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What does it mean when a book that is not self-help actually helps more than most books in the category? No shade to those authors, I’m sure their books are helping people, but they probably didn’t embark on a 10-year research project in search of the answer to the question, “What to make of a life?” When I picked up What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire and the Self-Knowledge Imperative by Jim Collins at my local library, I saw the title in capital letters, flipped through the pages, and thought I’d give it a shot. What surprised me the most was that I couldn’t put it down. It not only helped me to make sense of where I’m at in my life, but it also gave me tools to think about the future. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I’m going to dive into the seven most impactful quotes from Collins’s book, share a few stories from my life, and encourage you to search for your own answer to the question, “What to make of a life?” The seven most impactful quotes from What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire and the Self-Knowledge Imperative by Jim Collins: Quote 1: “The sign of good research is that you end up in places you never expected. If after years of research all you do is reconfirm your own preconceptions, then what is the point of doing research? The whole point is to discover, to be surprised, to come to see the world and how it works differently than you did before” (p. 11). Quote 2: “It’s not about finding what you can do better than others, but about finding what you can do exceptionally well relative to other ways you could expend yourself” (p. 59). Quote 3: “…one of the conclusions of this entire effort is that no one can tell you what to do with your life or how specifically to lead your life. And if they do, they’re almost certainly wrong” (p. 23). Quote 4: “If your life is knocked sideways or torn asunder by a cliff, and especially if that cliff comes with mourning a loss and/or feeling the deep pain of grief, you can find yourself lost in thick, murky fog for a very long time” (p. 152). Quote 5: “Fog is when you go through a phase of immense uncertainty and lack of clarity about the best path forward, perhaps even having no clear idea where you want to go…. In the thickest fog, you can feel truly lost” (p. 157). Quote 6: “Fog is normal, natural, common, and highly prevalent…. Even the most successful, capable, energetic, ambitious, and otherwise clearheaded and self-directed people can find themselves in a major fog funk” (p. 168). Quote 7: “Extend Out/Circle Back: This is a continuous dynamic process of extending yourself—growing, learning, experimenting, expanding capabilities, discovering new encodings—while simultaneously drawing upon encodings discovered and capabilities developed earlier in life” (pp. 118-119). Show Links What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire and the Self-Knowledge Imperative by Jim Collins Google AI Professional Certificate Arduino 101- Crash Course w/ Mark Rober Arduino Shapr3D Bambu Lab Episode photo from Envato Elements: Abstract Orange Smoke Plumes on Dark Background

How do you grapple with resistance when writing about personal stories from your past? As today’s guest learned, “When you get to the pain, slow down.” Darls Centola is a psychotherapist, educator, and author of Finding Truth with Michael: A Memoir of Friendship, Faith, and First Love.” In our conversation, Darls shares stories from her book including what it was like growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness in 1970s Los Angeles, being friends with Michael Jackson, and how her sister got them enrolled in a prestigious private school where they met the Jacksons. She also talks about her curiosity with neurobiology, the many paths she took to discover her calling, seeing people as they are, how doubt was the beginning of how to think, learning to listen to herself, and healing her relationship with her mother. Darls also provides practical advice on writing, discovering her adult voice, and how she worked on her craft in workshops and with coaches. Show Links Darls Centola, LCSW Finding Truth with Michael: A Memoir of Friendship, Faith, and First Love by Darls Centola The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. Somatic Experiencing Internal Family Systems The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy of Personal Transformation by Dennis William Hauck The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield Episode photo from Envato Elements: Fresh Lemons Pattern Background. Copy space. Top view.

Have you ever wondered what a crime novelist can teach you about your own creativity? It turns out, a lot—and not just about weird crimes and sketchy people. Today’s guest is Tod Goldberg, the bestselling author of sixteen books, including the Gangsterland quartet and his latest, Only Way Out. Tod is also a professor of creative writing and the founder and director of the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Riverside. We start our conversation with Tod stating why intellectual curiosity is essential for writers to connect with people. We then talk about what it was like to grow up in a family of writers, the movies we watched as kids that we probably shouldn’t have seen, a snapshot into his writing and professional life, the importance of doing your job and letting your brain breathe, why true crime is popular in chaotic times, why he created a writing graduate program and how it’s different than other MFAs, and his love for the democratization of art. Show Links Tod Goldberg The Story Behind The Stories – Tod Goldberg The Gangsterland Series by Tod Goldberg Only Way Out by Tod Goldberg Dune by Frank Herbert Lee Goldberg The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams The Godfather (1972) Red Dawn (1984) The Outsiders (1983) C. Thomas Howell Big Trouble in Little China (1986) The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) Escape from New York (1981) Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Todd Marinovich Linda Woods Artworks Visual Chronicles: The No-Fear Guide to Creating Art Journals, Creative Manifestos and Altered Books by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino The Jesus and Mary Chain Tod Goldberg, author of ONLY WAY OUT Marty Supreme (2025) Home – Harris Ranch Beef Company Ben Folds Five – Brick – YouTube Joe Loya Dead Man Walking (1995) Premier Low-Residency MFA | UC Riverside Palm Desert Creative Writing | Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA John Cheever John Updike Martin Scorsese Jane Campion Taxi Driver (1976) Lee Strasberg Office Chairs | La-Z-Boy Alta Journal: Stories of California and the West At the Knee by Tod Goldberg Sacrament by Susan Straight Jason Isbell – Official Website Episode photo from Envato Elements: The sun sets on the horizon as cattle graze in the field

