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Some of the most interesting and inspiring stories I’ve heard are about people’s creative journeys and what they’ve learned along the way. The world needs to hear more of those stories, and now you can hear them on the Follow Your Curiosity podcast. Twice a month, you’ll hear a new interview where we delve into one person’s creative journey. Some of these folks will be better known than others, but they’ll all hold up a mirror to the importance of creative endeavor in every life. In the alternating weeks, you’ll hear short Creative Pep Talk episodes where I feature a creativity tool or tip to help you keep your creative energy flowing. You’ll find something you can use in every episode of Follow Your Curiosity!
Episodes
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
Jocelyn Hastie spent 30 years as an accountant before the combination of a stage 4 cancer diagnosis and a sudden job loss forced a radical turn, leading her to work full-time with horses as a way to foster leadership skills and personal growth. She joins me to talk about why it’s not fair to judge accountancy as boring, how bad management and leadership happens (including her own realization that she was a bad manager), what we lose when we forget the lessons of the natural world and our roots in it, what we can learn from the animals around us—including horses—and more.
Read about a lesson I learned from Jocelyn here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:25 Family influence suppressed creativity; art rediscovered after cancer diagnosis.
08:32 Jocelyn reflects on common misconceptions about accounting creativity.
12:39 Accountants add value, not just boring number crunchers.
16:32 Jocelyn’s career choice influenced by her father and education.
20:06 Radical life change after cancer and job loss in 2016.
24:35 Horses revealed Jocelyn's management flaws; learned new leadership styles.
28:09 Importance of authenticity and boundaries, not pleasing everyone.
32:25 Animals and nature as teachers for leadership and mindfulness.
36:05 Jocelyn describes her non-riding retreats and somatic awareness.
40:34 Emphasizes intentional learning versus just-in-case learning.
44:05 Life shifts can come from crisis or noticing “little knocks.”
48:54 Childhood expectations shaped independence; cancer forced acceptance of help.
52:23 Lessons from herd dynamics and horses’ instinct to regain calm.
56:07 Gestalt coaching emphasizes honoring emotions and shaking off fear.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Wednesday May 14, 2025
Wednesday May 14, 2025
It's counterintuitive, but sometimes limitations are your best friend, especially when you're doing something creative. I explain why in this super-short episode.
Listen to my conversation with Nick Morrison here.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Wednesday May 07, 2025
Wednesday May 07, 2025
My guest today is Josh Mendoza, an award-winning filmmaker known for his post-apocalyptic feature film, What Still Remains. His debut novel, Shadow of the Eternal Watcher, which combines sci-if and film noir, was released in January. Josh joins me to talk about his start in creative writing and his move into film, the similarities and differences in writing fiction and film, the necessity of learning through failure, the democratization of creative pursuits like filmmaking, and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:42 Family support fuels persistence in creative pursuits.
08:51 Emphasizing positivity over negativity in sharing creative feedback.
13:40 Unexpected audience reactions highlight creators' limited control.
16:25 Importance of not focusing on negative reviews or criticism.
20:14 Film structure rules help shape and tighten storytelling in novels.
24:05 Editing and trimming elevate both novels and screenplays significantly.
28:14 Books become lasting physical achievements compared to shelved scripts.
32:07 Movie-making demands flexibility and compromise with real-world constraints.
36:02 Intellectual property’s role in getting projects greenlighted discussed.
39:56 Technology enables democratization, but creates challenges in standing out.
44:02 Bad creative work is necessary learning for improved future art.
48:13 Letting characters shape the story often leads to authenticity.
52:10 Duster Raines, Josh's protagonist, is both flawed and compelling.
55:38 Genre mashups and series building.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
Building on my conversation with Amber Petty last week: I look at how and why you should celebrate your accomplishments in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Wednesday Apr 23, 2025
Wednesday Apr 23, 2025
Amber Petty helps creatives get bylines and build audiences. She's written for the New York Times, Parade, Bustle, and others, and her clients have been published in outlets like the New Yorker, Washington Post, New York Times and many more. Amber talks with me about how she moved from teaching singing to teaching freelancing, how easy it is to downplay our accomplishments when we really should give ourselves credit for them, how to take feedback, and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction.
01:56 Losing job led to full-time freelancing and shift in focus.
03:45 Pandemic inspired helping performers explore alternative side gigs.
05:06 Initial workshop success revealed a real demand for guidance.
06:42 Freelance writing felt more natural and sustainable than voice lessons.
08:32 Previous failures provided valuable lessons for current business success.
