The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Episode 18: Creative Spark Series - 2024 Creative Intentions with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

For our very first episode of the new year, we’re doing something new! A couple of things, actually. We’re moving to a weekly release schedule, and introducing a new series we’re calling Creative Sparks to help stimulate your creativity. Every other week, Syncreate Co-Founders Melinda and Charlotte will co-host a mini-episode focusing on a specific aspect of the creative process to help stimulate your creativity. As with our longer episodes, we’ll end with a Creativity Pro-Tip that you can immediately put to use to enhance your creative work.

For this first Creative Spark episode and Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to think about your own creative goals, intentions, and aspirations for 2024, and how you can establish a consistent creative practice, including discipline and accountability, in order to realize those aspirations.

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:

The Syncreate Book

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Episode 17: Creative Collaboration - The Joy and The Pain with Syncreate Podcast Producer Mike Osborne Dec 28, 2023

Show notes

In our final episode of 2023, Melinda and Mike reflect on our collaboration in developing and producing The Syncreate Podcast over the last year, from its ideation phase to the present. We talk about Melinda’s inspiration for the show, some of the myths and stereotypes she wants to dispel about creativity, and (now that we can laugh about it) our creative friction in bringing the show to life. We’ve landed in a good place, so it’s all good. But collaboration isn’t always easy, and this episode offers a view behind the curtain into our own creative process, both the joy and the pain.

Mike is the co-creator of the Famous & Gravy podcast, and the Founder of 14th Street Studios in Austin, which he launched to help bring more people into podcasting. He’s a podcast veteran, with over twelve years of experience as a creator. Michael started his first show while working on his PhD in climate science at Stanford. He has three original productions and is involved in a number of ongoing productions.

For our Creativity Pro Tip today, think about your daily creative discipline. Whenever I work with clients, I encourage them to develop a regular practice. Maybe daily is not realistic, but sitting down and doing your work on a consistent basis allows the muse a place to land. Additionally, how do you collaborate in your creative work, whether in your family, in your professional life, in sports, and so on. What is the quality of collaboration?

If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 1 on Audio Storytelling with Podcaster and Environmentalist Michael Osborne, PhD, Episode 7: The Syncreate Story with Syncreate Co-Founder Charlotte Gullick, and Episode 10: Imagination and Creativity with Psychologist and Creativity Coach Dr. Diana Rivera.

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, previews of upcoming episodes, monthly calls with me and more.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Michael Osborne Website

14th Street Studios

Famous & Gravy Podcast

The Syncreate Book

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Robert Cleve, PhD on LinkedIn

Episode 16: Creativity, Innovation & Leadership with Robert Cleve, PhD Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

What is creativity and how do we study it? If you’re curious to learn more about the study of creativity and innovation, this episode is for you.
My guest today is Dr. Robert Cleve, head of the Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership Specialization at Saybrook University. We talk about how Robert recently updated the curriculum to better address the complex problems we face as a global community. We also discuss everyday creativity, and how we can use our innate creativity not only to survive, but heal ourselves and to enrich our lives.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip today, think about how you utilize creativity in your everyday life, sometimes just to get through the day, and to make meaning of your experiences. Once we recognize and honor the ways we’re constantly using our creativity to navigate life, we can then direct our it toward healing, helping others, and maybe even changing the world for the better.
At Syncreate, we’re here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea and you’re interested in our help, please reach out to us about 1x1 coaching, or join our Syncreate 6-Month Coaching Group starting in April of 2024. We’ll guide you through our Syncreate process to help bring a creative project to life. More at syncreate.org.
Credits: The Syncreate Podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse and produced by Christian Haigis with assistance from Michael Osborne. Video editing by Devon Foster at Tishna Films. Artwork by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the psychology of creativity, check out Episode 8: Grief, Healing, and the Artist’s Life with Anne Myers Cleary, 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.
We're now on Patreon! We’d love your support in continuing to grow the podcast and our Syncreate community. For a small monthly donation, you’ll receive exclusive content and access.
Episode-specific hyperlinks:

The Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership Program at Saybrook University

Humanistic Psychology

International Psychology

Dr. Ruth Richards

Everyday Creativity

The Four C Model of Creativity

Vlad Glaveneau

Robert’s Glass-Making Website

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Syncreate Website
Syncreate YouTube

Syncreate Instagram
Melinda Rothouse Website

Episode 15: Leadership, Burnout & Personal Sustainability with Dr. Katherine Semler Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

We’ve all likely experienced some degree of burnout or overwhelm in the course of our lives, especially since the pandemic. But what exactly is burnout? How can we recognize the signs of it, prevent it from overtaking us, and heal from it once we’ve experienced it? My guest on the show today is Dr. Katherine Semler. Katherine has worked for 25 years in the field of leadership development. She is a senior partner at Korn Ferry and an adjunct faculty member at Ashridge Hult Business School. She is the co-author of Running On Empty, a book about burnout and the practices that can protect us from it.

