Shows
Changing Lives PodcastChanging Beliefs, Changing Lives: Life after 50 with guest Nancy NorbeckWendi and guest Nancy Norbeck discuss what they've learned (or unlearned) and done that has made life at 50+ better than life before age 50.Wendi's "Spiritual Support for Weary Souls" Zoom groupNancy's "Make Bad Art" courseNancy's "Follow Your Curiosity" podcast with Wendi as guest Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe2025-04-051h 00
Make Your Day Richer TVBad Art & An Enlightened Life with Nancy Norbeck and Scott AllanToday: Bad Art & An Enlightened Life with Nancy Norbeck and Scott AllanNancy Norbeck is a creativity coach who knows everyone has the potential to be an artist. Her revolutionary approach, 'Make Bad Art' encourages us to embrace imperfection and rediscover the joy of creating for its own sake. Let's learn how to unleash our inner creative genius! @nancynorbeck7212 ANDScott Allan is an internationally recognized evidential medium who has touched the lives of thousands around the world. Scott, 'The Boston Medium,' has the remarkable ability to bring through specific and heartfelt messages from the spirit world, offering healing and pe...2025-03-1743 min
Make Your Day Richer TVBad Art & Good Mysteries with Nancy Norbeck and AJ TylerToday: Bad Art & Good Mysteries with Nancy Norbeck and AJ TylerNancy Norbeck is a creativity coach who knows everyone has the potential to be an artist. Her revolutionary approach to "Make Bad Art" encourages you to embrace imperfection and rediscover the joy of creating for its own sake. It's time to unleash your inner creative genius!ANDAJ Tyler has a knack for reading people and crafting stories that are full of surprises! AJ is a former CPA and attorney who spent years as a lead negotiator in high-stakes business deals. Now, he's channeling that expertise into writing murder mysteries...2025-03-1125 min
Lattes & ArtMake Bad Art with Nancy NorbeckAre you tired of perfectionism holding you back from creating? In this episode of Lattes & Art, host James William Moore sits down with Nancy Norbeck, a Master Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, SoulCollage® Facilitator, novelist, and all-around champion of artistic freedom. Nancy’s project, Make Bad Art, encourages creatives of all levels to embrace imperfection, silence their inner critic, and rediscover the pure joy of making art without judgment.We’ll discuss with Nancy the myths that stifle creativity and discuss why the "bad" art we make might just be the most important. Whether you’r...2025-03-0441 min
Follow Your CuriosityReplay: The Transformative Power of Play with Tim J. MyersHi, everyone! I'm thrilled to bring you my annual Christmas replay. This is not just one of my favorite episodes of the year—it's one of my favorite episodes of all time. If you haven't heard it before, you're in for a treat. If you heard it at the beginning of the year, I promise it's worth a second listen. Either way, enjoy!
Tim Myers does a bit of everything: he’s a writer, songwriter, storyteller, visual artist, and senior lecturer at Santa Clara University, where he teaches writing. We got together to talk about the nature of c...2024-12-181h 41
Scaling Therapy Practice: Digital Course Creation for Clinicians, Coaches, and Content ExpertsSTP 96: How to Overcoming Perfectionism and the Comparison Trap with Nancy NorbeckIn this episode of Scaling Therapy Practice, host James Marland discusses overcoming perfectionism and the comparison trap with master-certified Kaizen Muse creativity coach Nancy Norbeck. Nancy shares her journey from tech support to coaching, offering insights into why people get stuck in perfectionism and providing actionable tips to combat it. She highlights the importance of recognizing inner critics and making 'bad art' to unlock creativity. The episode provides practical advice for mission-driven leaders looking to launch impactful online courses. Key takeaways include recognizing the prevalence of perfectionism, journaling critical thoughts, and embracing imperfection to foster personal growth. "We get...2024-12-1030 minFollow Your CuriosityCelebrating Five Years of FYC with Nancy NorbeckOn January 3, 2019, I took a huge leap and launched the Follow Your Curiosity podcast. Five years later, to no one’s amazement as much as mine, I’m still going strong. I wanted to look back at what I’ve learned since 2019, so I asked my friend Domenic Sciortino, who interviewed me back then, to come back and do it again. Together, we look at how the show got started, what initially gave me the idea for a podcast, what curiosity is, who my “dream guest” might be, why you should start where you are, and more.
Episode bre...2024-04-1057 minFollow Your CuriosityThe Transformative Power of Play with Tim J. MyersTim Myers does a bit of everything: he’s a writer, songwriter, storyteller, visual artist, and senior lecturer at Santa Clara University, where he teaches writing. We got together to talk about the nature of creativity, which Tim calls a “sacred mystery,” including everything from the way our childhood creativity is changed by the culture as we become adults, the necessary role of play in the creative process, the transcendent experiences of awe and wonder and how they fuel us, the wisdom of following your gut, and a whole lot more.
