The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
Melinda Rothouse, PhD
Welcome to Syncreate, where we explore the intersections between creativity, psychology, and spirituality. Our goal is to demystify the creative process and expand the boundaries of what it means to be creative.
Creativity. It’s a word we throw around all the time, but what does it really mean? On the Syncreate Podcast, we share stories of the creative journey. We talk to changemakers, visionaries and everyday creatives working in a wide array of fields and disciplines. Our goal is to explore creativity in all its facets, and to gain a better understanding of the creative process – from imagination to innovation and everything in between.
The Syncreate Podcast is hosted by Melinda Rothouse, PhD. She helps individuals and organizations bring their creative dreams and visions to life through coaching, consulting, workshops, retreats, and now, this podcast. She's written two books on creativity, including Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities (winner of a Silver Nautilus Award for Creativity and Innovation), with Charlotte Gullick. She's also a musician (singer-songwriter and bass player) and photographer based in Austin, Texas.
1 Listener
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Episode 28: From Healing to Wholeness with Eben Britton
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
03/14/24 • 46 min
How do we move from healing to wholeness in body, mind, and spirit? How can we communicate and create from a place of deep integrity? We explore these questions with podcaster, workshop facilitator & former NFL player Eben Britton. After 7 years in the NFL, Eben has embarked on a journey of healing and wellness, which he shares via his podcast, workshops, and retreats. His work includes restorative practices such as yoga, meditation, and breath work, as well as practices to enhance communication, relationships, and authenticity. We discuss Eben’s journey from healing to wholeness, as well as the psychology of wellness, intuition, and individuation.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to take some time for retreat, whatever that means for you, in order to rest and rejuvenate. That could mean signing up for a formal retreat, or simply taking some time off the busyness of life to rest and refocus on what’s really important.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 2: Embodiment and Creativity with Thais Bicalho Silva, Episode 4: Stewarding Change with Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer Reem Khashou & Episode 15: Leadership, Burnout & Personal Sustainability with Dr. Katherine Semler.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in April. You can find more information on our website, syncreate.org, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Eben’s Website
Eben’s Instagram
Heal & Flow Event March 23-24 in Wimberley, TX
Book: The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida
Book: Wild at Heart by John & Stasi Eldridge
Book: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
1 Listener
Episode 84: From Surviving to Thriving with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
04/10/25 • 11 min
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we reflect on how embracing creativity, community, and a bit of levity can help us move from surviving to thriving, especially in difficult times. Sometimes we think of creativity as a luxury, but what if it’s actually a necessity for getting through life and keeping our spirits up? Maybe it’s as simple as a quick reframe. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we ask you to reflect on whether you’ve made yourself a little smaller lately, and if so, what’s one thing you can do to reclaim your joy? It could be singing in the car, or dancing in the shower, or wearing a colorful scarf, or underwear, or some crazy socks. Sometimes the little things, the silly things, can make a big difference.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 49: Creativity in Challenging Times, Episode 67: Moving Through the World with a Creative Eye, and Episode 82: Healing the Creative Wound.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at [email protected].
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Episode 62: The Neuroscience of Creativity with Dr. Indre Viskontas
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
11/07/24 • 43 min
Dr. Indre Viskontas is a woman of many talents: an opera singer and director, a neuroscientist, a professor, host of the Inquiring Minds podcast (and several others), and the current president of the Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity. She bridges the worlds of music, performance, neuroscience, and education, sharing her academic insights with the wider world through public speaking, including a TED Talk, her book, titled How Music Can Make You Better, and her podcasts. Our conversation explores Indre’s current research, as well as her own creative process, how she’s teaching her own kids about creativity, and more.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, if you’re feeling stuck, whether it’s a creative project or business presentation, try introducing a plot twist. This is a narrative and storytelling device where instead of telling a story chronologically, you introduce a “but” or “therefore” to create interest or suspense, thus keeping your audience more engaged.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 9: Music and Psychology: "The Pocket" Experience with Dr. Jeff Mims, Episode 25: Creativity, Neuroscience, and Psychedelics with Bradley Cooke, PhD, and Episode 48: Can You Learn Creativity? with Creative Director Chris McKenna
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at [email protected].