We recorded this episode together in Girona, Spain, where we recently led a retreat together on Personal Sustainability and Creativity Through Writing and Contemplative Arts. Our conversation focuses on leadership, Katherine’s research on burnout, and personal sustainability, including practices to help prevent burnout and refill our energetic wells, such as creativity, movement, and time in nature.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip for today, I encourage you to set aside some time in your schedule, even if it’s only 30 minutes or so, to put away the to-do list, write in a journal, get out some paints or markers, or play some music. Get your hands in the dirt and do some gardening, or cook a nice meal. Notice what happens. The more often you allow yourself to replenish in this way, the more energy you’ll have for your life, and the less you’ll be susceptible to burnout.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced by Christian Haigis with assistance from Michael Osborne in Austin, Texas. Creative development and video production by Shuja Uddin and Devon Foster at Tishna Films. Artwork by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 6: Gratitude, Gentleness, and Generosity with Mayela Padilla Manasjan and Episode 11: Leadership, Values, and Criminal Justice Reform with Attorney Dylan Hayre.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Dr. Katherine Semler

Book: Running on Empty by Amy Bradley and Katherine Semler

Ashridge Hult Business School

Maslach Burnout Index

Dr. Amy Bradley

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Son of Cormack on Spotify

Episode 14: Anatomy of a Song with Singer/Songwriter George McCormack Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

Songwriting, like many creative pursuits, can be a mysterious process. There’s no set formula for writing a song, and each songwriter approaches it in their own unique way. My guest today is George McCormack, a British singer-songwriter who performs as Son of Cormack. George and I were introduced by a mutual friend last year and started collaborating musically. You’ll hear us playing together during the episode, with George on guitar and lead vocals, and me on bass and backing vocals. Our focus in the conversation today is his songwriting process, with a focus on the song, ”Accelerate to a Standstill,” which is essentially a metaphor for the climate crisis and our collective inability to respond or take full responsibility for it.

George’s tagline is “An Irish boy, with an English Voice.” With Irish roots, George grew up in English pubs to jukebox lullabies in the 80s and went to a British boarding school. He lived in London for a decade and now lives in Austin, Texas, where he is writing and finally self-publishing his music. BBC INTRODUCING has picked up some of his songs and has been playing them on the radio. He appeared on the BBC Introducing stage at Lakefest Festival in the grounds of Eastnor Castle in 2022 and has been a guest live on air with BBC Hereford & Worcester.

If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 3: Creative Polymathy with Musician and Multi-Creative Michael Walker, Episode 8: Grief, Healing, and the Artist’s Life with Anne Myers Cleary, and Episode 10: Imagination and Creativity with Psychologist and Creativity Coach Dr. Diana Rivera.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Son of Cormack Website

Son of Cormack on YouTube

Son of Cormack on Instagram

Son of Cormack on Bandcamp

Son of Cormack on TikTok

BBC Introducing

Anne Lamott

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Article: “Pre-Trial Injustice” by Cyrus Gray with Matthew Clair

Episode 13: Creativity as a Foundation of Resilience with Cyrus Gray III Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

This episode, featuring Cyrus Gray III, demonstrates how creativity can support resilience, even under extremely difficult circumstances. In Episode 11, I talked with Dylan Hayre about the creativity in his criminal justice reform work. In this episode, we hear about the criminal justice system from the perspective of someone who found himself behind bars for nearly five years, four of those awaiting trial for murder, all the while maintaining his innocence.
This episode is very personal to me, as you’ll hear. I served as a juror on Cyrus’ trial, which gave me a troubling window into the criminal justice system in Texas. It ended in a mistrial after the jury could not come to a decision. His case has now been dismissed.

Our conversation focuses on Cyrus’ story and his efforts to navigate the criminal justice system, advocate for himself and others, and ultimately win his release. He embraced the power of community to foster positive changes to the system. I see this as a fundamentally creative act.

If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 11: Leadership, Values, and Criminal Justice Reform with Attorney Dylan Hayre and Episode 12: Creativity, Inclusivity and Community Theater with Sharanya Rao.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Article: “Criminal Injustice: A View from the Juror’s Box” by Melinda Rothouse

Book: Privilege and Punishment: How Race and Class Matter in Criminal Court by Matthew Clair

Article: “Five Years, and Counting, Without Trial” by Brittany Kelley

Article: “Hays County Sets Trial Date for Man Stuck in Jail for Five Years” by Brant Bingamon

Free Devonte Amerson Linktree with Additional Links & Information

Mano Amiga - Criminal Justice Reform Organization in San Marcos, Texas

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Leela - An Indian Community Theatre

Episode 12: Creativity, Inclusivity and Community Theater with Sharanya Rao Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

Sharanya Rao is a leadership, team, and career coach with an emphasis on equity and inclusion. She’s also the Artistic Director of Leela - An Indian Community Theatre in Austin, Texas. Her current project, Anklets in the Boardroom, gives voice to South Asian women’s experiences in the workplace. Her project is a living example of creating in community, in service of positive social change, which is one of Syncreate’s core principles. Our conversation in this episode focuses on how she’s brought together a “confluence of passions” with her work in coaching, DEI, and theater, culminating in Anklets in the Boardroom.

