
Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo
An inside look at the unconventional choices of quality-obsessed creators – and the memorable things they made as a result. It's a show about trusting your intuition and your craft more than best practices and blueprints. Since 2016, Unthinkable has inspired creators to ship more personal, powerful work. In the era of AI and endless commodity content, that type of work is now urgent. Hosted by Jay Acunzo, founder of the Creator Kitchen.
Latest episodes

Oct 17, 2018 • 11min
Short Story: The Choice That Makes or Breaks Great Work (Part 1)
This story originated in my newsletter, Damn the Best Practices. It got such a great response that I'm syndicating it here. You can subscribe at http://bit.ly/damnpractices
I first uncovered this psychological concept in the research for my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work, now available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Thanks for listening!

Oct 8, 2018 • 34min
How Does INVISION Make Big Creative Projects Look Logical? ["Exceptions" Ep.3]
In Episode 3 of my docu-series with brand partner Drift, I continue to explore why the world's best B2B companies are betting big on brand.
Today's most exceptional companies rely on creating great experiences to stand out from the commodity noise.
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Damn the Best Practices, for one new story each week about questioning conventional thinking: bit.ly/damnpractices
You can also say hi on Twitter @jayacunzo or Instagram @jacunzo
My new book, Break the Wheel, is now available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Oct 1, 2018 • 56min
Book Launch Day! Special AMA & Behind-the-Scenes Episode
Order your copy of Break the Wheel on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition-ebook/dp/B07HQF97J7
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, & Do Your Best Work
Our world is flooded by advice, ideas, and experts, but we shouldn’t make decisions based on “best practices.” Instead, we should do what works best for us, building careers and companies with the sort of clarity that leads to exceptional work. Only, first, we need to escape the endless cycle of stale approaches and trendy tactics that holds us back. We need to Break the Wheel. In this quick-hitting, powerful book, keynote speaker and podcaster Jay Acunzo hands us a sledgehammer. With a diverse range of real-world stories, Break the Wheel offers a simple but powerful way to think for yourself when surrounded by conventional thinking. Along the way, Acunzo offers six fundamental questions to ask in any situation to start making the best possible decisions, regardless of the best practice. Remember: Finding best practices isn't the goal. Finding the best approach for you is.

Sep 24, 2018 • 16min
Short Story: What We Really Mean by "Visionary"
Break the Wheel's NEW publish date is Oct. 1, 2018! That means this is the final week to get signed copies plus bonus goodies sent to you in the pre-sale. Visit jayacunzo.com/book for that, or head over to Amazon to purchase your print, Kindle, or audiobook version of Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, Do Your Best Work.
Today, the problem with dubbing an innovator or creator a "visionary," and how we, too, can act just like them. (Spoiler alert: The very idea that they possess any kind of foresight is BS. Like you'd expect me to say anything else?)

Aug 30, 2018 • 49min
Why Is WISTIA So Creative? ["Exceptions" Ep.2]
Big News: My book, Break the Wheel, is now available for pre-orders at jayacunzo.com/book!
Today, Episode 2 of my new documentary series with brand partner Drift, where I go inside some of the world's best B2B companies to understand why and how they're proactively building their brands. "Brand" was a dirty word in many B2B companies for awhile, but these individuals are proving why it's arguably the most important strategy today for creating exceptional companies.
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Damn the Best Practices, for one new story each week about questioning conventional thinking: bit.ly/damnpractices
You can also say hi on Twitter @jayacunzo or Instagram @jacunzo

Aug 27, 2018 • 17min
Short Story: The Schreader [Plus, Signed Books for You]
Visit jayacunzo.com/book for the pre-sale in the United States. Purchase single or bulk, and get each signed. Available now through October 2018 when the book launches worldwide.
Also ... a story (obviously).

Aug 5, 2018 • 39min
What Makes GUSTO Exceptional? ["Exceptions" Ep.1]
Episode 1 of my new documentary series with brand partner Drift, where I go inside some of the world's best B2B companies to understand why and how they're proactively building their brands. "Brand" was a dirty word in many B2B companies for awhile, but these individuals are proving why it's arguably the most important strategy today for creating exceptional companies.
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Damn the Best Practices, for one new story each week about questioning conventional thinking: bit.ly/damnpractices
My first book, Break the Wheel, arrives this fall. First to know will be the newsletter.
You can also say hi on Twitter @jayacunzo or Instagram @jacunzo

Jul 18, 2018 • 32min
Intuition [Re-aired]
While I work on Season 4 plus my book, Break the Wheel (Fall 2018), I wanted to share with you one of the most popular episodes from the backlogs: "Intuition." Insight into how the world seems to define intuition and why it's so darn broken. Then, we do something unthinkable: We try to define it together, not in some fluffy sense, but in a practical, real-world way, so we can proactively hone and use this skill. In this episode, we hear from one of the most legendary photographers on the planet and the founder/CEO of CreativeLive, Chase Jarvis.
In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, sharing one new story every Monday for being better than best practices. That's at http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices

Jun 28, 2018 • 25min
Voices [Re-aired]
As I work on Season 4 of Unthinkable, I wanted to share with you one of the most popular episodes from the backlogs: Voices. The incredible story of Lisa Schneider and her warm, witty, and wonderful team working for ... the dictionary. What they did seemed unthinkable, until you hear their side of the story. Hope you enjoy!
In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, sharing one new story every Monday for being better than best practices. That's at http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices

Jun 11, 2018 • 12min
"Try to Be Awesome" - A Tribute to Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain inspired much of this very show. Though my style is a bit different than his, I've learned from his method, watched him work with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide, and aspire to be the Anthony Bourdain of the business world. His window into the human experience was food. Mine is careers.
In this episode, a tribute, pulled from my newsletter "Damn the Best Practices." Subscribe to that weekly email at bit.ly/damnpractices.
Thank you, Anthony Bourdain, for sharing your art with the world. Rest in power...
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