Gifted Underachievers

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  Opportunities & Compromise: Two Perspectives 24.09.2026 28min

  James floats out a scenario for consideration:* You’re a midlevel creative* You get your “big break”--an opportunity that could transform your career* They want compromises you’re not comfortable makingWhat do you do?Pat figures creatives can cross that bridge when they get to it and base their actions on the specifics of the situation: what the compromise is, who’s asking for it, and what’s at stake.Questions for Listeners* Do you think this scenario can be usefully analyzed?* If yes, what’s your red zone when opportunity knocks?For Further Exploration17 Stars Who Were Broke When They Got Their Big BreaksBuy us a Coffee and Win a Guide to World Domination!Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!If you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time.Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Case Study: Prepping for Crunch Time 24.09.2026 16min

  Pat is an expert all-nighter puller. In fact, James says that when it comes to understanding how to prepare for an intensive period of work, there’s none better than Pat.That’s why he asked for her tips on how she gets ready for the international three-day writing contest as well as other demanding periods of work.Question for Listeners:* How do you re-find your creative thread?For Further ExplorationBuy us a Coffee and Win a Guide to World Domination!Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!If you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time.Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Listener Profile: Chris Bujold, Robot Dreams and Suburban Nightmares 24.09.2026 8min

  Today, we’re profiling a wonderful project by Chris Bujold. Robot Dreams and Suburban Nightmares is “a cinematic coming-of age memoir told through the films that defined a generation, a life, and a childhood.”Released just this week from Library Tales Publishing, the book is already zooming up the charts! And we are absolutely delighted to discuss Chris’s work and the meaning of movies in our own lives.Here’s where to buy Robot Dreams and Suburban Nightmares:* Online on Amazon or Barnes and Noble* Through the publisher’s website, librarytalespublishing.com.* Order it through your local independent bookstore.Check out Chris’s Substack, House of BujFollow him on Instagram: Chris BujoldThanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Creative Flow Into Fall 17.09.2026 15min

  August can be crazy. Crazy busy. Crazy fun. Crazy social. Crazy vacation time.And all that crazy can throw us out of our creative flow.Pat and James are absolutely struggling to recapture the motivation and flow state they’d had with their creative work back in June, when summer was merely a babe in the woods.To get back into creative work with momentum, Pat suggests focusing on space, time, and tools.Question for Listeners:How do you re-find your creative thread after an interruption?For Further Exploration:Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  The Stench of Sycophancy in Publishing 17.09.2026 31min

  If you’ve been around writers, agents, and publishers for a while, you will be aware that ass-kissing, pandering, and sycophancy (call it what you will) are a feature of this harsh industry, where only a couple of hundred top agents can actually get good publishing deals, where a safe bet for publishers is a book that follows current trends, and where the exponential increase in people aspiring to publication creates a Hunger Games scenario in many writers’ minds.Why not kiss ass? What do you have to lose?Your credibility, for one. And the time you could have spent better building relationships in a more sustainable and fruitful way.Your Gifted Underachievers discuss these other ways to create relationships with industry professionals. Although few of them require large amounts of money, they all take time and effort.Questions for Listeners:* Have you ever kissed ass hoping it would get your material read / seen / viewed?* How did that work out for you?* What else have you done to build industry relationships that’s yielded tangible results?For Further Exploration:Learn how to Sell Your Book Without Begging or Bragging: https://getaliteraryagent.com/sell-yourself-book-literary-agents/Get the lowdown on Ben Shattuck, James’s new BFF (not): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_ShattuckThe creative who LIKES pitching—Amber Petty:Meet the writer who connected Pat with her agent: https://www.sharonharrigan.net/Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Honour Your Creative Work 17.09.2026 10min

  It’s easy to get mired down in the BS that comes with working in a creative field, whether it’s publishing, the TV and film industry, visual arts, crafts, comedy, or whatever realm you operate in.Despite all that, we’re lucky to have an abiding interest that can see us through to the end of our lives. Creative work feeds our curiosities and provides meaning to both us creator and our audience. What could be better than that?Questions for Listeners:* How do you honour your creative work?* Or if you don’t yet, how can you start?For Further Exploration:John O’Donohue: https://www.johnodonohue.com/Anam Cara (source of the Work Blessing): https://www.johnodonohue.com/storePam Bustin: https://pambustin.com/Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  How to Escape Someone Else’s Dysfunction Trap! 10.09.2026 33min

