Daily Creative with Todd Henry

Your Compass & Creative FuelHow do we keep our creative edge—and ourselves—intact while navigating constant demands, distractions, and emotional turbulence? In this episode, we explore two distinct yet overlapping paths to real impact and creative resilience. We first sit down with Robert Glazer, best-selling author of The Compass Within, who demystifies the role of core values as more than just aspirational words—they’re non-negotiable principles that serve as a compass for decision making, relationships, and leadership. We discuss how to identify actionable, clarifying values, why supposed “values” like “family” often hide deeper principles, and how lack of alignment between values and life leads to burnout and stagnation. Glazer shares his “big three” most life-defining decisions and what happens when our work, partners, or communities are out of sync with who we really are. Next, we’re joined by Josh Pais, veteran actor and creator of Committed Impulse, whose new book Lose Your Mind offers a radical take on performance and presence. Pais reveals how reframing so-called “negative” emotions like anxiety and nervousness—as simply energy—transforms dread into creative fuel. He walks us through practical access points to presence, explains why emotion labeling sabotages creativity, and shares tools for cultivating the embodied awareness needed to consistently put ourselves on the line, whether the audience is one person or a thousand. Together, these conversations serve up a roadmap for navigating modern creative pressures with clarity, energy, and authenticity. Five Key Learnings from This Episode: Core values aren’t beliefs—they’re actionable, non-negotiable principles 1. that guide behavior and decisions across every area of life and work. Naming surface-level values like “family” isn’t enough—clarity comes from articulating how those values show up as decisions and actions, 2. both personally and professionally. Burnout is often rooted not in workload, but in living incongruently with our core values, 3. which drains energy and leads to fragmentation or eventual crisis. Emotions like fear or nervousness are not “bad”—they’re simply sensations, or energy, 4. that, when accepted and embodied, can be used as creative fuel rather than barriers. Authenticity is grounded in presence and congruence: 5. anchoring to core values provides direction, while welcoming our emotional experience gives us the fuel to show up bravely and perform at our best. Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreativePlus.com. Mentioned in this episode: The Brave Habit is available now My new book will help you make bravery a habit in your life, your leadership, and your work. Discover how to develop the two qualities that lead to brave action: Optimistic Vision and Agency. Buy The Brave Habit wherever books are sold, or learn more at TheBraveHabit.com. To listen to the full interviews from today's episode, as well as receive bonus content and deep dive insights from the episode, visit DailyCreativePlus.com and join Daily Creative+.

29 min

How to Turn Doubt Into Your Creative SuperpowerIn this episode of Daily Creative, we dive deep into the concept of doubt as a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and effective leadership. We explore a real-world story where doubt reshaped a project and led to a superior outcome, challenging our culture’s bias toward certainty and snap answers. Our guest, Dr. Bobby Parmar, author of Radical Doubt and professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, unpacks the neuroscience and psychology behind how we process uncertainty—and why embracing doubt can be a superpower for leaders, entrepreneurs, and creators navigating complexity. Together, we examine why most of us conflate intelligence with having the “right” answer, how our brains use doubt to signal that there’s more to learn, and why organizations need to shift from rewarding certainty to cultivating a culture of inquiry. Dr. Parmar breaks down the brain’s “trio” of systems—pursue, protect, and pause/piece together—and shows how effective decision-making requires moving beyond tunnel vision and quick fixes. We also discuss practical tools for reframing doubt, including leveraging four essential “lenses” (principles, consequences, character, and relationships) when making decisions. Through tangible examples and research insight, we reveal how the most creative and resilient outcomes often emerge when we pause, invite challenging perspectives, and courageously sit with uncertainty. Key Learnings from This Episode: Doubt as a Doorway: 1. Doubt isn’t a weakness to hide—it’s a signal that more learning and better answers are possible. When handled well, doubt expands possibilities instead of narrowing them. The Brain’s Trio: 2. Our brains switch between pursue (seeking reward), protect (avoiding risk), and pause/piece together (slowing down to learn) systems. Engaging the “pause” system is critical for creativity and wise choices. Four Moral Lenses: 3. Effective decision-making requires balancing principles, consequences, character, and relationships—especially in complex or ambiguous situations. Relying on just one lens can create blind spots. Short-term vs. Long-term Thinking: 4. Focusing only on immediate certainty often undermines long-term value and opportunity. Doubt helps us reframe decisions within a broader context, allowing for patience and creativity. Culture of Inquiry: 5. The best leaders foster environments where questioning assumptions is safe and expected. Encouraging dialogue around uncertainty leads to stronger teams and more innovative solutions. Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreativePlus.com. Mentioned in this episode: The Brave Habit is available now My new book will help you make bravery a habit in your life, your leadership, and your work. Discover how to develop the two qualities that lead to brave action: Optimistic Vision and Agency. Buy The Brave Habit wherever books are sold, or learn more at TheBraveHabit.com.

21 min

Episodes

Loe ja kuula

Teistele meeldisid ka ...