What does resonance really mean? In this short episode, we explore the science of resonance and how understanding the definition of the word can help us to focus on making content that matters. SHARE THE SHOW:Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jaySUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:https://jayacunzo.com/newsletterEvery Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times.SPONSOR: THE JUICEDiscover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free.Learn more at https://thejuicehq.comCONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo- Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION:- Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW:Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create.Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work” with stories “as captivating as some of the best, like Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Carlin.”Thanks for listening and supporting Unthinkable!

In this episode, we follow multimedia journalist Natalia Aldana, organizer and artist Aisha White, podcaster and indie creator Jay Clouse, and we hear from marketing legend Joe Pulizzi as they (and me, Jay Acunzo) learn to navigate how these maker monsters attempt to take hostage their (and our) sense of self worth. So many of us conflate our professional success with personal worth, so what happens when we don’t believe in ourselves or  we are paralyzed by potential rejection? And how can we all keep fighting back and overcome our own maker monsters? SHARE THE SHOW:Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jaySUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:https://jayacunzo.com/newsletterWeekly stories and frameworks about how to create more resonant work. Join thousands of subscribers, from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times.VOICES IN THIS EPISODE:Natalia Aldana is a multimedia journalist and international news editor. She is an audio producer for Al Jazeera’s podcast, The Take after working for The Ezra Klein Show and Recode Decade. She reports on stories around crime and justice, immigration, politics and music. Aisha White is a cultural organizer, artist, and researcher focused on community building and social impact. Her personal work is built around public health and fellowship.  Joe Pulizzi is an entrepreneur and marketing speaker and entrepreneur. Joe has founded multiple startups including The Tilt and is the author of several books including the best-selling Content Inc. Jay Clouse hosts the podcast Creative Elements and builds projects to serve fellow creators.  He's also the head of community at Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn.SPONSOR: THE JUICEDiscover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free.Learn more at https://thejuicehq.comCONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo- Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.comPRODUCTION:- Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.comABOUT THE SHOW:Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create.Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work” with stories “as captivating as some of the best, like Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Carlin.”Thanks for listening and supporting Unthinkable!

The word "art" is often misunderstood, especially by those who don't consider themselves artists. But make no mistake, if you're in the change business, you're in the art business. In this episode, a short but inspiring look at how.SHARE THE SHOW:Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jaySUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:https://jayacunzo.com/newsletterEvery Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times.SPONSOR: THE JUICEDiscover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free.Learn more at https://thejuicehq.comCONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo- Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION:- Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW:Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create.Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work” with stories “as captivating as some of the best, like Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Carlin.”Thanks for listening and supporting Unthinkable!

So many of us focus on becoming an expert in our professional field. But what if instead, we wanted to become visionaries? Not THAT kind of visionary, mind you -- the over-hyped media machines that become the business world equivalents of the Kardashians. But instead, a type of useful, practical, attainable, and much-needed visionary. On this episode we begin to unpack what it means to be a visionary. We learn about the “Quest Matrix,” and we begin to chart a path away from Expertville toward some new territory.Along the way, we hear from John Bonini, a marketer at a crossroads.QUEST MATRIX IMAGE: https://bit.ly/quest-matrix SHARE THE SHOW:Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:https://jayacunzo.com/newsletterEvery Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE:John Bonini is a long-time content marketer, working for brands like IMPACT Branding and Design and the email software company Litmus as head of growth. He's now director of marketing at Databox and the owner of a membership and community group for marketers, Some Good Content.Andrew Davis is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker. Before building and selling a thriving digital marketing agency, Andrew produced for NBC’s Today Show, worked for The Muppets in New York and wrote for Charles Kuralt. SPONSOR:The Juice is a new kind of media company (like the Spotify of B2B). Specifically, they serve sales and marketing professionals. By registering for free, users can find the most original, deeply resonant ideas and advice in sales and marketing -- things optimized for people, not algorithms. The Juice curates from tens of thousands of sources to find what's popular and also what's most customized to your specific job function and level. Browse the best and brightest thinking, find new sources of inspiration to follow, and create and share content playlists about specific topics that help your career and company grow. Learn more and sign up for free at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo- Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION:- Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW:Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create.Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work” with stories “as captivating as some of the best, like Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Carlin.”Thanks for listening and supporting Unthinkable!

It's time for another one-shot -- a short-form, monologue episode sharing short stories, metaphors, and frameworks from my perspective to complement the longer-form stories about others that we share every other week.In this one, I answer a crucial question -- some might say mission critical to all our careers.Then, I detail why my answer to the question is extremely, laughably biased, and why we all face that same bias when others make decisions involving our work.What does it take to resonate? I have no idea. Sounds like a worthy investigation to me! Let's go... *   *   *FLYWHEEL VISUAL:Visit this blog post: https://jayacunzo.com/blog/how-to-resonate-a-framework-for-building-bigger-innovating-faster-and-reaching-higher-in-your-work*   *   *KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOWSubscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletterBuy a book: jayacunzo.com/booksHire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes*   *   *THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:The Juice, the Spotify of B2B, curates and suggests content for sales and marketing professionals based on what is resonating with humans, not what's been optimized for algorithms. Their mission is to improve the signal of the B2B web and give all of us access to better, more transformative ideas and tactics that we can use to elevate our work. No more basic, redundant posts seen from every competitor in a given niche.  Get the best and brightest thinking and most useful resources for sales and marketing pros. Learn more and sign up for free at thejuicehq.com.*   *   *THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!Keep making what matters.-Jay

