In order to live into our calling – bravely – we are going to not know when to let go. We are going to have to engineer our own deaths. And our own rebirths. We are going to be unsure how to introduce our new selves to the world, but we will know that however we choose to do it, it will have to be big, and different, and maybe weird. And we are going to come face to face with our own egos. It will be scary. But we can, in the end, send them offstage, in the service of a better possible future.
Hi storytellers —
I've been producing Sound Judgment for about 18 months. And no story has affected me as personally as that of Todd Henry, author of many books about creativity, including his new one, The Brave Habit. As Todd was finishing up The Brave Habit, he realized something distressing.
In this book, he challenges readers to live and create with courage.
But he wasn’t.
He’d been playing it safe for years.
That realization led to his next question: After 18 years of building a podcast — The Accidental Creative — and a successful and lucrative brand, was it time to pursue bigger dreams?
And if the answer was yes, would it mean he’d have to “kill” his old life?
Working on this episode, I couldn’t help but wonder the same things.
With Todd and his genius “story architect” producer, Josh Gott, I deconstruct the Daily Creative story, “The Curious Death of Todd Henry.” It wrestles with these questions in a very unusual way.
Producing this latest episode of Sound Judgment was emotional for me. It challenged me on two fronts: an inflection point I’m at in my own career and personal life, and a connected one in my creative life.
Furthermore, as I was shaping the interview and adding tape, I started to feel uneasy. I’d been shaken up by Todd’s story and what he and Josh did with it. But delivered as my usual interview + tape episode, I could already tell that listeners wouldn’t experience the impact I felt so strongly.
It started to feel absurd to produce in my typical format, even though I’m proud of the interviews I’ve done. To live up to this content and theme, I’d have to stretch. Do something wildly different — take a courageous and stretch. But what?
And then I had a practical crisis.
As usual, I was running late. My great production assistant, Audrey Nelson, had prepped a first draft of this interview. I'd glanced at the transcript in our editing software. I was underwhelmed (not because of what she did, but my lackluster interview performance this go-round). But for efficiency’s sake, I was resigned to using it.
Then the software crashed. And would NOT revive.
First, I panicked. (Remember, I was late?)
Then, I started over — and this time I paid close attention to the original conversation.
This software crisis was a gift — from where, I don’t dare say. But inspiration struck, and in 24 hours, I wrote a 7-act play. It’s complete with a play within a play, a devil, an angel, and some highly unusual characters.
I was even later, but somehow I made the deadline. I haven't had this much fun, or been this personally changed by writing or producing something in forever.
And I haven’t been as proud.
I hope you'll listen, and if you like it, please share with others who may also be questioning where they’re going.
Sometime soon, I’ll share the personal epiphany I had working on this episode and how it’s changing my life.
For now, please listen to "Comfort vs. courage: Is it finally time to pursue your dreams?"
Are you in transition? Is "fine" work not good enough any more? What’s next for you?
Do you know?
Tell me in the comments or email me. If you click on my byline, you’ll find my email.
I write back to everyone who writes to me, but it can take a little bit.
I love hearing from you, and I’m grateful to all of you in this wonderful community for reading, listening, and sharing your stories with me.
REMINDER: It’s not too late
Become a better storyteller! Register for tomorrow’s interactive workshop, “Mastering the Art of the Interview.” Great for all creators, from podcasters and video producers to public speakers, writers, social media specialists and beyond.
I’m also excited about next week’s workshop, which will help you no matter whether you’re a host, producer, or thought leader (or all of the above) who wants to do more podcast guesting.
April 5: Mastering the Art of the Interview
Interviews are the foundation of all good nonfiction storytelling and conversations. 10 ways to ask better questions and get better answers.
April 11: Success in Guesting: Be a Great Guest & Get Great Guests
Every prospective podcast guest and thought leader should learn how producers and hosts select guests in the first place. And every podcast producer should learn what it takes to be a great guest — because you should always be on both sides of the mic. This is your insider’s guide to one of the most important pieces of the podcast puzzle.
Speaking of interviewing skills, here’s my article from Current, the trade publication for public media, on six interviewing strategies for achieving deeper, more meaningful conversations with every guest or story source. (And maybe every person in your life!)
But don’t take it from me — many of these strategies come from the amazing storytellers who appear on Sound Judgment, like Anna Sale of Death, Sex & Money; Ronald Young Jr. of Weight for It, and Celeste Headlee of Slate’s Hear Me Out. (Grab the article right away, because it’ll go back behind Current.org’s paywall in about 5 days.)
As always, it is a joy to be with you.
Elaine