Are you feeling stuck, burned out, or just going through the motions? Do you want a life that feels present, alive, and joyful? Your Creative Mind is here to spark your imagination, awaken your spirit, and help you build the life and career you’ll love. Hosted by Izolda Trakhtenberg—an expert in creativity, communication, and mindfulness—this podcast dives deep into how we can use creativity to solve life’s biggest challenges. Whether you’re writing your first novel, sketching your next masterpiece, or tackling global issues like the climate crisis, creativity holds the key to transformative solutions. Episodes feature intimate and inspiring conversations with Grammy and Tony winners, bestselling authors, acclaimed actors, and innovative leaders. They share their secrets on staying motivated, inspired, and productive, offering practical tools and fresh perspectives to supercharge your creative drive, mindfulness, and communication skills. Other episodes will give you actionable steps you can take today to infuse your life with the juice and sizzle of creativity. Discover answers to profound questions that even our guests have never considered, and gain actionable insights to unlock your own creative potential. From tech CEOs to Broadway producers, conservationists to comedians, our guests span industries and disciplines, bringing you cutting-edge ideas and timeless wisdom. Your Creative Mind is more than a podcast; it’s a guide to living fully, thinking boldly, and creating with purpose. Subscribe now and start transforming your world one creative solution at a time.
Episodes
Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
Bill Fitzhugh
Bill Fitzhugh is the award-winning author of ten comic and satiric crime novels. His debut, Pest Control, was translated into half a dozen languages, the film rights sold to Warner Brothers, it was produced as a popular radio show in Germany, and as a stage musical in Los Angeles. Prior to Human Resources, Fitzhugh published The Exterminators, the sequel to Pest Control.
The New York Times said, “Fitzhugh is in a league with Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard…he is a strange and deadly amalgam of screenwriter and comic novelist.” The late, great political humorist, Molly Ivins said, “Fitzhugh is one seriously funny guy.” A one-time FM rock deejay, he wrote, produced, and hosted Fitzhugh’s All Hand Mixed Vinyl for five years on Sirius-XM’s Deep Tracks channel. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Fitzhugh lives in Los Angeles where he is at work on his next project.
Connect with Bill.
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Mark Blankenship
Mark Blankenship is a journalist, podcaster, and event host. He is the founding editor of The Flashpaper (theflashpaper.com), a print-only journal in which artists respond to current events in a variety of genres. He also hosts the podcasts Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs and The Showtune Countdown, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, Variety, Fortune, New York, Playbill, and many others. For more, visit markgblankenship.com
Connect with Mark
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
Author and Entertainer, Tee Morris, is Back!
Tee joins me to discuss today's release of the 4th Edition of his book, Podcasting For Dummies. He drops ridiculous amounts of wisdom on how to start a podcast, the best ways to get sponsors, and grow your show into what you dream it to be.
If you've ever wanted to start or grow your own podcast, this episode is must listen.
He's also darned entertaining to listen to so you'll have a blast with this in-depth chat with a terrific creative and genuinely wonderful man.
More about Tee.
Tee Morris has been writing science fiction, fantasy, horror, and non-fiction for over a decade. His first novel, MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana, became the first novel to be podcast in its entirety, ushering in a new age for authors — podcasting. He went on with Evo Terra to write Podcasting for Dummies (as well as the following editions alongside Chuck Tomasi). In 2011, Tee returned to fiction with the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, penned with his wife, Pip Ballantine. And somewhere in the middle of all this, Tee and Pip have released the second edition of Social Media for Writers. It’s not only been updated for new platforms that are available, but they also delve deeply into crisis management for writers. Tee and Pip also host The Shared Desk, a podcast covering collaboration and other aspects of a writer’s lifestyle. He enjoys a writer’s life in Virginia alongside Pip, his daughter, and three cats. Explore the works of Tee Morris, and his occasional geek rants, at TeeMorris.com.
Connect with Tee
http://www.twitch.tv/theteemonster
http://www.twitter.com/teemonster
http://www.instagram.com/theteemonster
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTeeMorris
http://www.happyhourfromthetower.com
http://ministryofpeculiaroccurrences.com
Friday Oct 30, 2020
Friday Oct 30, 2020
If you want to spark that innovative spirit, you have to nourish it. Here are four simple ways to do just that and to connect with your clients and customers while you're at it. Halloween gives you ample opportunity to be creative. And being creative leads right into innovation in your life and in your work.
Plus, there's a bonus right in the middle of the show. You'll only get it if you listen.
Enjoy and BOO!
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Andrew Byrne
Singing Coach, Creator of The Singing Athlete on Presence, Voice, and How to Thrive Through Brain-based Science
Andrew Byrne is the founder of The Singing Athlete, a training program that brings sports performance and neuroscience into the voice studio. He is based in New York City, and his students have appeared in leading roles in over seventy-five Broadway shows. In 2016, Andrew was the first arts envoy appointed by the U.S. State Department to the nation of Belarus.
