Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

As I work on Season 4 of Unthinkable, I wanted to share with you one of the most popular episodes from the backlogs: The Bias to Act. Two incredible stories and some inspiring-yet-weird-yet-warm commentary (yanno ... like every episode). Hope you enjoy! In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to the Maker Channel wherever you get your podcasts. TMC is where we release experimental episodes for shows still in development, plus go behind the scenes making great podcasts. Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-maker-channel/id1372336578 Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ie67mcy53xhoawnu5fo6wmo4igu Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/unthinkable-with-jay-acunzo/the-maker-channel

I'm hard at work making Unthinkable Season 4 AND writing my first book, Break the Wheel, due out this fall (2018). The book is inspired by and pulls from the first three seasons of Unthinkable! For now, here's an oldie but a goodie -- a sneaky-good episode from the archives. Enjoy! Subscribe to get one new story or idea every Monday morning about being better than best practices: http://bit.ly/joinunthinkable

As I work on Unthinkable Season 4 and the book relating to this show, called Break the Wheel (Fall 2018), I wanted to dip into the archives and resurface a sneaky-good episode. Enjoy! Subscribe to get one new story or idea for being better than best practices every Monday morning: http://bit.ly/joinunthinkable

A final treat and sign-off until next season. Thank you SO. FREAKING. MUCH. for supporting for my work, from speaking to podcasting and beyond! So much in store for 2018, and I'm grateful to you for your time, feedback, and love. If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to get my regular Monday emails: bit.ly/joinunthinkable

In the Season 3 finale of Unthinkable, it's time for a story and a battle -- a story about a runaway creative success that flies in the face of conventional thinking and a battle that all of us face whenever we aspire to be better than average in our careers. Finally, at long last, we blame one dastardly demon for our nasty habit of always taking the easy way out, the accepted route forward. Finally, we enter the battle within, and things get hairy. Luckily, Tim Urban from Wait But Why is here to help. Well. Kinda. It's Unthinkable. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: bit.ly/JoinUnthinkable LINKS TO KNOW: Wait But Why Tim Urban on Twitter Tim's TED Talk The original post, Why Procrastinators Procrastinate

How does your intent for your work change your results? If your goal is to build something big, does that increase the odds? Why, then, do so many stories about huge successes start out the same way: with a shrug, and a quick, "I just wanted to brew some beer." ? Today, we explore the story of The Alchemist, makers of the industry sensation, Heady Topper. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER http://bit.ly/joinunthinkable LINKS TO KNOW The Alchemist brewery

Most brand-created podcasts are -- how shall I put this? -- IMPRESSIVELY terrible. So, naturally, Steve Pratt finds total creative fulfillment in that industry. Obviously. See, to invent the future of an entire industry and collaborate with some of the world's top brands, Steve gets to crash through one barrier after another. And as he excitedly does so, his weapon of choice isn't massive budget, a bestselling book, or a big "personal brand." No, instead, Steve calmly walks to the board and draws a simple graph for his clients to see. From the outside looking in, his work is just so unlikely that you MIGHT call it ... Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Steve Pratt on Twitter Pacific Content Slack's podcast, Work In Progress SUBSCRIBE to Unthinkable via email at unthinkable.fm

Suzy Batiz had sworn off starting companies. NEVER AGAIN, she thought. But one sniff and one conversation later, she was obsessed. Her curiosity took over, and a decade later, she's built a 300-million-dollar empire. And all of it started by trying to solve a problem none of us care to even think about, let alone build a career around. It's Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Viral video link Company website

Nobody actually takes risks, especially in business, so what if the key to doing better work is making unconventional paths seem SAFER than the best practice? That's exactly what Clair Byrd, Clark Valberg, and the team behind Design Disruptors did. They took a massive project in scope and found a way to make each step seem safer than the last. They built a refreshing, eye-opening project without ever changing their team's goals. They did everything we aspire to do in our work in a way that seems, well, anything BUT Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Design Disruptors site Clair Byrd on Twitter Clark Valberg on Twitter The original Design Disruptors movie trailer