Episode breakdown:
01:39 Kids are instan...2024-01-311h 41
Set Lusting Bruce: The Bruce Springsteen Fan PodcastNancy Norbeck - Creativity Coach,novelist, podcast host and a-ha fanNancy Norbeck @fycuriositypod firmly believes that creativity is not the realm of the chosen few and that we are all creative. She discusses that with Jesse in today's episode and shares her love of the band a-ha. She discusses finding the band that many think of a one hit wonder and the hours of music enjoyment they have given her including seeing them live in Radio City Music Hall. They also talk about Nancy's podcast Follow Your Curiosity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices2023-07-191h 04
Energetic Radio#294: Nancy Norbeck | Why Going Easy On Yourself Enhances Everything!Nancy Norbeck is a novelist, singer, actor, and improv enthusiast with a passion for helping people from all walks of life reconnect with their creative spark. She is a Master Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, a SoulCollage® facilitator, and a Laughter Yoga leader. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from Goddard College.Nancy hosts the Follow Your Curiosity podcast, where she speaks to creative souls from all walks of life, from actors to accountants and musicians to mathematicians, about their creative journeys and what they’ve learned about the creative process along the...2023-05-2827 min
The Living Numbers Podcast with Tony RamblesEP 59 Funny Teacher Nancy Norbeck talks loving creativity, writing and teachingNancy introduces us to her creativity training and shows us how to unlock our own creativity. Her experiences show us where she's come from, how much she's grown and where she's going. Come along for the ride.
Subscribe here for exclusive content - https://anchor.fm/thelivingnumberspodcast/subscribe
:51 Introducing Nancy Norbeck
3:16 First Written Story
19:12 Kaizen Muse Creativity
30:43 Ghost Writer
36:35 How To Start A Podcast
53:55 How To Be Creative
1:02:08 3 Whats? Unpopular Opinions, Life Changes & Advice
1:09:19 Where To Find Nancy No...2022-09-111h 10Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #39: Parallel Universe TimeA pep talk AND an invitation: How Parallel Universe Time can help you get past procrastination and get things done. If you're intrigued, you're invited to join us for scheduled PUT sessions that will help you make progress and energize your creative process.
Register here for the Zoom link and to be kept informed of new PUT session times.
Questions? Contact me at nancy@fycuriosity.com
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
2022-08-1205 minFollow Your CuriosityInvitation: Creative Check-InI'd love for you to join me for a free Creative Check-In session this coming Sunday, May 1 at 12pm ET. I explain in this super short episode what a Creative Check-In is and how it works. It's a great way to keep yourself in the creative process while having fun with others. I hope you'll come hang out with me (and bring a friend or three!).
You can register here. If you have any questions, or can't make it but would love to suggest another time, send me a note at nancy at fycuriosity.com or on...2022-04-2701 minFollow Your CuriosityBroadening Your Horizons with Rick BleiweissAuthor Rick Bleiweiss has always followed his creative curiosity, and it’s led him to some unexpected destinations. He was studying filmmaking when he landed the internship that would lead to a career in the music industry. At the same time, he was still making music—and he’s also always been a writer. Rick shares his incredible creative adventures with me, from his work on Spinal Tap to some great stories about working with Melissa Etheridge and the Backstreet Boys, and his current work in the publishing industry and as the author of “Pignon Scorbion and the Barbershop Detectiv...2022-04-131h 18Follow Your CuriosityInvitation: Gratitude and WonderI'd love for you to join me for a free Gratitude and Wonder session this coming Friday at 7pm ET. I explain in this very short episode what G&W is, how I came to start it, and how it works. It's a great way to end the week, and I hope you'll come hang out and experience it with me (and bring a friend or three!).
You can register here. If you have any questions, or can't make it but would love to suggest another time, send me a note at nancy at fycuriosity.com or...2022-04-1202 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk 29: QuitIf you've never thought of quitting as a valid creative/problem-solving technique, this week's topic may sound controversial. I hope you'll give me a chance to change your mind, because quitting might be exactly what your project needs.
Journal questions: What was I taught about quitting that makes it hard for me to walk away? How could I feel 5% more comfortable with quitting?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly...2022-04-0608 minFollow Your CuriosityKeeping Kids Creative with JoAnn NoceraCreativity enthusiast and educator JoAnn Nocera knows what it’s like to stop listening to your creative spark—and she’s done the work to get hers back. Now she helps students, teachers, and parents keep that spark alive. She joined me to talk about that journey, what she sees happening in classrooms, and most importantly, how to keep kids from losing that spark in the first place. As an added bonus, a lot of what she says can be applied to adults, too. She also shares her favorite creativity tool: Neurographic doodling.
