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Welcome to Unserious, a podcast that explores how creative people create and communicate to achieve uncommon results.
Join hosts J.B. Skelton and Molly McMahon as we try to have some fun with the changes that fall into our laps. Because when we can get some distance from the seriousness, we see problem spaces in new light and opportunities we might not have otherwise. And, lowering the stakes helps us take care of our teams and ourselves.
Tune in and follow Unserious wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow us on Instagram at @unserious.fun.
35 Episodes
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At work, we all want to be respected, heard, and taken seriously. But for people from non-dominant groups, especially women, gaining respect is anything but straightforward. How can one be seen as competent and assertive, without being labeled as aggressive—or maybe worse, unlikeable? In this first episode of Season 3, J.B. and Molly are joined by Dr. Alison Fragale, distinguished professor of organizational psychology and author of Likeable Badass, to discuss practical ways women, and their ...
The "sophomore slump" is a notorious curse for artists who set high expectations with the debut. Luckily here at Unserious, our expectations for season 2 were just to keep shining the light on more brilliant people and their wonderful ideas - and we were not disappointed! In this season closer, J.B. and Molly are joined by producer Micah to look back at favorite moments and surprises from the season before the long form podcast takes a little break.Follow Unserious in your podcast app, at uns...
The journey to finding your own leadership voice is very personal and can be wildly confusing. Yes, it’s about authenticity, but it takes a long time to figure ourselves out. Dr. Vignetta Charles is the CEO of ETR, which is committed to improving health outcomes and advancing health equity for youth, families, and communities, and is a lifelong advocate and leader in healthcare equity. She's also a childhood friend of J.B. and Molly. In this episode, the group reunites to discuss the fa...
For many, a mother is the original mentor and manager in the job of life. The foundational lessons we learn in those early days at home quietly leave an imprint on our professional behaviors and relationships. The management of motherhood is hard enough, and moms who also work outside the home rarely get the rest they need or deserve. In this episode, J.B. speaks with Laura Krafka, operations powerhouse and author of The Human Side of Motherhood, to unpack the many parallels along the w...
When we set out last year to explore how creative people make outsized impact during times of rapid change, generative AI was shaping up to be a huge part of the conversation. We have a lot of questions, an underlying sense of uncertainty, maybe even dread. But ready or not, here it comes. In this episode, we're inspired by Manjula Nadkarni, a creative powerhouse and co-founder of Yuni, a personal, multi-modal AI for creative people. Manjula shares empowering points of view on how creat...
Peter Drucker famously said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Search for resources on building company culture and you’ll get lots of variations on a tried and true playbook: mission, vision, and values, strong narrative, great leaders - you know the drill. That playbook hasn’t changed - but the world sure has. In this episode, Leonardo De La Rocha, VP of Design at SimplePractice, shares his extraordinary transition from engineer to design guru and the impact of visual storytelling ...
We’ve all heard the stories of that young person who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, made it out of that small town or that rough neighborhood, and moved to the big city to make something of themselves. That concept of “I made it out” is so prevalent that we accept the premise without much thought. In this episode, Nancy Gutiérrez, Lead Executive Officer & President of The Leadership Academy and co-author of the new book Stay and Prevail, questions the value of the "...
At work we constantly have to stand up to tell our stories, advocate for resources, and convince our teams and leaders to join us. Navigating internal and external workplace communication can be daunting, but in this episode Elisabeth Diana, Head of Communications at HR one stop shop Deel, shares her playbook for developing messages that are on-point, authentic, and strategic. And using examples from recent press events from Calista Flockhart, Taylor Swift / Tree Paine, we work backwards to d...
Great relationships are crucial to producing great work - at home and in the workplace. Striking the perfect chord between personal life and a demanding career with high-profile notables is not an easy task. In this episode, J.B. and Molly explore the delicate balance with guest Adria Marquez, founder of Latidos Media and former Director of Digital Content in the Obama administration. Adria's approach to life's juggling act is inspiring, offering up a blueprint for blending love, laughter, an...
