The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
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 innovati...
Episode 102: Creative Spark Series - Creativity as a Path of Adventure with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda and Charlotte explore creativity as a path of adventure, sharing specific examples from their own lives and creative journeys. Embracing our creativity brings many benefits, including the unanticipated experiences and connections that follow when we say yes to our creative urges, impulses, and callings. 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 encourage you to say yes to the next...
Episode 101: Artificial Intelligence and Creativity - The End or Just the Beginning? with Douglas Eck, PhD
With the introduction of so many new AI tools for image, video, and music generation, is this the end of creativity as we know it, or the beginning of a new era? In this episode we explore the wild new world of creativity in the age of AI with Douglas Eck, PhD, Senior Research Director at Google DeepMind, and Research Co-Lead of Generative Media, which develops the AI tools Veo, Imagen and Lyria. He is the creator of Magenta, an open source research project exploring how machine learning can aid in music and art creation. His research focuses on...
Episode 100: Creative Spark Series - Celebrating and Reflecting with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, to celebrate our 100th episode, Charlotte interviews Melinda about her own creative process of experience of envisioning, creating, hosting, and producing the podcast over the past two years. We reflect on lessons learned, how the show has evolved, insightful guests and conversations, and where we’ll go from here, including moving back to a bi-weekly release schedule. 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 Cr...
Episode 99: Working with Self-Doubt in Our Creativity with Dreux Carpenter, MFA
How do we work with self-doubt and mental health in our creative process? Dreux Carpenter is a multi creative and communications professional; he's a graphic designer, writer, and offers proofreading and editing services. He holds both Masters and MFA degrees in Writing and Consciousness, one from the New College of California and the other from the California Institute of Integral Studies. He served on the board of the Writers’ League of Texas for several years, and he’s married to Syncreate Co-Founder, co-author, and podcast co-host Charlotte Gullick. In this episode, Dreux opens up about his own experiences of self...
Episode 98: Creative Spark Series - Creativity and Humor
.In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we discuss the connections between humor, creativity, and health, specifically how we can use our creativity to find humor in difficult situations, including end-of-life medical situations. Melinda and Charlotte share their own experiences of medical challenges and sitting with dying parents who maintained their sense of humor to the end. 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 encourage you to...
Episode 97: The Art of Jewelry Design with Geoffrey Good
Geoffrey Good is a renowned fine jewelry designer based in Hudson, New York, internationally recognized for his elegant, minimalist designs. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, he has established himself as a master craftsman and artist, known for his attention to detail and exceptional skill in creating exquisite pieces of jewelry. Geoffrey discovered his passion for jewelry in college after designing a pair of earrings for his girlfriend out of glass-scrap. After earning a degree in jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Geoffrey apprenticed with master jeweler Klaus Wisskirchen, assisting in jewelry-works...
Episode 96: Creative Spark Series - Creativity Conference Reflections with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda shares insights and reflections from her recent experience attending and presenting at the Creativity Conference at Southern Oregon University, connecting and collaborating with friends and colleagues, and getting energized from being around others studying creativity. 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 encourage you to find and attend an event where you can connect with others around creativity, collaboration, a...
Episode 95: Poetry, Nature, and Beautiful Mistakes with Brian Kirven
Brian Kirven is a poet, traveler, and teacher living in Point Reyes Station in Northern California. He's the author of Shorelines: A Traveler Comes Home to the Tide Zone. He's served as a California Poet in the Schools, as well as the Poetry Inside Out program, and hosted a radio show on KWMR in Point Reyes for many years. His poetry has been featured in numerous literary journals, including California Quarterly, Inverness Almanac, The Kerf, West Marin Review, and most recently, the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal. His work is rooted in a deep sense of place and connection to...
Episode 94: Creative Spark Series - The Joy in Collaboration with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we explore the benefits of collaboration, including the synergy that arises when two or more people join together in a creative endeavor, which can yield fresh ideas and perspectives, camaraderie and teamwork, as well as joy, fun, and levity. 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 encourage you to find a person or group to collaborate with on some kind...
Episode 93: Creativity and Collaboration in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Work with Alisa Carr, LCSW
How do we work with the multiple energies, drives, and desires, sometimes conflicting, inside ourselves? Internal Family Sytems (IFS) is a therapeutic modality that focuses on healing the wounded and protective parts that we all carry within us, in service of internal connection and collaboration. Alisa Carr, LCSW, uses IFS in her therapeutic work to help clients find clarity, creativity, spiritual connection, and more satisfying relationships. Our conversation focuses on the IFS process and how it can enhance intra-personal, or inner, creativity and collaboration for a more joyful and vibrant life.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, w...
