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Getting Work To Work
Getting Work To Work
Author: Chris Martin Studios
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© Copyright Chris Martin Studios Inc.
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Getting Work To Work is a weekly podcast for creative entrepreneurs, storytellers, visionaries, and change-makers who are on a mission of chasing big ideas, telling epic stories, and leaving living legacies. Whether you’re just starting out or have been at this creative and curious life for some time, I hope you’ll not only learn something new in this podcast, but also find yourself challenged and inspired to break through the barriers that hold you back from getting your work to work.
515 Episodes
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2026 is upon us and it’s not just a new year thrusting us toward change, it’s everything: society, culture, technology, relationships, work, life—it’s all dynamic, frenetic. Some of us start the year clutching our resolutions tightly, convinced that this is the year we actually live up to them. Others rely on the thesaurus to shift the psychological burden from resolution to something else, anything else, in order to trick our brains into actually accomplishing the things that matter most: “I don’t have resolutions, I have goals.” But it’s going to take more than hacks and tricks to comprehend the amount of change we need in our daily lives. It’s about introducing system-wide curiosity that shifts change from being the end result of an enormous task with a binary value—yes or no—to a daily process that gives us time to explore and open our minds to new realities.
Show Links
Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard
The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard W. Hamming
Pearl Jam – Do the Evolution (Single Video Theory)
Photo by Nikoline Arns on Unsplash
How do you grapple with resistance when writing about personal stories from your past? As today’s guest learned, “When you get to the pain, slow down.” Darls Centola is a psychotherapist, educator, and author of Finding Truth with Michael: A Memoir of Friendship, Faith, and First Love.” In our conversation, Darls shares stories from her book including what it was like growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness in 1970s Los Angeles, being friends with Michael Jackson, and how her sister got them enrolled in a prestigious private school where they met the Jacksons. She also talks about her curiosity with neurobiology, the many paths she took to discover her calling, seeing people as they are, how doubt was the beginning of how to think, learning to listen to herself, and healing her relationship with her mother. Darls also provides practical advice on writing, discovering her adult voice, and how she worked on her craft in workshops and with coaches.
Show Links
Darls Centola, LCSW
Finding Truth with Michael: A Memoir of Friendship, Faith, and First Love by Darls Centola
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Somatic Experiencing
Internal Family Systems
The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy of Personal Transformation by Dennis William Hauck
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Fresh Lemons Pattern Background. Copy space. Top view.
Have you ever wondered what a crime novelist can teach you about your own creativity? It turns out, a lot—and not just about weird crimes and sketchy people. Today’s guest is Tod Goldberg, the bestselling author of sixteen books, including the Gangsterland quartet and his latest, Only Way Out. Tod is also a professor of creative writing and the founder and director of the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Riverside. We start our conversation with Tod stating why intellectual curiosity is essential for writers to connect with people. We then talk about what it was like to grow up in a family of writers, the movies we watched as kids that we probably shouldn’t have seen, a snapshot into his writing and professional life, the importance of doing your job and letting your brain breathe, why true crime is popular in chaotic times, why he created a writing graduate program and how it’s different than other MFAs, and his love for the democratization of art.
Show Links
Tod Goldberg
The Story Behind The Stories – Tod Goldberg
The Gangsterland Series by Tod Goldberg
Only Way Out by Tod Goldberg
Dune by Frank Herbert
Lee Goldberg
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Godfather (1972)
Red Dawn (1984)
The Outsiders (1983)
C. Thomas Howell
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Escape from New York (1981)
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Todd Marinovich
Linda Woods Artworks
Visual Chronicles: The No-Fear Guide to Creating Art Journals, Creative Manifestos and Altered Books by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Tod Goldberg, author of ONLY WAY OUT
Marty Supreme (2025)
Home – Harris Ranch Beef Company
Ben Folds Five – Brick – YouTube
Joe Loya
Dead Man Walking (1995)
Premier Low-Residency MFA | UC Riverside Palm Desert Creative Writing | Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA
John Cheever
John Updike
Martin Scorsese
Jane Campion
Taxi Driver (1976)
Lee Strasberg
Office Chairs | La-Z-Boy
Alta Journal: Stories of California and the West
At the Knee by Tod Goldberg
Sacrament by Susan Straight
Jason Isbell – Official Website
Episode photo from Envato Elements: The sun sets on the horizon as cattle graze in the field
Be honest: How bored are you right now? In all this push to get seen, to be consistent and on-brand, you’ve managed to become more machine than human. Your processes all have systems that talk to each other, dashboards measure what matters instantaneously letting you know whether you’re succeeding or failing, and social media keeps you jacked in and distracted to what’s really going on within you. Boredom is often portrayed as something to be avoided, but what if it’s actually what you need? What if instead of clicking, swiping, scrolling, and tapping, you did absolutely nothing? What could you learn from a period of disconnection and introspection? The answers to these questions are anything but simple, but they are instructive and personal, specific to your circumstances and dreams. And perhaps, just the very thing to guide you into a more favorable future.
