The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity

Ben Thoma and Brian Thompson are the Co-Founders of Creative Mornings Austin, a local chapter of Creative Mornings, a monthly creative gathering in cities around the world. Described as “church for creatives,” Creative Mornings includes coffee and breakfast, a musical guest, and a presentation by a member of the local community, in a different location each month. The mantra of Creative Mornings Austin is “Everyone is creative, and everyone is welcome.” Our conversation explores the nature of creativity, the importance of creative community, the notion of “genius,” and tips for sparking your own creativity. 

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, try giving yourself a creative prompt, along the lines of an advertising brief, with specific constraints. It’s hard to stare at a blank page or a blank canvas, so give yourself some parameters, a “box” to start within and work your way out from. For examples, you can find many prompts in our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 10: Imagination and Creativity with Psychologist and Creativity Coach Dr. Diana Rivera, Episode 17: Creative Collaboration with Syncreate Podcast Producer Mike Osborne, and Episode 28: The Spirit of Collaboration with Attorney & Musician Randy Langford.. 

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so if you have an idea for a project or a new venture, please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in July. You can find more information on our website, syncreate.org, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube @ Syncreate, and we’re now on Patreon as well. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Creative Mornings Global

Creative Mornings Austin

Elizabeth Gilbert on Genius

Austin Kleon - Author of Steal Like an Artist + Show Your Work

Ben Thoma on LinkedIn

Brian Thomas’ Website - brandwriter.com

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda and Charlotte describe the process of iteration, where we revise, refine, rehearse, and otherwise fine-tune and polish up our creative work to bring it to completion. Sometimes iteration requires radical cutting, editing, and reworking. We liken this process to pruning, which actually allows a tree or bush to grow and thrive more fully. It can be painful, but it’s often necessary to bring a piece of work to its final form. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, includes insights and prompts from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, take a piece of your creative work that’s in progress, and try editing it, radically re-working it, or starting it over in a completely new way. How might you tell the story differently? What needs cutting? What if you changed the tempo of the song? Notice how the project evolves as a result of this iteration. 

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 7: The Syncreate Story, Episode 20: The Syncreate Model of Play, Plan & Produce, Episode 22: Creative Play, Episode 24: Creative Planning, and Episode 26: Produce!. 

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so if you have an idea for a project or a new venture, please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in July. You can find more information on our website, syncreate.org, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram & TikTok under Syncreate, and we’re now on Patreon as well. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Author: Katherine Anne Porter

Syncreate Podcast Episode 14: Anatomy of a Song with Singer/Songwriter George McCormack

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

How do we move from healing to wholeness in body, mind, and spirit? How can we communicate and create from a place of deep integrity? We explore these questions with podcaster, workshop facilitator & former NFL player Eben Britton. After 7 years in the NFL, Eben has embarked on a journey of healing and wellness, which he shares via his podcast, workshops, and retreats. His work includes restorative practices such as yoga, meditation, and breath work, as well as practices to enhance communication, relationships, and authenticity. We discuss Eben’s journey from healing to wholeness, as well as the psychology of wellness, intuition, and individuation. 

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to take some time for retreat, whatever that means for you, in order to rest and rejuvenate. That could mean signing up for a formal retreat, or simply taking some time off the busyness of life to rest and refocus on what’s really important.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 2: Embodiment and Creativity with Thais Bicalho Silva, Episode 4: Stewarding Change with Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer Reem Khashou & Episode 15: Leadership, Burnout & Personal Sustainability with Dr. Katherine Semler. 

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in April. You can find more information on our website, syncreate.org, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Eben’s Website

Eben’s Instagram

The Eben Flow Podcast

Heal & Flow Event March 23-24 in Wimberley, TX

Book: The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida

Book: Iron John by Robert Bly

Book: Wild at Heart by John & Stasi Eldridge

Dave Meltzer

Book: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate YouTube

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Melinda Rothouse Website

Collaboration is vital for getting things done, for innovation, and for solving complex problems. But do we really understand collaboration, and what distinguishes it from coordination, cooperation, and even teamwork? According to our current guest, Randy Langford, collaboration involves people in community using communication to express their needs, and offer resources to support one another, for a common purpose. It’s basically the opposite of competition.

