PODCAST · arts
Chief Creative Podcast
by Dustin Pead
Host Dustin Pead helps creative businesses know themselves, their process, & their teams more so they can unleash their best work.
Episodes
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Books Every Creative Business Owner Should Read | Ep 167
Reading lists for creatives are everywhere, but a short, trusted one is hard to find. Without a strong foundation, you end up building your creative business by feel, and the busyness of creativity starts running you. In this bonus chapter of Creative Work: 10 Systems Every Creative Business…
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Pick One System. Give It 30 Days.
Your creative business has systems that could save you time, energy, and stress. But if you try to build all of them at once, you will quit by Thursday. In this conclusion to Creative Work: 10 Systems Every Creative Business Needs, Dustin Pead shares how a DUE date got the book written, recaps…
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Stop Running Meetings That Lead to More Meetings | Ep 165
Most creative teams don't have a meeting problem, they have a structure problem. Meetings run long, nobody's sure who owns what, and the team leaves more drained than when they walked in. In this episode, Dustin Pead breaks down the exact 5-part meeting framework he runs every partner meeting...
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The Hidden Ceiling on Your Creative Business's Growth | Ep 164
Chapter 9 of Creative Work: what's living only in your head is the real ceiling on your creative business. Dustin breaks down the Record Everything system, why it's not just an owner problem, and the simple 3-step process to finally get it out of your head and into your team's hands. Connect With...
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Stop Saying Yes on Feeling: Introducing the Capacity Cadence | Ep. 163
Capacity decisions get made on feeling instead of fact, and it's costing creative business owners their margin. In Chapter 8 of Creative Work: 10 Systems Every Creative Business Needs, Dustin unveils the Capacity Cadence, a simple weekly question that replaces gut instinct with real numbers.…
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Client Retention Strategy: Speak Their Appreciation Language | Ep. 162
Not every client feels appreciated the same way. In this front porch edition, Dustin Pead breaks down the five business appreciation languages, adapted from Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages and John Ruhlin's Giftology. He also shares the simple survey that revealed how his own partners really...
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Replacing Yourself with AI (with Christian Brim) | Ep. 161
Is AI coming for your job, or changing what your job actually is? This week Dustin sits down with Christian Brim, founder of Core Group, to talk about a chatbot Christian's been testing, Andy Stanley's idea of replacing yourself, and why the age of the knowledge worker might be ending. The...
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Behind The Rebrand with PJ Towle | Ep 160
Two years into business, Dustin Pead realized the name "Chief Creative Consultants" no longer matched how he actually worked with clients. In this episode, Dustin sits down with designer PJ Towle of Forty:Three Creative — the person behind the full rebrand — to unpack how "Consultants" became...
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Team One-on-Ones: How to Build Trust, Unblock Work, and Develop Your Creative Team | Ep 159
Building a creative team? Your one-on-ones might be the most underused system in your business. In Episode 159, Dustin Pead walks through the full one-on-one framework from Chapter 7 of his live book, Creative Work: 10 Systems Every Creative Business Needs. This is Part Three of the book — Team…
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Client Onboarding for Creative Businesses | Ep 158
Most client onboarding is really just project prep in disguise. But effective onboarding is about the relationship, not the deliverables. In this episode, Dustin Pead draws a clear line between project kickoffs (what are we building and how?) and client onboarding (how do we work together?) — and...
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Project Kickoff Process for Creative Businesses | Ep 157
You landed the client — now what? Dustin Pead breaks down the project kickoff system: a focused, 45-minute process that prevents scope creep, aligns your team, and produces a complete project brief before any work begins. Learn the standard questions every creative should ask, why recording the...
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Summer Momentum Prep: How to Keep Your Creative Business on Track All Summer Long | EP 156
Is your creative business ready for summer? In this episode, Dustin Pead takes a break from the live book writing series to share something super timely: the 5-block summer momentum prep session he runs with clients every spring. From momentum checks and DO vs DUE planning to priority protection...