11:03 Business doesn’t have to feel hard to be worthwhile.
12:43 Take the easy path—hard enough already for perfectionists.
14:18 Writing doesn’t always need to be grueling or tortured.
15:58 Feedback is easier when you’re getting paid as a freelancer.
18:26 Editors focus on fitting articles, not judging your talent.
22:33 Read editorial feedback in a friendly, not critical, voice.
24:09 Creatives often undervalue or dismiss their legitimate achievements.
28:39 Small victories matter—acknowledge courage to pitch and publish.
33:48 Freelancing provided more satisfaction and momentum than acting.
36:57 Diverse backgrounds enrich your approach to writing and teaching.
40:33 Theater and improv help with webinars, workshops, and engagement.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Wednesday Apr 16, 2025
Wednesday Apr 16, 2025
This might be the most functionally important pep talk ever—and you may even know it already! It bears repeating, though, and I tell you why in this super-short episode.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Wednesday Apr 09, 2025
Wednesday Apr 09, 2025
Andrew Darlow is a New Jersey-based photographer, inventor, author, and digital workflow coach. For over 25 years he has helped people preserve, protect and back up their irreplaceable photos, videos and other digital files. His photography, tips and reviews have appeared in many publications and media outlets, including: People magazine, Animal Planet, Reader’s Digest and Professional Photographer Magazine. He is the author of four award-winning books, including his newest book: Focus and Filter.
Andrew talks with me about what drew him to photography, what we lost and gained in the shift to digital photography, the improvements in phone cameras in recent years, how best to preserve your photos—and weed out the junk—and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:22 Creativity explored in childhood, grandparents encouraged art.
03:57 Transition from drawing on walls to discovering photography.
05:30 Fascination with darkroom photography and its magic.
07:00 Different methods in darkroom, use of contact printing.
10:00 Engagement with photography, schools in Washington D.C.
11:27 Shift from film to digital, instant access vs. patience.
14:41 Improvement in phone cameras, use for scanning documents.
15:59 Loss of thoughtful consideration with digital photography.
19:16 Exploration of aperture and shutter priority.
21:39 Impact of phone cameras on traditional photography.
23:44 Usefulness of phone photography courses.
24:25 Concept of the best camera being the one with you.
26:11 Ethical considerations in photography, respecting subjects.
28:06 Dangers of distractions, selfies, and phone use.
30:01 Tips for safely backing up digital images.
34:06 Managing and organizing digital photo collections.
38:12 Strategies for dealing with physical photo preservation.
40:27 Importance of online backup services like Backblaze.
43:39 Overview of local and cloud backup solutions.
47:31 Andrew's upcoming projects, including course platform.
51:19 Insight into unique, personalized photography prints.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Wednesday Apr 02, 2025
Wednesday Apr 02, 2025
What's your truth? Do you know? You might not—we're often not taught how to tell what's true for us, and instead, we're told what should be true for us. So why should we care, and how do we find out? I'll give you some suggestions in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
Amy L. Bernstein is a multi-genre novelist, award-winning journalist, speechwriter,
playwright, poet, and nonfiction book coach. Her new book is Wrangling the Doubt
Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration. Amy teaches a variety of writing workshops and is a frequent guest on podcasts to discuss writing, publishing, and creativity. Amy joins me to talk about the difference between writing for hire and writing for yourself, the pros and cons of MFA programs, how deadlines can work for or against us, the universality of self-doubt and how it keeps us stuck, and a lot more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:14 Creative childhood and family influence.
02:14 Societal expectations and practicality pressures.
06:13 Navigating challenging career paths and personal fulfillment.
09:44 Shift from writing for others to personal projects.
14:25 Distinction between work and personal writing.
18:29 Importance of passion and creative drive.
21:37 Challenges of balancing work and creative pursuits.
25:43 Creativity hindered by productivity culture.
26:58 Thinking as part of the creative process.
31:09 Using local settings in novels and plays.
33:03 Introduction to Wrangling the Doubt Monster.
36:17 Universal nature of self-doubt in creativity.
44:06 Utilizing deadlines in different contexts.
48:39 Self-criticism and perfectionism in creativity.
50:55 The impact of upbringing on creative work.
54:35 Amy’s current projects and book coaching.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
Sometimes we don't act on ideas because we're convinced we can't sustain them long-term. Here's why you should take a chance—and how taking the leap on creative pep talks worked out for me. 🎉 Spoiler: This is pep talk ONE HUNDRED!!! 🎉
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!