Check out the show notes a...2022-03-3059 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #28: Lower Your ExpectationsIf you think lowering your expectations means lowering your standards, and that you'll never do any worthy creative work again if you give it a try, you'll want to listen to this episode. It can revolutionize your creative process—my journaling experience is one great example you'll hear about—and actually make room for you to accomplish so much more than you might by holding your own feet to the fire.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of m...2022-03-2309 minFollow Your CuriosityInvoking Joy with Vance NeudorfAuthor, actor, and podcaster Vance Neudorf is a man of many talents. In addition to those three pursuits, he’s also a set designer and builder, and the executive director at the Badlands Amphitheatre, Canada’s largest outdoor theatre stage. Our conversation covers everything from his free-range childhood, his transformation into a voracious reader thanks to The Hobbit, how he stumbled—almost literally—into acting, the perks of releasing a novel-in-progress as a podcast, and a lot more. Vance has a lot to say about the benefits of saying yes to new, unexpected opportunities, and experimenting with what you’re doing.2022-03-161h 02Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #27: JournalingJournaling can be a fantastic tool both for personal exploration and for your creative process. If you're groaning at the idea of journaling, you're in good company: I used to feel that way about it, too. I'll tell you what changed my mind, some tips from my own journaling practice, and give you a prompt to get you started.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY. https...2022-03-0911 minFollow Your CuriosityInspired Courage with Dawn KotzerIf you’ve been listening for any length of time, you’ll know that I very firmly believe that anyone who’s breathing is creative. I recently came across a definition of creativity that really rankled me, because it seemed to be saying the exact opposite was true. I contacted my friend and fellow creativity coach Dawn Kotzer, who’s been on the show before, and asked her if she’d be interested in tackling the question of just what creativity really is. We batted that question around, looking at everything from the vital nature of failure to the power of c...2022-03-021h 19Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #26: Be on Your Own SideIf you're going to be courageous enough to follow your creative call, it helps to be on your own side. Here's why.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
2022-02-2306 minFollow Your CuriosityStorytelling and SEO with Alison ver HalenAlison ver Halen always wanted to write, and act, but was told as a child that neither of those were possible careers. Nonetheless, she never gave up—she majored in English and psychology and minored in theater, which gave her the perfect background for content marketing, a field she stumbled into, starting as a part-time blogger. And she still writes fiction. In our conversation this week, she explains just what content marketing and search engine optimization are, how story works both in fiction and in content marketing, and how theater prepared her to branch into public speaking. She also sh...2022-02-1650 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #25: Keep It to YourselfAt the beginning of a project, you probably want to tell the entire universe about it. Here's why you might want to go against that instinct, at least for a while.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I...2022-02-0906 minFollow Your CuriosityThe Importance of Fun with John PeelProlific author John Peel has written novels in universes from Doctor Who to Star Trek to James Bond. John started off writing fan fiction, and as you’ll hear, is an advocate for fan fiction as a training ground for fiction writing. He tells me how he made the leap to writing authorized fiction—novels set in existing tv and movie universes—and how he approaches writing assignments and his relationships with editors. We also talk about the unexpected lessons his good friend Terry Nation, the creator of Doctor Who’s Daleks, taught him about writing.
Check out the...2022-02-021h 03Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #24: Don’t Rush ItAs a culture, we're addicted to cleverness and speed, but they may not be the best things for your life or your creative process.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.2022-01-2605 minFollow Your CuriosityLetting Your Light Shine with Fr. Michael RossmannMy guest today is Father Michael Rossmann, Jesuit priest and creator of a video series offering perspectives and advice on life, many of which focus on creativity and aspects of the creative process. It’s easy to discount or just not even notice the spiritual side of creativity, but it’s there all the same. We talk about how he came to his interest in and advocacy for creative work, the pitfalls of perfectionism and the power of creative constraints, how creativity connects us to the divine (whatever you may conceive the divine to be), and the personal and spir...2022-01-1954 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #23: Creating HappinessWe all want to be happy—and we usually want others to be, too. That second bit can get us in trouble, and we tend to ignore the first. So what do we do about it? Here's my suggestion.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pre...2022-01-1207 minFollow Your CuriosityExperimental Creativity with Leonie DawsonWhen I think of someone who is unstoppably creative, I think of Leonie Dawson, who is my guest today. As you’ll hear, Leonie is an artist, writer, and inveterate experimenter who build a 7-figure business by trying as many things as possible to see what she loved the most, and runs on the philosophy that whoever’s having the most fun wins. We talk about everything from how she encourages creativity with her kids to her decision to leave social media to the fact that it really is okay to decide not only who you want to work with...2022-01-051h 01Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #22: AppreciationAppreciation is one of the more powerful tools in the creativity toolbox, and it helps in the rest of life, too! Hear why you should give it a try, and join me in an annual appreciation exercise that's guaranteed to lift your spirits and those of everyone you care about.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, o...2021-12-2907 minFollow Your CuriosityReplay: Talking to God with John RoedelAs always, at the holidays I share a favorite episode from the year. I hope you enjoy revisiting this episode!