Why do we constantly underestimate how long something will take in the short-term? In other words, we tend to over-estimate just how much we can achieve right now. Then, when we think long term, the reverse tends to happen: we actually UNDER-estimate what we're capable of achieving over time. Today, we want to know more about the promise of a popular trend, the creative streak, and whether they can help us overcome our constant battle with planning our time and achieving something greater.This week, Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of the world-wide phenomenon NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month) gives us a peek into the power (and potential pitfalls) of creative writing streaks. Meanwhile, Giorgia Lupi, an information designer and partner at the firm Pentagram, reflects on her famous, collaborative creative streak, Dear Data, with Stefanie Posavec -- a year-long journey of sketching personal data-based postcards, which eventually led to exhibitions, book deals, critical acclaim, and internet fame. Can we change our relationships to deadlines? How might we banish our inner editors holding us back during crucial early stages in the creative process? And how might we reconcile both the short-term and long-term work we do? Let's go streaking.*   *   *KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOWSubscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletterBuy a book: jayacunzo.com/booksHire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes*   *   *IN THIS EPISODE:Giorgia Lupi: http://giorgialupi.com  //  https://twitter.com/giorgialupiDear Data: http://www.dear-data.com/Grant Faulkner: https://grantfaulkner.com  //  https://twitter.com/grantfaulknerNoNoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/Unthinkable is written, hosted, and edited by me, Jay Acunzo, with production support this episode from Molly Donovan (https://mdonovancontent.com) and Ilana Nevins  (https://www.ilananevins.com) *   *   *THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:The Juice, the Spotify of B2B, curating and suggesting the most popular content for marketing and sales professionals based on what's trending and what's resonating with others like you (not what's most optimized for search). Explore and create content playlists and easily collect and share the best content for your career and/or your team.Find the most resonant B2B content for people, not the most optimized content for algorithms.Visit thejuicehq.com to learn more and sign up for free.*   *   *THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!Keep making what matters.-Jay

In  2019, I helped develop, write, and direct a business docuseries called Against the Grain, which I also hosted. You can find that series at helpscout.com/atg. We told three stories of teams rethinking what success in business looks like.It was epic. But the budget ... was not. It was a lean production, with a small budget and small team. In talking to others in documentary production, they were amazed to hear how we produced THAT series with THOSE resources. What helped was a technique known as "stealing shots." I think this technique has power even if you don't create films. In this episode, a short story and a powerful idea to help us all elevate our work WITHOUT adding resources.*   *   *KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOWSubscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletterBuy a book: jayacunzo.com/booksHire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes*   *   *THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!Keep making what matters.-Jay

Maker monsters often creep in at the least opportune times, drag us backwards, convince us of defeat, fill us with self-doubt, so where do we go from here?  And what does that mean for our creative, professional work? We hear from Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast host and producer Lizzie Peabody and poet and keynote speaker, Tucker Bryant, about how their maker monster, perfectionism, creeps into their creative work. We dive into how they conquer, co-exist, or accept defeat with their own internal monsters and explore how we can each carve out ways to find joy in our work and continue to make what matters.*   *   *KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOWSubscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletterBuy a book: jayacunzo.com/booksHire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes*   *   *FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:Lizzie Peabody: https://twitter.com/LizziePeabody and https://www.lizziepeabody.com/Lizzie's podcast, Sidedoor: https://twitter.com/SidedoorPod and https://www.si.edu/sidedoorTucker Bryant: https://twitter.com/tucksbryant Tucker's speaking site: https://tuckerbryant.me/*   *   *THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!Keep making what matters.-Jay

What's the worst advice you've ever received? Can you recall?Mine happened in my mid-20s. I'd just been hired to lead a team for the first time. I found myself in my first purely managerial role ... and I was miserable.Trying to salvage my schedule and my career, I marched into my boss's office and declared, "I'm not doing my best work here." What followed was the worst advice I've ever received. But here's the thing: at the time, I thought it was GREAT.I was wrong.Maybe we all are.*   *   *KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOWSubscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletterBuy a book: jayacunzo.com/booksConsider my course on podcast premise development, Growable Shows (for new or existing shows): jayacunzo.com/growable-showsHire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes*   *   *THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!Keep making what matters.-Jay

We hear from education entrepreneur and former urban designer Saba Ghole, whose own education journey has led her to rethink and rebuild how we can teach young people. She cofounded NuVu Studio, creating an educational space for imagination and innovation to help build creative, critical thinkers and problem solvers. Writer and researcher Molly Donovan dives into the messiness that is growing up, learning to judge and chasing being right. She explores how we can start dismantling that need and instead chase the next messy rep, the possibility of something new, different, and maybe, the beginning of something else.   So how do we, with past experiences and habits, with routines and outside pressure, summon the beginner’s mindset on demand? How can we build in some sense of possibility and curiosity into our already busy days? And how can we use the beginner’s mindset to create work that is thoughtful, innovative, and imaginative?*   *   *KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOWSubscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletterBuy a book: jayacunzo.com/booksConsider my course on podcast premise development, Growable Shows (for new or existing shows): jayacunzo.com/growable-showsHire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *   *   *VOICES & MENTIONS IN THE SHOW:Saba Ghole: https://twitter.com/sabaraniNuVu Studio: https://cambridge.nuvustudio.com/Molly Donovan: https://twitter.com/MHDonovanShunryu Suzuki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunry%C5%AB_Suzuki*   *   *THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!Keep making what matters.-Jay