We constantly encounter complex problems at home, in our places of work, and in society at large. Even if we had all the time and money in the world, sometimes no good solution can be found. So, what should we do, especially when we can’t wait? The answer: a workaround.For ages, global corporations have been lecturing small organizations and not-for-profits on how to get things done. As it turns out, it should have been the other way around. Small, scrappy businesses, startups, and even individuals have loads to teach us about moving through adversity and thinking creatively.So in today's SPARKED Hot Take episode, we’re welcoming expert guide, Paulo Savaget, to share his perspective on what he calls, The Four Workarounds, and how some of the most valuable lessons about problem-solving can be learned from the scrappiest groups.Jonathan & Paulo discuss: What Paulo defines as a workaround What are the ‘The Four Workarounds’ What can we learn from scrappy start ups Why we need to be courageous and experimental SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Paulo Savaget | Website | LinkedInPaulo is associate professor at University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science and Saïd Business School. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar and has a background working as a researcher, consultant, and entrepreneur, finding innovative solutions for a more inclusive world. He currently resides in Oxford.AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsiteRead more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

Over the last few years, there’s been a massive acceleration in the trend of people leaving mainstream jobs to start their own business, from freelancing or private practices to portfolio careers. Largely in the name of freedom. But, many are also finding, they’re giving up something big along the way. A sense of community, comradery, and belonging. And, it may even lead to increasing levels of social isolation or even loneliness.If you’ve ever worked in a corporate role or within any team, you’ll be familiar with how your relationships and professional friendships are built into that environment. Often we don’t need to deliberately seek community, because it is already all around us. Which is why maintaining professional relationships or building new ones, can be an unanticipated layer to the experience of moving into the world of freelance.So in today’s, SPARKED Hot Take episode, that’s the discussion we’re diving into. And today we’re welcoming a new expert guide into the fold and hearing from Joy Batra.Joy has had a fascinating portfolio career and has embraced a multi-passionate life. She graduated from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School with a JD/MBA, but instead of taking a prestigious job in the field she landed an acting contract in Bollywood instead.Joy is founder of Quartz Consulting, a freelance consulting firm that has advised start-ups, venture capital firms, and Fortune 500 companies. She spends her days as Head of Legal at Syndicate Protocol and her free time freelancing in the arts. Joy is fascinated by how millions of people are using freelancing to support both their corporate and creative sides. And has turned this passion into her first book, The Freelance Mindset: Unleashing Your Side Hustles for Better Work, Play, and Life.With this multi-passionate lens, Joy is perfectly placed to share insights on how to create community when you’re navigating the freelance world and how to cultivate a sense of belonging when it is no longer built in by default as it may have been in a ‘9-5’.Jonathan & Joy discuss: What Joy calls ‘portfolios of community’ Uncovering levels of connection and how they can help us to understand where and how to cultivate community as a freelancer Examining what style of community experience works best for each of us The pitfalls of comparing 9-5 community vs freelance community and why instead we should embrace the customizable nature of freelance community building SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Joy Batra | Website | LinkedInJoy Batra is founder of Quartz Consulting, a freelance consulting firm that has advised start-ups, venture capital firms, and Fortune 500 companies. She previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Gunderson Dettmer, JioSaavn, and briefly as a Bollywood actress (long story). Joy spends her days as Head of Legal at Syndicate Protocol and her free time freelancing in the arts. Joy has lived or worked in India, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, the UAE, and the UK. She currently splits her time between NYC and Boston. Joy holds a JD/MBA from Harvard University.AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsiteRead more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