Looking for the video link? Scroll down! For now, a blurb on the episode: Unsurprisingly, one of the catchiest songs ever created topped the iTunes charts. It beat epic songs by Rhianna and Drake, and narrowly missed topping Adele and even Gangnam Style. Away from the charts, this song sparked a global movement -- merchandise and microsites, mobile games and parodies galore. One song and one video, going crazy viral, and snowballing into something much larger than itself. And while none of that seems all that surprising in our digital world today, when you learn about who created this song -- and the insanity that ensued -- it'll seem like pure insanity. You might even call it ... Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: The original DWTD video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw The DWTD website: http://www.dumbwaystodie.com/ DWTD on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7lZ_iOz3NhA6krGfILerQA

Scott Stratten looks every part a blacksmith. He's mastered a rare craft in our digital world today, but make no mistake -- he's a master craftsman. And while he may not work with any type of metal, he still forges his work with red hot fire. It’s Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Scott on Twitter: http://twitter.com/unmarketing Scott's website: http://unmarketing.com Scott's podcast: http://www.unmarketing.com/category/podcast/

If there was a Yelp listing for every industry niche, "Headphone Brand" would appear with the most possible dollar signs. Big brands use bigger celebrities and spend some of the biggest ad budgets around to promote their products and, really, the emotion they want you to feel when you buy their products. Artists like Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj, athletes like LeBron James, and brands like Apple, Sony, Bose, and more, all slug it out to deliver the same message in increasingly expensive ways: "These headphones are the best." This is a flashy, fast-paced industry niche. So what in the heck do we make of Grado Labs? In 1918, a Sicilian immigrant purchased a small building on a nondescript block in Brooklyn. Over nearly a century, while the world around this building changed at breakneck speed, the world inside plodded along. It was one kind of business, and then, gradually, another. It was led by one generation of Grado, and then, gradually, another. They don't advertise, not one cent. They don't upgrade much, using the same old equipment in the same old building. And they even make their headphones by hand. So why are they such a success in the digital age? It's Unthinkable. Get behind-the-scenes photos and videos, host commentary, plus this week's "email antipasto" by subscribing to the newsletter: unthinkable.fm Follow Jay on Twitter or Instagram: twitter.com/jayacunzo // instagram.com/jacunzo Hire Jay to speak: jayacunzo.com -------------------- MUSIC CREDITS: Calmant - Calming by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100859 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

We call the show "Unthinkable" because anytime someone uses their intuition, it feels like they did something crazy. Maybe they broke from conventional thinking -- that alone feels pretty unthinkable in many jobs and industries. Maybe they came up with an incredible idea in an instant -- that can be tough to understand from the outside looking in. Or maybe they did work that was exceptional, i.e., an exception, from all the average, familiar, safe, down-the-fairway, just-so-basic-I-could-punch-a-watermelon junk. But here's the catch: When you do that kind of great work, it rarely feels crazy TO YOU. So maybe ... it's not unthinkable at all. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo

What if intuition was actually the same as the kind of thinking we value in the business world, but it reaches full potential quicker? Wouldn't that be an insanely valuable skill? If you could instantly skip ahead of your peers by seven, 17, or 77 steps or pull from seven, or 17, or 77 sources of ideas ... wouldn't you want to figure out how that stuff works?! Wouldn't you cultivate it? Practice it? Get to the point where you could actually RELY on it? Intuition. Your unfair advantage. It's Unthinkable. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: [email protected] twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo

The information age has a downside: Advice Overload. In the face of ubiquitous experts and never-ending best practices and how-tos and secrets, what if you trusted your intuition? Well, for starters, you'd need to focus more on your own context than all that advice. Luckily, today, we explore one question you can ask yourself to instantly make sense of all the advice in this Information Age. And we revisit one of our most popular stories EVER to see how this question affects our ability to create exceptional work. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo

We use our intuition every single day to make decisions. So why does it still feel like a leap to trust it when it comes to the more meaningful stuff in our work? The answer is more complicated than you think. But your response can be a lot simpler than you image, too -- and that's great news if you want to do meaningful work. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: [email protected] twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo

Last we spoke, we wondered why we don't trust our intuition more. I mean, it's with us at all times, telling us things. But we often feel like it's a LEAP to listen to our intuition. This week, we wonder: How do we cross that chasm? To help make sense of this, we revisit the story of Alec Brownstein, the Executive Creative Director at Dollar Shave Club, and his incredible side project, viewed by billions: The Google Job Experiment SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo

Technically supposed to be taking a week off but ... I won't tell if you don't! Send your examples of conventional wisdom, pithy quotes-as-gospel, or popular best practices to [email protected] -- we might use them in a future show! Subscribe to the Monday AM newsletter at unthinkable.fm

Last week, we defined intuition once and for all. This week, we wonder: Why don't we routinely TRUST our intuition? We came up with a practical definition, but why can't we seem to make it practical in our daily lives? Why does it so often feel like a leap? To help make sense of this, we revisit the story of Neil Pasricha, a bestselling author, TED speaker, and the creator of the blog 1000 Awesome Things. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo

So we aspire to do something exceptional, and we can't stand all that average noise created by the endless "hacks" and "cheats" and "secrets" out there. So now what? If all that expertise is simply generalized advice that gets us to average, what can we use to go from average to exceptional? What can we rely on to get the rest of the way there? Intuition. But what the heck IS intuition? And how can we actually control it proactively? SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: [email protected] twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo VIDEO PREVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHwnz1cSCVY

After a year, we finally land on the common thread that ties us all together as listeners. Then, we revisit one of our most popular stories and find out some new things we missed last time. And we begin our march forward, week by week, to solve the biggest problem facing our projects, companies, and careers today. MIKE'S SUPER BOWL AD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_3H_Y5QUWw SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: [email protected] twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo VIDEO PREVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvVtu4fed8&feature=youtu.be

Our our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't concludes with Amy Schmittauer. In this brutally honest and hilarious discussion, Amy talks about her parody of the Wizard of Oz, why she loves editing more than being on camera, and how she grapples with her early speaking careers. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. How are well-known speakers trusting their own intuition? PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! [email protected] twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Amy Schmittauer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Schmittastic Amy's YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/savvysexysocial

Remarkable stories of what happens when you embrace constraints, rather than fight for "creative freedom" (and an exploration of what the heck "creative freedom" even means). Stories today from First Round Capital (one of the premier venture capital firms in tech, with investments in Uber, Warby Parker, Blue Apron, Square, and more) and Soviet Visuals, a remarkable side project from a former Russian ballerina and current Facebook employee revealing something special about constraints. What might happen if you embraced or even sought out constraints in your work, instead of fought them? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday morning email by subscribing at unthinkable.fm Contact Jay: [email protected] twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo Book Jay to speak: jayacunzo.com LINKS TO KNOW: First Round Review: firstround.com/review Camille Ricketts on Twitter: twitter.com/camillericketts Soviet Visuals on Twitter: twitter.com/sovietvisuals BusinessPodcast

We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we get existential and emotional with one of the most creative content marketers on the planet, Doug Kessler. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. How are well-known speakers trusting their own intuition? PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit http://contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Doug Kessler on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dougkessler The new way Doug's team created to tell digital stories: https://velocitypartners.com/resources/the-new-media-message/

When we say the word content, MOST of us refer to the container -- a blog post, a video, a podcast. But the audience we aim to serve is after what's INSIDE our content -- the information, the education, the entertainment. So why the heck do brands and marketers spend so much less time focused on the stuff INSIDE the content they create? Stories today from Slack, the fastest-growing business app of all time, and their director of content, Julie Kim. Then, bestselling author Andrew Davis (Brandscaping, Town Inc) pulls from his time in TV production with the Jim Henson Company and Charles Kuralt to teach us how to think more strategically about the stuff we create and how we structure it. What happens when you spend way more time thinking about the stuff INSIDE our work? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday morning email by subscribing at http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Slack's amazing blog: https://slackhq.com/ and podcast: https://slack.com/podcast Julie Kim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onejuliekim Andrew Davis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewdavishere Andrew Davis's website: http://www.akadrewdavis.com/

We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we think the big thoughts and feel the big feels with Robert Rose. We talk music, on-stage interviews with celebrities, and making others FEEL SOMETHING by creating great experiences. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Robert Rose on Twitter: https://twitter.com/robert_rose Robert's newsletter: http://contentadvisory.net/

We live in the era of experts. If we don't have an idea or answer, we can find and follow everyone else's. This creates copycat, forgettable work. Luckily, the most powerful way to differentiate from all of that is obvious and free. The only question is whether we have the courage to deploy it. Stories about Lisa Schneider, Chief Digital Officer at Merriam-Webster, and their award-winning, President-trolling, brilliant and witty Twitter account. Their success started with an aspiration and ended in a very personal place. Meanwhile, Producer Andrew Littlefield also goes exploring New York and meets a jazz trombonist who gives us something we can use in our quest to trust our intuition. What happens when you combine intent with hunger? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Lisa on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaschneider64 Merriam-Webster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/merriamwebster Merriam-Webster's Washington Post piece: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/12/19/were-descriptivists-not-jerks-an-interview-with-twitters-edgiest-dictionary/ Andrew Littlefield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FSUAndrew Mariel Bildsten's music: http://marielbildsten.com/ Special thanks to Tom Webster, who voices the dictionary: https://twitter.com/webby2001

We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we get starry-eyed over big ideas with Tamsen Webster. Stories include Tamsen's love affair with speeches, space bags for her brain, and her latest big idea: the Red Thread. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! [email protected] twitter.com/jayacunzo snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Tamsen Webster on Twitter: twitter.com/tamadear Tamsen's new idea: The Read Thread: tamsenwebster.com/what-is-the-red-thread/

We hear the phrase a lot, from friends, bosses, clients, peers: JUST SHIP IT! Just ship your work already. But should you? COULD you? Is this idea friend ... or foe? Today we go exploring the topic of shippin' it, and shippin' it good. Stories about Chris Piascik, an illustrator who has published a new drawing every single weekday since 2007, and Andrea Fryrear, a newly-minted author who wrote her book in 6 months and got her start writing 5 articles every week for work. We care about craft. And results. We want to make it GREAT. But also done. Let's make sense of this hairy idea today. It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Chris's portfolio: http://chrispiascik.com Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrispiascik Andrea's site: http://theagilemarketer.net/ Andrea on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndreaFryrear Andrea's book: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Marketer-Marketings-Troubled-Approach/dp/0998721107/

We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, a frank discussion with Mitch Joel. Stories include Mitch's first-ever keynote speech (and the celebrity that headlined the event); his obsessive and prolific writing habits; and why he believes there's one platform we'll all use in the future. That's right: ONE. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be the opening keynote! Come see Jay, Mitch, and hundreds of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit http://contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! http://[email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Mitch Joel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mitchjoel Mitch's Podcast: http://www.twistimage.com/podcast/

Exploring how magic-makers in marketing stand out from the noise by relying more on their personalities than any best practices or tools. Stories about Jay Baer's barbecue adventures (and why his favorite quote involves a pigeon) and Jessica Best's email geekery. At the end, I share some big news. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. Come see me, Jay Baer, Jessica Best, and the world's top content marketers speak, September 5-8 in Cleveland. (If you listen and attend the event, PLEASE alert me you're going. I'd love to meet!) Learn more and register at http://contentmarketingworld.com (use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off the main event and all-access passes) FIND ME HERE: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Jay Baer on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jaybaer Jay's company: http://convinceandconvert.com Jessica Best on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bestofjess

Travel and creativity seem to go hand-in-hand (and then they go skipping down the street in some foreign land). Today we go exploring the topic of exploration: Why is travel linked to inspiration? Does travel help our work, or can it derail our productiveness? And how can we better tap into the benefits of travel to our work ... without booking a single ticket? Stories about Anthony Berriola, a barber with a side project to satisfy his wanderlust, and Carla Johnson, and author and speaker about creativity who is on the road more often than not. And Jay decides to take a left instead of a right and test out what we learn ... but things don't go according to plan. It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm FIND JAY HERE: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Anthony's side project: http://www.anthonyshaves.com/ Razors Barbershop: https://www.razorsbarbershop.com Carla Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarlaJohnson Carla's site: http://typeacommunications.com/