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity
YouTube Video Clip: “But” & “Therefore” with Matt Stone & Trey Parker
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Episode 57: Creative Spark Series - Accountability Partnerships with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
10/03/24 • 12 min
In this installment of our Creative Spark mini-episodes, we share our insights and best practices on accountability partnerships for our creative work. Accountability partners help us move more quickly and effectively toward our goals. We can form accountability partnerships with creative collaborators, peers, co-workers, coaches, family, friends, and so on. These are people with whom we can share our goals and milestones, and check in with on a regular basis about our progress. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, includes insights and prompts from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to find an accountability partner if you don’t already have one. And if you do, reach out to that person to check in, refresh the relationship, and evaluate whether it needs any adjustments.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 24: Creative Planning, Episode 29: Iteration, and Episode 39: Sharing Work in Progress.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate, and we’re now on Patreon as well. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Episode 64: Synesthesia, Consciousness & Creativity with Zoe Martell and Archie Frink
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
11/21/24 • 48 min
Synesthesia is defined as a blending or mixing of the senses. It can take many forms, such as tasting colors, seeing visuals when hearing music, and s on. It’s said to be experienced by only about 3% of people, but it is highly correlated with creativity.
Zoe Martell and Archie Frink are both psychology Ph.D. students at Saybrook University, where Melinda teaches, as well as talented artists. They both also experience synesthesia. Zoe is a painter and budding musician. She holds master's degrees in an clinical psychology and the history and theory of art, as well as an MFA in painting. She has taught psychology at the college level for many years.
Archie holds an MBA, and he's an author, a consciousness researcher, a clinically trained practitioner of integrative health, and a photographer focusing on extreme environments. Our conversation focuses on the experience of synesthesia, and how it relates to consciousness and creativity.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to pay close attention to your sensory experience and how you experience the world, either through observing your moment-to-moment sensory experience, or through meditation, and see how it informs your creative practice.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 3: Creative Polymathy with Musician, Photographer, and Podcaster Michael Walker, Episode 52: Texas Poet Laureate Amanda Johnston, and Episode 54: Creativity as a Spiritual Endeavor with Musician and Author Peter Himmelman.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Psychology Today Article on Synesthesia
YouTube Video: What Is It Like To Have Synesthesia?
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Episode 50: Life Review: The Hospice Musical with Benjamin Kintisch
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
08/15/24 • 44 min
Benjamin Kintisch is a cantor, chaplain, and music teacher. He created a musical based on his experiences as a chaplain working with patients and families involved in hospice care, called Life Review: The Hospice Musical. We discuss his inspiration for the musical, his songwriting collaborations, and his pandemic pivots, as well as his involvement with songwriting retreats and teaching music to children. The conversation includes many gems of insight into the creative process.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we suggest playing with a different medium, specifically a visual art or non-verbal medium, as a warm-up to a session of writing or songwriting. More broadly, whatever your primary medium, try beginning your work sessions with a few minutes of low-pressure play in a different medium to get your creative juices flowing in a low-stakes setting, and see how this informs your project.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 9: Music and Psychology: "The Pocket" Experience with Dr. Jeff Mims, Episode 14: Anatomy of a Song with Singer/Songwriter George McCormack, and Episode 27: The Spirit of Collaboration with Attorney and Musician Randy Langford.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching to help you bring your work to the world. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Benjamin Kintisch / Life Review Musical on Instagram
Life Review: The Hospice Musical
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Dame Cicely Saunders, Founder of the Modern Hospice Movement
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Episode 33: Creative Spark Series - Incubation & Time Away with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
04/18/24 • 8 min
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda and Charlotte emphasize the importance of creative incubation, and of stepping away from our work at key moments in order to gain the perspective to move forward in a productive way. This is not the same as procrastination or avoidance; it is a strategic move in the creative process that allows us to return to the work with fresh eyes. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, includes insights and prompts from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to consider how you might meaningfully embrace creative incubation, or step away from a work in progress, whether for a day, a week, or more, in order for to gain the perspective or insight needed to return to it with a sense of freshness and renewed purpose.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 20: The Syncreate Model of Play, Plan & Produce, Episode 29: Iteration, and Episode 31: The Power of Collaboration.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors, so if you have an idea for a project or a new venture, please reach out to us for 1x1 coaching or join our Syncreate 2024 Coaching Group, starting in July. You can find more information on our website, syncreate.org, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate, and we’re now on Patreon as well. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Episode 17: Creative Collaboration - The Joy and The Pain with Syncreate Podcast Producer Mike Osborne
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
12/28/23 • 34 min
In our final episode of 2023, Melinda and Mike reflect on our collaboration in developing and producing The Syncreate Podcast over the last year, from its ideation phase to the present. We talk about Melinda’s inspiration for the show, some of the myths and stereotypes she wants to dispel about creativity, and (now that we can laugh about it) our creative friction in bringing the show to life. We’ve landed in a good place, so it’s all good. But collaboration isn’t always easy, and this episode offers a view behind the curtain into our own creative process, both the joy and the pain.