Randy is an Austin-based attorney, professor, and musician with a focus on collaboration and restorative justice. He worked as a criminal defense attorney before turning his attention to more collaborative legal practices. We discuss his journey from the ranches of southeast Texas, through law school and the criminal justice system, to championing collaboration through his law practice and teaching. Randy is also a prolific singer-songwriter, and he and Melinda have recently been collaborating on music and performance. We discuss our musical collaboration and share a couple of songs from our current collaborative show, Colors of Love.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, reflect on how you collaborate in your creative, professional, and personal life. Try embracing the spirit of collaboration in asking for what you need, sharing resources, and supporting your collaborators toward a common purpose.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 9: Music and Psychology: "The Pocket" Experience with Dr. Jeff Mims, Episode 11: Leadership, Values, and Criminal Justice Reform with Attorney Dylan Hayre, Episode 14: Anatomy of a Song with Singer/Songwriter George McCormack, and Episode 17: Creative Collaboration with Syncreate Podcast Producer Mike Osborne. 

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so if you have an idea for a project or a new venture, please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in April. You can find more information on our website, syncreate.org, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and Patreon. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Randy Langford’s Law Website

Restorative Justice

Shamanacana, Randy’s Music Site

Randy’s YouTube Channel, including full videos of the songs from this Episode

Melinda Joy Music Website

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda and Charlotte describe the final phase of the creative process: Produce. In this phase, according to our Syncreate model, we move toward completion of our creative work. This is where we refine, iterate, polish, get feedback, and ultimately share our creative efforts with the world. It’s also where we celebrate and give back to our creative communities. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, includes insights and prompts from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to recognize how far you’ve traveled already on your creative journey, and to celebrate your milestones, along with your accomplishments. We also emphasize the importance of recognizing, celebrating, and empowering your creative community. 

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 7: The Syncreate Story, Episode 20: The Syncreate Model of Play, Plan & Produce, Episode 22: Creative Play, and Episode 24: Creative Planning. 

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so if you have an idea for a project or a new venture, please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in April. You can find more information on our website, syncreate.org, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram & TikTok under Syncreate, and we’re now on Patreon as well. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Syncreate Podcast Episode 14: Anatomy of a Song with Singer/Songwriter George McCormack

Syncreate Podcast Episode 17: Creative Collaboration - The Joy and The Pain with Syncreate Podcast Producer Mike Osborne

Book: Swim Home ot the Vanished by Brendan Shay Basham

Book: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Song: Fuel by Black Thought

Artist Ernie Barnes

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncrea

What distinguishes creativity from other modes of thinking and being? How do we understand creativity from a neuroscientific perspective, and how do psychedelics affect creativity? We explore these questions with Bradley Cooke, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and Program Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Cooke oversees the nation's portfolio of research into the neurobiology of obesity and diabetes. He’s also a visual artist with an interest in psychedelics research. We explore how creativity lives on a spectrum between order and chaos, between predictability and surprise, as exemplified by the Italian term sprezzatura, a sense of careless grace, casual elegance, or intentional nonchalance. 

Our Creativity Pro-Tip encourages you to consider the times, places, and conditions where you feel most creative, and to intentionally foster those conditions to support your creative pursuits. This often requires setting aside the to-do list, and carving out time for our creative process.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 9: Music and Psychology: "The Pocket" Experience with Dr. Jeff Mims, and Episode 10: Imagination and Creativity with Psychologist and Creativity Coach Dr. Diana Rivera, and Episode 16: Creativity, Innovation & Leadership with Robert Cleve, PhD.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in April. You can find more information on our website, syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Bradley Cooke, Ph.D. on LinkedIn

The Art of Sprezzatura

Dr. Dan Siegel on Chaos, Rigidity, and Integration

My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis & John Coltrane

Brad’s Research Portfolio at the National Institutes of Health

Article: Psychedelics as Potential Catalysts of Scientific Creativity and Insight

Article: 7 Ways Psychedelics Impact Creative Thinking

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate Twitter

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda and Charlotte describe the Plan, or organizational, phase of the creative process. The word “plan” might not immediately come to mind when we think about creativity, but planning and organization are actually vital to bringing a creative idea to the world. We discuss how convergent and divergent thinking figure into the creative process, as well as the importance of setting creative goals and milestones. We also share personal examples of how planning allows us to move forward with our creative work in a productive way, along with insights and prompts from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we focus on accountability partnership, where we enlist the help of a friend, colleague, or collaborator to help hold us accountable to our creative goals. Accountability partnerships can be formal or informal, but they afford us that extra bit of extrinsic motivation to move forward with our work. Accountability partnerships are a powerful way to boost our creative output. 

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 7: The Syncreate Story with Syncreate Co-Founder Charlotte Gullick, Episode 20: The Syncreate Model of Play, Plan & Produce and Episode 22: Creative Play. 