"What is your writing process?" Like cats on catnip, us content marketers just can't resist when someone answers that question. We positively obsess over each others' writing process, and the more known the marketer, the more we swoon and purr. Ann Handley writes in a tiny house in her backyard? TO HOME DEPOT, TEAM! Seth Godin shaves his head 'til you can SEE the brilliance? HONEY! CAN YOU GET THE BACK OF MY HEAD PLEASE? Process. It's like the skeleton key to our creativity. If we can just possess the right one, the BEST one, we'll do our best work yet. Today, we go exploring deep into this topic, and we question what makes this concept so damn addicting. It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm Boston-based bands who helped make this episode sound great: http://www.ballroomthieves.com/ https://crumbtheband.bandcamp.com/releases FIND JAY HERE: [email protected] http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Justin Blackman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@alittlebetterme/ Justin Blackman's blog: https://justalittlebetter.net/ Knar Bedian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/live_hye Sound of Boston: http://soundofboston.com/

Richard's side project started with that familiar feeling when you just can't wait to see people's reactions. But in this case, it was his own reaction that surprised this serial side hustler. SUBSCRIBE at http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email [email protected] Tweet http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Snap http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo Insta http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Richard's side project: http://theuserisdrunk.com Richard on Twitter: https://twitter.com/richlitt TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Web Development User Experience Design Side Projects Alcoholism HubSpot Hacker News Startups

Content marketers put creativity up on a pedestal. But when you actually create for a living, you know something far simpler, and you see something hidden in plain sight: brilliance. SUBSCRIBE at http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email [email protected] Tweet http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Snap http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Joe Lazauskas: https://twitter.com/JoeLazauskas Cara Hogan: https://twitter.com/CaraHogan27 Chris Heivly: https://twitter.com/chrisheivly TOPICS DISCUSSED: Content Marketing Creativity Journalism Craft Children Dogs Entrepreneurship Mapquest TechStars Startup Incubator Media

We've all been where Angela is at in her work right now. Today, we dive deep into this feeling and try to make sense of it. SUBSCRIBE at http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email [email protected] Tweet http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Snap http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Angela's Twitter: https://twitter.com/that_angela Angela's project: http://ourgreatescape.ca/ TOPICS DISCUSSED: Content Creation Photography Sheep Dogs Side Projects Creativity Craft Print Media Journalism

FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email [email protected] Tweet http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Snap http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TODAY'S STORY: The role of your gut instincts in creating exceptional work. With a story about music legend Sting from executive producer Andrew Davis, followed by the tale of Tim Jensen, a former U.S. Marine who doesn't believe people rise to the occasion as much as they do something else -- something he's mastered and we should, too, if we want to be exceptionally creative. SUBSCRIBE at http://unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Davis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewdavishere Tim Jensen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/target_tim Grunt Style: https://www.gruntstyle.com/ TOPICS DISCUSSED: Music The Beatles Tango Army & Military Service Graphic Design Intuition Craft Content Marketing Business Growth

Tyler Littwin took a deep breath, walked up on stage in front of his entire company, and let them have it. And they...loved every minute of it. Today in this short story about a side project, we hear the tale of Orlando Scampington. Join the community for content-obsessed content marketers: http://unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Orlando on Twitter: http://twitter.com/oscampington Tyler on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tblittwin Watch Orlando's conference keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVMHN_iApIo Watch Orlando's company pet policy video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1ZIL8gOmhQ Feedback on the show? Say hi to jay via email ([email protected]), Twitter (http://twitter.com/jayacunzo) or Snapchat (http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo) TOPICS DISCUSSED: Writing Thought Leadership Marketing Startups Mobile Apps Keynote Speeches Public Speaking HubSpot Inbound Marketing Parody Comedy Craft Creativity Content Marketing Company Culture

This week, go behind-the-scenes with the making of Unthinkable with Jay and executive producer Andrew Davis, as the two discuss the thinking behind the show, the audience they're out to serve, and why Jay wants to be the Anthony Bourdain of business content. Get Monday's email: http://unthinkable.fm Follow Jay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Follow Andrew on Twitter: http://twitter.com/drewdavishere Get daily behind-the-scenes thoughts & moments, plus Jay's One-a-Day On My Way series sharing daily lessons learned: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo

What does it take to trust your intuition and succeed? Get a new hypothesis every Monday morning via email, packaged as an irresistible story. Text TRUST to 444999 ... or subscribe at unthinkable.fm TODAY: What if something is based not on historical precedent, but potential? How do you measure that? Can you? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with a Grammy-nominated music teacher who helps us re-think our conventional wisdom about data. Then, we return to the business world and hear the story of Michael Brenner, the former VP of content marketing at software giant SAP. He shares his personal odyssey that unfolded after the company CEO tapped him to transform the business's entire approach to marketing. LINKS TO KNOW: Michael Brenner on Twitter: twitter.com/BrennerMichael Say hi to Jay on Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Go behind-the-scenes with making the show on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Music Education Jazz Improv Students Leadership Risk-Taking Curiosity Content Marketing Managing Up Creativity Craft

Josh Bernoff writes a blog about writing, putting him among a TON of others that could be completely the same. So he uses a hook in order to stand out. In this short story about Josh's side project, we dive into how that hook has built him a successful career as a solo entrepreneur and author. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) Join the journey to figure out what it takes to trust your intutiion: unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Josh on Twitter: twitter.com/jbernoff Josh's writing: withoutbullshit.com Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the show): snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Business Writing Books Forrester Research Blogging Donald Trump Creativity Careers Intuition

Join our Unthinkable journey -- each week, a new hypothesis for what it takes to trust your intuition and suceed. Subscribe at unthinkable.fm or text TRUST to 444999. TODAY: If you want to break from convention and follow your intuition, where does that leave all those best practices out there? It's so easy to follow a list or do what someone else says works. But what if best practices aren't even the best? Go outside the echo chamber with the story of a football coach bucking the trend and finding success -- and hear why his peers STILL think he's crazy, despite mountains of data from Harvard PhDs saying otherwise. Then, hear the story of Mike Brown and Death Wish Coffee -- and hear about the cardinal sin he committed early on that actually wound up HELPING his brand grow. LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Littlefield: http://twitter.com/fsuandrew Mike Brown: https://twitter.com/mikebrowndwc Death Wish Coffee: https://www.deathwishcoffee.com/ Say hi to Jay on Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Or go behind-the-scenes with making the show on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: College Football Best Practices Marketing Coffee Super Bowl TV Advertising Ecommerce Craft Creativity Intuition

Juliana Casale's story is not unlike most of ours, because Juliana Casale is not unlike us -- trying hard to use her creative craft to elevate her career. But unlike many of us, Juliana recognizes something about her side project that has launched her career in B2B marketing forward. In this episode, she shares the story of how it all started in the most unlikely of places. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) Join the journey to figure out what it takes to trust your intutiion: http://unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Juliana on Twitter: http://twitter.com/attackofthetext Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the show): http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: B2B Marketing American Craft Beer Label Design Side Projects Creativity Careers Intuition

Subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm to get our weekly hypothesis answering one question, explored through story: What does it take to trust your intuition? TODAY: We assume creativity has to be big. We need to tackle broad, sweeping ideals, produce massive, industry-leading projects, and find deep, life-affirming meaning in our work. But what if to get all that, we need to think smaller? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with James Miller, creator of the project A Small Fiction. Then, we hear the story of Larry Smith and the Six Word Memoir project. LINKS TO KNOW: A Small Fiction on Twitter: http://twitter.com/asmallfiction The tweet discussed: https://twitter.com/ASmallFiction/status/659251935199891456 Larry Smith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/larrysmith Six Word Memoir Project: http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/ Say hi to Jay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Or go behind-the-scenes with making the show on Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Twitter Fiction Writing Creativity Books User-Generated Content Content Marketing Social Media Marketing Magazines Publishing Craft Side Projects Intuition

Harry Stebbings managed to break into venture capital -- one of the most difficult industries to work in -- at the age of just 20. And he did so with a side project that took a strong stance on industry norms: The Twenty-Minute VC. In this episode, he recounts the early days of coming up with his idea, longing to work with millionaires who would hardly give him the time of day, and the moment when everything changed. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Harry's side project: http://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/ Harry on Twitter: http://twitter.com/harrystebbings Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the show): http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Venture Capital Tech Startups Investing Brad Feld Mark Suster Tim Draper Social Network Mark Zuckerberg Podcasting Side Projects Creativity Craft Career Growth

Subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning about trusting your intuition. TODAY: Why do some people seem totally fine using tactics that make us nauseous? If we're going to trust our intuition, then often times, that means rejecting some of the gimmicks and hacks and cheats that others don't seem to mind using. Why the gap in thinking? How can we make sense of that? And how does it change our behavior? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with Emily Hirshey, a writer on Ashton Kutcher's Netflix show, The Ranch. Then we hear the story of two veteran content marketers who completely rejected one of the most common -- if gimmicky -- B2B marketing tactics. LINKS TO KNOW: Emily Hirshey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilyhirshey The Ranch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80077977 Dave Gerhardt Twitter: http://twitter.com/davegerhardt Erik Devaney Twitter: http://twitter.com/bardofboston Drift home page: http://drift.com What did you think of this episode? Say hi to me (Jay) on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Or go behind-the-scenes with making it each week on Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: TV Television Happy Days Creativity Craft Art Growth Hacking Marketing Content Lead Generation Demand Generation Scripting Intuition SaaS B2B Software

GET THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION from this episode -- subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm before October 30, 2016. TODAY: Jonathan Fields has written several books, hosts a top podcast, and speaks all over the world. By most measures, he's "made it." But his latest book, How to Live a Good Life, caused him to question everything he knew about writing. In this episode, he recounts the odyssey of writing the book and shares what he learned studying the most successful authors in business. He also geeks out about the most exciting part of reading great writing -- and the weird reaction we all seem to share when we encounter it. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Jonathan's new book is available here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Good-Life-Surprising/dp/1401948413 Jonathan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathanfields Jonathan's podcast: http://www.goodlifeproject.com/radio/ Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the show): http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Writing Books Reading Authors Novels Creativity Intuition Craft Side Projects Podcasts

Subscribe at unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning about trusting your intuition. TODAY: If you're going to reject conventional thinking and instead trust your intuition, you'll find yourself sharing tons of ideas with others. But this can feel scary, like our ideas are secrets we'd prefer to keep inside. And when someone shoots them down, we assume they just don't "get it." But what if the point of sharing our ideas is NOT to get the approval of others? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with Unthinkable contributor Andrew Littlefield to hear the story of an unusual art project in Brooklyn. Then, we talk to internet legend and creator of PostSecret.com, Frank Warren, to hear the story of his epic project. LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Littlefield: twitter.com/FSUAndrew Oliver Warden: twitter.com/robotbigfoot Frank Warren: twitter.com/postsecret What did you think of this episode? Say hi to me (Jay) on Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Or go behind-the-scenes with making it each week on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Art Performance Craft Intuition Business Marriage Love Theater Side Projects

SUBSCRIBE at unthinkable.fm to get a quick note every Monday morning containing new episodes, exclusive bonus content, and new experiments to join. TODAY: Deb Aoki is like many of us craft-driven creators. She aspires to do great work, but she's held more than a few jobs that treat her like a voiceless, last-in-line asset machine. They decide the strategy and lead the meetings. She inserts copy and creative where they see fit. Ugh. But Deb Aoki is no ordinary member of the team. She has a quiet superpower that gives her a massive voice in the room ... all without needing to say a single word. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Deb Aoki's site (comics, sketches, etc.) http://mangacomicsmanga.com/ Deb's Twitter: https://twitter.com/debaoki Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Drawing Cartoons Comics eBay Meetings Executives Graphic Novels Graphic Recording Creativity Intuition Craft

FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT: Subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning. TODAY: Your creative intuition is a powerful guide. So why does it occasionally seem like you're wandering in circles, unable to move past a single piece of a project? It just doesn't feel like you can get it RIGHT, so you keep agonizing over that part of the work. Today, we learn about the Art of the Unfinished. We assume that, to ship something successful, we need to share only the good stuff, the completed stuff. But new Unthinkable contributor Cara Hogan joins us to share a story that refutes that -- the story of the George Washington painting on the US dollar bill. Then, we hear from two product managers, Adam Sigel and Karen Rubin, about how they involve others in their process. If your default setting is to believe your ideas are wrong, how do you keep shipping your work? We'll find out from them. LINKS TO KNOW: Professor Patricia Hills: http://www.bu.edu/ah/profile/patricia-hills/ Cara Hogan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaraHogan27 Adam Sigel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamsigel Karen Rubin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenrubin What did you think of this episode? Say hi to me (Jay) on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo or go behind-the-scenes with making it each week on Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Craft George Washington Government History Painting Self Portraits Art Content Marketing Product Management Design Business Intuition