Mike is the co-creator of the Famous & Gravy podcast, and the Founder of 14th Street Studios in Austin, which he launched to help bring more people into podcasting. He’s a podcast veteran, with over twelve years of experience as a creator. Michael started his first show while working on his PhD in climate science at Stanford. He has three original productions and is involved in a number of ongoing productions.
For our Creativity Pro Tip today, think about your daily creative discipline. Whenever I work with clients, I encourage them to develop a regular practice. Maybe daily is not realistic, but sitting down and doing your work on a consistent basis allows the muse a place to land. Additionally, how do you collaborate in your creative work, whether in your family, in your professional life, in sports, and so on. What is the quality of collaboration?
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter. Additional graphic design and video production assistance from Daniel Whiteside.
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 1 on Audio Storytelling with Podcaster and Environmentalist Michael Osborne, PhD, Episode 7: The Syncreate Story with Syncreate Co-Founder Charlotte Gullick, and Episode 10: Imagination and Creativity with Psychologist and Creativity Coach Dr. Diana Rivera.
The Syncreate Podcast is now on Patreon. We’d love your support in continuing to grow the podcast and our Syncreate community. For a small monthly contribution, you’ll receive exclusive content and access, previews of upcoming episodes, monthly calls with me and more.
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Episode 8: Grief, Healing, and the Artist’s Life with Anne Myers Cleary
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
08/24/23 • 24 min
Anne Myers Cleary is a visual artist, as well as a writer and musician, based in Indianapolis. Anne majored in art at Kenyon College, and studied vocal performance and opera at Longy School of Music in Boston and the Jacob's School of Music at Indiana University. Her work has been featured as part of the Encore Sotheby’s Visiting Artist Series, The Harrison Center for the Arts, Kuaba Gallery, the Carmel Clay Library, and the St. Margaret’s Guild Decorator’s Showhouse.
Anne shares in her Artist’s Statement: I believe in the importance of imagination, make believe, magic, and mystery, and the truths that are revealed therein. My work is an emotional response to the natural world. I'm interested in the complex and varied emotionality of places and the meaning we attach to them. How we feel in them, or gazing at them, removed. They are reflections of our inner psychological and emotional spaces. I am a traveler, capturing these sacred spaces as they are revealed to me in an attempt to understand human existence and its relationship to the natural world.
We discuss how Anne discovered her own unique creative rhythms and routines, as well as her connection to the place she grew up, and how that sense of place figures into her work. We also explore her creative and meaning-making process in connection with a recent series of paintings in oil and spray paint that explore grief and healing, paradoxically expressed through bold, colorful abstract landscapes.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Creative development and video production by Shuja Uddin and Devon Foster at Tishna Films. Artwork by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like our conversations in Episode 3: Creative Polymathy with Musician, Photographer, and Podcaster Michael Walker, and Episode 7: The Syncreate Story with Charlotte Gullick.
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Anne’s website: annelouiseart.com
Anne’s Instagram
Anne’s work on Saatchi
Artist Francis Bacon
Saybrook University Creativity Studies Program
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Episode 55: Creative Spark Series - Experimenting Across Media with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
09/19/24 • 9 min
In this installment of our Creative Spark mini-episodes, we explore the possibilities that can emerge from experimenting across media in our creative work. For example, if we’re writing a poem, what if we expressed it as a dance? Or if we’re composing a song, how would it translate into a painting? Exploring our ideas across media can open up new possibilities, which can inform and deepen our primary project. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, includes insights and prompts from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to explore your current project or idea in a different medium, or even multiple media, and see how it informs the work.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 22: Creative Play, Episode 29: Iteration, Episode 35: Navigating the Creative Wilderness.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate, and we’re now on Patreon as well. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity have?
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity currently has 86 episodes available.
What topics does The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity cover?
The podcast is about Spirituality, Leadership, Psychology, Entrepreneurship, Creativity, Community, Podcasts, Arts and Business.
What is the most popular episode on The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity?
The episode title 'Episode 28: From Healing to Wholeness with Eben Britton' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity?
The average episode length on The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity is 28 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity released?
Episodes of The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity?
The first episode of The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity was released on May 9, 2023.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