Episode 92: Creative Spark Series - Self-Mentoring and Creativity with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we discuss the inner mentor or inner coach as a counter-weight to the inner critic in our creativity, with inspiration from the book 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager, a professor of psychology at UT Austin. The ways we both challenge and support ourselves through our inner self-talk can make a big difference in our creative success. Are we beating ourselves up or empowering ourselves for success through our inner narrative? This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate...
Episode 91: Envisioning the Possible with Vlad Glaveanu, PhD
How do we use our creativity to envision possibility and bring it into reality? Vlad Glăveanu, PhD, has spent his career exploring this question. He is the founder and president of the Possibility Studies Network (PSN). His work focuses on creativity, imagination, culture, collaboration, wonder, possibility, and societal challenges. He is a professor of psychology in the School of Psychology and Director of the DCU Centre for Possibility Studies at Dublin City University, as well as a professor at the Centre for the Science of Learning and Technology, University of Bergen. He has written and edited numerous academic a...
Episode 90: Creative Spark Series - Creativity, Meaning, and Psychological Growth with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
,In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda shares insights from her new article in the academic journal Possibility Studies and Society on how we can use our creativity to make meaning of our experiences, particularly the difficult and challenging ones, in service of psychological growth. 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 encourage you to reflect on your life journey up to this point–the highs an...
Episode 89: The Joy of Awakening with Drupon Lama Dorje & Carolina Putnam
This episode features Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher Drupon Lama Dorje, and his assistant and translator Carolina Putnam, in an exploration of the Buddhist teachings on mindfulness and self-cultivation, as well as the role of art and creativity in Buddhism and everyday life. Lama Dorje became a Buddhist monk at the age of five, completed extensive training in Buddhist studies and meditation, and now teaches all over the world, primarily in Central and South America. Carolina Putnam is the Executive Director of the Lama Dorje Foundation and of Dewachen, Lama’s retreat center in Costa Rica. This episode is in bo...
Episode 88: Creative Spark Series - Practicing Courage in Our Creativity with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we explore how practicing courage in our creative expression can build bravery in other areas of our lives, from speaking our truth to public speaking and performing. Honoring our creativity also honors our authenticity, so we can embrace who we truly are. 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 encourage you to build your courage muscle by doing something brave...
Episode 87: Dreams and Creativity with Musician, Poet & Psychotherapist Linus Streckfus
How do dreams and dreaming play a role in creativity? We explore this question with musician, poet, and psychotherapist Linus Streckfus, as Melinda and Linus share stories of how dreams fuel their songwriting, the unconscious processes at play in dreams, and the archetypal and metaphorical images that often result. We also discuss Linus’ new poetry release, A Little Book of Loteria Riddles, and his process of writing it, as he shares several selections from it.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to pay attention to your dreams, and to record them if possible in a d...
Episode 86 - Creative Spark Series: Receiving Difficult Feedback with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we share our own experience of receiving difficult feedback on one of our ideas, and how we dealt with it. It can be really vulnerable to receive critical or constructive feedback on our creative work, but if we can assume positive intent and digest it accordingly, it can result in a better quality final product. 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<...
Episode 85: Living a Spiritual Life with Wisdom Pathways Co-Founders Jenny Fairbank & Steven Ross
What does it mean to walk a spiritual path, to live a spiritual life, in the midst of our busy lives, as householders, in these complex and challenging times? Wisdom Pathways Co-Founders Jenny Fairbank and Steven Ross emphasize the importance of cultivating our intuition, opening our hearts, and connecting in community. Jenny and Steven work with individuals and groups to help clarify their deepest purpose and calling, and transcend the blocks and obstacles we all encounter along the way. We discuss the evolution of consciousness, the nature of personal and collective awakening at this particular time, and how we...
Episode 84: Creative Spark Series - From Surviving to Thriving with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
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 Cr...
Episode 83: Proprioception with Poet and Professor C. Prudence Arceneaux
Poet C. Prudence Arceneaux is Chair of the Creative Writing Department at Austin Community College. Her work has appeared in various journals, including The Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day, Limestone, New Texas, African Voices and Inkwell. She is the author of two chapbooks of poetry — Dirt (awarded the 2018 Jean Pedrick Prize) and Liberty. Her new full-length collection Proprioception is now available Texas Review Press. Fellow Texas poet Naomi Shihab Nye writes of Propriception: “How Arceneaux manages to be wry, sexy, contemplative, and rueful all at once, is a wonder.” Our conversation ranges from the earthy sensuality of Arceneaux’s poems to t...
