Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

Latest Episodes:

This Is Your Brain on Mushrooms | One-Shot #6 Aug 18, 2021

Show notes

I used to think I somehow escaped the clutches of imposter syndrome. Oh, the ego in that statement. Surprise, surprise, I was wrong.

My imposter syndrome grips me as a writer, a podcaster, a speaker, and a creator-of-things-that-people-are-supposed-to-enjoyer. It's the worst when I face gatekeepers -- people like editors or publishers who decide whether or not someone is worthy of coming onto their platform or working with their service.

Most of us face some flavor of imposter syndrome, and it can feel impossible to beat. Recently, I heard the story of a friend's brother obsessed with searching for mushrooms in the woods behind his house. That led me to a realization that can help us change the way we view or work and our relationship to it, which can in turn help us beat imposter syndrome.

In the end, we aren't experts. We're explorers. We're not creators. We're foragers.

What might happen if we thought about our work in those terms?

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-Jay

Get Together and Feel Alright Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

The company Museum Hack, founded by Nick Gray, was at one point a promising new startup. It helped reinvent and reinvigorate a stale museum experience. It lured people out of their homes, away from their screens, and into groups of people. There, connection happened. Learning. Inspiration. And another concept, pulled from Dutch culture, known as "gezellig."

As I re-air this story, we're in the midst of the pandemic. (Again? Still?) The Delta variant is raging. People are making foolish, selfish decisions about the vaccine, prolonging this difficult time and harming people near them who continue to get sick or even die because of those choices.

It's time to remind ourselves of what it can feel like when we're together, not apart, both for nostalgia but also to stir up some hope for the future.

As creators, we have a role to play in making this world better -- whether through companies we build or projects we ship. We can't lose sight of that. We can provide connection in a world in desperate need of more.

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THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!

Keep making what matters.

-Jay

How I Push Through My Own BS | One-Shot #5 Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

As creative people, how we see the world changes how we think about it which changes how we communicate which changes how we resonate which changes the results we see.

Want to change you results? Start at the beginning. Consider changing, or at least thinking critically about, how you see the world. It's not often a tiny tactic or hidden marketing channel or technology that's needed. It's something far more transformative, but it needn't be difficult to grasp.

(PS: Thanks to everyone who shared feedback on the initial four One-Shots! People seem to like them, so I'll continue running roughly two of these each month.)

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THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!

Keep making what matters.

-Jay

Recovery Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

On the show, we keep talking about the importance of reaching that next rep of your creative process consistently, faster, and better, but often, those ideas are in conflict. Often, we shouldn't move to the next iteration or project quickly. Then there are other times where taking a break is actually a form of hiding. We want the perfect conditions or the Muse to visit us.

How do we spot the difference? How do we know whether we should just keep showing up, shipping the work, putting in the reps ... or we need to recover so the next rep is better?

There's a hidden a tension between being consistent and being better. Sometimes, they work in harmony, but when they don't, we experience burn out.

We'll visit with a writer, Margo Aaron, who became a marketer by accident, burnt out, and has found a smart, repeatable way to recover and consistently show up improved. We'll also hear from editor and researcher Molly Donovan, who brings us some of the science behind recovery in athletes, as well as a concept called Default Mode. We'll learn why that mode is so critical for the health of our brains and, specific to our exploration together, to creating more resonant work.

Recovery is a messy topic, and we have so many more questions than answers. Sounds like an Unthinkable episode to me!

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VOICES IN THIS STORY:

Margo Aaron: twitter.com/margoaaron | thatseemsimportant.com

Molly Donovan: twitter.com/mhdonovan | mdonovancontent.com

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THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!

Keep making what matters.

-Jay

An Untapped Creative Superpower | One-Shot #4 Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

This week, another "One-Shot." These are my short-form, experimental episodes, where I read a short written piece for you, covering an observation I've made or story I've experienced firsthand. Whereas my main episodes share stories from the perspectives of others, these shorts are from my perspective alone.

It's all part of the journey we're on to understand how to avoid stagnation, keep improving, and ultimately reach that next rep of the creative process consistently and better.

In this one, we discuss an untapped creative superpower. It involves the story of a misshapen mug (to put it kindly) and my childhood home -- which I can no longer visit.

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Stories and frameworks for questioning best practices, honing your intuition, and doing your best work.

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THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!

Keep making what matters.

-Jay

Creative Elements Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

While I'm on vacation, I wanted to ensure I shared something special. Jay Clouse's show, Creative Elements, is among my favorite interview podcasts about creativity and building a career as a content entrepreneur and artist online today.

Jay asks me about...

My experiences as a sports journalist and sports PR intern at ESPN and elsewhere, before getting into marketing.
How I think about and develop stories.
Why I aspire to be the Anthony Bourdain of workplace storytelling.
How I structure and schedule my weeks to juggle lots of projects.
How I broke into public speaking as a big piece of my career and revenue.
...and a lot more.

I hope you enjoy this bonus episode! If you do, consider listening to Creative Elements with Jay Clouse. Find your podcast player of choice at pod.link/elements

You can also find Jay Clouse on Twitter @jayclouse.

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THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!

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-Jay

Maybe Don't Be Like Mike Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

Alex Cook's obsessions are ever-changing, from growing and farming mushrooms to men's haircare products to riding Fat bikes on the beach ... to investigating family mysteries involving his grandfather, a dog, and an old wooden chest full of clues.

All of this led Alex to create his company, NanaGram. It's the most rewarding app you'll ever use (full disclosure: I'm a longtime customer).

THANKS TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS EPISODE:

Max Yoder, CEO of Lessonly. Check out his book: https://dobetterwork.com/ or his company: https://www.lessonly.com/

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THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!

Keep making what matters.

-Jay

3 Phases of Storytelling Skills | One-Shot #3 Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

The stories that inspire us and move others to action don't often feel within our grasp. Maybe we think it's about budget, or more time, or even more team. But so often, creativity is about resourcefulness, not resources. This applies squarely to storytelling.

In fact, if we just learned (or re-learned) what a "story" really is, we might better equip ourselves to tell great stories.

Stories require one ingredient above all others: tension.

Want to evolve and improve as a storyteller? Master the use of tension, across three phases.

Today, in another one-shot episode, we talk about the traits of each phase and use some examples, all so we can continue to change how we see the work and elevate our creativity -- without adding tons more resources.

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4. SPEAKING & BOOKS: Learn more about my books and public speaking, and all my other projects, at jayacunzo.com

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Thanks so much for listening, supporting, and sharing!

Keep making what matters.

- Jay

Twitter: @jayacunzo

IG: @jacunzo

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo

Thank Dog Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

All of this led Alex to create his company, NanaGram. It's the most rewarding app you'll ever use (full disclosure: I'm a longtime customer).

THANKS TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS EPISODE:

Alex Cook: https://twitter.com/aacook

NanaGram: https://nanagram.co/

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Become a Supporter: Get bonus content and exclusive invites to projects and educational opportunities for creative people.

Become a Member: Get access to a community forum of ambitious creators who help each other level up, plus exclusive riffs, rants, and courses from me, a 1:1 call with me, and all paid projects I create included as part of your membership.

>>> makewhatmattersgroup.com

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY BOOKS, SPEAKING, AND ORIGINAL SERIES:

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THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!

Keep making what matters.

-Jay

What's Your Waggle? | One-Shot #2 May 26, 2021

Show notes

In a new monologue story, we try to understand how to bring greater focus and our own unique form to our creative work more consistently. After all, being a professional creator means showing up even when we don't feel amazing in order to tinker, draft, and ship.

We need to bring our focus and our form to our work upon command. How do we do that? We look to an unexpected source of inspiration.

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THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!

Keep making what matters.

-Jay