The Creative Muscle

If you want to learn to play the piano you can't just read books about it. At some point you're going to have to sit down and touch the keys. People do not change by thinking, they change by doing. John Berardi, PhD, CSCS, has devoted his entire career to helping people make positive change. He is the cofounder of Precision Nutrition, an organization that has mentored over 200,000 people worldwide in health and fitness. He joins the Creative Muscle this week to discuss the process for personal growth, barriers that keep people from change, ambivalence, goal attainment, making the implicit explicit, and how to become a better listener.

Kate Spade. Anthony Bourdain. Robin Williams. Kurt Cobain. Why have so many creative, prolific, talented artists over the years struggled with depression and mental health? How can artists and creative people confront and manage their inner turmoil in ways that help them grow, thrive, produce meaningful work and flourish? In light of recent events, the hosts sat down this week to discuss ways to move toward a safe place in confronting these struggles, listening to our bodies, facing difficult emotions, dealing with anxiety, and the importance of de-stigmatizing this very conversation in community. Take a listen to hear voices of solidarity, be encouraged, and remember to "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." -Plato

Who is the girl and who is the goat in The Girl and the Goat restaurant? On this week's special LIVE episode of the Creative Muscle, we sit down with chef and entrepreneur Stephanie Izard, the Top Chef, Iron Chef and James Beard award-winning force of nature who has stolen the hearts (and appetites) of Chicago's West Loop with nationally-celebrated restaurants The Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, and Duck Duck Goat. Take a listen to find out what Stephanie has learned about failure, delegation, protecting your creative time, and the biggest question of all: DOES she feed her toddler son duck tongue, pig face, and goat? There's only one way to find out.

James McLaughlin didn't happen upon a job posting on CareerBuilder.com or wait around for a position to open up at the coffee company he admired most. He made the first move, cold-sent an email to Intelligentsia explaining why he wanted to work for them, got hired, and eventually became the CEO. He sat down to talk with the Creative Muscle about finding a company whose mission you believe in, why prioritizing quality over quantity pays off, and how coffee is a seasonal product. Who knew? Prepare to get a caffeine buzz just by listening...

Creative people are not forged in a vacuum. All of us have been shaped by important relationships that set us on a course for the creative life or tried to steer us in another direction or maybe even some alchemy of the two. Debuting an exciting new occasional format for the show, the hosts discuss the interplay and influence of relationships on creativity from parents to significant others to friends. We all need relationships in order to thrive and be healthy, and this episode offers some tips on how to harmonize the important people in your life with your mission as a creative person.

Every day, Jonathan Neman and his friends asked themselves the same question: "What are we going to eat?" They felt limited by the options available, so they took things into their own hands and started Sweetgreen, a fast casual phenomenon that has received accolades from The Washington Post, USA Today, Food & Wine, Forbes, Bloomberg, CBS, and more. Jonathan sat down with the Creative Muscle to discuss the restaurant's humble beginnings, how to choose partners, how to not mess up what nature got right, where the most food waste happens (and what to do about it), the battle for real food and sustainability, and the key components of what they call "The Sweet Life."

Most designers go to art school. But should they go to business school instead? On the one year anniversary of the Creative Muscle we interview award-winning author Marty Neumeier, whose books Zag, The Brand Gap, and The Brand Flip have shaped the ethos of companies around the world, including our very own Low Res Studio. Take a listen to hear about the time the president of Apple hated all of Marty's design ideas, why he bought a 400 year-old stone cottage in France, how a person can go from customer of a company to CEO of that same company, and why people buy products in tribes. 

Emily Fiffer and Heather Sperling saw something missing in food culture, so they decided to roll up their sleeves and do something about it. They opened their own restaurant, Botanica, featured in Los Angeles Magazine's 10 Best New Restaurants of 2017. It’s a lush paradise of all-local vegetables, fruits and dairy, a rainbow of grains and legumes, wild Pacific seafood, and spices from around the world. Take a listen to hear their energetic stories about problem-solving, passion, attention to detail, generosity, hospitality, and health. Also - find out which of our hosts went to Botanica and ordered the entire menu! Nom nom!

Signed to a label just few weeks before her 16th birthday, iconic pop legend Amy Grant has sold 30 million albums worldwide, earned 6 Grammy Awards, 22 Dove Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Even after all that, she tells the Creative Muscle that she thinks her talents are only average. Take a listen as Amy unpacks the power of a curious mind, the interconnectedness of all things, the importance of playfulness in making art, and why you should do the thing you're most afraid of.

Have the words "connection" and "engagement" been hijacked by social media? How can we be responsible, discerning citizens of a connected world? What questions should we ask about the media we consume? For answers we turned to Alicia Haywood -- an award winning producer, writer, and speaker who has worked in the professional media industry for 23 years. She is also a media literacy educator who helps adolescents better understand their relationship with the media. She spoke to The Creative Muscle about establishing calm environments for creative work, the danger of over-producing your life, and how to identify bias in media content. Her message is more urgent, important, and needed than ever.