The Unmistakable Creative Podcast
by Srinivas Rao
Timeless Practical Wisdom For Living a Meaningful Life Inspiring stories and practical advice from creatives, entrepreneurs, change-makers, misfits, and rebels to help you become successful on your own terms Our listeners say, “If TEDTalks met Oprah you’d have the Unmistakable Creative.” Eliminate the feeling of being stuck in your life, blocked in your creativity, and discover higher levels of meaning and purpose in your life and career. Listen to deeply personal, insightful, and thought-provoking stories from the world’s leading thinkers and doers including best-selling authors, artists, peak performance psychologists, happiness researchers, entrepreneurs, startup founders, artists, venture capitalists, and even former bank robbers. Former guests have included Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Justine Musk, Scott Adams, Rob Bell, David Heinemeier Hansson, Elle Luna, Jordan Harbinger Brett Mckay, and Simon Sinek. Join The Unmista
Episodes
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Allison Carmen: Breaking the Addiction to Certainty
Allison Carmen was a lawyer whose anxiety about the unknown future nearly wrecked her health, until a Taoist story about a farmer handed her a single word: maybe. She explains how casting doubt on your own doubt loosens the grip of regret, fear, and the stories we tell about why we are not okay....
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Allie Lefevere: Standing Out Isn't a Matter of Taste, It's Survival
Allie Lefevere co-founded Obedient, a branding agency built on the idea that humor sells better than fear. She walks through the science behind it - fear, grief and laughter all release adrenaline, but only laughter makes people loyal to you instead of to their own pain - and why most brands…
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Allen Brouwer: What It Takes to Stop Drifting Through Your Life
Allen Brouwer co-founded Best Self Co, the company behind the Self Journal, after his mother died at 48 and jolted him out of a directionless early twenties and into four months living in the hills of Peru. He talks about what his father's alcoholism taught him about work ethic by negative…
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Ali Shanti: Why $40 Million Would Never Have Made Her Free
Ali Shanti (formerly Alexis Neely) built two million-dollar businesses, hit the bestseller lists, and decided she would only be free once she had $40 million in the bank. Instead she fired her team, filed bankruptcy, moved to a farm, and deliberately walked into her biggest fear of running out of...
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Alex Johnston: What No One Tells Women About Fertility Until It's Too Late
Alex Johnston spent six years trying to build a family: three and a half years of fertility treatment, two surrogacies, and a daughter who was stillborn, before ending up with three children in fifteen months. She walks through what the process actually involves - the cost, the limits of the...
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Alex Jamieson: What Super Size Me Taught Her About Changing Your Life
Alex Jamieson co-created Super Size Me and healed her own body with food after collapsing at 25. She talks about why diet changes only stick when you change the job and the relationships around them, how the Super Size Me idea came out of ordinary conversations on a couch, and the vicious…
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Alex Jamieson & Bob Gower: The Conversation That Gets You to Hell Yes
Alex Jamieson and Bob Gower walk through the four-part conversation framework they built - intentions, concerns, boundaries, and dreams - and explain how to use it before a vacation, a business project, or a hard talk with a partner. They also cover what they learned about money and uncertainty...
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Alex Fink: Information Is Food for Your Mind and the Diet Is Terrible
Alex Fink grew up in the Soviet Union, where his parents hid in the bathroom to listen to Voice of America at 4am, and now runs Otherweb, an app that filters news quality. He argues the collapse of information quality is not a conspiracy but an incentive problem: almost all content is monetized…
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Alecia Lawyer: Practice to Remove Your Limitations, Not to Get It Right
Alecia Lawyer is an oboist who went from a small East Texas town to Juilliard, hit the wall of an audition circuit where you wait for someone to die to get a job, and then built her own professional ensemble, ROCO, in Houston. She talks about what music education in Texas actually taught her, why...
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Alec Torelli: What Poker Teaches You About Taking Real Risks
Professional poker player Alec Torelli walks through how he thinks about risk: separating life-altering risks from recoverable ones, managing a bankroll so variance cannot wipe you out, and creating distance from his own ego by talking to himself in the third person at the table. He also…
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Alberto Savoia: Build the Right It Before You Build It Right
Alberto Savoia spent a decade at Google and ran two startups - one acquired for $100 million, the other burning through $25 million in Sequoia money before it died. He argues that 80 to 90 percent of product failures come down to building something the market never wanted, not to bad execution or...
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Albert-László Barabási: Your Performance Is About You, Your Success Is About Us
Network scientist Albert-László Barabási explains the five laws behind his book The Formula, a data-driven account of why success is decided by the community rather than by the individual. He walks through what happens when performance can't be measured and networks take over, why the order…
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Albert Flynn DeSilver: The Night a Single Line of Poetry Changed Everything
Poet and memoirist Albert Flynn DeSilver traces the path from a failing photography student to a writer with a multi-decade career, built on one night at a poetry reading that redirected his life. He talks about getting sober at 22, why trauma lives in the body rather than the head, and what...
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Alastair Humphreys: You Do Not Have to Cycle the World to Live Adventurously
Alastair Humphreys spent four years cycling around the world, largely to prove a point to the people he went to high school with. He talks with Srini about what that need to prove yourself actually costs, why he traded big expeditions for micro adventures that fit around a job and a school run…
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Al Pittampalli: Why Being Persuadable Beats Being Persuasive
Al Pittampalli is the author of Read This Before Our Next Meeting and Persuadable. He makes the case that most recurring meetings exist only because they are on the calendar, shows what happens when you cancel them for three weeks, and then argues that the scarce skill is not persuading other...
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Akshay Nanavati: Why You Have to Go Into Hell to Come Out the Other Side
Akshay Nanavati came back from Iraq with survivor's guilt, drinking a bottle of vodka a day, and a plan to return to war to justify being alive. He talks about how he climbed out of that, why he now treats pain and fear as tools rather than enemies, and what losing a fingertip to frostbite in...
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Akshay Nanavati: Why You Have to Go Into Hell to Come Out the Other Side
Akshay Nanavati is a former Marine who served in Iraq, came home with survivor's guilt and a bottle-of-vodka-a-day drinking problem, and now skis across Antarctica and sits in week-long darkness retreats on purpose. He explains why he thinks pain is the most effective driver of change available…
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AJ Jacobs: Treat Your Problems Like Puzzles, Not Battles
AJ Jacobs spent a year inside the world of puzzles - crosswords, corn mazes, the unsolved Kryptos code at CIA headquarters, and the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship, where he competed as Team USA. He makes the case that a puzzle is a better frame than a battle for almost everything hard:...
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AJ Jacobs: What a Musket and a Quill Pen Taught Me About Democracy
AJ Jacobs spent a year living by the original text of the Constitution - carrying an 18th-century musket around the Upper West Side, writing with a quill pen, voting out loud at his polling place, and quartering a soldier in his apartment. He and Srini work through what the founders actually…
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Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic: Why You Can't Separate Your Art From Your Identity
Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic is a multidisciplinary artist whose work has shown at MoMA and who has collaborated with Kenzo, Nike, and Kanye West. He talks about growing up a first-generation immigrant with no financial safety net, the business partnership that collapsed into police reports and threats,...
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Adrienne Dorison: Why You Cant Save Your Way to Wealth
Business operations consultant Adrienne Dorison talks about growing up with an absent mother and a feast-or-famine household, and how that shaped a money story she had to unlearn. She walks through taking on student loan debt she didnt understand, paying it off, and why she started giving money...
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Adii Pienaar: Why Your Business Should Profit Your Whole Life
Adii Pienaar built and sold WooThemes and Conversio, then nearly lost his marriage and his health chasing the next milestone. He talks about life profitability - treating your business as one line item in a wider life portfolio rather than the thing everything else gets sacrificed for - and why…
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Abigail Clarke: The Body Has the Answers Your Mind Is Looking For
Abigail Clarke is a somatic teacher and writer who rebuilt her own body after a spinal injury doctors said would leave her in permanent pain. She explains what embodiment actually means beyond the yoga-industry version of it, why telling a traumatized person to just breathe can make things worse,...
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Greg Hartl: When You Have to Explain Yourself, You are Misbranded
Srini and co-host Greg Hartl walk through why Blogcast fm became The Unmistakable Creative: the show had outgrown the word blog, and the wrong name was costing them listeners, guests, and sponsors. Greg explains branding as the parking space you occupy in someone mind, why knowing your essence...
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Matthew Cook & Laura Foster: 36 Questions and the Mystery of Love
Srini hands the microphone to his roommate Matthew Cook and his girlfriend Laura Foster, who work through Mandy Len Catron's 36 questions that supposedly make two people fall in love. Their answers move from how they were raised and what they would change about it to what they actually admire in...
