disastrously wrong. We talk about how her inner critic scuppered what seemed the opportunity of a lifetime, and how it nearly led to her giving up writing and coaching. Suzy shares frankly and openly how she had to overcome her own demons to write her next book, as well as the practical steps she took to keep her fear and resistance under control.

We also talk about the challenges and joys of having to create new content every month for a successful magazine. Suzy shares how she takes her team to a place of vulnerability and openness to create stories that separate Psychologies from other magazines.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

How's your brain doing? Today I'm talking with Neil Pavitt about how we can make the most of our grey matter to make us more creative and less stressed.

Neil's new book Brainhack is a fast, fun user's guide to the brain, and I quiz him on how we can put his tips into practice in our creative lives. Get all the details at creativelifeshow.com.

Neil spent many years as a writer and creative director in creative agencies and companies including Saatchi & Saatchi and BSkyB. We talk about how he overcame the frustrations and self-doubt that could so easily creep in. Agencies often revolve around high-powered creative relationships, but what happens when those burn out?

We also talk about the conflict between stress and creativity - and yet how we need deadlines to get things done. You'll hear how you're not nearly as objective as you think you are, and why cognitive bias is ruining your decision making.

And if you're sitting in a coffee shop, waiting for someone else to arrive, you'll hear why you should stop checking emails and start gazing out of the window instead.

If you want to use your brain even more effectively to make you the most creative and productive you can be, start here.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

How's your brain doing? Today I'm talking with Neil Pavitt about how we can make the most of our grey matter to make us more creative and less stressed.

Neil's new book Brainhack is a fast, fun user's guide to the brain, and I quiz him on how we can put his tips into practice in our creative lives. Get all the details at creativelifeshow.com.

Neil spent many years as a writer and creative director in creative agencies and companies including Saatchi & Saatchi and BSkyB. We talk about how he overcame the frustrations and self-doubt that could so easily creep in. Agencies often revolve around high-powered creative relationships, but what happens when those burn out?

We also talk about the conflict between stress and creativity - and yet how we need deadlines to get things done. You'll hear how you're not nearly as objective as you think you are, and why cognitive bias is ruining your decision making.

And if you're sitting in a coffee shop, waiting for someone else to arrive, you'll hear why you should stop checking emails and start gazing out of the window instead.

If you want to use your brain even more effectively to make you the most creative and productive you can be, start here.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Can you be creative running a 'functional' service business? Joanna Pieters talks to Emma Hammett about her journey from nurse to author, regular TV guest, columnist and founder of award-winning company First Aid for Life.

Emma shares how her first attempt at hiring went disastrously wrong when someone took all her creative ideas. We talk about how it was nearly the end of the company, but how she turned it round to make her business the success it now is.

We also discuss the importance of systems to make a creative business rock-solid. Emma shares some of the long journey to move from in-person training to creating online programmes, a move that has transformed what she can do. We talk about how she builds a team to compensate for what she describes as her natural scattiness, and the support network she has built around her.

Oh, and she tells the story of First Aid for Dogs and First Aid for the Zombie Apocalypse...

Find more details and links at creativelifeshow.com.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Can you be creative running a 'functional' service business? Joanna Pieters talks to Emma Hammett about her journey from nurse to author, regular TV guest, columnist and founder of award-winning company First Aid for Life.

Emma shares how her first attempt at hiring went disastrously wrong when someone took all her creative ideas. We talk about how it was nearly the end of the company, but how she turned it round to make her business the success it now is.

We also discuss the importance of systems to make a creative business rock-solid. Emma shares some of the long journey to move from in-person training to creating online programmes, a move that has transformed what she can do. We talk about how she builds a team to compensate for what she describes as her natural scattiness, and the support network she has built around her.

Oh, and she tells the story of First Aid for Dogs and First Aid for the Zombie Apocalypse...

Find more details and links at creativelifeshow.com.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

If you'd like to solve your problems with more creativity, curiosity and fun, my conversation with writer, speaker and educationalist Richard Gerver is for you. Download your highlights guide at creativelifeshow.com.

When you were five, you were full of creativity, fun and ideas. You were curious about everything, you took risks and didn't worry about making mistakes or being 'wrong'.

And yet, as adults, we see curiosity too often as a luxury that we don't have time or energy for. So what goes wrong?

Author and speaker Richard Gerver found fame as the head teacher responsible for turning a long-term failing primary school into an internationally innovative, successful model of education. Richard's vision for how we can reconnect with our inner child is at the heart of his third book, Simple Thinking.

Richard and I talk about the power of creating the right environment around you, and how having the right people to challenge your thinking and complement your skills can make all the difference. He shares his experience of taking over a school and a team with years of failure behind them, and how he overcame the inner battles and practical challenges of turning things round.

Grab your crayons and your sense of fun, and let's go!

Click to view: show page on Awesound

If you'd like to solve your problems with more creativity, curiosity and fun, my conversation with writer, speaker and educationalist Richard Gerver is for you. Download your highlights guide at creativelifeshow.com.

When you were five, you were full of creativity, fun and ideas. You were curious about everything, you took risks and didn't worry about making mistakes or being 'wrong'.

And yet, as adults, we see curiosity too often as a luxury that we don't have time or energy for. So what goes wrong?

Author and speaker Richard Gerver found fame as the head teacher responsible for turning a long-term failing primary school into an internationally innovative, successful model of education. Richard's vision for how we can reconnect with our inner child is at the heart of his third book, Simple Thinking.

Richard and I talk about the power of creating the right environment around you, and how having the right people to challenge your thinking and complement your skills can make all the difference. He shares his experience of taking over a school and a team with years of failure behind them, and how he overcame the inner battles and practical challenges of turning things round.

Grab your crayons and your sense of fun, and let's go!

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Nicola Peel is an environmentalist, film-maker and self-described solutionologist, based in the Amazon. She’s spent her career finding solutions to questions like: how do we get clean water when all the local water is untreatable? How do we deal with plastic rubbish, and how do we turn it onto a resource? Her projects have had an impact around the world.

What I love about Nicola’s work is how she starts at the grass-roots level, but always with a bigger vision. We talk about how it regularly brings her into conflict with collaborators who want to make quick local progress, and how she insists on prioritising long-term sustainability.

Nicola chooses to work by herself, but far from alone. She’s become a very active and powerful hub to bring together experts and local people, ideas and solutions from around the world. She shares how a chance trip to an unusually tidy village in Guatemala became the start of an eco-brick movement that’s now having an impact around the world - and how she’s moved on to an even more powerful project which turns plastic rubbish into a source of income for the poorest communities.

Nicola is deeply practical and resilient problem-solver, even when the problems seem never-ending. She shares her journey creating rainwater filtration systems, and how each stage just seemed to open up another layer of challenge.

We also talk about how to deal mentally with problems that could seem overwhelming, and where Nicola gets the inspiration and motivation that keeps her going.

This is an essential listen if you’ve got far bigger ideas than you’re currently able to make happen.

Get more information at creativelifeshow.com/012-how-have-huge-impact-working-alone-nicola-peel

Click to view: show page on Awesound