Daily Creative with Todd Henry
Todd Henry
Formerly The Accidental Creative.
Being a creative professional should be the greatest job in the world. You get to solve problems, express yourself, bring something new into the world and you get paid to do it. What's not to love. Yet every day, creative pros face, tremendous pressure and uncertainty. The temptation is just to play it safe, surrender to distraction and settle for less than your best daily creative is about making sure that's not your story.
Each episode focuses on a topic relevant to creative pros, like how to come up with ideas under pressure, or how the collaborate when you're overwhelmed, or how to lead your team and help them discover motivation.
It's time to fall back in love with your work.
Listen to Daily Creative wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe in the Daily Creative app at dailycreative.app.
Being a creative professional should be the greatest job in the world. You get to solve problems, express yourself, bring something new into the world and you get paid to do it. What's not to love. Yet every day, creative pros face, tremendous pressure and uncertainty. The temptation is just to play it safe, surrender to distraction and settle for less than your best daily creative is about making sure that's not your story.
Each episode focuses on a topic relevant to creative pros, like how to come up with ideas under pressure, or how the collaborate when you're overwhelmed, or how to lead your team and help them discover motivation.
It's time to fall back in love with your work.
Listen to Daily Creative wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe in the Daily Creative app at dailycreative.app.
Episodes
Mentioned books
13 snips
Oct 21, 2025 • 30min
Safe Danger: Why Play Is Serious Business
Ben Swire, a former IDEO design lead and author of 'Safe Danger', and Cass Holman, designer and author of 'Playful', explore the vital intersection of safety and risk in fostering creativity. They discuss how psychological safety allows teams to innovate and challenge norms, while play can lower the cost of risk and enhance collaboration. Cass emphasizes that constraints can spark creativity and that adults should embrace playful exploration to overcome their fear of failure. Both guests advocate for integrating play into work to drive resilience and trust.
62 snips
Oct 14, 2025 • 25min
How To Be Lucky (By Design)
Judd Kessler, a Wharton School economist and author of 'Lucky by Design', delves into the mechanics of how luck can be engineered rather than just stumbled upon. He introduces the concept of hidden markets, where opportunities are shaped by invisible rules rather than mere prices. Discussing the three E's—efficiency, equity, and ease—Kessler shares strategies to enhance your chances in these markets. He also explores how AI is reshaping signaling, urging listeners to prepare and reduce friction to attract opportunities.
23 snips
Oct 7, 2025 • 29min
Your Compass & Creative Fuel
Robert Glazer, entrepreneur and author of The Compass Within, discusses how core values serve as actionable principles guiding our lives and decisions. He highlights the importance of aligning these values to avoid burnout. Veteran actor Josh Pais shares insights from his book, Lose Your Mind, reframing anxiety as creative energy rather than a negative emotion. He provides practical techniques to enhance presence and creativity. Together, they offer a roadmap for maintaining authenticity and resilience amidst distractions.
46 snips
Sep 30, 2025 • 26min
Supercommunicators
Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "Supercommunicators," explores the intricacies of effective communication. He reveals how assumptions often lead to misunderstandings, stressing the importance of confirming mutual understanding. Duhigg categorizes conversations into practical, emotional, and social types, explaining how misalignments can create frustration. He shares techniques for mirroring conversational needs to build trust, offers strategies for navigating emotional conflicts at work, and emphasizes the value of reading non-verbal cues.
32 snips
Sep 23, 2025 • 22min
Thriving In Times of Epic Disruption
In this engaging conversation, Scott Anthony, an innovation expert and author of Epic Disruptions, dives into the fascinating world of disruption. He reveals how true innovation hinges on changing human behavior and why relying solely on feedback from your best customers can blindside leaders. With historical examples like the Model T and iPhone, Scott highlights the hidden challenges of disruption. He emphasizes the importance of collective creativity and offers practical strategies for leaders to nurture a culture of innovation and seize emerging opportunities.
16 snips
Sep 16, 2025 • 23min
The Creative Shift
In this episode, Andrew Robertson, Chairman of BBDO and author of "The Creative Shift," tackles the troubling sensation of 'vague familiarity' in our fast-paced world. He highlights how overstimulation dulls our creativity and shares strategies for breaking through this malaise. Andrew emphasizes the importance of exploring ideas at the intersections of disciplines and maintaining attentional minimalism. He also discusses Delta Airlines' innovative approach to improving customer experiences by identifying underlying travel stresses.
36 snips
Sep 9, 2025 • 17min
Why Hustle Culture Fails—and What to Do Instead
Chris Ducker, a serial entrepreneur and author of The Long Haul Leader, joins to discuss the pitfalls of hustle culture and the importance of sustainable leadership. He shares his personal battle with burnout during the pandemic, highlighting the need to balance work with well-being. Ducker introduces his Life Operating System, a framework designed to foster recovery and meaningful connections in business. The conversation emphasizes managing energy and relationships for long-term effectiveness, rather than succumbing to the relentless drive for quick wins.
46 snips
Sep 2, 2025 • 21min
How to Turn Doubt Into Your Creative Superpower
In this engaging discussion, Bobby Parmar, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and author of Radical Doubt, illuminates how doubt can fuel creativity and innovation. He shares a real-world success story where doubt transformed a project. Bobby emphasizes the importance of embracing uncertainty as a pathway to better decision-making. Listeners will discover practical tools to reframe doubt, inviting a culture of inquiry and collaboration, and exploring why taking time to reflect can lead to more resilient outcomes.
27 snips
Aug 26, 2025 • 10min
Are You A Moment, or a Mountain?
The discussion pivots around a thought-provoking question: are we chasing fleeting moments or aiming to be enduring mountains in our professional lives? It contrasts the exhilaration of moment makers with the lasting impact of mountain builders. The importance of ongoing habits over singular projects is emphasized, advocating for depth instead of superficial visibility. Listeners are encouraged to think in decades, making meaningful decisions today that will resonate far into the future. Ultimately, only the mountains we cultivate will withstand the test of time.
102 snips
Aug 19, 2025 • 24min
Time Anxiety
In a thought-provoking discussion, Chris Guillebeau, author of *Time Anxiety*, sheds light on our anxious relationship with time, especially for creatives. He explains how our stress often stems from unresolved tensions, rather than the clock itself. Guillebeau emphasizes that aligning our time with personal values, rather than chasing phantom deadlines and productivity hacks, is crucial. By shifting from a reactive mindset to intentionality, we can cultivate a fulfilling life and manage the weight of expectations.