Sharanya’s story demonstrates how one person, with a bit of inspiration, can create something new, unique, and impactful for the benefit of the wider community. Our Creativity Pro Tip at the end of the episode encourages us to reflect on how we can each bring our own unique passions together in a new way to create something that may benefit the wider world. For me, this podcast is a synthesis of my own interests in creativity, psychology, spirituality, public speaking, performance, and my personal network of creatives all over the world. So, what’s your passion project, and how could you bring it to life?

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Creative development and video production by Shuja Uddin and Devon Foster at Tishna Films. Artwork by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 5: Creative Global Citizenship with Screenwriter and Filmmaker Shuja Uddin, Episode 6: Gratitude, Gentleness, and Generosity with Mayela Padilla Manasjan and Episode 11: Leadership, Values, and Criminal Justice Reform with Attorney Dylan Hayre

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Sharanya Rao

Kindle Life Coaching

Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed

Book: The First, The Few, and The Only by Deepa Purushothaman

Vedanta

Book: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

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Overview of Criminal Justice Reform from the Equal Justice Initiative

Episode 11: Leadership, Values, and Criminal Justice Reform with Dylan Hayre Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Dylan Hayre is a leader in criminal justice reform focusing on supervision in probation and parole. We connected through his work and leadership, and from the start I was struck by his passion and drive, not only for criminal justice work, but in his striving for self-cultivation in leading from his core values and principles. Dylan is a highly creative thinker, bringing an innovative approach to solving the problems of a complex and highly entrenched institutional system. Our conversation in this episode focuses on the creativity in Dylan’s work, as well as the values and principles he brings to his leadership in the field.

Currently serving as Director of Criminal Justice Reform at Arnold Ventures, Dylan previously served in the ACLU’s Justice Division, where he led their advocacy work on clemency and death penalty repeal. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Policy Advisor at JustLeadershipUSA, where he led the organization’s policy analysis.

Our Creativity Pro Tip at the end of the episode focuses on creative, values-based leadership. We all lead in different ways in different contexts, whether explicitly or implicitly, so I encourage you to consider how you show up as a leader in your own life, whether based in formal leadership roles or positions, or in your family, community, and so on. Leadership is an exercise in creativity, and our values are the cornerstone of our leadership. So what are your core values and passions? Have you ever formally articulated them and how they guide your path and decision making? If not, today is a great time to start.

If you like this episode, you might also enjoy Episode 6: Gratitude, Gentleness, and Generosity with Mayela Padilla Manasjan and Episode 7: The Syncreate Story with Syncreate Co-Founder Charlotte Gullick.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Dylan Hayre on LinkedIn

History of Juneteenth from National Geographic

Overview of Sikhism

Overview of Stoicism from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

How To Reform Criminal Justice, When Prosecutors Hold The Powerby Dylan Hayre

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Saybrook University Creativity, Innovation & Leadership Ph.D. Program

Episode 10: Imagination and Creativity with Psychologist & Creativity Coach Dr. Diana Rivera Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

What comes to mind when you hear the word “imagination”? Does it evoke a particular image, scene, or context in your mind’s eye? We often associate imagination with the visual sense, as a close relative and component of creativity. But imagination can be associated with any of the five senses or perceptual fields, and it is also closely linked with intuition, spirituality, and synchronicity. And what about the dark side of imagination? We discuss all of this and more in Episode 10 of The Syncreate Podcast with Dr. Diana Rivera.

Dr. Rivera is a licensed clinical psychologist and creativity coach in Los Angeles. She’s the owner of Empowerment Psychology, and she's worked for many years as a facilitator in performing arts education, as well as offering professional development coaching to artists, youth, educators, and corporate America. She holds two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of California at Santa Cruz in American Studies and Theatre Arts. She has a MA in Psychology with a specialization in Creativity Studies and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Saybrook University. She is also a certified personal/professional development coach as designated by the International Coaching Federation.

At the end of the episode, I offer a Creativity Pro Tip encouraging you to consider the transpersonal or spiritual element of your own creativity and imaginal work. In other words, what gives you a sense of meaning and purpose in your life? Is there a spiritual dimension to your creative or professional work?

If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 8: Grief, Healing, and the Artist’s Life with Anne Myers Cleary and Episode 9: Music and Psychology: "The Pocket" Experience with Dr. Jeff Mims.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Dr. Rivera’s Psychotherapy Website: https://www.empowermentpsychologyla.com/

Dr. Rivera’s Creativity Coaching Website: https://creativeempowermentcoaching.com/

Article by Dr. Rothouse on Jungian Psychology and Creativity: Navigating the Creative Wilderness in the Journal of Creativity

Buddhist Teacher Pema Chödrön

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