  As creatives we often rely on others for a great many things. As people with creative adjacent careers, we also rely on others for a great many things.Ergo and therefore, it is all too easy to fall into and be trapped by the dysfunction of others.And while we get good at preventing or short-circuiting dysfunctional processes, there is always a new one. Furthermore, if we depend on that other person (or organization) it can be VERY difficult to simply walk away. We also experience the business concept of the sunk cost fallacy because we don’t want to lose an opportunity or walk away from many hours of work.What to do?Well, the Gifted Underachievers have thoughts. Good ones.Questions for Listeners:* How can you avoid dysfunction in others?* How can do you get out of a dysfunction trap?* Do you miss red flags?For Further Exploration:Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Contest Update: Narrative Sends James a Nice Note 10.09.2026 13min

  It could be worse.Or so thinks James after receiving a relatively thoughtful letter from narrative to let him know he was not a finalist in their short fiction contest.He is an optimist from a family of optimists.However, he and Pat dive in with some solid insights as to whether or not the contest pathway is perhaps a better approach to getting our work out than the dark hole/deep wishing well of blind submissions.Listener Questions:* What is your contest update? Any wins, close calls.* Let us know and we’ll feature you for a listener profile.For Further Exploration:Buy us a Coffee and Win a Guide to World Domination!Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!If you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time.Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Listener Profile: Beyond Craft by Joe Ponepinto 10.09.2026 9min

  Joe Ponepinto’s current project is a fascinating Substack publication called Beyond Craft. Learn how and why Joe created this world, the challenges, the audience, and the point. Bonus: a special offer to GU Listeners!Check Joe out at: Beyond CraftIf you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time.Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  The Fabulous Amber Petty! 03.09.2026 1h 5min

  In this special episode of Gifted Underachievers, we are absolutely delighted to welcome Gifted Achiever Amber Petty to the GU Clubhouse. Amber is a writer/Weird Marketing Maven living in Los Angeles. She’s helped hundreds of students get bylines in places like Huffington Post, Business Insider, the Guardian, New York Times, and more. Plus, she’s grown a 6-figure business and 11,000-person newsletter by helping misfits make more money.In her current programs Marketing for Misfits (eminently affordable!) and the Creative Control Club (free!), Amber is helping hundreds of creatives figure out how to grow their audience and market their work. We’re especially delighted by the Compliments Challenge, a truly painless (in fact, rewarding) way to expand your network and create opportunities.Join us as we discover:* How creative people can overcomplicate marketing by coming from a place of “I’m not good at this, and I hate it.”* Why we “bland ourselves out” in our marketing and on social media, and how to stop* What marketing really is at its core, and why creatives have all the skills we need to do it well* The importance of allowing our identities and ourselves to evolve* How to raise our own excitement about marketing, and why that matters* The value of lighting up your creative brain first, THEN turning on your marketing brain* How when we get even OK at marketing, we can build a solid audience that will appreciate ALL our creative work* How having more control over our own marketing (rather than waiting for opportunities to be showcased by someone else) can result in life-changing incomeQuestions for Listeners:* How do you feel about marketing?* Are you finding a previous identity hampers your ability to share your work?* What would actually feel good to you when sharing your creative work?For Further Exploration:Marketing for Misfits: https://www.skool.com/marketing-for-misfits-8832/aboutCompliments Challenge: https://amber-petty.newzenler.com/courses/compliments0926/Creative Control Club: https://amber-petty.newzenler.com/f/creativecontrol/Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! If you know a creative who needs solid, clear advice on marketing their work, Share This Post!If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Gifted Achiever Richard Kelly Kemick 27.08.2026 1h 5min