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Holly Shaw: Discovering Your Creative DNA and the Magic of Performance
Holly Shaw, performer and coach, discusses how she discovered her creative DNA through a lifelong relationship with performance—from childhood dancing at jazz concerts to conquering stage fright with an acting coach. She explores how creatives can uncover their unique wiring, treat intuition as a...
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Bret Lockett: Why Tom Brady Outperforms Athletes With More Natural Talent
Former NFL player Bret Lockett breaks down the mindset gap between athletes who flame out and those who build sustainable careers, using Tom Bradys systematic approach as the benchmark. The conversation covers the financial traps that bankrupt 80% of NFL players, the cognitive vs physical divide…
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Andrew Thorp King: Why Safety Is an Illusion and Failure Is the Point
Andrew Thorp King, author of Failure Rules, shares how losing everything multiple times taught him that safety is an illusion and failure is the true teacher. He discusses the spiritual nature of money, the portfolio pursuits mindset, and why building multiple things creates resilience against…
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Bent Flyvbjerg: Why Big Projects Fail and How to Build Like Pixar
Mega-project expert Bent Flyvbjerg breaks down why 99.5% of large projects fail on time and budget, drawing on 25 years of data. He reveals the planning principles that Frank Gehry and Pixar use to deliver world-class results—think slow, act fast, and iterate relentlessly.
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Alan Stein Jr: What Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant Taught Me About Sustained Performance
Performance coach Alan Stein Jr shares lessons from training NBA legends like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. He discusses the fundamentals that separate elite performers, why he does not let his kids win at games, the danger of measuring success by outcomes vs process, and why the unseen hours of...
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The 3-Minute Rule: How to Pitch Any Idea and Get What You Want
Brant Pinvidic, Hollywood producer and author of The 3 Minute Rule, shares how he accidentally discovered his pitch methodology after being asked to help investment bankers stop putting people to sleep. He breaks down the WHAC method (What is it, How does it work, Are you sure, Can you do it),...
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Annie Murphy Paul: Why Your Best Thinking Happens Outside Your Head
Science journalist Annie Murphy Paul explains her theory of the Extended Mind - how we think better when we use our bodies, environments, and relationships rather than keeping everything in our heads. The conversation covers gesture and memory, why big screens beat laptops for creative work, the...
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Allison Schrager: The Economics of Risk, Uncertainty, and Making Better Decisions
Economist Allison Schrager, author of An Economist Walks into a Brothel, discusses the psychology of risk tolerance through her framework of financial economics. She explores how our high school social choices reveal risk preferences, the difference between calculated risks and reckless ones, and...
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The Science of Deliberate Practice with Anders Ericsson
Anders Ericsson, the pioneering researcher behind deliberate practice, explains the essential components of purposeful learning and skill development. He discusses how teachers help identify performance gaps, why measuring progress against clear benchmarks is crucial, and the difference between...
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Ben Guttmann: Why Simple Messages Win in a Noisy World
Marketing professor and author Ben Guttmann explains why we over-complicate our messaging and how to apply design principles to communicate with clarity. He breaks down the drill-built method for identifying emotional benefits, shares his controversial take on AI as unlimited stupid people, and...
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Bruce Lipton: Reprogramming Your Subconscious Mind and the Biology of Belief
Cell biologist Bruce Lipton explores how subconscious programming shapes our lives, explaining the science behind beliefs and habits. He discusses his research on epigenetics, how environment influences gene expression, and practical methods for reprogramming limiting beliefs installed during...
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Charles Duhigg: The Science of Becoming a Super Communicator
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Charles Duhigg breaks down the science of conversation and connection from his book Super Communicators. He explains why 80% of our conversations naturally align, how to use looping for understanding during conflict, and why super communicators ask 10-20x more...
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Tina Seelig: Why Getting an A Never Taught You to Think
Stanford professor Tina Seelig discusses how traditional education's obsession with grades and roadmaps kills creativity and curiosity. She shares her failure resume exercise, the dangers of pushing yourself past your limits, and how giving students $5 and two hours produced more innovative...
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Chris Guillebeau: Finding What You Were Born to Do
Chris Guillebeau, author of Born For This and creator of World Domination Summit, discusses finding your dream work at the intersection of joy, money, and flow. He shares his journey from juvenile delinquent to visiting every country in the world, the role of believing in your own success, and…
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Brant Menswar: Finding Your Non-Negotiable Values as a Black Sheep
Brant Menswar explains why black sheep—those who feel like outcasts—are actually 100% authentically original. He shares his framework for discovering your five non-negotiable core values, the brutal self-honesty required to find them, and how losing his son to cancer clarified what truly matters.