Following on from last week’s episode we dig deeper into how to ask for help in a way that is more likely to actually get you the support or guidance you are looking for. Deborah shares supportive guidelines and a powerful shift in approach that will change how you look at asking for help.She shares that it is worth being bold when it comes to asking for what you need and reminds us that the right ask, at the right time, with someone willing and able to help you, could very well be life-changing, so it’s a muscle worth learning to flex more often.We also dive into practical steps that help you know how to most-effectively communicate your request for help.In part two of today’s Hot Take episode, Jonathan & Deborah discuss: The ‘Big Ask’ that changed Deborah’s career trajectory Why you need to be super specific when you ask The importance of of modelling A powerful mind-shift when approaching asking for help And why we should be bold and try a ‘life-changing ask’ SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Deborah Owens | WebsiteAfter a long career in leadership in some of the biggest companies in the world, Deborah founded her own consulting firm, Corporate Alley Cat, where she advises and coaches People of Color in all aspects of career visioning and development. She has this incredible ability to see what’s happening under the surface in any given situation, and ask questions that get to the heart of the matter and reveal possibilities that feel both empowering and expansive.AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsiteRead more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.There’s a mythology in work and in life, of the individual who goes out and does all the things they want to do, completely on their own. The Self-reliant, capable of anything and everything human. We have a misguided story that that kind of self-sufficiency is an achievement, that anything less than that is a burden, and asking for help is a sign of weakness, lack, or inability.This myth is doing us a lot of harm and, in turn, causing a lot of suffering, and keeping us from not only succeeding at a higher level in every area of life, but also creating opportunities to more deeply connect with other people. But, how do we ask for help, in a world where no one teaches us how, and we’re concerned about how our request will land?The reality is none of us have all the answers, and while we could probably figure out many things on our own, why would you when you could garner support from someone who has walked the path before you? Why wouldn’t you ask for guidance and potentially save yourself time, money, stress and disappointment? And build deeper relationships along the way.In part one of today’s Hot Take episode, Jonathan & Deborah discuss: Why should we ask for help & why it’s so difficult Research that reveals the surprising reasons we don’t ask for help The benefit of garnering support from someone who has walked the path before you And why we should ask for what we actually need rather than what we think we can get SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Deborah Owens | WebsiteAfter a long career in leadership in some of the biggest companies in the world, Deborah founded her own consulting firm, Corporate Alley Cat, where she advises and coaches People of Color in all aspects of career visioning and development. She has this incredible ability to see what’s happening under the surface in any given situation, and ask questions that get to the heart of the matter and reveal possibilities that feel both empowering and expansive.AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsiteRead more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

It’s a challenge we all deal with. We show up, work incredibly hard, strive to create something powerful, unique, impactful. And, yet, it lands with a thud. Maybe not an outright failure, but also nowhere close to what you thought could or would happen. Creative disappointment is a part of the process of making anything great. Whether it’s a book, a brand, a company, product, culture, or beyond, you will, inevitably, be disappointed along the way. Sometimes with yourself, other times by the reaction or response from others. What you do, how you handle these moments, is critically important, not just to long-term success, but to how you feel along the way. In today’s Hot Take episode, Jonathan & Cynthia discuss: Why don't we talk about creative disappointment? The issue with being ‘bright sided’ too early Understanding failure as a part of the learning process versus adding to a story about our identity The importance of sitting with something instead of rushing through it Powerful questions to ask yourself Today we are diving into creative disappointment. We look at what it is, why it can impact us so deeply and the lasting impression it can leave if we don’t have a way to process it. Cynthia offers a reflection on the issue with being ‘bright-sided’ too early and why it’s important to sit with something instead of rushing through it.We offer some new perspectives, frames and tools for the creative person / entrepreneur and a way to look at failures and setbacks as an inevitable part of the learning process, as opposed to affixing greater meaning to them and, in turn, to our identities. To round out the conversation Cynthia offers some powerful questions we can ourselves and work through with a trusted friend or professional to uncover what’s really occurring when we experience creative disappointment.As always, we hope you enjoy this Sparked Hot Take on what it means to be creative, to grieve how we thought things would go and how to move through it rather than bury it. We hope it supports you the next time you’re experiencing something similar.SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Cynthia Morris | WebsiteCynthia is the founder of the Original Impulse creative studio and atelier and coaching program for writers, she’s also an author, workshop facilitator, trusted advisor and coach.AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsiteRead more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

