1095: Keeping Your Productive Groove through Movement, Thought, and Rest with Dr. Natalie Nixon

Sep 22, 2025

Dr. Natalie Nixon, a renowned creativity strategist and CEO of Figure 8 Thinking, shares insights on enhancing creativity and preventing burnout. She introduces her innovative Move. Think. Rest. framework, discussing how play and micro-movement can reignite cognitive function. Nixon emphasizes the importance of emotional recovery and interoceptive awareness for better strategic decisions. She encourages listeners to embrace self-compassion and tackle the weakest link in their productivity habits for optimal performance.

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INSIGHT

Emotional Recovery Matters

Emotional recovery is a distinct capacity that supports clear thinking and resilience after stressful work events.
Being aware of and recovering emotionally improves leadership presence and team trust.

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ADVICE

Pause And Check Your Emotional Barometer

Pause to check your emotional barometer rather than plowing through stress without noticing it.
Acknowledge feelings to become more present and to do better work afterward.

insights

INSIGHT

Emotions Are Constructed And Predictive

Emotions are constructed and can be predictive rather than only reactive, shaping decisions ahead of conscious thought.
Interoception (gut sensing) links to intuition and better strategic decision-making.

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Emotional Recovery, Interoception, and Intuition

01:45 • 17min

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Move.Think.Rest Framework: Play, Movement, and Daydreams

Practical Habits, Tools, and a Final Challenge

In search of satisfaction

J. California Cooper

#13789

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Move, Think, Rest

Redefining Productivity and Our Relationship with Time

Natalie Nixon

Move, Think, Rest invites a fundamental shift from traditional quantitative productivity metrics focused only on outputs and speed to one of cultivation. This book encourages you to ask, what might we cultivate today, this week, this quarter? The cultivation perspective acknowledges that work output, which is dormant and percolating just beneath the surface, is as important to acknowledge as the work output we can visibly measure. Flourishing is a distinctive way to think about what comes from cultivating our work. When you move, think, and rest, you're accessing the most human parts of yourself that cannot be automated or replicated by technology.

#69378

The Creativity Leap

Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation and Intuition at Work

Natalie Nixon

#3698

• Mentioned in 8 episodes

The Covenant of Water

Abraham Verghese

The Covenant of Water, set in Kerala on South India's Malabar Coast, spans the years 1900 to 1977. The novel revolves around three generations of an Orthodox Saint Thomas Christian family, particularly the life of Mariamma, a twelve-year-old girl who marries a 40-year-old widower and becomes the matriarch known as Big Ammachi. The family is plagued by 'The Condition', a mysterious affliction where at least one member of each generation dies by drowning. The story intertwines with the life of Digby Kilgore, a Scottish doctor, and explores themes of family, faith, love, loss, and medical progress. The novel is a testament to the hardships of past generations and the interconnectedness of lives through time and space.

#376

• Mentioned in 50 episodes

How Emotions Are Made

The Secret Life of the Brain

Lisa Feldman Barrett

In this book, Lisa Feldman Barrett presents a new neuroscientific explanation of emotions, overturning the widely held belief that emotions are automatic, universal, and hardwired in different brain regions. Instead, she argues that emotions are constructed in the moment through a unique interplay of brain, body, and culture. Barrett's theory, known as the 'Theory of Constructed Emotions,' suggests that emotions are highly individualized and vary by culture. The book explores how this new understanding has significant implications for fields such as psychology, medicine, law, parenting, and national security. Barrett uses clear, readable prose and practical examples to make her complex theories accessible to a broad audience.

#2971

• Mentioned in 10 episodes

Your Brain on Art

Ivy Ross

Susan Magsamen

Your Brain on Art explores the intersection of neuroscience and art, demonstrating how creative activities can positively impact brain function and overall well-being. The book delves into the neurological processes involved in artistic creation and appreciation, highlighting the therapeutic benefits of art for individuals facing various challenges. It showcases case studies and research findings to support its claims, offering a compelling argument for the integration of art into healthcare and education. The authors emphasize the transformative power of art to foster emotional regulation, cognitive enhancement, and social connection. Ultimately, the book advocates for a broader understanding of art's role in promoting human flourishing.

#9196

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

Cutting for Stone

Abraham Verghese

The novel tells the story of twin brothers Marion and Shiva Stone, born of a secret union between an Indian nun and a British surgeon. Orphaned at birth, they grow up in Ethiopia, bound by a deep connection and a shared fascination with medicine. The story follows their journey through love, loss, and the complexities of family, as they navigate their lives from Ethiopia to New York City. The book delves into themes of love, betrayal, forgiveness, and the unbreakable bonds of family, set against the backdrop of medical miracles and the tumultuous history of Ethiopia.

#4861

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

Brain rules

John Medina

In 'Brain Rules,' Dr. John Medina shares his expertise on brain science, detailing 12 principles that scientists know for sure about how our brains work. The book covers topics such as the importance of exercise for cognition, the critical role of sleep in learning, the myth of multitasking, and how stress affects learning. Medina uses fascinating stories and humor to make brain science accessible and practical for teachers, parents, and business leaders. The book emphasizes how our brains are wired differently, how we are designed to never stop learning and exploring, and how to optimize our brain's performance in various aspects of life.

Dr. Natalie Nixon discusses how to develop strategic thinking, prevent burnout, and enhance creativity through her move, rest, and think framework.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) The inner skills that make us more strategic and effective

2) The neglected skill that makes us more strategic

3) How to prime your best ideas in 90 seconds

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1095 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT NATALIE —

Dr. Natalie Nixon, creativity strategist and CEO of Figure 8 Thinking, is known as the ‘creativity whisperer to the C-Suite’ and is the world’s leading authority on the WonderRigor™ Theory. She excels at helping leaders catalyze creativity’s ROI for inspired business results. She is the author of the award-winning The Creativity Leap and the forthcoming Move.Think.Rest.

With a background in cultural anthropology, her career spans global apparel sourcing with The Limited Brands and a 16-year career in academia, where she was the founding director of the Strategic Design MBA at Thomas Jefferson University. She received her BA from Vassar College and her PhD from the University of Westminster in London. She’s a lifelong dancer and a new aficionado of open water swimming.

• Book: Move. Think. Rest.: Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship with Time

• Book: The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation, and Intuition at Work

• Website: Figure8Thinking.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Study: “Knowing your own heart: Distinguishing interoceptive accuracy from interoceptive awareness” by Sarah N. Garfinkle, et al.

• Study: “Effects of interoceptive training on decision making, anxiety, and somatic symptoms” by Ayako Sugawara, et al.

• App: Fitebo

• Book: How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett

• Book: Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross

• Book: Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina

• Book: The Covenant of Water: A Novel by Abraham Verghese

• Book: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

• Book: In Search of Satisfaction by J. California Cooper

• Past episode: 1005: How to Feel Energized Every Day with Dr. Michael Breus

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