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Automated Client Updates: How the Pizza Delivery System Works for Creative Businesses | Ep 155
Your clients don't leave because the work was bad — they leave because of the silence between deliverables. In this episode, Dustin Pead introduces the Pizza Delivery System: a CRM-based, semi-automated client communication framework that notifies clients at every project milestone, eliminates...
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10 Systems Every Creative Business Needs | Ep 154
Your future self is forgetful. And if you're not accounting for that in the way you manage your work, it's costing you more than you think. The average creative professional wastes 23 minutes every single time they context switch from one task to the next — just figuring out where they left off....
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The 3-Step System That Clears Creative Task Overwhelm for Good | Ep 153
Every creative professional knows the feeling: too many tasks, too little time, no idea where to start. In this episode, Dustin Pead introduces the Priority Framework, a three-step system for cutting through task overwhelm and reclaiming focused, meaningful work. This is chapter two of the…
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DO vs DUE Framework: The 5-Step Deadline System for Creative Businesses | Ep 152
Most creative agencies are organized around when work is DUE. The most scalable ones are organized around when it needs to get DONE. In Episode 152 of the Chief Creative Podcast, Dustin Pead walks through the DO vs DUE Framework — the cornerstone system from his new book, Creative Work: 10…
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Creative Work: We're Writing the Book Live | Ep 151
A friend once briefed Dustin Pead for 30 minutes on the wrong project. That phone call launched Chief Creative Partners — and now it's launching his next book, written live on this podcast. In Episode 151, Dustin introduces Creative Work: 10 Systems That Every Creative Business Needs — a…
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New Name, Same Focus | Ep. 150
150 episodes. Three podcast names. One business rebrand. And a new book on the way. Episode 150 marks the official launch of the Chief Creative Podcast — and Dustin Pead shares why the name finally changed, what it means for the business, and what's coming in the episodes ahead. What you'll hear:...
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The SOP That Changed Everything | Ep. 149
Your team keeps asking the same client questions. You're losing 10-15 hours a week being the institutional memory for your entire agency — and every new hire takes months to get up to speed. There's one document that fixes all of it: the individual client SOP. Dustin Pead walks through the exact...
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Managing Contractors Without Losing Your Mind | Ep. 148
Most creative agency owners manage contractors the wrong way — unclear scope, no structure, and paying for hours instead of outcomes. In this episode, Dustin Pead breaks down the three rules that change everything. In this episode you'll learn: Why defining a "sandbox" (not a shipping box) before...
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The Meeting That Actually Moves Projects Forward | Ep 147
Most creative team meetings are just status updates in disguise — and they're quietly killing your momentum. In this episode, Dustin Pead shares the Creative Meeting Success Framework: a simple 3-part method to transform your meetings from unproductive check-ins into project-advancing,...
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National Time Management Month | EP 146
February is National Time Management Month, and creatives lose 20 hours monthly to poor time management. That's half a work week where you could be doing your best work instead of fighting fires. Here are the 5 strategic shifts that transform how creative professionals manage time. WHAT YOU'LL...
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FROM MAKER TO MANAGER | EP 145
The skills that made you a successful creative are now the biggest barriers to scaling your agency. Here's why 80% done by someone else beats 100% done by you when you're maxed out—and how to finally make the shift from creator to leader. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why working 60+ hours means you're...
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I Stopped Using AI for Weekly Planning After 6 Months. Here's Why | EP. 144
For six months, I let AI plan my week. It was efficient, it was optimized, and it was completely wrong for me. I thought planning was about the output—getting organized faster so I could move on to "real work." But after six months of AI-generated weekly previews, I realized I wasn't actually…
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The 79% Problem: Why You're Over-Servicing Clients (And Losing Money) | EP. 143
Your team keeps asking the same questions about client preferences, and you keep answering from memory. Every interruption costs you 5-20 minutes of focused work. By the end of the week, you've spent 10+ hours being a human database instead of doing creative work. According to Function Fox, 79%…
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WHY YOUR TEAM HATES YOUR NEW SYSTEM (AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT) | EP.142
You just invested time and money in the perfect system. You rolled it out to your team. And then... crickets. Nobody's logging in. The problem? You're leading systems instead of leading people. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: - Why system failures are people problems disguised as technology problems (and how...