Show Links
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Teenagers Holding Decorative Colorful Masks on a Sofa
edX: CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python
Coursera: Figma UI/UX Design Essentials
Coursera: Google AI Professional Certificate
I believe art finds us when we need it most. When I picked up the first issue of Art Bar Magazine and read the welcome letter from the editor, I felt like they were speaking directly to me and welcoming me home. I sent an email inviting the founders of the magazine, Sawa & Ira Ingram to the show, and they graciously accepted. In our conversation, we talk about how their roots in filmmaking, photography, and skateboarding, led them to create a magazine that celebrates new artists, successful creators, and an inclusive art world where everyone belongs. We also discuss Sawa’s documentary, Passing Through, Ira’s work in skateboarding and the Professional Skateboarding League, building trust and relationships, mortality and the importance of living life, what creativity looks like as a couple, the differences between analog and digital, and the symbiotic relationship of art and skateboarding. If you have an idea to create something, then this episode is the permission slip you need to go and make it.
Show Links
Art Bar Magazine
Sarah Remetch Ingram
Passing Through (2024)
Professional Skateboarding League
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Kurt Vonnegut
Valen Lambert
Jason Kulp
Spike Jonze: The Photos That Started It All | Epicly Later’d – YouTube
Jason Lee – Stereo Skateboards
Mark Gonzales – Skateboarding Hall of Fame and Museum
Ed Templeton
Jacob Rosenberg
Ty Evans
Atiba Jefferson
Bryce Kanights
Tobin Yelland
Amie Mcnee
Tommy Mitchell
Thrasher Magazine – RIP IN PEACE: Zane Timpson
Philip Glass – YouTube
Nils Frahm – YouTube
Cormac McCarthy Soc.
Heroin Skateboards
Big Special
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Artist painting on canvas
When was the last time you listened to your inner broadcast? You know the one. It’s your unique internal monologue full of beauty, curiosity, hope, imagination, wonder, and intrigue. It’s always broadcasting and we have the opportunity to tune in or drown it out with the noise of the world. I’ll be honest, it’s been hard to hear my inner broadcast lately. Focus is reserved for a handful of daily scattered moments of productivity. But the rest of the time? My mind wanders in the desert of this season of life. As I’ve talked about before, there are a lot of changes right now, but what I’m realizing is that no matter what happens, I need to listen to what’s going on within. If I don’t, I’m going to get steamrolled by the discordant soundtrack of the world, which just gets louder by the hour.
Five ways to tune in and learn from your inner broadcasts:
Create intentional moments of silence and solitude where you can tune in to your inner broadcast.
Pay attention to what’s being broadcast and write down what you hear.
Spend 15 minutes in active curiosity mode with something that comes up.
Spend 15 minutes in active creation mode with what you learn.
Reflection allows you to gauge the quality level of your inner broadcast. It is through reflection where you see what needs to be strengthened, added, changed, or removed.