  An Underachieving Note: We’ve underachieved again. Summer is waning and\or peaking depending on whether you are going back to school or not. And we are, well, crazy busy with the details of life while fulfilling important family duties. And so, we bring you an incredible interview with the guy whose notebook is described as “off putting with serial killer vibes.” We love him. You love him. Here he is…In this episode, Pat and James have a wide-ranging discussion with Gifted Achiever and author Richard Kelly Kemick. His most recent book—Hello, Horse—is a wonderfully unique collection of short stories that features a coterie of ghosts, nuns on ice, and an above average number of dogs while exploring the mirage of authenticity and the impact of decisions we make—for better or worse.In a word, Richard is brilliant and funny (yes, I know, that was two words). As but a taste of the topics Pat and James explored with him:* Pen or pencil?* His writing and publishing process, which includes his fair share of rejections (something we all have experienced).* The pleasure of working with a fabulous old-school editor.* Moving up the rejection ladder.* Can an arts community become too dependent on grants? And can funding abundance disconnect the artist from their audience?* Our favorite authors and books.* Why the writer/creator must work harder than the reader/viewer/audience.* When applying for a grant, have an idea not an emotion.* Rejection is just another step forward.* Richard’s top five grant pitch tips.* How being creative forces you out of yourself.* There is no better life than the creative life.Segment Questions:* What do you believe the difference is between an idea and an emotion?* What is your favorite book/movie/song/artwork?* What are your five pitch tips?Segment Links:Richard’s Website: https://richardkemick.comWikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Kelly_KemickHello, Horse on Amazon: https://a.co/d/7yy9yPm [Gifted Underachiever tip: Download a sample on Kindle, then after you discover Richard’s brilliance, purchase a copy at your local independent bookstore] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Are AI Hallucinations Taking Down Creatives? 19.08.2026 21min

  There are lots of accusations of AI use in the arts—especially writing—based on both human detection and AI detection apps. So many creatives are worried that they could get accused of using AI when they are not. And those that publish or promote creative work are afraid that the creators they work with might be using AI.The problem is, that neither or human senses nor the AI detection software being used is accurate. False positives and false negatives happen…a lot.This is something we should all keep in mind when we hear the next high-profile accusation of AI use. There’s just too much room for errors that could permanently taint a creative person’s reputation.Questions for Listeners* Have you been falsely accused of AI use? If so, let us know. We’d love to hear from you!* Is AI a feral baby?Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further ExplorationThe most recent case: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jul/31/crime-novel-deal-collapses-questions-ai-jerry-falade-call-me-ill-hide-the-bodyThanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Diversifying Your Market Across Borders 19.08.2026 28min

  If you sell your creative work or provide creative-adjacent services online, you’ve already made decisions about your market—ranging from the language and images you use for your website to the currency you accept payment in.As a Canadian, Pat’s begun to realize that the country many of her clients and students are based in (the USA) has become politically and economically unstable. This instability has affected every aspect of the book trade, including the ability of individual authors to keep writing when they have to work more to due to the increased cost of living, the burden of creating new work in a regime that’s hostile to the arts, the increasingly risk-averse climate in traditional publishing, and the effect of rising fuel prices on book distribution.She hoped this was a phase that might end with the current president’s term. But realistically, it could last for a decade or more as the country to the south rebuilds and regroups. And that’s only if the systemic changes happening now are reversed.There’s not much we can do about economic instability in another country, but we can diversify our offerings into more stable markets. In this segment, we discuss why and how to do this.Questions for Listeners:* Do you have a particular geographic market for most of your work?* If yes, where is it?* If you were to diversify, what would you do first?Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further Exploration:Member states of the Commonwealth of Nationshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_the_Commonwealth_of_NationsThanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Who Are We Without Our Captives? (Silly) 19.08.2026 2min

  In this disturbing short segment, the Gifted Underachievers discuss the basement of their Clubhouse, now free of any captured creative folk. Who should we nab next?NOTE: No captives have been held in the GU Clubhouse. We’re just being silly.Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further ExplorationThanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe any time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Are You Heading Where You Want to Go? 13.08.2026 21min