Episode 82: Creative Spark Series - Healing the Creative Wound with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we explore what it means to heal the creative wound so we can fully embrace our creative selves. Many of us received messages in our youth that we weren’t creative or artistic, and we’ve internalized these messages in a way that stifle our creative expression. It’s important to recognize that these stories we tell ourselves may not be accurate, and that we can create new, more empowering and inspiring stories about our creative capacities. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Sync...
Episode 81: Creativity and Innovation in Medicine with Drs. Behrooz Akbarnia, Greg Mundis, and Bahar Shahidi
This episode features three medical innovators working at the intersection of orthopedic surgery, medical technology, and orthopedic research at the San Diego Spine Foundation (SDSF), Scripps Clinic, and the University of California San Diego (UCSD).
Dr. Akbarnia is the Founder of the SDSF and former president of the Scoliosis Research Society, as well as a retired clinical professor and orthopedic surgeon. He developed an innovative, minimally invasive magnetic device for the treatment for pediatric scoliosis, eliminating the need for multiple surgeries.
Dr. Mundis is the current president of the SDSF, as well as an orthopedic sp...
Episode 80: Creative Spark Series - Narrating the Syncreate Audiobook with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Charlotte and Melinda share the experience of narrating the audio version of our Syncreate book, including our flubs, insecurities, and humorous moments, the highs and the lows, warts and all. We think it’s important to share our own process, and how we all inevitably stumble along the way to a finished creative product. So if you’ve ever wanted to peer behind the veil of the creative process, this episode is for you. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guid...
Episode 79: The Magic of Improvisation with Improv Teacher, Performer, and Author Jessica Arjet
As our guest, Jessica Arjet, describes in the episode, “one of the fundamental promises of improv is that you’re collaborating and working together to create something." It’s about being in the moment, saying yes, collaborating with others, and having fun! Jessica is a veteran improv performer, teacher, and the author of Conducting Chaos: A Guide to Teaching Improv to Kids and Teens. She is co-owner of the Hideout Theater in Austin, which offers improv performances as well as classes, workshops, and summer camps for all ages. Our conversation focuses on the lessons and benefits of improv training for ki...
Episode 78: Creative Spark Series - The Art of Impermanence with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Melinda shares insights from her recent Art of Impermanence Retreat, an annual contemplative arts retreats she leads each January in Patzcuaro, Mexico with her colleague Jake Lorfing. The Art of Impermanence explores the Buddhist teachings on impermanence, and their relationship to creativity and the arts. Essentially, it’s a mindful approach to creativity, grounded in present-moment experience. 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 Cr...
Episode 77: Collaborate, Innovate, Advocate with Beth Sundstrom, PhD
Beth Sundstrom, PhD, MPH, is a professor of health communication at the College of Charleston, where she is the Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) and the Founding Director of the Women’s Health Research Team (WHRT). She is a Fulbright Research Grant recipient and leading expert on health communication and reproductive health. Beth conducts applied research that informs the development of community-based public health interventions and nationally recognized communication campaigns. She is the author or co-author of three books and more than 80 scholarly articles on women’s health and health communication. Our conversation focu...
Episode 76: Creative Spark Series - Developing a Consistent Creative Practice with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
Many of us aspire to a consistent, even daily, creative practice, but other life priorities and distractions make it difficult. So how can we commit to a regular practice in a way that feels sustainable and fun? We can begin by setting longer-term goals and then breaking them down into monthly, weekly, and daily tasks to make consistent progress over time. 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...
Episode 75: Asheville's Story Parlor with Erin Hallagan Clare
Erin Hallagan Clare is the Founder and Artistic Director of Story Parlor, a narrative arts space in Asheville, NC. Erin studied film and theatre at Temple University, as well as psychology / creativity studies at Saybrook University, where she earned her master’s degree. She developed a creativity coaching practice called “Inward & Artward,” as well as an annual Creative Facilitator Training. She's also a writer, storyteller, and radio show host. Our conversation focuses on Erin’s creative journey, the history of Story Parlor, and the creative community in Asheville after Hurricane Helene.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encour...
Episode 74: Creative Spark Series - Living a Creative Life with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
What does it mean to live a creative life? What meaningful steps can we take to infuse creativity into our day-to-day experience? We often tell ourselves stories about how we’re not creative, but the reality is that we’re all using our creativity on a daily basis just to get through life, whether that takes the form of “art,” or simply cooking a beautiful meal, tending a garden, or decorating our homes. 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 Comm...
Episode 73: Theatre, Storytelling, and The Labor of Creativity with Marcus McQuirter, PhD
Marcus McQuirter, PhD, is the Chair of the Drama Department at Austin Community College, where he teaches Voice, Acting, and Introduction to Theater. A storyteller at heart, he’s also a director, novelist, and podcaster. Dr. McQuirter holds a BFA in Theatre from Howard University, an M.A. in Theatre from the University of North Texas, and a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of Texas, Austin. Our conversation ranges from the craft of audio storytelling to the labor of creativity, and theatre as an inclusive community space.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we enc...