Show Links
“Input, More Input!” Johnny 5 Goes Crazy | Short Circuit (1986)
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Aerial view of highway junctions. Bridge roads shape in structure. Top view. Urban city
For almost 50 years, today’s guest didn’t talk about what happened to her on September 6, 1970 when the plane she was on was hijacked. But in her new book, Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience, Mimi Nichter recounts her story of what happened before, during, and after her hostage experience. In our conversation, we talk about her work as a cultural anthropologist and the ways observation and listening inform our ability to understand others. She also touches on how she found her voice in the writing process, choosing to write from memory instead of interviewing others, how images and stories helped memories to emerge, reconciling our past and present selves, the value of compassion, and why we need to talk about what happens to us. When we share our stories with one another, either in memoir or conversation, we connect not only to moments in time, but bear witness to the experiences that shape history itself.
Show Links
Mimi Nichter
Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience by Mimi Nichter
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Aerial Drone, Where Desert Meets the Ocean, Sandwich Harbour, Namibia, Africa
What do you do when you get stuck? Maybe you’re like me and you let doubt and despair slow you down or even stop you. Today’s guest has a different answer: keep it moving. Bishop Kevin Foreman, “The People’s Bishop,” is a man of many pursuits—pastor, church planter, bishop, success coach, speaker, author, philanthropist, and entrepreneur—and in this conversation he shares how curiosity, faith, and divine conviction help him to keep his life and work moving. We talk about his insatiable thirst for knowledge, the art of letting go, building the essential skill of reframing, liberating versus limiting beliefs, how faith and data work together when making decisions, why prioritization matters more than balance, and his constant drive to bring the best out of people.
Show Links
Bishop Kevin Foreman
History Makers by Bishop Kevin Foreman
Sins of the Fathers: Breaking Generational Curses by Bishop Kevin Foreman
Evolutionaries: Unlocking the New You by Bishop Kevin Foreman
Groundhog Day (1993)
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Texture of layers in orange and gray colors
Do you ever feel like you’re making the same mistakes over and over again? Yeah, me too. There are some parts of my life and work where curiosity and experimentation are endless, but when it comes to money, I’m stuck on a treadmill of feast and famine. I know enough of the lingo to talk a good game, but really, I’m still doing business like I did when I started 20 years ago. Underneath it all, I’m stuck in a shame spiral wondering if it will ever change. The truth is that something broke a long time ago and instead of fixing it, I kept repeating my mistakes making the break worse and worse. But as I watch my wife heal from a broken leg, it’s time for me to heal my own brokenness.
Show Links
Wisdom Takes Work: Learn. Apply. Repeat. by Ryan Holiday
Shrinking (TV Series 2023–)
Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato
The Daring Creatives
Episode photo from Envato Elements: broken glass, impact, overlay, realistic
There’s a lot that holds us back as creative individuals, but today’s guest thinks one question is the death of our creativity: who cares? The work begins when you shift from asking the question to stating, “I care.” As a literary publicist, Kim Dower—also known as Kim-from-L.A.—is celebrating 40 years of putting authors on the map, booking them on shows, and getting their books in the hands of people like myself. But Kim is also a poet, “ordained” and “blessed with the gift,” as she shares in our conversation. Her latest book of poems is titled What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria. Our conversation weaves between the worlds of art and entrepreneurship, starting with the clouds and the sky, reflecting on the magnificent sounds of nature, exploring Kim’s evolving relationship with persistence, lamenting the loss of nostalgia, and documenting our obsessions throughout our lives. Not to mention, a love for words, both written and spoken, conversationally between two people on Zoom.
Show Links
Kim Dower
What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria by Kim Dower
Kim-from-L.A.
Charles Baudelaire
The Stranger by Charles Baudelaire
Thomas Lux
Wallace Stevens
Lunch Poems by Frank O’Hara
Dorothy Parker
Bill Knott
Limerence
Parasocial Relationships: The Nature of Celebrity Fascinations
Friends (TV Series 1994-2004)
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Why Write Love Poetry in a Burning World by Katie Farris
A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker: 1925-2025
Photo by Chris J. Davis on Unsplash
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about publicity? After I think about celebrities, perfume ads, TMZ, and shameless attention-seekers, I say, “I guess it’s not for me.” Thankfully, today’s guest is on the show to make me laugh and correct my thinking because PR is for everyone. KJ Blattenbauer is a publicist, author, and speaker who helps founders and experts move from overlooked to in-demand through credibility-driven visibility. In our conversation, she gives actionable steps on making sure your visibility is connected to your goals and your audience; it’s about service and storytelling. She also shares the importance of not giving up when someone says no, that all you need is a sprinkling of audacity to make a difference, why it doesn’t hurt to try something a million times, and why you can never have too much passion.