We’ve all complained about office politics… someone was able to influence a decision or get a project over the line through the shear force of their personality or relationships. But what are we really complaining about? Power. In this episode, Ebele Okobi, CEO of The New Humanitarian, discusses the dynamics of power: challenging it, finding it, using it, and sharing it. This conversation takes you through the importance of rest not just as a form of self-care but as a powerful act of resista...
Embracing failure as a force multiplier for growth and creativity is a core belief here at Unserious. So in this our final episode of the season, we journey back to the origins of our podcasting adventure, reflecting on some of our favorite moments and valuable insights we learned along the way. In this episode, Unserious producer Micah Vono joins J.B. and Molly to talk about storytelling and narrative building from his unique angle of human-centered design. We talk about our hopes and dreams...
Research shows that joy and high performance are tightly correlated, so it's worth asking: why don't we play more? And how can the power of play help us produce better, more innovative, and more personally satisfying work? In this episode, J.B. and Molly speak with Lauren Cooke, the creative director behind diverse brands like Alamo Drafthouse, Mondo, Snap Kitchen, and Bestow Life Insurance. Her insights reveal the transformative power of joy and play in creating ideas that are just weird eno...
When we think about our best work, the things that come to mind are probably about the work itself, but guest Denise Burchell poses that team member relationships are the real determiners of success. In this episode, J.B. and Molly learn how to design those relationships for maximum impact and innovation as Denise shares valuable insights garnered from years spent leading cross-disciplinary teams. They also explore shifting focus from products to people and how to plan for the relationship dy...
Creative processes and frameworks are often presented as neat and linear orders of operation. But looking closer, we'll find a circuitous mess of unexpected twists, turns, and detours that we hope are worth it in the end. In this episode, J.B. and Molly explore with rogue creative director Mary Michael Pringle the crucial roles of joy, play, and vulnerability for fostering creativity in the workplace. She shares her approach to creativity, from drawing on her inner child and using toys, games...
At the advent of a transformative time in technologic history, skills like empathy, compassion, collaboration, and curiosity are becoming more crucial than ever. In this episode, J.B. and Molly speak with magician-turned-technologist Ryan Modjeski, the driving force behind the top-grossing literacy app, Reading Rainbow's Skybrary, as well as UNICEF KidPower and most recently, Empatico. Ryan shares advice on building empathy and emotional skills at scale and the power those can have in creativ...
In this first episode of Unserious, J.B. and Molly speak with design leader and coach Courtney Kaplan about practical ways to manage creativity and personal growth during a particularly difficult time in the workplace. She shares advice from founding design operations at Facebook, highlights how leaders can create safe spaces for their teams and manage stress effectively. Finally, Courtney discusses coaching and the benefits it can bring from navigating fast-paced work environments to working...
Welcome to Unserious! Get to know hosts J.B. Skelton and Molly McMahon as they kick off a season of exploring how to manage and manifest creative impact in an era of constant disruption. Also, there are fireballs. Follow Unserious in your podcast app, at unserious.com, and on Instagram and Threads at @unserious.fun.
If it doesn't already come naturally, communicating about your work can feel uncomfortable and downright cringey. But like it or not, it's part of the job. What you need is a method and a motivator, and fortunately Courtney Kaplan returns to Upshots to be just that! In this episode, Courtney offers a structured approach to not just build cold case studies but real stories that connect with hearts and minds. You'll also gain practical tips for gathering testimonials and overcoming the discomfo...
As working professionals, meetings are so ubiquitous that we just think of them as something that happen to us. We check the weather to see if it's going to rain, the stocks to see what we gained or lost, and the calendar to see how many meetings we have. But we have much more control over meetings than we might think, as hosts and even as attendees. In this episode, we put Upshots host Micah Vono into the hot seat as J.B. Skelton takes over to learn practical steps to redefining meeting cult...
With a record 5.5 million businesses starting up last year alone, it's not easy for early stage companies to stand out. Fortunately, John Cantwell, a creative director who specializes in brand and copy startups, is here to share his secrets behind building a memorable and authentic brand. In this Upshots episode, John shares his approach to harnessing the core ideas of founders and key team member to create a brand that resonates deeply with both its creators and its audience."A brand is the ...
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