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THE PRIORITY PARALYSIS | EP.141
New year, 47 things on your to-do list, 12 marked urgent—and you're completely paralyzed. Today we're breaking free from priority paralysis using the Focus Funnel and capacity planning strategies that actually work. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: - The 3 types of confusion causing priority paralysis…
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A Creative's Letter to Future You | Creativity Made Easy Ep. 140
As we close out 2025, it's time to give future you the greatest gift possible: clarity. In this special year-end episode, discover what we learned together this year and exactly how to turn those lessons into your clearest year yet. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The one question that connects every 2025...
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Beyond Margin: Why Creative Agencies Need Capacity Planning | Ep 139
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The critical difference between guessing capacity and planning capacity How to implement the 20% margin buffer rule across your team Why time tracking is essential for sustainable creative work The manufacturing secret that could transform your agency operations Practical steps...
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STOP FLYING BLIND: PLAN YOUR CREATIVE YEAR WITH THE 12-MONTH OUTLOOK | EP.138
Most creative professionals are flying blind when it comes to annual planning—reacting to opportunities instead of creating them. Today I'm walking you through my 12-Month Outlook template step-by-step, showing you exactly how to get complete clarity on your year and stop leaving your business...
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Decluttering Your Creative Systems Before The New Year | Ep 137
Decluttering Your Creative Systems Before The New Year | EP.137 Everyone's planning what to ADD in January—new goals, new systems, new habits. But what if the secret to your best creative year isn't about adding more, but ruthlessly REMOVING what's been draining your energy all year long? This...
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A Thanksgiving Letter of Gratitude | Ep 136
This Thanksgiving, I'm sharing something personal—my deep gratitude for this incredible creative community. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why gratitude is a strategic choice, not just a feeling How to create from abundance instead of "never enough" scarcity The power of Sarah's 10,000 gratitudes journaling...
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Stop Forcing Perfect Systems: Meet Your Team Where They Are | EP.135
You don't need the perfect system. You need a system that works for you where you are right now. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why the gap between current habits and new systems determines adoption success The "Point B not Point E" approach to rolling out new tools and processes How to identify pain points...
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Bring Your Ideas To Where You Are | Ep 134
Stop waiting for the perfect method. That big creative idea you've been sitting on isn't out of reach—you've just been trying to reach for it the wrong way. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:- Why "the proper method" is killing your best creative ideas before they start- How to identify your native creative...
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REPLAY: Why Story Transforms Your Creative Process
It's a Creativity Made Easy REPLAY!!! Ever feel like your creative work falls flat despite your best efforts? The missing ingredient might be story. In this conversation with Darren Cooper from 1898 Creative, we break down exactly why story matters—and how to structure it. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The…
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Gaining & Sustaining Margin | Ep 132
Did you know 74% of creatives have experienced burnout? The secret to breaking free isn't about working harder—it's about creating the right kind of space between your commitments. In this episode, recorded live at the Salk Conference 2025, I'm taking you inside the exact frameworks that…
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The Creative Leader's Guide to Transformative 1:1's | EP 131
Most creative leaders sacrifice their people on the altar of excellence without even realizing it. But what if the key to better creative work wasn't pushing harder on your team, but actually investing 30 minutes a week in genuine conversation? In this powerful episode from the SALT 2025...
