<< Back to ToddHenry.com
Daily Creative
Daily Creative
Formerly known as The Accidental Creative, Daily Creative is your source for becoming brave, focused, and brilliant. Being a creative professional should be the greatest job in the world. You get to solve problems, express yourself, bring something new into the world and you get paid to do it. What's not to love, right? Yet every day, creative pros face, tremendous pressure and uncertainty. The temptation is to just play it safe, surrender to distraction and settle for less than your best. Daily Creative is about making sure that's not your story. Each episode focuses on a topic relevant to creative pros, like how to come up with ideas under pressure, how the collaborate when you're overwhelmed, or how to lead your team and help them discover motivation. Host Todd Henry (author of The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Herding Tigers, and other best-selling books) and featured guests such as Seth Godin, Cal Newport, Kim Scott, and other brilliant authors, practitioners, and experts guide our journey through practical topics to help you be brave, focused, and brilliant in your work and leadership. It's time to fall back in love with your work. Listen to Daily Creative wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe for free to Daily Creative+ to get bonus episodes, full interviews, and more delivered each week.
Choose your favorite podcast player
May 20, 2024

Anxiety Attack

Anxiety Attack

In this episode, we delve into the pervasive issue of anxiety and its impact on creative work. Liz Bohannon shares her journey from corporate life to launching Sseko Designs in Uganda. She explains how the narrative of being "special" can foster fear and anxiety, leading to a reluctance to take risks.

ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman recounts his experiences with panic attacks, including a career-defining on-air mistake, and the strategies he's used to manage anxiety, which he shares in his book No Time to Panic .

Scott Mautz offers insights on building mental strength through fortitude, confidence, boldness, decision-making, goal focus, and positive messaging, outlined in his new book The Mentally Strong Leader .

Finally, Erwin McManus discusses the importance of creating for others and how love can displace anxiety. His new book is called Mind Shift .

Five Key Learnings:

  1. The Myth of Being Special: Liz Bohannon highlights how believing you are inherently special can actually lead to fear and anxiety, causing you to play it safe and stifling creativity.
  2. Techniques for Managing Anxiety: Matt Gutman introduces various modalities, including physical activities and mindfulness techniques, that can help manage anxiety and prevent panic attacks.
  3. Mental Strength in Leadership: Scott Mautz outlines six core mental muscles—fortitude, confidence, boldness, decision making, goal focus, and messaging—that leaders can develop to regulate emotions and thoughts.
  4. Redirect Rhythm: A simple but effective four-step process called the "redirect rhythm" can help manage negative emotions and improve mental strength.
  5. Creating with Love: Erwin McManus emphasizes the importance of creating for the benefit of others and how love can be a powerful force in combating anxiety and enhancing creativity.

Listen to full interviews, and get daily episodes, guides, and access to the full archives at DailyCreative.app .

Mentioned in this episode:

NEW BOOK! The Brave Habit is available now

Rise to important moments in your life and work by developing the habit of bravery. Available in paperback, ebook, or audiobook wherever books are sold. Learn more

Craft a brand story that makes sense. Work with Josh Gott. Visit GotClarity.com to simplify your message.

00:00 - S2E3 (E16) Anxiety Attack

03:36 - ACT 1

10:59 - Act 2

19:51 - Act 3

Liz Bohannon Profile Photo

Author, Beginner's Pluck

Matt Gutman Profile Photo

Author, No Time To Panic

Scott Mautz Profile Photo

Author, The Mentally Strong Leader

Erwin McManus Profile Photo

Author, Mind Shift