The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity

Author: Katherine Anne Porter

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

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Eben’s Website
Eben’s Instagram

Episode 28: From Healing to Wholeness with Eben Britton Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

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

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

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

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

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

The Eben Flow Podcast

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

Book: The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida

Book: Iron John by Robert Bly

Book: Wild at Heart by John & Stasi Eldridge

Dave Meltzer

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

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Syncreate Website
Syncreate YouTube

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Randy Langford’s Law Website

Episode 27: The Spirit of Collaboration with Attorney & Musician Randy Langford Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

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

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

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, reflect on how you collaborate in your creative, professional, and personal life. Try embracing the spirit of collaboration in asking for what you need, sharing resources, and supporting your collaborators toward a common purpose.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 9: Music and Psychology: "The Pocket" Experience with Dr. Jeff Mims, Episode 11: Leadership, Values, and Criminal Justice Reform with Attorney Dylan Hayre, Episode 14: Anatomy of a Song with Singer/Songwriter George McCormack, and Episode 17: Creative Collaboration with Syncreate Podcast Producer Mike Osborne.

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

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Restorative Justice

Shamanacana, Randy’s Music Site

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

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Syncreate Website

Syncreate YouTube

Episode 26: Creative Spark Series - Produce! with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

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

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

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

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

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

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

Book: Swim Home ot the Vanished by Brendan Shay Basham

Book: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Song: Fuel by Black Thought

Artist Ernie Barnes

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Bradley Cooke, Ph.D. on LinkedIn

Episode 25: Between Order & Chaos - Creativity, Neuroscience & Psychedelics with Bradley Cooke, Ph.D. Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

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

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

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

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

The Art of Sprezzatura

Dr. Dan Siegel on Chaos, Rigidity, and Integration

My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis & John Coltrane

Brad’s Research Portfolio at the National Institutes of Health

Article: Psychedelics as Potential Catalysts of Scientific Creativity and Insight

Article: 7 Ways Psychedelics Impact Creative Thinking

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Episode 24: Creative Spark Series - Creative Planning with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

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

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

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

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

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

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Stephanie Crain / The Corporate Mystic on LinkedIn

Episode 23: The Corporate Mystic - Archetypes of Leadership & Creativity with Stephanie Crain Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

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

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

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

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

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

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Tapas Innovation

Free Corporate Persona Archetype Test

Tarot Cards

Personality Tests

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

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Episode 22 - Creative Spark Series: Creative Play with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

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

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

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

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Charlotte Gullick’s Website
Documentary: American Symphony

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The Delacorte Theater / Shakespeare in the Park

Episode 21: The Walk of Faith and Courage with Shakespearean Actor Warren "Ren" Jackson Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

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

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

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

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

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

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

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

Play: Master Harold and the Boysby Athol Fugard

Play: Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

Play / Book: Elijah Broke the Gate

Book: The Courage to Createby Rollo May

Play: Amen Corner by James Baldwin

Episode 20: Creative Spark Series - The Syncreate Model of Play, Plan & Produce with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of our new Creative Spark series, Melinda and Charlotte give an overview of the Syncreate model of Play, Plan & Produce to help you move from ideation to completion with your creative work. Do you have an idea for a creative project but can’t seem to move it forward? Or maybe you’ve stalled out along the way, or can’t figure out how to bring it to completion? We share insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities to help you move through the creative process with greater ease and agility.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to pay attention to the “whispers of the creative mind”–those words, images, and flashes of inspiration we may receive throughout the day or in dreams–and actually document them in some way so you can come back to them later.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 7: The Syncreate Story with Syncreate Co-Founder Charlotte Gullick, Episode 9: Music and Psychology: "The Pocket" Experience with Dr. Jeff Mims, and Episode 10: Imagination and Creativity with Psychologist and Creativity Coach Dr. Diana Rivera.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

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