Summer's in full swing, our routines are upside down, and creative disciplines are as vital as ever. In this special episode, we share Todd Henry's live talk from Scottsdale, Arizona, exploring the heart of creative work and what it really takes to thrive as a “create on demand” professional. Todd unpacks why producing brilliant work isn’t as simple as following steps 1-2-3, and why most of the real magic happens in the messy space in between.

He also discusses the hidden forces that sabotage our creativity—dissonance, fear, and expectation escalation—and introduces the five elements of creative rhythm that can help us stay prolific, brilliant, and healthy. You’ll learn why true creative success is about intentional daily practices, not bursts of last-minute inspiration, and how building disciplines now will help you build a body of work you can be proud of.

Five Key Learnings from This Episode:

1. Brilliance Requires Discipline: Great creative work doesn’t just “happen.” It comes from consistent, intentional practices that help us manage our focus, relationships, energy, stimuli, and hours.
2. Manage Dissonance, Fear, and Expectations: Unaddressed gaps between our “why” and “what,” fear of failure, and ever-escalating expectations are stealthy assassins to creative output—recognizing and addressing them is critical.
3. Creative Rhythm Is Key: Cultivating five elements—Focus, Relationships, Energy, Stimuli, and Hours (“FRESH”)—creates the foundation for sustainable, high-quality creative work.
4. Brilliance Emerges in Community: Collaboration, feedback, and support from others fuel our best ideas—creativity isn’t a solo pursuit.
5. Die Empty: Our goal shouldn’t just be doing more, but making sure we give our best effort. Leave nothing of value unshared, unattempted, or undiscovered—so we reach the finish line without regret.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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The Brave Habit is available now

My new book will help you make bravery a habit in your life, your leadership, and your work. Discover how to develop the two qualities that lead to brave action: Optimistic Vision and Agency. Buy The Brave Habit wherever books are sold, or learn more at TheBraveHabit.com.

In this episode of Daily Creative, we dive into the heart of what it means to be a purposeful leader—both in our creative work and our lives. We explore how easy it is to drift away from our core motivations as we advance in our careers, and what it really takes to stay anchored to what matters most.

We’re joined by Klaus Kleinfeld, the only Fortune 500 CEO to have led two companies on different continents and author of Leading To Thrive, and Eric Liedtke, former brand president at Adidas and current brand leader at Under Armour and Unless Collective. Together, they share powerful stories about leadership, self-awareness, and navigating the internal and external games of success.

We explore themes like managing energy (not just time), the critical importance of integrating our personal and professional selves, and how true change starts from within. From a CEO who redefined performance to a creative leader who risked it all to align with his values, this episode is packed with actionable insights for anyone who wants to lead with soul and purpose.

Five Key Learnings from This Episode:

1. Leadership Drift Is Subtle: Progress in your career can often feel like success, but without anchoring to your core values, you may end up far from the person or leader you intended to be.
2. Inner and Outer Games Matter: Success isn’t just about external achievements—the “outer game”—but also about understanding who you are, what you want, and managing your energy (“inner game”) to have sustainable impact.
3. Energy, Not Just Time, Is Key: True high performance comes from managing and recharging your energy, not just filling your calendar. Micro-habits and rest are not signs of weakness but essential for sustained creativity and leadership.
4. Integration, Not Balance: We’re not meant to keep work and life in separate silos. Thriving as leaders means integrating our professional ambitions with our deeper personal values.
5. Purpose Fuels Action: Checking in with yourself about your true motivations isn’t just self-care—it shapes your decisions, your team’s culture, and your overall impact, whether you’re leading a Fortune 500 company or launching a mission-driven startup.

Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreative.app.

Mentioned in this episode:

To listen to the full interviews from today's episode, as well as receive bonus content and deep dive insights from the episode, visit DailyCreativePlus.com and join Daily Creative+.

To listen to the full interviews from today's episode, as well as receive bonus content and deep dive insights from the episode, visit DailyCreativePlus.com and join Daily Creative+.

The Brave Habit is available now

My new book will help you make bravery a habit in your life, your leadership, and your work. Discover how to develop the two qualities that lead to brave action: Optimistic Vision and Agency. Buy The Brave Habit wherever books are sold, or learn more at TheBraveHabit.com.

In this episode of Daily Creative, we sit down with Jesse Cole, the founder of the Savannah Bananas—a phenomenon that's redefining what it means to have fun at a baseball game. We share Jesse’s incredible journey from feeling uninspired in a “dream job” to igniting a revolution in sports entertainment. Bored with the traditional, slow-moving experience of baseball, Jesse asked the pivotal question: “How could we make this fun every time?”

We explore how Jesse leaned into bold ideas, ditched the predictable playbook, and replaced blandness with pure creative energy. Drawing inspiration from visionaries like Walt Disney and P.T. Barnum, Jesse made it his mission to build a show fans couldn’t stop talking about—complete with dancing staff, wild rules, and a sense of spectacle that makes every moment count. From the struggles of his early days as a young general manager, turning around a failing team with empty stadiums, to the sold-out, wildly viral success of the Savannah Bananas, Jesse reveals how continuous innovation and fan-first thinking can transform not only an experience, but an entire industry.

We go behind the scenes to unearth the Bananas’ creative process, from weekly idea pitching sessions inspired by Saturday Night Live to relentless experimentation and audience feedback. Jesse shares how his commitment to fun, learning from outside his industry, and obsession with new ideas keeps the Bananas experience fresh, exciting, and unforgettable night after night.

Five Key Learnings from This Episode:

1. Create What You Love: The most remarkable creators, like Jesse, build experiences that they themselves would truly enjoy. If it doesn’t excite you, it’s unlikely to excite your fans.
2. Embrace the “What If” Question: Growth and innovation come from questioning industry assumptions and daring to envision something completely different, even if it sounds “too much” at first.
3. Learn Across Industries: Pull the best ideas from outside your field. Parallel thinking and adaptation of concepts (from Disney to the circus to WWE) helped make Banana Ball truly unique.
4. Prioritize Experience Over Promotion: People must experience your difference—not just hear about it. The Bananas invest in the fan experience, letting viral moments and word-of-mouth do the marketing.
5. Iterate Fast and Learn Relentlessly: The Bananas test new ideas every night, seek feedback, and adjust constantly to create moments audiences will remember and want to relive.

Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreative.app.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Brave Habit is available now

My new book will help you make bravery a habit in your life, your leadership, and your work. Discover how to develop the two qualities that lead to brave action: Optimistic Vision and Agency. Buy The Brave Habit wherever books are sold, or learn more at TheBraveHabit.com.

To listen to the full interviews from today's episode, as well as receive bonus content and deep dive insights from the episode, visit DailyCreativePlus.com and join Daily Creative+.

To listen to the full interviews from today's episode, as well as receive bonus content and deep dive insights from the episode, visit DailyCreativePlus.com and join Daily Creative+.