The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

Episoder

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  Brendan Donohue: Building the NBA 2K League from 72,000 Tryouts to Global Esports 20.08.2026 50min

  The commissioner of the NBA 2K League shares how professional gaming has evolved from hobby to legitimate career path. Brendan discusses the league draft process, player development strategies, and why esports skills are more than just grinding hours—covering physical fitness, nutrition, and the emergence of esports schools in Asia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Brad Montague: The Courage to Create Like a Kid 19.08.2026 43min

  Brad Montague, creator of Kid President on YouTube, shares how his small-town upbringing and key mentors shaped his creative path. He opens up about working with his brother-in-law Robbie, protecting a child from the pressures of viral fame, and why maintaining childlike wonder is essential for authentic creative work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Brad Pederson: How Toys, Failure, and Startup Santa Taught Him to Fail Forward 18.08.2026 1t 2min

  Toy entrepreneur Brad Pederson shares how building multiple toy companies and going through three bankruptcies taught him that struggles forge character. From launching a styrofoam glider as a kid to getting thrown into special loans by his bank, Brad unpacks why pride comes before the fall, how he learned to become antifragile rather than just resilient, and why courage is the cardinal virtue that makes creative ideas matter. He discusses the three roles of a CEO, the importance of play for adults, and how his book Startup Santa captures the lessons of failing forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Brian Portnoy: Why Being Wealthy Is Different from Being Rich 24.07.2026 49min

  Brian Portnoy, author of The Geometry of Wealth, explains why the pursuit of more keeps us on a hedonic treadmill while true wealth means funded contentment. He breaks down his four Cs framework—connection, control, competence, and context—and shares how his experiences with billionaires and families struggling to make ends meet shaped his thinking about what money actually buys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Ayurveda, Daily Rituals, and Breaking Self-Destructive Patterns with Ananta Ripa Ajmera 03.07.2026 55min

  Ananta Ripa Ajmera, author and Ayurveda expert, shares how ancient Indian wellness practices can help break negative patterns and build sustainable healthy habits. She discusses the importance of morning sun rituals, the three pillars of health (food, sleep, sex), and how small positive choices compound over time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Redefining Ambition: From Getting Ahead to Coming Alive 01.07.2026 51min

  Amber Rae shares her mission to redefine ambition—shifting from fear-driven achievement to heart-led self-expression. She discusses her pivotal moment at 22 when she left a conventional tech job during the recession to pursue a more meaningful path, and shares tactics from her work as chief evangelist at startups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Brad Stulberg: Mastering Change With Rugged Flexibility 30.06.2026 59min

  Brad Stulberg returns to discuss his book Master of Change and the concept of rugged flexibility—combining stability with adaptability to navigate life's transitions. He shares practical frameworks like the 4Ps for managing daily disruptions and Viktor Frankl's tragic optimism for embracing life's inevitable challenges without falling into toxic positivity or despair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Shawn Dove: The Midwifery of Leadership and Black Male Achievement 29.06.2026 54min

  Shawn Dove, founder of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, discusses how transformational leaders need support to birth their greatest work—using the metaphor of a doctor pulling his son from a breech delivery. The conversation explores race, media representation, economic mobility, and why those closest to problems hold the most innovative solutions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Ananta Ripa Ajmera: How Ayurveda Can Transform Your Daily Habits 28.06.2026 55min

  Ananta Ripa Ajmera shares how ancient Ayurvedic wisdom can help break self-destructive patterns and build healthier daily habits. The conversation covers the three pillars of health—food, sleep, and sex—and practical morning rituals for connecting with natural rhythms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bob Gower: How to Recognize Toxic Charisma Before It Destroys You 27.06.2026 1t 2min

  Bob Gower, a former member of the organization One Taste, dissects the mechanics of toxic charisma in personal development. He explains how cult-like leaders exploit emotional immaturity and our desire to be fixed, and shares practical ways to recognize manipulation before it leads to heartbreak and exploitation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  April Rinne: Thriving Through Change After Losing Both Parents at 20 02.05.2026 1t 20min

  After losing both parents in a car accident at age 20, April Rinne developed a framework for navigating constant change that became her book Flux. She discusses the eight superpowers for thriving in uncertainty—including running slower, seeing what is invisible, and letting go of the future—drawing from her work as a futurist and her deeply personal experience with loss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Anna Lembke: Why Your Brain Mistakes Instagram for Heroin 30.04.2026 1t 1min

  Stanford addiction psychiatrist Anna Lembke explains the neuroscience of dopamine and why our brains respond to social media the same way they respond to drugs. Drawing from her book Dopamine Nation, she shares how a dopamine fast can reset reward pathways and why the solution requires both individual discipline and systemic change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Andy Molinsky: The Three Cs That Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone 29.04.2026 39min

  Brandeis professor Andy Molinsky breaks down the psychology of why we avoid challenging situations and shares his research-backed framework for pushing past fear. He discusses conviction, customization, and clarity as the keys to taking leaps that feel impossible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Andrew Horn: Finding Your Grain of Truth Through Service and Emotional Mastery 28.04.2026 54min

  Andrew Horn shares his journey from nightclub promoter to founder of Tribute and The Junto mens group. He discusses how a pivotal conversation with his father about pride led him to discover purpose through service, and explores how appreciation and emotional vulnerability create meaningful human connection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Amy Edmondson: The Science of Failing Well and Why We Avoid Learning From Mistakes 27.04.2026 59min

  Harvard professor Amy Edmondson breaks down the three types of failure—intelligent, basic, and complex—and why most of us never learn from them. She explores why kids lose their natural curiosity about failure as they grow up, how to design experiments that generate useful failures, and the systems thinking required to prevent cascading disasters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Amy Blankson: Five Strategies to Find Happiness in a Tech-Saturated World 26.04.2026 51min

  Amy Blankson, happiness researcher and author of The Future of Happiness, explains how positive psychology can help us use technology intentionally rather than reactively. She shares practical strategies including tracking phone usage, leveraging wearables for self-awareness, and making conscious micro-decisions about when and why we use our devices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Alex Pang: Why Working Less Can Make You More Creative 25.04.2026 1t

  Historian and futurist Alex Pang explains why history's most creative people worked in short, focused bursts and took their leisure seriously. He traces the science behind rest, walking, naps, and deep play as tools for creativity, drawing on everyone from Darwin to Stephen King. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  B. Jeffrey: Why Obsession Is the Hidden Cost of Building an Empire 21.04.2026 44min

  B. Jeffrey, a teacher at Parsons School of Design and author of Creative Careers, discusses how to make a living from your ideas without chasing false definitions of success. He explores the difference between having a vision and proving a concept, why obsession is a necessary condition for building empires like Ralph Lauren or Apple, and how most creative people never ask themselves what success actually looks like to them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  David Allen: Why Your Brain is a Terrible Office 20.04.2026 49min

  David Allen, creator of the Getting Things Done methodology, shares the unconventional path that led him from 35 jobs before 35, drug experimentation, and a childhood fascination with magic to becoming the godfather of modern productivity. He explains why your brain evolved for pattern recognition, not task management, and breaks down his capture-clarify-organize-reflect-engage framework. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Dan Lerner: Why Your Character Strengths Matter More Than Your Skills 19.04.2026 58min

  Dan Lerner teaches the Science of Happiness at NYU. He explains how to identify your signature strengths using the VIA assessment and why companies that emphasize character strengths see 73% employee engagement versus 9% for those focused on weaknesses. Includes a story about a lawyer who turned down a Fortune 100 job to join Jet.com as their 10th employee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.