What if this was the year you actually did the thing that you have dreamed of doing, the thing that’s been in the back of your mind for months or years, maybe even decades? The thing that when you think about it, your whole body responds – exhilarated in part, energized. You can feel it in your heart. And if you’re being honest, maybe along with that tingling of excitement, there’s even a touch of fear and doubt.Well, what if this was the year and now was the time to begin? How would that feel to you? If it’s even remotely inspiring or appealing and motivating, this very special episode is for you. If you’re ready, but if you’re not even sure where to begin, this episode is for you.This is a special episode for SPARKED and is part of our ‘January Kickstart Your Life Series’, and the focus is on a very powerful framework that I have been developing and testing, using and refining for years that I call Success Scaffolding.I am going to walk you through the 8 critical elements that are immensely powerful, unlock keys and guideposts that’ll let you – maybe for the first time ever feel so much more confident and have a real actionable roadmap to finally do that thing that you have yearned to do. This framework will help you get there and keep you inspired and supported along the way. And I’m also gonna do something I have never done before. As I share each element, I will also share how I tapped this very framework to conceive, launch, and grow this powerful new body of work, set of tools, products, experiences, trainings, books, and the entire company, that is Spark Endeavors, around these things I call the Sparketypes, which as you probably know, is a set of archetypes that I developed to help people discover and then center work that makes them come alive. The power of Success Scaffolding is that it kept me going through incredible challenges and self-doubt.My greatest hope is that it serves as a template for you to do and be and make real whatever it is that inspires you. Not someday, but starting today.You can find the 1-page worksheet HERE.More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsiteRead more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.You’ve spent years becoming really good at what you do. Expert level. And, you’ve reached the end of your ability to serve clients on an individual basis. It’s time to scale. But, how do you scale a business and find ways to duplicate yourself when offering highly-skilled, one to one services? Especially, without degrading the quality of the service you envision? Is that even possible? If so, what would it take? And, how do Sparketypes play into these questions?In today’s episode we’re in conversation with:SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | WebsiteCharlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing.LISTENER:  Ryan - Sparketype: Maker/Scientist | EssentialistQUESTION: Today’s listener Ryan, spent 15 years as a CEO of three companies, one of which he scaled into a market leader with 11-million users across 45 states. He has raised funding, built huge teams and acquired nearly a dozen companies across this time. He has taken this knowledge and founded a company providing executive coaching for entrepreneurs and is consistently booked out with happy clients. Now, he wants to scale, but is conscious of his one on one capacity and is now asking, how can you ensure that you can successfully scale without losing the special sauce that currently helps his clients?YOUR HOST: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you’re kind of fumbling in the dark. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsiteRead more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

Got a career or business question for the Braintrust? Submit here.So many of us look at the world we live in, and wonder how we might make a bigger impact. After a decade in academic setting, with a focus on career advising and HR, today’s guest, Claire, is now a parent to two children at the beginning of their teen years, and a new leader in elected government. And, she’s proud of how she accomplished this, even in light of her Anti Performer impulse. Jonathan & Karen discuss: The potential blindspot of trading time for money Time doesn't always equal value and results Truly reviewing how many projects you have on your plate, including being human Altruism and gift economy blended with the reality of needing to be remunerated  In today’s episode we’re in conversation with:SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Karen Wright | WebsiteKaren is the founder of Parachute Executive Coaching, acclaimed executive coach, advisor to senior leaders for more than two-decades, and the author of two great books, The Accidental Alpha Woman and The Complete Executive.LISTENER: Claire - Sparketype: Advisor/Essentialist | PerformerQUESTION: Listener Claire wants to devote herself to not just making a big impact on her community, but also being there for her family, exploring the development and launch of a communal housing project with a focus on the values of sustainability and simplicity, and reimagining how she might bring her vision and services to those in need, in a more egalitarian and equitable way. She’s deeply concerned about what she sees as the commoditization and consumerization of people and services.And, she’s wondering, what’s really possible here? How can she affect the greatest change, in her community and her own and family’s lives? What decisions and models might help her figure out what to say yes and no to? YOUR HOST: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you’re kind of fumbling in the dark. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

How do we find the time to make our own art? How do you blend your own creative or expressive practice with running a business?Today’s listener Claudia presents this question. She has been running a successful Paint Your Pottery Studio with her sister, which impressively survived the pandemic, and is now seeing revenues go back up as people yearn to make and gather.Jonathan & Cynthia offer: JF’s Three stages of business growth How to delegate or alter your role to find the spark How to find learning opportunities in your existing situation How to use a specific project as a way to cultivate a creative pursuit And the real reason we don't make time for our creativity LISTENER: Claudia - Sparketype: Maker/Maven, Anti - PerformerQUESTION: Today’s listener Claudia, has been running a successful Paint Your Pottery Studio with her sister, which impressively survived the pandemic, and is now seeing revenues go back up as people yearn to make and gather.Claudia loves being part of the community they’ve built around the business, enjoys teaching pottery to kids and is glad to be finally in a creative field. However she’s feeling the pull to prioritize her own artistic expression and finds that while the business is successful and gives her a certain sense of stability, the day to day load of the business doesn’t allow her time to make her own art.And, now the lease is due for renewal next year, and she’s trying to figure out if she should she stay and build, or go and refocus on her own Sparked expression? In today’s episode we’re in conversation with:SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Cynthia Morris | WebsiteCynthia is the founder of the Original Impulse creative studio and atelier and coaching program for writers, she’s also an author, workshop facilitator, trusted advisor and coach.YOUR HOST: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you’re kind of fumbling in the dark. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsitePresented by LinkedIn.

Can social conditioning, past experiences, and external pressure affect the way we explore figuring out our Sparketype? Or, for that matter, any metric we might look to, as a way to help figure out what drives us? And how do we turn down the volume on social conditioning and perceived expectations, determine what our “truest truths” really are, and express ourselves in a more aligned way? Today’s listener, Sarah, asks these interesting questions, after re-taking the Sparketypes Assessment a year later and getting a result she felt was much closer to who she really was. Jonathan & Jadah offer: How to acknowledge what you’ve already uncovered Avoiding the trap of comparing ourselves to our past selves when our seasons of life change Asking ‘where is the social conditioning coming from?’ Two ways to gather information and come to an answers Why we should build in unstructured and unscheduled days/time How to know if your sparketype is right for you? In today’s episode we’re in conversation with:SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Jadah Sellner | WebsiteJadah is a multi-time founder and CEO of Jadah Sellner Media, the co-creator of the Simple Green Smoothies social and business phenom, sought-after advisor to entrepreneurs, and bestselling author, including her new book, ‘She Builds: The Anti-Hustle Guide to Grow Your Business and Nourish Your Life’, now available for pre-order.LISTENER: Sarah - Sparketype: Sage (Primary), Scientist (Shadow), Advocate (Anti)QUESTION: Today’s listener, Sarah, shares her experience of supporting multi-billion dollar retail businesses, as the head of change management and helping people and businesses work through transformations. She has been the right hand to many high level execs and spearheaded big results and impact but like so many of us, done so at her own expense and with a lot of burnout.After becoming a new mom in the depths of the Global Pandemic, she resigned from her executive position. Now Sarah is at a crossroads with a solid foundation of skills and accomplishments but this time wants to create a chapter of work that is more aligned with her innate impulses. She shares that she has achieved success in the past with hustle and no spark and this time wants to find more flow and bring back the spark.To do this she wants to have a deeper understanding of her Sparketype, especially since she received a different result having retaken the assessment after all the above shifts. It brings her to her main question - can your past experiences, especially challenging or traumatic ones, distort your view of yourself and therefore affect your Sparketype results? Can social conditioning and external feedback interfere with finding work and expression that is more aligned for us - and if so, how do we reduce its impact or even eliminate it altogether?YOUR HOST: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you’re kind of fumbling in the dark. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsitePresented by LinkedIn.