The idea of "talking to God" may bring up images of saints or prophets—or a disconnect from reality. John Roedel fits in none of those categories. He's an improv comedian and poet who started writing conversations between himself and God as silly one-offs during a crisis of faith, only to find them becoming deeper and more insightful over time. One of his pieces from a few years ago went viral in the spring of 2020, to his gr...2021-12-221h 10Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #21: RestA bonus holiday pep talk, short and sweet: It's okay to rest! In fact, I highly encourage it. And I'm telling you why in under three minutes.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
2021-12-2103 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #20: I Don‘t KnowHow often do you say, "I don't know?" And what happens when you do? None of us knows everything, but we all know more than we think we do, so let's look at what happens when we say these three words.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or T...2021-12-1507 minFollow Your CuriosityThe Power of Mentorship with Tara ThielekeTara Thieleke’s art roots go back to her childhood, where two of her art teachers planted the seeds not only of the importance of art, but also of what kind of person she wanted to be. She’s been actively making and sharing art ever since, even though her path to school teaching took a few detours.
Tara tells us about those two teachers, what she’s learned from her students, how she applies improv’s “Yes, and…” mantra to her teaching and her life, and more.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my C...2021-12-0857 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #19: CourageLast week, I encouraged you to ask for the things you want, because it makes such a huge difference in the quality of your life and the experiences that are open to you. This week, I'm talking about the courage it takes to do that, because it sure can be daunting. Embarking on any creative pursuit takes immense courage, and pretending otherwise does no one any good.
The Colbert clip with Stephen Sondheim
Putting It Together from Sunday in the Park with George
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my...2021-12-0110 minFollow Your CuriosityReplay: Coming Out of the Cave with Eddie LouiseOh, look! I decided to do a holiday replay anyway. ;)
Eddie Louise, writer of the Sage and Savant audio drama podcast, has lived one of the most fascinating creative journeys I’ve ever heard. She has followed her curiosity from the libraries of Wyoming to undergraduate studies in Edinburgh and back to California, and absolutely none of it has happened in the way anyone is told a life story is “supposed” to unfold.
We talk about her first adventures with Shakespeare, the unexpected detour in high school, how she got to Edinbur...2021-11-251h 13Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #18: AskA bonus holiday pep talk about a simple tool that can make your life SO much better. ASK. Yup, that's it. It's simple, but not always easy, but the benefits are totally worth it. I'm sharing how it's helped me and why you should step out of your comfort zone to ask more often, too.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a...2021-11-2409 min
Yorick Radio ProductionsTheoretically Theatrical: Nancy NorbeckIn this episode of Theoretically Theatrical we speak to Nancy Norbeck, a creativity consultant and podcaster. We chat about unlocking your drive, the link between curiosity and creativity, and Nancy's own creative exploits. Nancy's Social MediaInstagram: @fycuriosityTwitter: @fycuriositypodTikTok: @fycuriosityYouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCeFQDApdpN5PDb-uMXzEaZwFacebook: fycuriositypodThe Silver Child: amzn.to/2aZi6feCreative Tune-Up kit: https://bit.ly/CreativeTuneUpSupport the show2021-11-1917 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #17: Flow vs. PressureHave you ever been in a state of flow? I'll bet you've been under pressure. What's the difference between these two states? They can be easily confused, so I'm here this week to share some thoughts on the critical differences between flow and pressure (and a few overlaps!).
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! You can also watch these pep talks on YouTube. I post pretty regularly on TikTok ,too.
2021-11-1710 minFollow Your CuriosityNoticing Our Patterns with Kate ChapmanKate Chapman knew at a young age that Broadway was “the answer” to where she wanted to be. She made it, though it wasn’t easy, with performances ranging from Les Mis to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. In the last decades she’s become more and more interested in helping others with their health, via both health and life coaching, though she doesn’t think she’ll ever stop singing. We talk about how she kept hope alive while waiting for her big break, how her own health journey led her to coaching, and how the health system is often sta...2021-11-1055 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #16: Finding Your AudienceWe've talked before about comparison, perfectionism, and self-rejection, but the conversation is not complete without reflecting on the fact that not everyone is your audience. Finding your audience is an aspect of the creative process that can easily be de-prioritized or even ignored. Here's why you want to make sure you very carefully consider it.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
2021-11-0306 minFollow Your CuriositySetting Up Success with Madeleine Holly-RosingMy guest this week is Madeleine Holly-Rosing, creator of the Boston Metaphysical Society series. Since beginning that series, Madeleine has created graphic novels, novels short stories, a coloring book, and is currently working an audio drama. Oh, and she’s run NINE Kickstarters and has literally written the book on the subject: Kickstarter for the Independent Creator. And she's made helping others succeed one of her chief business priorities.
We talk about Kickstarter (including her latest), the intersection between screenwriting and graphic novels, working with collaborators for those graphic novels—and how much more diverse creators and fans...2021-10-271h 03Follow Your CuriosityWisdom: What is Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching?For this week's pep talk, I'm sharing another recent Wisdom talk, in response to a question from a guest about just what Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching is. It's been a long time since I've talked about it on the pod, and I've never done it in a short, specific form that's easy to find, so now seemed like a good time.
If you think KMCC might be for you, get in touch! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Want to give it a whirl on your own first? Check out...2021-10-2011 minFollow Your CuriosityThis Plus That with Brandi StanleyBrandi Stanley spent a lot of time working in branding and marketing before she could no longer avoid the truth: it just wasn’t what she was supposed to be doing. But just what was she meant to do instead? It’s a question so many of us ask, and we all know it can take time to find the answer. In Brandi’s case, it turned out to be using all the skills she’d developed already to make connections between things that seem unconnected, and bring them to others via her podcast, This Plus That.
We talk...2021-10-121h 14Follow Your CuriosityWisdom: Listening to Your Body AND Your MindI've been beta testing the new Wisdom app over the last two weeks, which is sort of like a cross between a podcast and Clubhouse, where I can not only share my own thoughts and insights, but also talk to others about them. I thought you might like to hear what happens on that platform, and I'm hoping you'll check it out when the app makes its full release in a few weeks—I'd love to get to talk to you!
This episode is longer than my pep talks since it includes conversations with three guests. I ho...2021-10-0646 minFollow Your CuriosityFinding YOUR Way with Isabelle HardestyIsabelle Hardesty started her creative life in visual art and fashion before trying her hand at writing. Inspired in part by her childhood in South Florida, her most recent novels are The Witch of Belle Fleur, and its upcoming sequel, Midnight in Belle Fleur. We talk about the importance of listening to our intuition, being sure YOU like your own work, why she self-publishes, the responsibility creatives bear for the messages we put out into the culture, the revision process, and more.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, a...2021-09-2956 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #15: Rule Number SixThis week I have a more lighthearted look at things that get in our way, riffing off a great story from Zander and Zander's book The Art of Possibility. Maybe you, too, would benefit from remembering Rule Number Six?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
2021-09-2205 minFollow Your CuriosityAge-Decoded with Mark RyallAuthor Mark Ryall explores the exciting, and ethically daunting, world of genetic engineering in his novel, Age-Decoded. Focused on the current technology called CRISPR, he explores the wide variety of possibilities the technology opens up. It’s a project that brings together his background in math and science as well as teaching. Our conversation digs into the technology, the unusual path to his first encounter with it, and how he used the novel format to delve into the opportunities and issues it presents. We also talk about how important it is to find what Mark calls your genuine self, es...2021-09-151h 00Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #14: Comparison and Self-RejectionContinuing from last time: more on comparison, and how it's actually a way to reject ourselves, even if we don't know it. Perfectionism factors into that process, too, creating an ugly soup of not-good-enoughness. The good news: you CAN do something about it. Details within!
Want more help? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also p...2021-09-0815 min
Should TheoryNancy Norbeck - Follow Your CuriosityNancy Norbeck has been in tech, teaching, earned an MFA and still felt there was more out there for her.
Too many people work and follow the grind planning to enjoy their life "after" they have put in their time, only to find they can't do what they could do when they were younger, healthier, more physically able etc. Nancy knew that the time to enjoy life is in the present.
This fantastic discussion hi lights bits of wisdom including:
Remembering who you have always wanted to be
If you ignore the process and f...2021-09-0250 minFollow Your CuriosityIt‘s Gonna Be Great with Paul ”PB” BessenbacherMusician Paul Bessenbacher, known to his friends and fans as PB, lives a genuine optimism best summed up in his signature statement: “It’s gonna be great.” PB has followed the flow of that sentiment from an undergraduate degree that let him experiment with every genre he could find, to learning recording engineering on the fly, to forming a band—more of a collaboration—Opus Orange. Oh, and he also composes for film.
We talk about all that and particularly about how he navigates the flow, avoids being bogged down by worry, and why we should all embrace fa...2021-09-011h 16Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #13: A Story about ComparisonA story about comparison and how it robs us not only of our creative joy but also distorts our sense of ourselves.
Did you know you can watch this episode on YouTube?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post regularly on TikTok.
2021-08-2506 minFollow Your CuriosityAnger and Curiosity with Dr. Ryan MartinNone of us gets through the day without encountering anger somewhere, be it at work, at home, on the road, or even inside ourselves. Ryan Martin is a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, and he specializes in anger. He’s written a book, Why We Get Mad: How to Use Your Anger for Positive Change, and given a TEDx talk, but a lot of people have encountered him through his @angerprofessor account on TikTok, where he shares interesting new research and offers advice on how to handle anger—and how not to.
In...2021-08-181h 01Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #12: How Hard Is It?"We can do hard things," as the saying goes—but we can also make it way harder to do those things than we have to. Hear how I learned this lesson and how you can make it easier to do the tough things on your list in this episode.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
2021-08-1106 minFollow Your CuriosityPsychology and Writing with Sarah FineUrban fantasy author Sarah Fine, who writes psychological thrillers as SF Kosa, is a clinical psychologist as well as a novelist. As a result, she has a lot to say about the amateur psychology and observational skills writers tend to possess, as well as what she will and won’t do in portraying aspects of mental health in her books. In addition, we also talk about the psychology of the creative process, from artificial pressure to “write every day” to how the unconscious can do a lot of heavy lifting for us as we try to navigate a difficult questi...2021-08-041h 01Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #11: FailureFailure visits us all—and I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Failing doesn't have to be the end, and it definitely doesn't reflect our worth. It's actually a really important part of the creative process (and of growing/learning in general), so maybe we should start embracing it rather than fearing it.
If you'd like to be the first to hear when my new creativity toolkit becomes available, send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I'd also love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these id...2021-07-2808 minFollow Your CuriosityComing Out of the Cave with Eddie LouiseEddie Louise, writer of the Sage and Savant audio drama podcast, has lived one of the most fascinating creative journeys I’ve ever heard. She has followed her curiosity from the libraries of Wyoming to undergraduate studies in Edinburgh and back to California, and absolutely none of it has happened in the way anyone is told a life story is “supposed” to unfold.
We talk about her first adventures with Shakespeare, the unexpected detour in high school, how she got to Edinburgh, and, of course, the genesis of Sage and Savant. There’s a lot here about daring t...2021-07-211h 13Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #10: Tiny StepsIf you're feeling stuck and don't know how to get moving again, this is the episode for you! There's a simple way to get your momentum back, and it's probably not what you expect. (It may even feel kind of insulting... but it works!)
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
2021-07-1408 minFollow Your CuriosityThe Empathy of Art with Kathryn MalekKathryn Malek is an actor, writer, and coach. Kathryn started focusing on acting and writing as a young adult, studying with apprentices of Lee Strasberg before taking the leap into playwriting. We talked about those early experiences, the ways acting is viewed in our society as performers on demand or as people who “just pretend for a living”—and the truth of what goes into good acting, and how she uses her acting skills as a coach.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
2021-07-0758 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #9: A Change of SceneIf you're feeling stuck creatively, you may just need a change of scene. It doesn't have to be anything dramatic, though the bigger the change, the more potential!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
2021-06-3006 minFollow Your CuriosityAsk a Sex Abuse Survivor with Michael BroussardMy guest this week is Michael Broussard, an actor, activist, musician, and artist. His solo show, “Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor,” uses his own experience to demystify and destigmatize abuse trauma while also giving his audience, which often includes fellow survivors, a chance to ask questions and open up about their own experiences in a safe environment. As you’ll hear, it’s a show that’s grown with its creator both in scope and content, and has also branched into the online world during the pandemic, reaching a far wider audience than ever before.
We also talk about...2021-06-231h 07Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #8: How to Give FeedbackFollowing on from last time, here are some thoughts on how to give feedback. Why is this important? For one, you really don't want to be the person who stops someone else's creative process. Just as importantly, though, you don't want to stymie yours! It really is THAT important.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
2021-06-1607 minFollow Your CuriosityBalancing Writing and Medicine with Lydia KangAuthor Lydia Kang balances two careers: In addition to writing adult and young adult fiction, as well as nonfiction, she’s also a doctor. Lydia never thought of herself as a writer, though she was intrigued by writing, until she began to use it to deal with some of her experiences on the job, which eventually led her to try fiction. Her novels include The Impossible Girl and Opium and Absinthe, and one of the things we talk about today is how her nonfiction work has influenced her fiction. We also talk about writing about pandemics, her move from th...2021-06-091h 03Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #7: Protecting Your CreativityYou've probably never thought about protecting your creativity—but you should. It's one of your most valuable assets and resources, and nobody has the right to take it from you. (No one actually can, but it's easy for us to give it up if we're not careful.)