Be honest: How bored are you right now? In all this push to get seen, to be consistent and on-brand, you’ve managed to become more machine than human. Your processes all have systems that talk to each other, dashboards measure what matters instantaneously letting you know whether you’re succeeding or failing, and social media keeps you jacked in and distracted to what’s really going on within you. Boredom is often portrayed as something to be avoided, but what if it’s actually what you need? What if instead of clicking, swiping, scrolling, and tapping, you did absolutely nothing? What could you learn from a period of disconnection and introspection? The answers to these questions are anything but simple, but they are instructive and personal, specific to your circumstances and dreams. And perhaps, just the very thing to guide you into a more favorable future. Show Links Episode photo from Envato Elements: Teenagers Holding Decorative Colorful Masks on a Sofa edX: CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python Coursera: Figma UI/UX Design Essentials Coursera: Google AI Professional Certificate

I believe art finds us when we need it most. When I picked up the first issue of Art Bar Magazine and read the welcome letter from the editor, I felt like they were speaking directly to me and welcoming me home. I sent an email inviting the founders of the magazine, Sawa & Ira Ingram to the show, and they graciously accepted. In our conversation, we talk about how their roots in filmmaking, photography, and skateboarding, led them to create a magazine that celebrates new artists, successful creators, and an inclusive art world where everyone belongs. We also discuss Sawa’s documentary, Passing Through, Ira’s work in skateboarding and the Professional Skateboarding League, building trust and relationships, mortality and the importance of living life, what creativity looks like as a couple, the differences between analog and digital, and the symbiotic relationship of art and skateboarding. If you have an idea to create something, then this episode is the permission slip you need to go and make it. Show Links Art Bar Magazine Sarah Remetch Ingram Passing Through (2024) Professional Skateboarding League Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Kurt Vonnegut Valen Lambert Jason Kulp Spike Jonze: The Photos That Started It All | Epicly Later’d – YouTube Jason Lee – Stereo Skateboards Mark Gonzales – Skateboarding Hall of Fame and Museum Ed Templeton Jacob Rosenberg Ty Evans Atiba Jefferson Bryce Kanights Tobin Yelland Amie Mcnee Tommy Mitchell Thrasher Magazine – RIP IN PEACE: Zane Timpson Philip Glass – YouTube Nils Frahm – YouTube Cormac McCarthy Soc. Heroin Skateboards Big Special Episode photo from Envato Elements: Artist painting on canvas

When was the last time you listened to your inner broadcast? You know the one. It’s your unique internal monologue full of beauty, curiosity, hope, imagination, wonder, and intrigue. It’s always broadcasting and we have the opportunity to tune in or drown it out with the noise of the world. I’ll be honest, it’s been hard to hear my inner broadcast lately. Focus is reserved for a handful of daily scattered moments of productivity. But the rest of the time? My mind wanders in the desert of this season of life. As I’ve talked about before, there are a lot of changes right now, but what I’m realizing is that no matter what happens, I need to listen to what’s going on within. If I don’t, I’m going to get steamrolled by the discordant soundtrack of the world, which just gets louder by the hour. Five ways to tune in and learn from your inner broadcasts: Create intentional moments of silence and solitude where you can tune in to your inner broadcast. Pay attention to what’s being broadcast and write down what you hear. Spend 15 minutes in active curiosity mode with something that comes up. Spend 15 minutes in active creation mode with what you learn. Reflection allows you to gauge the quality level of your inner broadcast. It is through reflection where you see what needs to be strengthened, added, changed, or removed. Show Links “Input, More Input!” Johnny 5 Goes Crazy | Short Circuit (1986) Episode photo from Envato Elements: Aerial view of highway junctions. Bridge roads shape in structure. Top view. Urban city