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so if you have an idea for a project or a new venture, please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in April. So you can find more information on our website, syncreate.org, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on YouTube, LinkedIn, FB, Insta & TikTok under Syncreate, and we’re now on Patreon as well. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate Twitter

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, this episode explores the archetypes, personas, and roles we embody in our work life and beyond, beginning with the archetype of The Lovers. My guest is The Corporate Mystic, Stephanie Crain, an Austin-based leadership/ ethos coach and innovation consultant. She’s the founder of Tapas Innovation, and a Certified Master Jungian Coach with a Success Mindset specialization. 

Stephanie works with executives, creators, and entrepreneurs to realize their full authentic expression and value activation. Our conversation focuses on the Corporate Persona Archetype Test she developed to help people better understand the roles and personas they adopt in the workplace, develop greater self-awareness, and embrace their full professional potential.

Our Creativity Pro-Tip for this episode invites you to take the free Corporate Persona Archetype Test and to consider the ways you show up at work, in your leadership, and in your wider life. Where do you shine? Where are you holding back? And how could you step forward with greater authenticity and confidence?

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 11: Leadership, Values, and Criminal Justice Reform with Attorney Dylan Hayre, Episode 15: Leadership, Burnout & Personal Sustainability with Dr. Katherine Semler, and Episode 16: Creativity, Innovation & Leadership with Robert Cleve, PhD. 

The Syncreate Podcast is now on Patreon. We’d love your support in continuing to grow the podcast and our Syncreate community. For a small monthly contribution, you’ll receive exclusive content and access, including previews of upcoming episodes, monthly calls with Melinda, and more. 

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Tapas Innovation

Stephanie Crain / The Corporate Mystic on LinkedIn

Free Corporate Persona Archetype Test

Tarot Cards

Personality Tests

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate Twitter

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

 In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda and Charlotte describe the Play, or ideation, phase of the creative process. In our view of the creative process, we begin with play. This is where we dream, fantasize, imagine, and envision the work we want to create. It’s where we play with ideas, build our skills, and experiment with different ways of bringing our ideas to life. We share insights and prompts from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we focus on “woodshedding,” a term from the jazz world, which involves honing our craft, putting the time in to practice our scales (or the equivalent in whatever medium we’re working in), and developing our skills. It involves the (playful) discipline of building our skills so that we can be best equipped to actually bring our creative ideas into being.  

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 7: The Syncreate Story with Syncreate Co-Founder Charlotte Gullick, Episode 14: Anatomy of a Song with Singer/Songwriter George McCormack, and Episode 21: The Walk of Faith & Courage with Actor Ren Jackson.

The Syncreate Podcast is now on Patreon. We’d love your support in continuing to grow the podcast and our Syncreate community. For a small monthly contribution, you’ll receive exclusive content and access, including previews of upcoming episodes, monthly calls with Melinda, and more. 

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website
Documentary: American Symphony

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate Twitter

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

Following the creative path professionally requires faith and courage, as exemplified by our current guest Warren “Ren” Jackson. Originally from Indianapolis (where he and Melinda went school together growing up), Ren went on to earn an MFA from the University of Arizona, and then to a professional acting career with an emphasis on Shakespeare. He continued his artistic exploration amid the thriving theater and teaching artist community in New York. 

A former company member with the Brooklyn based, site-specific theater company, Brave New World Rep, he has worked extensively in New York and regionally in the Midwest. Being a former competitive athlete, much of his approach to his artistic work is grounded in his exploration of a story's physicality. Whether through stage combat, dance, gesture or stylized movement, he has a commitment and enthusiasm to creating a physical narrative that supplements and highlights the writer's text. 

Our conversation focuses on Ren’s approach to acting and directing, how growing up in the Black church helped to influence his understanding of creativity, and what he terms “the walk of faith and courage” required to follow the creative path with authenticity. Ren is currently performing with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in a production of Amen Corner by James Baldwin, followed by a production of Julius Cesar. 

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to consider how creativity lives in your body, in your gestures, your voice, your eyes, and your interactions with other others, and how you use that creativity to connect and communicate. 

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 3: Creative Polymathy with Musician and Multi-Creative Michael Walker, Episode 5: Creative Global Citizenship with Screenwriter and Filmmaker Shuja Uddin, and Episode 8: Grief, Healing, and the Artist’s Life with Anne Myers Cleary.

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Ren’s Linked-In Profile
Play: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Play: Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard

Play: Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

The Delacorte Theater / Shakespeare in the Park

Play / Book: Elijah Broke the Gate

Book: The Courage to Create by Rollo May

Play: Amen Corner by James Baldwin