Show Links
Hearsay PR
Pitchworthy: The No-Fluff Playbook to Publicity That Pays Off by KJ Blattenbauer
Aaron Rodgers: Enigma (TV Series 2024)
“Untold” – The Fall of Favre (TV Series 2025)
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not (2025)
Three Amigos! (1986)
Tree Paine – Taylor Swift’s Publicist
P.T. Barnum
We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Making Something by Amie McNee
Threads
Rejection is on my mind today. Yes, it’s because I got rejected for something I actually wanted. But there’s also a deeper reason: Somewhere along my creative journey, I learned to minimize rejection by playing-it-safe, making my dreams small, and maximizing my chameleon tendencies. Recently, Shae Omonijo shared a short video on Substack about her plan for 2026: “Collect 1K rejections.” A lot ran through my mind after seeing the video, “1,000 rejections? One hurt enough! Are you a glutton for punishment?” I think my brain short-circuited when I watched it, but it didn’t take long for the truth to be revealed: I’m a chicken and I’m tired of being scared. If you are someone who has big dreams, but shove them aside because you have an unhealthy relationship with rejection, then this episode’s for you. Oh, and don’t worry, I’m preaching to the choir here because this is the work I need to do for myself as well.
Seven ways to go from avoiding rejection to chasing 1,000 rejections?
Know what you actually want.
Adopt a rejection mindset.
Stop waiting and start moving.
Dream bigger and share often.
Allow yourself to change.
Learn to separate rejection from failure.
Become an advocate for yourself, your wants, and needs.
Show Links
Shae O. – “Collect 1K Rejections” video
Finding Mastery
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
Episode photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash
How do you respond when moments of disruption happen in your life? Do you shake your fist at the sky, bemoaning, “Why me?” Or do you get curious and ask, “What’s around the next corner?” During every pivotal moment in the life of today’s guest, he learned what it would take to not only escape the assembly line, but to build a life worth living. auGi Garred is a storyteller, former comedian, multi-instrumentalist, beacon of fun on the horizon, and founder of Molting Men, a place for Gen-X creatives to reimagine their futures. In this conversation, auGi tells powerful stories centered around three key areas: Rush, the power of humor, and staying open to what is around the next corner. He talks about why you should always choose best friends over young love, the challenges of collaborating with a college grad who thought he was the next Ira Gershwin, how he earned the equivalent of a business school education by speaking with over 70,000 people at the world’s largest telecom company, and the power of excavating your origin story to shape your future. Most importantly, he shares how what he calls “luvity,” the fusion of love and levity, can make the lives of those around you better.
Show Links
auGi Garred on LinkedIn
Molting Men (Running Naked)
OGGOMATiC on YouTube
Rush
Caress of Steel by Rush
Signals by Rush
Permanent Waves by Rush
Moving Pictures by Rush
Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage
Star Wars Trash Compactor Scene (A New Hope)
Binary sunset… from A New Hope, Star Wars: The Digital Movie Collection
Welcome to Ingham County
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Wikipedia
History of Oldsmobile – Oldsmobile Club of America
Goodyear Tires
Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru’s Death Scene – Star Wars: A New Hope [4k UltraHD]
Goblin Claudio Simonetti
REO Speedwagon
3209 W Barnes Rd, Mason, MI 48854
UFO (band)
Le Studio
Whitesnake
Foreigner – Hot Blooded (Official Live Video)
Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue – Full Album
Tears For Fears – Sowing The Seeds Of Love
Guns N’ Roses – Welcome To The Jungle
van-halen.com – The Official Van Halen Web Site
ABBA -– Dancing Queen (Official Music Video)
Nazareth – Hair of the Dog (Official Audio)
Foo Fighters – Breakout (Official HD Video)
Michelangelo’s Non-finito Sculptures Beyond the Notes
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
Episode photo by Noah Klimpel on Unsplash
When you cross paths with someone whose mission is incredibly clear, it’s hard not to want that clarity for yourself. Scott Proposki is a photographer, entrepreneur, and author; his mission is to help photographers all around the world to build a business to last a lifetime. In our conversation, Scott shares stories from his journey living the photography dream—National Geographic, events at the White House, corporate client shoots, millions in sales—then losing it all in 2020, and rebuilding from nothing. We talk about the role of listening in storytelling, the importance of self-awareness, crafting a 25-year plan, doing one thing instead of 20, why photographers aren’t screwed, and why photography is more relevant than ever before.