  What meaning do you get from your life as a creative?· Who are you now?· What have you done?· Are you heading where you want to go?The Gifted Underachievers discuss a challenging thought experiment to help you gain perspective on these questions.From there, you can tweak, choose, manage, and direct your current and future creative projects for maximum meaning and value to your body of work.Questions for Listeners:* Where would your personal retrospective be held?* Who would come to it?* What would it show?* What clues to meaning are in your work?Buy us a Coffee and Win a Guide to World Domination!Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!A Creative Retrospective, Unfortunately Featuring Me (by Genna McWhinnie):Art & Fear: Source of the quote from McWhinnie’s video (above), “The clues are in the work.”A Creative Retrospective: Your Life’s Work: The Artist’s Retrospective: https://artbizsuccess.com/virtual-retrospective/Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Does Creative Detritus Imprison Us? 13.08.2026 17min

  Pat’s aggressively white office has way too much paper and other artifacts of her creative work. James does the exact same thing. In fact, he will find himself surrounded by piles of paper, old mail, out-of-date eyeglasses, folders for long dead projects, and more in his office when he decides time for a purge.We all do this.It’s too easy to set something aside thinking we’ll come back to it only to let it become one more atom of a massive pile of crap we don’t need or use.And too often, these items become hard to let go of.Do we allow stuff to hold us prisoner?What should we keep? What should we let go of?Question for Listeners:* Are you a hoarder or wise keeper of your legacy?Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book!Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further Exploration:Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a member, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Introducing Listener Profiles 13.08.2026 6min

  The Gifted Underachievers are really proud of their listeners and feel that it’s time they share the spotlight with them.If you’d like to get some more attention for your work, specific project, or anything you do as a creative, send us an email at [email protected]. We’ll be in touch.Question for Listeners:* Why not be a GU listener profile?Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book!Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further Exploration:Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a member, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Your CEO Meeting: A Case Study 05.08.2026 24min

  Dobes (Pat Dobie) is one of the most organized gifted underachievers in history. She has a huge whiteboard and a well-stocked supply of dry erase markers.What does she use them for?Well, Pat holds CEO meetings for her creative-adjacent work at least twice a year.The purpose?To recenter, prioritize, and find new capacity in her creative adjacent work.How does she do that?She is great at data capture. In particular, tracking time spent and money earned on her projects to identify which ones do well, and which ones need to be reconsidered.And in the end?Pat sets herself up for greater success for the next six months by prioritizing high-value work and projects over those with a lower return.Questions for Listeners:* How do you track the costs and benefits of your work?* What do you do with that data?Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book!Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further Exploration:Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a member, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  Your Network Signals Who You Are 05.08.2026 18min

  The Gifted Underachievers discuss the pros and cons of referring or outsourcing some of their creative-adjacent work to other professionals, especially aspects of the work that are ancillary to our core professional services.In other words, will you do better to stick to your core competency and pass clients to others to shepherd them through the stuff you don’t want to do? Or is it better to offer the ancillary services yourself?James is thinking that he’d like to start handing off more of the post-writing work (pitching, proposals) to trusted colleagues. This sparks questions such as:* How do you add people to your network of vetted suppliers or colleagues?* What will their role be?* How will the relationship work?We also look at how you can see and evaluate a potential supplier or colleague’s work:* How do you approach them with this type of referral?* Do they have the skills and experience to handle it?* Can you send clients to them with trust that the outcome will be positive?The goal is to create or expand your network of people that are good to work with, know what they’re doing, and will do what they say they’re going to do.Questions for Listeners:* Do you refer clients to other service providers in your field?* How does it usually go?* Got any horror stories?Buy us a Coffee and Win a BookHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further Exploration:The Art of Collaborationhttps://pwcenter.org/article/the-art-of-collaboration-how-do-you-find-the-right-people/How to Join Forces with a Creative Collaboratorhttps://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/how-to-join-forces-with-a-creative-collaborator/Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
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  The Fuel That Powers Artistic Glory: Cheese 05.08.2026 4min

  “A day without cheese is a day without sunshine,” says Dobes.James claims, “It’s the enzymes.”Here in the Gifted Underachievers Clubhouse, we agree that the food group known as cheese goes in many things: tuna melts, fried egg sandwiches, salads... And if you’re a REAL cheesehound, you’ll like it hard, soft, or blue.It’s not just the enzymes, it’s not just the feel-good fats—the bald fact is that cheese makes us happy. And a happy creative is a productive creative.Questions for Listeners:* Ever felt better after you eat cheese?* Exactly.Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book!Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further Exploration:The Truth about Cheese: Can Cheese Make You Happy? Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com