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5 Mental Health Truths Every Creative Needs to Hear | EP.130
If you're a creative professional struggling to believe in your own value, this special episode is for you. We're pausing our regularly scheduled content because some truths cannot wait. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why your creative output does not determine your human value—and what does The dangerous…
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Why Your Best Ideas Disappear (And How to Capture Them) | Ep 129
You're in the shower when brilliance strikes. By the time you dry off? Gone. Vanished into the creative ether. Sound familiar? Your best creative ideas aren't lost because you're not smart enough to remember them—they're lost because you haven't given Future You a fighting chance to find them.…
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The Priority Framework | Ep 128
Your to-do list might be the biggest creativity killer in your business and you don't even realize it. Most task management systems are designed like grocery lists—just random collections of stuff to check off. But creative work doesn't work that way. It ebbs and flows, moves forward and…
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Take The Leap | Ep 127
Sometimes the most profound truths come from the simplest statements. In this raw, vulnerable episode, Dustin shares a powerful quote from author John T. Edge that challenges everything you think you know about timing in creative business: "Every time I took a chance, a leap that scared me in my...
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There's A Process For That | Ep 126
Most creative professionals are drowning in chaos because they're trying to wing it in areas where successful agencies have bulletproof systems. The difference between agencies that scale smoothly and those that burn out their founders isn't creativity—it's having documented, repeatable…
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AI-Assisted Weekly Preview with PJ Towle | EP. 125
Sometimes the most valuable content comes from showing the messy, imperfect reality of how we actually work instead of the polished version we think we should present. In this raw episode, Dustin pulls back the curtain on his evolving AI-assisted weekly planning process with client PJ Towle from…
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From Bottleneck to Business Leader with Madi Waggoner | Ep 124
Are you drowning in the daily operations of your creative business? Can't delegate meaningful work or take a vacation without everything falling apart? You've become the bottleneck in your own success story. In this episode, I sit down with Madi Waggoner, founder of Building Remote, who…
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The Renewal Ritual Every Creative Needs | Ep 123
Going through the motions in your creative work? That spark feeling like a distant memory? There's a systematic way to get that fire back and prevent burnout before it happens. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The 3 critical warning signs of creative burnout (most creatives miss these!) Why renewal must be...
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"More Tasks Than Time" | Ep 122
When you start producing systematically, you quickly discover just how much work it actually takes and suddenly feel overwhelmed by an endless task list. Today we're solving the "more tasks than time" problem with the Focus Funnel—a simple but powerful decision-making framework that transforms...
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Leading Without Crushing Creativity | Ep 121
Most creative professionals think they need more freedom when what they actually need is better structure. Discover the 80-20 principle that transforms how you lead creative teams and why putting creatives "in a box" actually unleashes their best work. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The 80-20 creative...
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The Beauty of Completing | Ep 120
When you actually finish something—really, truly complete it—your brain rewards you with a hit of dopamine that doesn't just feel good. It literally rewires your brain to want to finish the next thing too. So today we're exploring why completion might be the most undervalued creative superpower...
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Staying Healthy with Morning Pages | Ep 119
Discover the transformative power of Julia Cameron's "morning pages" - a simple 10-minute practice that's revolutionizing how creative professionals start their day and clear mental clutter. Watch the episode with Darren Cooper on Mental Health for business owners here. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The...
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KYSS: Keep Your Systems Simple | EP. 118
The most powerful systems in your creative business aren't the complex ones with 17 steps and five different apps. They're the ones that you can explain in under two minutes and implement tomorrow. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why complex systems fail (hint: it's not because they're wrong) The KYSS...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Host Dustin Pead helps creative businesses know themselves, their process, & their teams more so they can unleash their best work.
HOSTED BY
Dustin Pead
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Chief Creative Podcast have?
Chief Creative Podcast currently has 168 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Chief Creative Podcast about?
Host Dustin Pead helps creative businesses know themselves, their process, & their teams more so they can unleash their best work.
How often does Chief Creative Podcast release new episodes?
Chief Creative Podcast publishes regularly with 168 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Chief Creative Podcast?
You can listen to Chief Creative Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Chief Creative Podcast?
Chief Creative Podcast is created and hosted by Dustin Pead.
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