Unconventional Leaders

Before Matthew Luhn became one of Pixar’s storytellers (with credits on Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., Toy Story, Up, and more) he nearly lost the opportunity altogether. After leaving The Simpsons at 19 to join a then-unknown studio called Pixar, he was laid off, moved back home, worked temp jobs, and spent a year-and-a-half fighting to get back in.

In this episode, Matthew shares the real story behind making a dream happen: the uncertainty, the restarts, and the creative persistence required to build a career that lasts.

Watch Full Conversation with Matthew Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-65jOrpPlA

CONNECT WITH MATTHEW LUHN:

• Website: https://matthewluhnstory.com/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/142

If you’ve ever caught yourself asking, “What should I make? What will work?” — this is for you. Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped creating from curiosity and started creating for approval. In this episode, we talk about what it means to return to that raw, honest place... to stop chasing trends and start trusting your own instincts again. Because the world doesn’t need another copy. It needs you.

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• The danger of creating from “what works” instead of what’s real
• How fear of being seen dulls creative expression
• Why your truest work will always come from what excites you

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/141

Glenn Lundy and I shouldn’t be friends. He’s a Republican who trains and consults sales leaders in automotive; I’m a creative who cried in bed the day Trump was inaugurated. We sit on opposite sides of almost everything…and we’re still great friends.

I asked Glenn to give a behind-the-scenes look at how we keep a real friendship in a divided world and to wrestle with the hardest question facing communicators today: How do you stand firmly in your beliefs while staying open to people who think completely differently? We go there…from Flat Earth debates to ICE deportations, from AI innovation to spiritual warfare. Buckle in, y’all.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• When certainty helps (and when it shuts you off from growth and connection)
• Communicate with conviction and compassion (without dehumanizing people who disagree)
• Lead every hard conversation with respect so honesty and understanding can follow

CONNECT WITH GLENN LUNDY: 

• Watch ‘The #RiseAndGrind Morning Show’: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialGlennLundy/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glenn_lundy/ 

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/140 

If you’ve ever worried that sharing your voice is “selfish” or ego-driven, this is for you. Today, we explore how your story, your perspective, and your courage to speak might be the lifeline someone else needs. Because access to new ideas can change an entire life — and your voice may be the bridge someone has been praying for.

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why using your voice isn’t ego — it’s generosity
• The power of exposure and how other creators changed my life
• What happens when you stop hiding and start serving with your story

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/139

Jim Carter III is an AI strategist to the world’s top creators, helping creators and thought leaders build digital clones…AI versions of themselves trained on their own words, teachings, and philosophies. He’s spent over two years demystifying AI through his weekly newsletter, making complex tech accessible to entrepreneurs who want to work smarter without losing their human touch.

In this episode, Jim explains how digital clones actually work, why AI isn’t as scary as we think, and how technology can amplify (not replace) human creativity. From discussing the emotional weight of potentially cloning his late father to breaking down vector databases in plain English, Jim delivers both technical clarity and heartfelt wisdom.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How Creators are using digital clones to scale their impact 
• Setting guardrails so your AI clone represents you authentically
• Why choosing not to clone someone can be just as meaningful as choosing to do it

CONNECT WITH JIM CARTER: 

• Join Jim’s AI Newsletter: https://jimcarter.me/newsletter/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/138

If you’re tired of chasing tactics and hacks, and you want to create from a deeper place — this is for you. In this episode, we explore books that don’t just teach you how to grow an audience… but how to stay rooted in your purpose as a creator. Because your work isn’t just content — it’s contribution, stewardship, and devotion to the ideas that choose you.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Books to help you build discipline and stay inspired
• Why creativity isn’t just skill — it’s spiritual partnership
• The reminder every creator needs: your work matters, even without millions watching

Books Mentioned:

• The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin: https://amzn.to/3Jz6B4g
• The Meaning in the Making by Sean Tucker: https://amzn.to/4qy9gf6
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert: https://amzn.to/47eNo11
• The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin: https://amzn.to/4huhelq

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/137 

You can be talented… and still be ignored.

Mike Roderick helps creators and thought leaders package their ideas so people actually get it. A former Broadway producer turned thought-leadership consultant, Mike knows how to position your work so it truly gets seen.

In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to have your work recognized…without shouting, performing, or pretending. You’ll learn how to package your message with integrity, build real relationships that open doors, and share your ideas in ways that genuinely move people.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why packaging and positioning matters as much as expertise itself
• The difference between the aspirational market and the excellence market
• Speaking softly and carrying a big idea instead of shouting your message

CONNECT WITH MIKE RODERICK

• Sign up for Newsletter Here: https://www.smallpondenterprises.com/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/136

If you’ve been feeling stuck, unclear, or like you’re spinning your wheels — this is for you. What if feeling “stuck” isn’t a sign to push harder, but an invitation to go deeper?

In this episode, we talk about why slowing down and sinking beneath the surface might be the most powerful way to move forward. Because truth, clarity, and direction don’t live out there somewhere — they live within you.

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why “stuckness” is actually a call to go deeper
• The illusion of speed and the power of slowing down
• How to protect the potency of your purpose in a noisy world

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/135

Steven Puri walked away from blockbuster films and high-level studio roles to follow a deeper calling: helping people make the work they were truly meant to create.

After producing effects for Oscar-winners like Braveheart and running projects at Fox and DreamWorks, he saw how distraction had become the biggest thing standing between people and their most important work. So he founded The Sukha…a company built to help people reclaim their focus and actually finish what matters.

In this episode, Steven unpacks the science behind flow states—those stretches of time where distractions fall away and your best work just flows. He shares the practical techniques that help you drop into flow more consistently, turning creativity from something you “wait for” into something you can access on purpose.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How chronotype awareness transforms your productivity
• Training your brain through physical spaces
• Breaking the dopamine cycle that sabotages deep work

CONNECT WITH STEVEN PURI: 

• Email: [email protected] 
• Try 7 days of Sukha for free: https://www.thesukha.co/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/134

If you’ve been wrestling with something that feels like a disadvantage — the thing that makes you feel behind, limited, or not enough — this is for you. What if the very thing you’ve been trying to hide or overcome is actually your greatest creative gift? What if your so-called “limitations” are divine boundaries designed to help you create something no one else can?

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How to reframe your disadvantage as creative fuel
• Why limits can actually expand what’s possible
• Turning what holds you back into the reason you move forward

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ 
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/133