Show Links
Scott Proposki
Camera Focus: What Photography Teaches About Business, Life, and Success by Scott Proposki
We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Making Something by Amie McNee
New England Patriots
Bill Belichick on Instagram
Watch Mr. Polaroid on PBS
Wall Street Journal Podcasts
Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Snow covered mountain peaks, Monte Rosa Piedmont, Italy
When was the last time you got permission to have fun in your business? For me, it’s been too long, so I’m grateful for today’s guest. Dawn Andrews is a business strategist, executive leadership coach, and podcaster who approaches her business as a playground to explore new tools and technologies that not only help herself, but also her clients. In this conversation, Dawn softens the fear around AI through an exploration of how she uses tools to boost her curiosity and creativity. She shares insights into the ways her brain and business work, how creativity can help us manage the world, the important mindset shift we need to make, how beginners can start using AI with a single piece of paper, and actual examples of AI in action.
Show Links
Dawn Andrews
12 Day AI Quick Wins Series – Dawn Andrews
Is Your Business Killing You? (GWTW865)
Jasper
POSCA Markers
iA Writer
Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture by Kyle Chayka
On algorithmic anxiety – Kyle Chayka Industries
Airtable
Make
MindPal
Microsoft Copilot
Claude
ChatGPT
Google Gemini
The Five Minute Journal®
I am Shae Omonijo
The Art of Gathering Book: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Glasses With Landscape View On City Background. Vision Concept. 3D Rendering
Have you ever wondered what gough would do? I do, too. Fresh from his birthday celebration, gough is back on Getting Work To Work, again, to talk about his year-ending projects: a short documentary about a blind man traveling to see the greatest rock band in the world, an audio drama about the seedy underbelly of the podcasting world—sounds about right—and the Beernuts Productions podcast. We talk seriously about the reality of discrimination against people with disabilities, why gough uses silly t-shirts and humor to disarm people, his love for onion rings, the worst gym session ever in his life, jokes so old they can vote, how he found the most annoying voices for his podcasting audio drama, how he makes up the most important statistics to satisfy guests who only go on popular podcasts, the death of radio in Australia, and the weirdest podcast he went on to promote his work.
Show Links
Beernuts Productions
The Seedy Underbelly of Podcasting
The Beernuts Productions Podcast
The Advertising Meeting
Trick or Treat
Mr. X.
Melbourne Trip – Documentary
Gold Coast News Clip
Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow
Oasis
Oasis – Wonderwall (Official Video)
dadsaysjokes on Instagram
Rush
I Love You, Man (2009)
Jason Segel & Paul Rudd Meet Rush
Apple iPhone
Virgin Atlantic
Marvel (Docklands) Stadium
Alcotraz – Immersive Cocktail Experience
Simpsons – Like, You Know, Whatever… (from “Summer of 4 ft 2”)
Recording Room
Airplane! (1980)
John Cleese Packs It In (2025)
The Naked Gun (2025)
The Running Man (2025)
Zambian kwacha
Tim Berners-Lee
Sprinkled throughout today’s conversation is a phrase I absolutely love. No matter the situation or the statement, the response is simple, “Let’s talk about it.” Chanda Coston is a Navy Veteran, PMP, and Business Strategist who helps purpose-driven entrepreneurs—especially women over 40—turn chaos into clarity and grow businesses that make sense (and money). In our time together, we talk about the need for clarity, the importance in telling our stories, and having people in our corner. Chanda also talks about her life as a professional pivoter, the reality that nothing happens overnight, trusting yourself, starting over and carving new paths, and systems as self-care. If you’re looking to make some changes, let this sink in: If Chanda can do it, so can you.