You can find my conversation with Tracy Matthews here.
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2021-06-0206 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Problem Solving with Trudy CunninghamTrudy Cunningham is one of the most insightful and creative people I've ever met. Her background in mathematics and education led her to the improbable position of associate dean of engineering at Bucknell University, which is where we first crossed paths. It's is also why I wanted to talk to her. She later moved to Sewanee, where her husband served as president and she continued to teach. As you'll hear, not only has she steadfastly refused to be told women can't teach math, she's just as consistently stood up for her students' best interests with parents, faculty, and university...2021-05-261h 13Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #6: You MatterInspired by a day of viral attention on TikTok, here's a reminder that you matter. Yes, YOU. That means your creative dreams matter, too. If that sounds crazy or alien to you, this episode is definitely for you!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
2021-05-1908 minFollow Your CuriosityYou Are Not Your Work with Kimberly StuartKimberly Stuart started writing when she became a stay-at-home mom, and hasn’t stopped since. As you’ll hear, her path changed dramatically thanks to a gift from her mother, who was a professional musician. She’s the author of eight novels, and has branched into writing coaching as well. Kim and I talk about the importance of validation and encouragement, remembering that you are not your work, the costs of creativity—and its rewards. We get deep into vulnerability and courage, too.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagra...2021-05-121h 12Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #5: Being "Ready"Do you feel like you have to be "ready" before you start something new? Are you even sure what "ready" would mean? I'm here this week to talk about why "ready" is mostly an illusion, and why you should start now instead of waiting for that illusion to magically become real.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
2021-05-0507 minFollow Your CuriosityForensic Accounting with Lynda SchwartzIf you've been listening for a while, you know I believe there's hardly anything that's NOT creative, and I love to talk to people from so-called "non-creative" professions to find out how those perceptions are wrong. Accounting is not something most people associate with creativity—except in the familiar, negative sense—but I knew it had to be, so I contacted Lynda Schwartz. Lynda not only is an accountant but was a partner in a big-four firm’s fraud investigation and dispute services practice. She’s taken part in a wide variety of financial investigations, has served as an expert w...2021-04-2853 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #4: Pay AttentionIf you're struggling to come up with ideas, this episode is for you! You might be surprised at the power of just paying attention. That may sound too easy, but if you really do it (and it's SO simple), you'll find unexpectedly interesting things all around you.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
2021-04-2106 minFollow Your CuriosityKnowing Your Strengths with Tosca LeeTosca Lee originally wanted to be a ballerina, but ended up switching to writing with some help from her dad while she was in college. Since then, she’s become a bestselling author of a wide variety of books, including The Line Between and its sequel, A Single Light. Tosca talked with me about her early writing experience, how the Kindle has changed things for authors, and the eerie feeling of writing a fictional pandemic shortly before an actual one hits. (And the one she made up is even scarier than Covid!)
Check out the show notes at...2021-04-1458 minFollow Your CuriosityCome Hang Out with Me on Sunday!I'm offering a spontaneous hangout on Sunday at noon ET/9amPT and you're invited! Listen for more, and sign up here!
2021-04-0902 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #3: PerfectionismWelcome back for Creative Pep Talk #3! This week, we're delving into the deep, dark world of perfectionism. This is an overview of the evils of perfectionism, because to truly explore it would take more than 8 minutes, but I hope it'll get you thinking about how you fall into this trap, and what you might want to do differently to keep yourself out of perfectionism's clutches so you can enjoy your creative adventures instead of letting them torment you—because where's the fun in that?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me...2021-04-0708 minFollow Your CuriosityYou Don't Need to Know Everything with Lisa TownsendMy guest today knows what it’s like to believe you’re not creative. Lisa Townsend spent her first 27 years believing she wasn’t before having a creative awakening that led her to try EVERYTHING. We talk about what that looked like for her, and what she learned about fear, knowledge—what we have, what we don’t, and what we just think we have—and courage. These days, through her business, Change Your Badge, she uses what she’s learned creatively and professionally to help women get past their fear, shame, and overwhelm so they can run their businesses succ...2021-03-3152 minFollow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #2: PermissionIf you think permission slips are just for elementary school kids going on field trips, think again. Permission is absolutely vital to a healthy creative process. Listen for permission to give yourself permission!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
2021-03-2408 minFollow Your CuriosityThe Unexpected Path to Opera with Dale TravisMy guest this week is opera singer Dale Travis, who has performed with companies all over the world in a career he never imagined as a child. Dale always loved to sing, but went to school for football. When an injury thwarted that plan, he auditioned for the choir, setting him on an unexpected path. We talk about his surprising leap to opera, how he lets the text and music teach him how to perform a character, the future of opera, and more. (And I promise you don’t have to be an opera fan to follow along!) Here’s my...2021-03-171h 01Follow Your CuriosityCreative Pep Talk #1: Who's Creative?Welcome to the first in a series of creative pep talks—topics to help you get and stay unstuck in your creative process (aka your life). In this inaugural pep talk, I share my plan for these mini-episodes and tackle the age-old question of just who is creative—and why a lot of people believe they're not.