Twice named NYC's favorite vocal coach in Backstage's Reader Choice Awards, Andrew travels the world to bring his brand of brain-focused training to singers across the globe. In 2016, he was appointed by the U.S. State Department as the first Arts Envoy to the nation of Belarus, where he led the inaugural Russian-language production of the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Next to Normal. Other international teaching assignments have taken him to Singapore, Switzerland, Denmark, France, China, and four times to Australia. In North America, Andrew has enjoyed four teaching residencies in Canada (including The Banff Centre) and served as guest faculty for the prestigious University of Michigan musical theatre department.
Andrew is also on a mission to support singers with the PSA Project. PSA stands for the Professional Singing Athlete (in addition to the usual Public Service Announcement). His intention is to remind his students and the public that singing is a profession and that singers deserve to be paid for their work. Go here to learn more.
Connect with Andrew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewbyrnestudio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/singingathlete/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmj9A0sY_bA8YqqQKqUn2A
Websites: andrewbyrne.com thesingingathlete.com
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
John Watkis, Speaker, Speaking Coach, First Canadian-born Actor to Portray Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King
John Watkis is a professional speaker, speaking performance coach, award-winning performer, and author of Speaking Notes: The Eight Essential Elements to Make Your Speech Music to Their Ears.
John coaches leaders who have to develop and deliver high-stakes speeches, pitches, and presentations that capture and keep the attention of audiences and decision-makers.
He is also a salsa dancing champion and was the first Canadian-born actor to play Mufasa in the Disney musical, The Lion King.
Connect with John
https://www.instagram.com/johnwatkis/
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Tim David: Speaker, Author, Magician
Tim David dropped out of college to become a traveling magician. Now he shares the secrets of human connection and influence with busy professionals in an entertaining way - both on the stage and on the page, having authored three books.
He is the author of Magic Words – The Science and Secrets Behind Seven Words that Motivate, Engage, and Influence and FLIP - The Four Levels of Influencing People, and his latest, The Seven-Day Digital Diet.
Connect with Tim
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
Mike Kim on How You Can Use Personal Branding, Storytelling, and Marketing to Grow Your Brand and Your Business
Mike Kim is a speaker and marketing strategist who specializes in brand strategy and copywriting. He’s been hired by some of today’s most influential thought leader brands including John Maxwell, Donald Miller, Suzanne Evans, and Catalyst.
For years, he was the Chief Marketing Officer of a successful multi-million dollar company near New York City. Nowadays you’ll find him speaking at conferences, looking for the next great place to scuba dive, or sipping a glass of Macallan 15 — all while teaching everything he knows about branding, entrepreneurship, and life through his hit podcast, Brand You.
Connect with Mike
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Tom Peters Breaks It All Down For Us
Tom Peters is co-author of In Search of Excellence—the book that changed the way the world does business and often tagged as the best business book ever. Seventeen books and thirty-five years later, Tom is still at the forefront of the “management guru industry” he single-handedly invented.
What’s new? A lot. As CNN said, “While most business gurus milk the same mantra for all it’s worth, the one-man brand called Tom Peters is still reinventing himself.” His most recent effort is The Excellence Dividend: Meeting the Tech Tide with Work That Wows and Jobs That Last. Tom’s bedrock belief is: “Execution is strategy—it’s all about the people and the doing, not the talking and the theory.” In November 2017, Tom received the Thinkers50 Lifetime Achievement Award. And it looks like he’s nowhere near done.
This was a tremendous conversation. If you're a leader, or you hope to be one someday, you will learn a lot from Tom.
Tom's books (not all of them)
Connect with Tom
Website: https://tompeters.com/ (you can find an extensive list of Tom's videos on his website.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tom_peters
Wednesday Sep 23, 2020
Wednesday Sep 23, 2020
Marketing Coach, Lauren V. Davis, on Building Your Personal Brand
Many people are intimidated and frustrated by trying to bring their personal brand to life through Social Media, Live Events, and Public Relations.
Lauren Davis lives in Rockford Illinois and works with people over the world to overcome their personal branding discontent and grow their presence so that they can focus on sales, exposure, leadership, and community impact through her marketing consultancy Lauren Davis Creative and her podcast, the Business Event Playbook.
When she is not running her two businesses in Rockford Illinois, (the other––a brick & mortar vinyl record store) she is traveling the globe learning and networking at conferences and workshops to better serve her clients with that knowledge.
Lauren's natural and undying passion revolves around seeing people and organizations that "do-good" succeed.
Energize Your Instagram; INSPIRE YOUR NEXT 12+ POSTS
Lauren is an Instagram marketing expert. Get her resource to help you start, grow, and maintain your Instagram online presence. You can get it free.
Connect with Lauren
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ldaviscreative
Website: https://www.laurendaviscreative.com
Facebook Group: Understanding Social Media Marketing For Entrepreneurs