Show Links
Chanda Co. Strategist
Chanda Co. on Instagram
Free Ebook: Barriers to Breakthru
1:1 Tiny Challenge ($21)
The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P Moran and Michael Lennington
Episode photo from Envato Elements: Study Of Patterns And Lines
I’ve been slowly waking up to the reality that I’ve been running my business and living my life on autopilot for far too long. It’s been six years since I really felt like I was in control and not operating by the whims of others and the seat of my pants. But here I am, staring at 2026 off in the distance, ready to shake the sleep from my eyes and do something completely different. In this episode, I’m going to share why I’m ready to shake things up, how I’m reconnecting with my vision, passion, and action, and how you can, too.
Reflection Questions, Part One
Before I go any further, I have some reflection questions for you. It might be useful to open your notes app or get a journal and pen out to write down your thoughts to these four questions:
How loud is your fear?
What is your fear saying to you?
Do you know where you’re going?
How long has your autopilot been engaged?
Reflection Questions, Part 2
Okay, before I dive into what these three words mean for me and my future, take a few moments in your notes app or journal and write down some initial thoughts to these three questions:
What is my vision?
How does my passion help bring that vision to life?
What actions am I taking to make sure that my vision and passion become a reality?
Reflection Questions, Part 3
Now that I’ve shared a little about my own vision, passion, and action, I want you to return to your notes app or journal and go deeper with these questions:
What really is my vision?
What are my passion levels teaching me?
What is the next action I need to take?
Show Links
Airplane! (1980)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Innovators of Vancouver
Episode photo from Envato Elements: No people in empty captain cabin with dashboard navigation
I always enjoy meeting people who think deeply about the work they do, but also have a lot of fun doing it. Izzy Poirier is a designer, brand strategist, zine publisher, and community builder. From her earliest years, she’s been intrigued with the nature of people, their stories and identities, and making sure that they have a place to belong. In our conversation, we talk about the intersection of design, brand strategy, community building with the Ottawa Design Club, craft, and the art of zines. We also dive into Pivotal Moments, a zine featuring stories from creatives around the world, produced in collaboration with the Ottawa Design Club and New York Design Club. Izzy shares what went into producing the zine, curating the stories, the impact, and how a single font changed everything in the design phase of the project. If you’re looking for some inspiration as you consider new projects or pivots in your own future, then this is the episode for you.
Show Links
Izzy Poirier
Ottawa Design Club
New York Design Club
Pivotal Moments
Heather Crank (Crahmánti)
Bend Design
Cadillac LYRIQ
The Running Man (2025)
Non Foundry
Non Ophelie
TYPE01
Xerox – Graphic & Print Design Solutions
Brand – International Brand Design Magazine
Even if you’ve never had a hamster for a pet, you’ve witnessed the spectacle of them running in a hamster wheel. They step inside a giant wheel in the center of their captivity and run, and run, and run. It’s so adorable when they do it. But what if I could tell you we have human hamster wheels, in the center of our captivity, and we run, and run, and run? They aren’t literal wheels, but they serve the same purpose: keep us distracted from the reality that we aren’t where we want to be, not doing the work that matters to us, and somewhere along the way, we took a wrong turn. It’s never been easier to numb out and just keep running, but one day, the call will come from inside the house, it’s time to answer the call, step off the wheel, and jack in to life.
Six ways to ditch the hamster wheel:
Incorporate experimentation and research and development into your creative process.
Look for ways to increase diversity in your work.
Before you offload tasks to someone else or another system, make sure that what you’re building isn’t just a larger hamster wheel in disguise.
Offload repetitive tasks to virtual assistants, employees, or AI and automation systems.
Batch recording is great until it’s not.
Don’t fool yourself, the hamster wheel is pernicious, don’t be afraid to step away.
Show Links
The Running Man (2025)
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Starship Troopers (1997)
Showgirls (1995)
Episode photo from Envato Elements: A playful hamster runs energetically on its wheel inside a bright, colorful cage