These episodes will come out every other week, alternating with my regular interview episodes (those aren't going anywhere!). I hope you enjoy them.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note...2021-03-1009 minFollow Your CuriosityTalking to God with John RoedelThe idea of "talking to God" may bring up images of saints or prophets—or a disconnect from reality. John Roedel fits in none of those categories. He's an improv comedian and poet who started writing conversations between himself and God as silly one-offs during a crisis of faith, only to find them becoming deeper and more insightful over time. One of his pieces from a few years ago went viral in the spring of 2020, to his great surprise, when the newly quarantined public found itself reflected in his words. John and I talk about being the family oddball, th...2021-03-031h 10Follow Your CuriosityTalent vs. Preparation with Richard OliverActor Richard Oliver has performed in film, TV, stage, commercial, audio, and even video games. He also directs for his own theatre and teaches acting. Richard has been named best actor by the New York City Indie Film Awards, and was a finalist for best actor from the Lockdown Festival. While we connected online thanks to the Minister of Chance, a Doctor Who spinoff audio series, we talk about everything from whether drama school is really necessary to the ways punctuation and breathing can help illuminate a character to the importance of having fun with whatever you’re doing—and...2021-02-171h 10Follow Your Curiosity"Writing Saved Me" with Nancy SpringerAuthor Nancy Springer has written more than 50 books, in genres ranging from mythic fantasy to magical realism to mystery. Her most popular novels by far are the Enola Holmes mysteries, featuring Sherlock's younger sister, the first of which is now a movie on Netflix. Nancy has often said that writing saved her life, and our conversation gets into the nitty gritty of just what that means, as well as her "free-range" childhood, what works in a novel that doesn't in a short story (and vice versa), writing a novel with no idea where you're going, and more. (Warning: Nancy's...2021-02-031h 17Follow Your CuriosityThe Business of Art with Erica AndoIf you've ever felt like art and business exist in two different worlds, you're certainly not alone. My guest this week, Erica Ando, brings them together for us. Erica tells us about her late-ish discovery of painting and art, how she started her own successful design business, and what led her to leave that business and work to create The Empowered Artist, where she helps other artists get their own businesses up and running. We talk about how fear distorts our thinking about ourselves and our possibilities, how reality doesn’t create our thoughts and feelings, how we correctly an...2021-01-201h 04Follow Your CuriosityChanging Lives on Stage with Lisa HoustonThis week, I’m bringing you a current teacher who’s a former colleague of mine: Lisa Houston, who started the drama program at the Pennington School and now serves as its middle school dean of students. Among other things, Lisa tells us how she rebuilt the drama program from the ground up, how it’s expanded over the years, what it’s like to take a group of high school students overseas to perform at a major festival, and how she’s seen theater impact the kids who participate in it, and even change lives. You'll also hear about the...2021-01-061h 05Follow Your CuriosityReplay: Happy Accidents with Anthony WilsonFor the holidays, I'm giving you the chance to discover, or perhaps rediscover, two of my favorite episodes from the past year. This episode, with Anthony Wilson, stands out to me for its depth and its raw honesty about the creative process, and where life can take us when we least expect it. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.
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Anthony Wilson's varied pursuits almost all came to him accidentally: he is a teacher, composer, and writer—in fact, he co-authored the Doctor Who-related book BOOKWYRM with previous guest Robert Smith?. In...2020-12-231h 03Follow Your CuriosityReplay: Happily Homeless with Alison MillerFor the holidays, I'm giving you the chance to discover, or perhaps rediscover, two of my favorite episodes from the past year. This episode, with Alison Miller, stands out to me for Alison's absolute courage and determination to live life on her own terms, and the way life supports her in return. I hope you'll be as inspired by Alison as I have been.
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Alison Miller describes herself as an uncertain adventurer and determined warrior goddess, and as you'll hear in this interview, she's earned both titles. Alison has lived on the road on...2020-12-231h 13