For almost 50 years, today’s guest didn’t talk about what happened to her on September 6, 1970 when the plane she was on was hijacked. But in her new book, Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience, Mimi Nichter recounts her story of what happened before, during, and after her hostage experience. In our conversation, we talk about her work as a cultural anthropologist and the ways observation and listening inform our ability to understand others. She also touches on how she found her voice in the writing process, choosing to write from memory instead of interviewing others, how images and stories helped memories to emerge, reconciling our past and present selves, the value of compassion, and why we need to talk about what happens to us. When we share our stories with one another, either in memoir or conversation, we connect not only to moments in time, but bear witness to the experiences that shape history itself. Show Links Mimi Nichter Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience by Mimi Nichter Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad Episode photo from Envato Elements: Aerial Drone, Where Desert Meets the Ocean, Sandwich Harbour, Namibia, Africa

What do you do when you get stuck? Maybe you’re like me and you let doubt and despair slow you down or even stop you. Today’s guest has a different answer: keep it moving. Bishop Kevin Foreman, “The People’s Bishop,” is a man of many pursuits—pastor, church planter, bishop, success coach, speaker, author, philanthropist, and entrepreneur—and in this conversation he shares how curiosity, faith, and divine conviction help him to keep his life and work moving. We talk about his insatiable thirst for knowledge, the art of letting go, building the essential skill of reframing, liberating versus limiting beliefs, how faith and data work together when making decisions, why prioritization matters more than balance, and his constant drive to bring the best out of people. Show Links Bishop Kevin Foreman History Makers by Bishop Kevin Foreman Sins of the Fathers: Breaking Generational Curses by Bishop Kevin Foreman Evolutionaries: Unlocking the New You by Bishop Kevin Foreman Groundhog Day (1993) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Episode photo from Envato Elements: Texture of layers in orange and gray colors

Do you ever feel like you’re making the same mistakes over and over again? Yeah, me too. There are some parts of my life and work where curiosity and experimentation are endless, but when it comes to money, I’m stuck on a treadmill of feast and famine. I know enough of the lingo to talk a good game, but really, I’m still doing business like I did when I started 20 years ago. Underneath it all, I’m stuck in a shame spiral wondering if it will ever change. The truth is that something broke a long time ago and instead of fixing it, I kept repeating my mistakes making the break worse and worse. But as I watch my wife heal from a broken leg, it’s time for me to heal my own brokenness. Show Links Wisdom Takes Work: Learn. Apply. Repeat. by Ryan Holiday Shrinking (TV Series 2023–) Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato The Daring Creatives Episode photo from Envato Elements: broken glass, impact, overlay, realistic

There’s a lot that holds us back as creative individuals, but today’s guest thinks one question is the death of our creativity: who cares? The work begins when you shift from asking the question to stating, “I care.” As a literary publicist, Kim Dower—also known as Kim-from-L.A.—is celebrating 40 years of putting authors on the map, booking them on shows, and getting their books in the hands of people like myself. But Kim is also a poet, “ordained” and “blessed with the gift,” as she shares in our conversation. Her latest book of poems is titled What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria. Our conversation weaves between the worlds of art and entrepreneurship, starting with the clouds and the sky, reflecting on the magnificent sounds of nature, exploring Kim’s evolving relationship with persistence, lamenting the loss of nostalgia, and documenting our obsessions throughout our lives. Not to mention, a love for words, both written and spoken, conversationally between two people on Zoom. Show Links Kim Dower What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria by Kim Dower Kim-from-L.A. Charles Baudelaire The Stranger by Charles Baudelaire Thomas Lux Wallace Stevens Lunch Poems by Frank O’Hara Dorothy Parker Bill Knott Limerence Parasocial Relationships: The Nature of Celebrity Fascinations Friends (TV Series 1994-2004) The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield Why Write Love Poetry in a Burning World by Katie Farris A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker: 1925-2025 Photo by Chris J. Davis on Unsplash

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about publicity? After I think about celebrities, perfume ads, TMZ, and shameless attention-seekers, I say, “I guess it’s not for me.” Thankfully, today’s guest is on the show to make me laugh and correct my thinking because PR is for everyone. KJ Blattenbauer is a publicist, author, and speaker who helps founders and experts move from overlooked to in-demand through credibility-driven visibility. In our conversation, she gives actionable steps on making sure your visibility is connected to your goals and your audience; it’s about service and storytelling. She also shares the importance of not giving up when someone says no, that all you need is a sprinkling of audacity to make a difference, why it doesn’t hurt to try something a million times, and why you can never have too much passion. Show Links Hearsay PR Pitchworthy: The No-Fluff Playbook to Publicity That Pays Off by KJ Blattenbauer Aaron Rodgers: Enigma (TV Series 2024) “Untold” – The Fall of Favre (TV Series 2025) I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not (2025) Three Amigos! (1986) Tree Paine – Taylor Swift’s Publicist P.T. Barnum We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Making Something by Amie McNee Threads

