This week I was excited to speak with Melissa Urban about her new book, The Book of Boundaries: Set the Limits That Will Set You Free. Melissa and I had an extremely insightful conversation about how setting healthy boundaries with family members, co-workers, friends and even yourself can transform your relationships, eliminate stress and improve your daily outlook. In this chat, Melissa breaks down the vital steps towards identifying if a boundary needs to be set and the three unique levels of instituting a boundary with both honesty and kindness. Oftentimes we can think of boundaries as barriers towards achieving authentic relationships. Melissa is here to reveal why the exact opposite is the case and how when implemented properly boundaries can help save relationships and strengthen bonds.Melissa Urban is a six-time New York Times bestselling author and has been featured by Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and CNBC. She is based in Salt Lake City.Melissa is the co-founder of Whole30. Since launching the mega-bestselling wellness program, she has taught millions of people how to establish healthy habits and how to deal with pushback and peer pressure.Melissa’s Latest Book: The Book of Boundaries: Set the Limits That Will Set You FreeConnect with Melissa on Twitter and Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I am rereleasing an episode with Joey Cofone of Baron Fig in advance of his upcoming new episode where we talk about his new book: The Laws of Creativity: Unlock Your Originality and Awaken Your Creative Genius.Joey Cofone is the Co-Founder at Baron Fig. Baron Fig is a New York design startup that is rooted in it’s mission to champion thinkers around the world through inspiration, imagination and productivity.In this conversation Joey and Erik talk about how Baron Fig was founded, the meaning behind the name and their design workflow using digital and analog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week it was my privilege to speak with Alan Stein Jr. Allan is former professional performance coach and now serves as a public speaker and author. In this conversation we unpack a wide variety of lessons he has learned throughout his career including tips on how to avoid burnout and how to sustain a level of high performance by embracing the most fulfilling aspects of your work while not allowing that work to invade upon your personal and family time. Alan and I discuss a wide variety of techniques and teachings contained in the book while also discussing some of the practical strategies he has employed with former clients and world class athletes.Alan Stein, Jr. teaches proven strategies to improve both individual and organizational performance by empowering people to develop winning mindsets, rituals, and routines. As an internationally renowned veteran basketball performance coach, he spent 15+ years working with the highest-performing athletes on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant). Alan served as a performance coach/consultant for Nike Basketball, Jordan Brand, the NBPA Top 100 Camp, and the McDonald's All-American Game. Alan has been a featured guest on over 200 podcasts and his list of corporate clients include American Express, Pepsi, Sabra, Starbucks, Under Armor, UGG, Orange Theory Fitness, and Penn State Football, where one of his quotes is featured on 12-foot mural outside their locker room (see below). His first book, Raise Your Game: High-Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best, received wide acclaim. Alan’s latest book, Sustain Your Game: High Performance Keys to Manage Stress, Avoid Stagnation, and Beat Burnout is for high performers who want to learn practical strategies and action steps on how to sustain their game across all three timelines. It assembles invaluable advice and lessons from successful athletes, entrepreneurs, social scientists, journalists, CEOs, motivational speakers, business coaches, and consultants, as well as Alan’s own personal stories.Website: https://alansteinjr.com/Book: https://amzn.to/3BP5DJnStronger Team: https://strongerteam.com/sustainyourgame/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was privileged to be joined by Anita Stubenrauch. Anita is a former Apple Computers Executive and graduate of The Art Institute of Chicago. As a creative sojourner Anita is paving her own path towards both creative and professional success by thinking outside the bounds of typical corporate boxes. In this conversation Anita and I discuss the challenges that face creatives in today's workforce and how remote work is presenting both limitations and opportunities for creatively minded individuals.  Anita Stubenrauch is a former Apple Executive who was able to pivot her success and experience into creating her own creative business. As the founder of Cause:Effect Creative and the developer of the soon to be Land of Make+Believe, Anita is leading small business owners and entrepreneurs to an enlightened way of thinking and making decisions. Anita currently lives in Murphys, California, where she's building a beautiful retreat space, The Land of Make+Believe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was excited to welcome Dr. Jennifer Heisz to the show to discuss her new book, Move the Body, Heal the Mind: Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia and Improve Focus, Creativity, and Sleep. This was a really motivating conversation about the incredible benefits of exercise and movement on not only our body's fitness but our brain’s functions. Dr. Heisz unpacks a host of benefits that exercise has on cognitive functions, memory, creativity, and of course productivity.In addition to discussing the many benefits that movement and exercise can have on creativity and focus in our work lives, Dr. Heisz also discusses the litany of ways that exercise can reward the pleasure centers of our brain helping to both prevent and assist various behaviors associated with addiction. Jennifer also addresses the relationship between exercise and depression and how important it is to be aware of the rhythms of our movement and how they can change throughout the seasons.Dr. Jennifer Heisz is a leading expert on the neuroscience of exercise and is the Director of the NeuroFit Lab at McMaster University, which boasts one of the top kinesiology departments in the world. Structured around Dr. Heisz’s personal journey from sedentary scholar to triathlete, the book combines anecdotes, research, and case studies to explain how exercise and the brain are intertwined. And, each chapter includes specialized workout regimens to help readers get started on their own fitness journey, whether they’re looking to reduce stress/depression or improve their sleep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan McRae has had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder all of his life, but he wasn’t going to let ADHD run him down. He has worked to figure out how to take all the benefits and cancel out all the drawbacks.In this episode, Ryan and Erik discuss overcoming the productivity challenges of College and University Students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was excited to welcome Todd Henry back to the show for the sixth time to discuss his latest book, Daily Creative: A Practical Guide for Staying - Prolific, Brilliant, and Healthy. Todd is a prolific author and speaker who focuses on the creatives and dispelling myths about who is and who is not “creative” within corporate or professional workforces. For over a decade Todd has helped readers unlock their creative potential and find new ways to apply their talents.  