Episode 72: Creative Spark Series - Creative Community with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
How do you cultivate a sense of creative community? We believe that community and connection are vital to the creative process, especially for those of us who tend to create in solitude. For the new year, our Creative Spark series focuses on setting creative intentions and bolstering our creative habits so we can move toward our goals with greater clarity and flow. This mini episode focuses on the power of community to nurture our creative selves, especially in challenging times. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to...
Episode 71: Acting Out of Character with John Cane, PhD
How can acting and improvisation training improve your interpersonal and communication skills? We explore this question with John Cane, PhD, actor and integrative wellness psychologist. John is the Founder of Acting Out of Character, a training program offering workshops for turning acting skills into people skills. John received his PhD in psychology with a specialization in creativity studies, along with Melinda. We discuss how acting and improvisation relates to authenticity and emotional intelligence, including how John works with organizations to help with team building and collaboration. We also demonstrate the improv exercise of “Yes, And,” which can facilitate creativity, open...
Episode 70: Creative Spark Series - New Year's Creative Intentions with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
Happy 2025, Everyone! To kick off the new year, we encourage you to consider your creative intentions and aspirations for the next 12 months. We focus on three main areas, including your creative practice, process, and products. Creative practice encompasses your creative routines and daily habits, while the creative process includes how you go about making work and bringing your ideas to life. Finally, creative products are the finished works that you may wish to release, publish, perform and otherwise share with the world. Focusing on these three areas helps to clarify not only your yearly creative goals, but also how...
Episode 69: Creative Spark Series - Reflecting on the Year with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this installment of our Creative Spark mini-episodes, as we approach the new year, we discuss the benefits of taking time to reflect on our creative lives over the last year. It’s helpful to review the events of the year and projects we’ve engaged with, including highlights and accomplishments, as well as how we might want to approach things differently in the coming year. It’s a great way to consider where we’ve been creatively, how far we’ve come, and where we want to go next. Then we can begin to set our creative intentions for the ye...
Episode 67: Creative Spark Series - Moving Through the World with a Creative Eye with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this installment of our Creative Spark mini-episodes, we discuss what it means to move through the world with a creative eye, to be a creative traveler, as it were, and how this approach can help us stay connected to our creativity in every moment. It can also help us find the humor, the beauty, and the story in everyday situations, including the good, the bad, the ugly, and the bizarre, like when we got shaken down in the bayous of Louisiana while rescuing Melinda’s mom and her cat after a hurricane. This episode, like the mini-episodes that pr...
Episode 68: Wonders of Creation with Dr. Ladan Akbarnia
This episode explores the theme of wonder as it relates to art and science in the Islamic world, as well as the role of museum curator. Dr. Ladan Akbarnia is Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the San Diego Museum of Art and a Commissioner of Arts and Culture for San Diego County. She conceived and curated the current exhibition Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World. Previously, she served as Curator of Islamic Collections at the British Museum from 2010-2019, Executive Director at the Iran Heritage Foundation in London, and Associate Curator...
Episode 66: Finding Ease Through Body Awareness with Jennifer Roig-Francoli
As creatives, and as humans more broadly, we can find ourselves holding habitual tension and pain in our bodies by virtue of our work, whether it be playing a musical instrument, performing physical labor, or simply sitting at a desk all day. Jennifer Roig-Francoli, a violinist and coach specializing in the Primal Alexander Technique, helps people rediscover ease and joy through body awareness. We discuss her personal and spiritual journey from professional concert violinist to coach and teacher, and she leads listeners through a guided body awareness practice using the Primal Alexander Technique developed by her partner, Mio Morales.
Syncreate Podcast Episode 65: Creative Spark Series - Creative Flow with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this installment of our Creative Spark mini-episodes, Charlotte interviews Melinda about her creative habits and daily practices, including meditation and journaling. Melinda is a musician, writer, and photographer, as well as a leadership and creativity coach, and a professor of creativity, innovation, and leadership. 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 encourage you to exercise your creativity every single day in whatever ways you can. Even 5 minutes...
Episode 64: Synesthesia, Consciousness & Creativity with Zoe Martell and Archie Frink
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...
Episode 63: Creative Spark Series - The Writing Life with Charlotte Gullick & Melinda Rothouse
In this installment of our Creative Spark mini-episodes, Melinda interviews Charlotte about her writing life, creative practices, and how creativity has made her a better person. Charlotte is a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a professor, Program Manager at Vassar College, and former Chair of the Creative Writing Department at Austin Community College. 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 encourage you to adopt...