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Brendan Donohue: Building the NBA 2K League from 72,000 Tryouts to Global Esports
The commissioner of the NBA 2K League shares how professional gaming has evolved from hobby to legitimate career path. Brendan discusses the league draft process, player development strategies, and why esports skills are more than just grinding hours—covering physical fitness, nutrition, and the...
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Brad Montague: The Courage to Create Like a Kid
Brad Montague, creator of Kid President on YouTube, shares how his small-town upbringing and key mentors shaped his creative path. He opens up about working with his brother-in-law Robbie, protecting a child from the pressures of viral fame, and why maintaining childlike wonder is essential for...
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Brad Pederson: How Toys, Failure, and Startup Santa Taught Him to Fail Forward
Toy entrepreneur Brad Pederson shares how building multiple toy companies and going through three bankruptcies taught him that struggles forge character. From launching a styrofoam glider as a kid to getting thrown into special loans by his bank, Brad unpacks why pride comes before the fall, how…
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Brian Portnoy: Why Being Wealthy Is Different from Being Rich
Brian Portnoy, author of The Geometry of Wealth, explains why the pursuit of more keeps us on a hedonic treadmill while true wealth means funded contentment. He breaks down his four Cs framework—connection, control, competence, and context—and shares how his experiences with billionaires and...
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Ayurveda, Daily Rituals, and Breaking Self-Destructive Patterns with Ananta Ripa Ajmera
Ananta Ripa Ajmera, author and Ayurveda expert, shares how ancient Indian wellness practices can help break negative patterns and build sustainable healthy habits. She discusses the importance of morning sun rituals, the three pillars of health (food, sleep, sex), and how small positive choices...
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Redefining Ambition: From Getting Ahead to Coming Alive
Amber Rae shares her mission to redefine ambition—shifting from fear-driven achievement to heart-led self-expression. She discusses her pivotal moment at 22 when she left a conventional tech job during the recession to pursue a more meaningful path, and shares tactics from her work as chief...
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Brad Stulberg: Mastering Change With Rugged Flexibility
Brad Stulberg returns to discuss his book Master of Change and the concept of rugged flexibility—combining stability with adaptability to navigate life's transitions. He shares practical frameworks like the 4Ps for managing daily disruptions and Viktor Frankl's tragic optimism for embracing…
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Shawn Dove: The Midwifery of Leadership and Black Male Achievement
Shawn Dove, founder of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, discusses how transformational leaders need support to birth their greatest work—using the metaphor of a doctor pulling his son from a breech delivery. The conversation explores race, media representation, economic mobility, and why...
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Ananta Ripa Ajmera: How Ayurveda Can Transform Your Daily Habits
Ananta Ripa Ajmera shares how ancient Ayurvedic wisdom can help break self-destructive patterns and build healthier daily habits. The conversation covers the three pillars of health—food, sleep, and sex—and practical morning rituals for connecting with natural rhythms.
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Bob Gower: How to Recognize Toxic Charisma Before It Destroys You
Bob Gower, a former member of the organization One Taste, dissects the mechanics of toxic charisma in personal development. He explains how cult-like leaders exploit emotional immaturity and our desire to be fixed, and shares practical ways to recognize manipulation before it leads to heartbreak...
About this show
Timeless Practical Wisdom For Living a Meaningful Life
Inspiring stories and practical advice from creatives, entrepreneurs, change-makers, misfits, and rebels to help you become successful on your own terms
Our listeners say, “If TEDTalks met Oprah you’d have the Unmistakable Creative.” Eliminate the feeling of being stuck in your life, blocked in your creativity, and discover higher levels of meaning and purpose in your life and career. Listen to deeply personal, insightful, and thought-provoking stories from the world’s leading thinkers and doers including best-selling authors, artists, peak performance psychologists, happiness researchers, entrepreneurs, startup founders, artists, venture capitalists, and even former bank robbers. Former guests have included Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Justine Musk, Scott Adams, Rob Bell, David Heinemeier Hansson, Elle Luna, Jordan Harbinger Brett Mckay, and Simon Sinek.
Join The Unmista
Hosted by
Srinivas Rao