In this new book Todd explores the benefits of reflecting on creative practices on a daily basis by creating a daily guide which succinctly and contemplatively welcomes readers to reflect upon both their creative potential and the ways that creativity can be applied in the most unlikely of work and life circumstances.Todd Henry is the founder of Accidental Creative, a company that helps creative people and teams be prolific, brilliant and healthy. He regularly speaks and consults with companies about how to develop practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of six books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code, Daily Creative). which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.With more than twelve million downloads, his podcast The Accidental Creative offers weekly tips for how to stay prolific, brilliant, and healthy. Learn more at AccidentalCreative.com.The Daily Creative is a daily reader for busy professionals, creative and otherwise, designed to help you gain focus for your day and advance toward your goals.Each daily reading is: Quick: Takes less than 5 minutes to complete Focused: Centers around a specific theme Inspiring: Includes a quote from great thinkers and creatives throughout history Actionable: Wraps with a daily action to help you achieve results Even if you don't think of yourself as creative, you'd probably be surprised by how many creative tools you use every day. You solve problems, design, write, invent, or in other words―create. But the pressure we feel to continually create value with our minds can cause tremendous stress and eventually neutralize our ability to be effective in our roles long term.Todd’s previous appearances on the show: Todd Henry on Motivation and Discovering the Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work Todd Henry on Challenge, Stability and Leading Creatives Todd Henry on Honing Your Voice, Practice and Creative Work Todd Henry on Creativity, Productivity and Passion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was so happy to welcome Jon Acuff back to the show to discuss his newest book, Your New Playlist: The Student Guide to Tapping into the Superpower of Mindset. This powerful new book which Jon co-authored with his two teenage daughters is a must read for parents, educators, and mentors seeking to empower young people with the mindset and tools that allow them to not only reshape their thoughts, but change the trajectory of negative voices that often plague young people’s everyday life.When Jon’s previous book, Soundtracks, came out, one reaction surprised him. Parents across the country all said the same thing: "Do you have a version for teenagers? If I knew how to change my mindset when I was that age, my entire life would have been different." Why did they say that? Because truth grows like compound interest. Saving money when you're young has a bigger impact than it does when you save in your 40s. A single new soundtrack--Acuff's phrase for a repetitive thought--believed when you're 14 or 18 can change your whole life in the same way. In response, Acuff tagged his two daughters to help him create an honest, actionable guide to mindset for teenagers. Jon Acuff is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including Soundtracks, The Surprising Solution To Overthinking. Jon’s books have been published in more than twenty languages and his work is both critically acclaimed and adored by readers around the world. When he’s not writing, Acuff can be found on a stage, as one of INC’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers. He’s spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences, colleges and companies around the world including FedEx, Nissan, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Chick-fil-A, Nokia and Comedy Central. Known for his insights wrapped in humor, Acuff shared the stage with an American Icon when he opened up for Dolly Parton at the Ryman Auditorium.For over 20 years he’s also helped some of the biggest brands tell their story, including The Home Depot, Bose, and Staples. His fresh perspective on life has given him the opportunity to write for Reader’s Digest, Fast Company, The Harvard Business Review and Time Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I had a great conversation with Kim Rittberg about her new project the ‘Mom’s Exit Interview Podcast'. Kim and I discuss her checkered career and some of the reasons she chose to leave the corporate world and strike out on her own, producing and consulting on a range of content and media projects. Kim has a wealth of insights and tips for not just Moms, but anyone considering transitioning into a new career or entrepreneurial endeavor. We discuss the importance of establishing your priorities before you make any major career changes and what she has been learning from her guests on the new podcast. Kim Rittberg is a Video Marketing Strategy & Podcaster, former media executive, corporate quitter, and mom. She is an award-winning Video & Content Strategist, On-Camera Coach previously at Netflix, PopSugar, and Us Weekly. Kim is the host of ‘Mom’s Exit Interview Podcast’ where she interviews inspirational moms who are taking control of their lives while achieving (gasp!) true work-life balance: entrepreneurs, stay-at-home moms with side hustles, consultants, part-time workers and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was thrilled to speak with Tiago Forte about his groundbreaking new book, Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential. In this conversation, I discovered just what a second brain is and how productivity-minded people like me, (and likely you) can benefit from the methodologies laid out in this book to more powerfully, creatively, and effectively capture life experiences, journal entries, and and musings in order to free our brains of needless clutter and begin to more effectively create and organize our thoughts. This is an exceptional book and has rocketed into my top 10 productivity books of all time and after you listen you will see why.Tiago Forte is one of the world’s foremost experts on productivity and has taught thousands of people around the world how timeless principles and the latest technology can revolutionize their productivity, creativity, and personal effectiveness. He has worked with organizations such as Genentech, Toyota Motor Corporation, and the Inter-American Development Bank, and appeared in a variety of publications, such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Harvard Business Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices