BREAKING NEWS: I Was Mourning Something I Didn't Have a Name For

Let's Read Life at the Speed of Play

Let’s get started with our new book series. I’m kicking off the Life at the Speed of Play [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bspeed%2Bof%2Bplay&adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4i7cfmd53g_e] https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bspeed%2Bof%2Bplay&adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4i7cfmd53g_eread-along, starting with Reid Hoffman’s foreword and Mark Pincus’s introduction. This is a short intro episode to help you decide if you want to journey through the book with me. I’ll be doing roughly one chapter a week through the end of September. What you’ll learn: * Why I’m anchoring this next stretch of episodes in Mark Pincus’s book, and my loose reading cadence (about one chapter a week, wrapped by end of Q3) * Reid Hoffman’s foreword idea of “what game are you playing” and “what’s your theory of the game,” and why that framing hit home for me as both a product leader and a recovering serial idea-generator * Why generating ideas isn’t the hard part for me… killing them is, and why I think that’s the real skill this book is going to help me build * My take on Pincus’s line that “corporate” really means “lack of thought or intent,” and why I push back on that a little, because being intentional and thoughtful in a corporate role is exactly what I get paid to do Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

How my entrepreneur journey has made me a better leader!

I’m back after an unplanned couple-months break, and I wanted to catch you up on life! I’m talking about what I’ve brought back into my full-time Senior Director of Product Growth role after my stint as a part-time entrepreneur. I’m in throws of building a new AI-native product, and about to soft launch it next week. Also, the new book I’m picking up as my next read-along is Life at the Speed of Play [https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Evb_U93AoaMtG-9HvyMOmIeM15G58V7h2s5vY4xTZbvLalI69y33s4EM6oZYf9V0yLUAriCKvxYkFAALgxnDCwkQypgN8KmYuSWtsDQXZtKUxuYt_EEff-0P4bkO28F8OotMQZD76lV-We8EhbHTmEvBnwTU0-Arzpn1EEst0WhKqUwNBwOB4gWrCugPTCbZSBCAyeOD0eVmEPiHcn03uIFbpU7RXl1abL4in6e4eNE.wE61fD8bp8v9ZWUF4z4NlkT8ynogqst8dvO30UWh6ZU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&keywords=life+at+the+speed+of+play&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1783814167&sr=8-1] by Zynga founder Mark Pincus [https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Evb_U93AoaMtG-9HvyMOmIeM15G58V7h2s5vY4xTZbvLalI69y33s4EM6oZYf9V0yLUAriCKvxYkFAALgxnDCwkQypgN8KmYuSWtsDQXZtKUxuYt_EEff-0P4bkO28F8OotMQZD76lV-We8EhbHTmEvBnwTU0-Arzpn1EEst0WhKqUwNBwOB4gWrCugPTCbZSBCAyeOD0eVmEPiHcn03uIFbpU7RXl1abL4in6e4eNE.wE61fD8bp8v9ZWUF4z4NlkT8ynogqst8dvO30UWh6ZU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&keywords=life+at+the+speed+of+play&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1783814167&sr=8-1]. I also get into some personal updates about my family, health, the whole mess of it. What you’ll learn: * How I’m bringing product-led growth strategy (Wes Bush’s “bowling alley” framework) into a B2B SaaS environment that’s used to long sales cycles * The Russell Brunson-style webinar format I used for both an internal team training and an upcoming external product pre-launch webinar * Why I picked Life at the Speed of Play [https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Evb_U93AoaMtG-9HvyMOmIeM15G58V7h2s5vY4xTZbvLalI69y33s4EM6oZYf9V0yLUAriCKvxYkFAALgxnDCwkQypgN8KmYuSWtsDQXZtKUxuYt_EEff-0P4bkO28F8OotMQZD76lV-We8EhbHTmEvBnwTU0-Arzpn1EEst0WhKqUwNBwOB4gWrCugPTCbZSBCAyeOD0eVmEPiHcn03uIFbpU7RXl1abL4in6e4eNE.wE61fD8bp8v9ZWUF4z4NlkT8ynogqst8dvO30UWh6ZU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&keywords=life+at+the+speed+of+play&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1783814167&sr=8-1] https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Evb_U93AoaMtG-9HvyMOmIeM15G58V7h2s5vY4xTZbvLalI69y33s4EM6oZYf9V0yLUAriCKvxYkFAALgxnDCwkQypgN8KmYuSWtsDQXZtKUxuYt_EEff-0P4bkO28F8OotMQZD76lV-We8EhbHTmEvBnwTU0-Arzpn1EEst0WhKqUwNBwOB4gWrCugPTCbZSBCAyeOD0eVmEPiHcn03uIFbpU7RXl1abL4in6e4eNE.wE61fD8bp8v9ZWUF4z4NlkT8ynogqst8dvO30UWh6ZU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&keywords=life+at+the+speed+of+play&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1783814167&sr=8-1as my next read-along, and what I’m hoping to pull from it for facilitation and self-development * A candid life update: my family, my health, a summer with two kids underfoot, and how I’m protecting my own energy (daily walks, more fiction, less guilt about the podcast schedule) Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

I avoided opening this box for 3 months!

Hello! Really short podcast today. I cleaned my office today, and opened up a box I have been avoiding for nearly 3 months! Listen to learn more, and I have a little video of the unboxing below. Unboxing Video 1 Unboxing Video 2 The Guides Hat Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

I Have an Addiction...and it's not what you think

This week I’m showing up without a plan, and that’s kind of the whole point. I was supposed to continue the AI in facilitation series, but I wasn’t feeling it. And rather than not show up at all, I decided to just tell you what’s actually on my mind right now. In this episode I talk about: * Why I’ve scaled way back on how much time I spend preparing these episodes — and why that’s intentional, not lazy * The difference between consumption addiction and creation addiction — and why I think the second one is sneaking up on a lot of us right now * How I’m using a Claude Project to support this podcast (quick peek behind the curtain for the AI-curious) * And honestly — a little permission slip to say no to the things that aren’t high-leverage for your season of life right now Short one this week. Real one this week. Hope you find yourself in it somewhere. Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

How I ran my favorite market differentiation exercise in half the time (AI did the heavy lifting)

This week I switched things up a little. Instead of my usual audio-only format, I recorded a Loom video so I could actually show you what I’ve been doing. In this episode, you’ll learn: * What the Differentiators activity is and why it’s one of the most valuable — and time-consuming — exercises in a Foundation Sprint * The “AI in the seams” move: how to use natural white space in your agenda (silent exercises, breaks) to run AI tasks in parallel without disrupting the group * The two-prompt approach I used to convert workshop outputs into fully built differentiation matrices — done during a lunch break * A fictionalized higher education example (what’s been on my mind lately with all the higher ed leaders I’ve been talking to) that shows how this works even if you’re not in product And if you’re not a facilitator — this one’s still for you. If you lead a team and you’re trying to reimagine, reposition, or differentiate a product, program, or service, the underlying approach translates directly. Want to go deeper? If you’re new to the Foundation Sprint, I wrote about it when Click by Jake Knapp [https://substack.com/profile/12115955-jake-knapp] and John Zeratsky [https://substack.com/profile/16984148-john-zeratsky] first came out — including how I ran one before the book even launched. Worth a read before diving into the episode. You can also learn more about the book itself here - The Click Book! [https://www.character.vc/click] Get the prompts + resources I’m sharing the prompts I used, along with an example of the workshop board output, in a Google Drive folder. Request access and I’ll grant it within 24 hours. 🔗 Differentiators Examples & Prompts [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZsFcsVHh6GAk2V6ehDUZXshlJ7SU3KNu?usp=sharing] And one more thing If the reason you haven’t experimented with any of this yet is that you genuinely cannot find the time, I built something for exactly that. Deep Work Days is a short micro-course about how to restructure your energy and calendar so focus time actually exists in your week. Not hustle culture stuff. Just a smarter way to protect your most strategic hours. → Get Deep Work Days [https://mk.themeetingkitchen.com/offers/iWEDaA63/checkout] Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]