Rejection is on my mind today. Yes, it’s because I got rejected for something I actually wanted. But there’s also a deeper reason: Somewhere along my creative journey, I learned to minimize rejection by playing-it-safe, making my dreams small, and maximizing my chameleon tendencies. Recently, Shae Omonijo shared a short video on Substack about her plan for 2026: “Collect 1K rejections.” A lot ran through my mind after seeing the video, “1,000 rejections? One hurt enough! Are you a glutton for punishment?” I think my brain short-circuited when I watched it, but it didn’t take long for the truth to be revealed: I’m a chicken and I’m tired of being scared. If you are someone who has big dreams, but shove them aside because you have an unhealthy relationship with rejection, then this episode’s for you. Oh, and don’t worry, I’m preaching to the choir here because this is the work I need to do for myself as well. Seven ways to go from avoiding rejection to chasing 1,000 rejections? Know what you actually want. Adopt a rejection mindset. Stop waiting and start moving. Dream bigger and share often. Allow yourself to change. Learn to separate rejection from failure. Become an advocate for yourself, your wants, and needs. Show Links Shae O. – “Collect 1K Rejections” video Finding Mastery Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. Episode photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash

How do you respond when moments of disruption happen in your life? Do you shake your fist at the sky, bemoaning, “Why me?” Or do you get curious and ask, “What’s around the next corner?” During every pivotal moment in the life of today’s guest, he learned what it would take to not only escape the assembly line, but to build a life worth living. auGi Garred is a storyteller, former comedian, multi-instrumentalist, beacon of fun on the horizon, and founder of Molting Men, a place for Gen-X creatives to reimagine their futures. In this conversation, auGi tells powerful stories centered around three key areas: Rush, the power of humor, and staying open to what is around the next corner. He talks about why you should always choose best friends over young love, the challenges of collaborating with a college grad who thought he was the next Ira Gershwin, how he earned the equivalent of a business school education by speaking with over 70,000 people at the world’s largest telecom company, and the power of excavating your origin story to shape your future. Most importantly, he shares how what he calls “luvity,” the fusion of love and levity, can make the lives of those around you better. Show Links auGi Garred on LinkedIn Molting Men (Running Naked) OGGOMATiC on YouTube Rush Caress of Steel by Rush Signals by Rush Permanent Waves by Rush Moving Pictures by Rush Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage Star Wars Trash Compactor Scene (A New Hope) Binary sunset… from A New Hope, Star Wars: The Digital Movie Collection Welcome to Ingham County The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Wikipedia History of Oldsmobile – Oldsmobile Club of America Goodyear Tires Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru’s Death Scene – Star Wars: A New Hope [4k UltraHD] Goblin Claudio Simonetti REO Speedwagon 3209 W Barnes Rd, Mason, MI 48854 UFO (band) Le Studio Whitesnake Foreigner – Hot Blooded (Official Live Video) Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue – Full Album Tears For Fears – Sowing The Seeds Of Love Guns N’ Roses – Welcome To The Jungle van-halen.com – The Official Van Halen Web Site ABBA -– Dancing Queen (Official Music Video) Nazareth – Hair of the Dog (Official Audio) Foo Fighters – Breakout (Official HD Video) Michelangelo’s Non-finito Sculptures Beyond the Notes Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson Episode photo by Noah Klimpel on Unsplash

When you cross paths with someone whose mission is incredibly clear, it’s hard not to want that clarity for yourself. Scott Proposki is a photographer, entrepreneur, and author; his mission is to help photographers all around the world to build a business to last a lifetime. In our conversation, Scott shares stories from his journey living the photography dream—National Geographic, events at the White House, corporate client shoots, millions in sales—then losing it all in 2020, and rebuilding from nothing. We talk about the role of listening in storytelling, the importance of self-awareness, crafting a 25-year plan, doing one thing instead of 20, why photographers aren’t screwed, and why photography is more relevant than ever before. Show Links Scott Proposki Camera Focus: What Photography Teaches About Business, Life, and Success by Scott Proposki We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Making Something by Amie McNee New England Patriots Bill Belichick on Instagram Watch Mr. Polaroid on PBS Wall Street Journal Podcasts Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries Episode photo from Envato Elements: Snow covered mountain peaks, Monte Rosa Piedmont, Italy

2026 is upon us and it’s not just a new year thrusting us toward change, it’s everything: society, culture, technology, relationships, work, life—it’s all dynamic, frenetic. Some of us start the year clutching our resolutions tightly, convinced that this is the year we actually live up to them. Others rely on the thesaurus to shift the psychological burden from resolution to something else, anything else, in order to trick our brains into actually accomplishing the things that matter most: “I don’t have resolutions, I have goals.” But it’s going to take more than hacks and tricks to comprehend the amount of change we need in our daily lives. It’s about introducing system-wide curiosity that shifts change from being the end result of an enormous task with a binary value—yes or no—to a daily process that gives us time to explore and open our minds to new realities. Show Links Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard W. Hamming Pearl Jam – Do the Evolution (Single Video Theory) Photo by Nikoline Arns on Unsplash