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Wake Up Excited!

Brad Frost

Inspiring conversations with exuberant humans about how to live a creative, fulfilling, and authentic life. Hosted by enthusiasm enthusiast, Brad Frost.

We experience a brief moment of truth when we first wake up in the morning. Before the cold shower of reality, our infinite to-do lists, and macro-level woes seize our consciousness. We experience a brief moment of excitement — and this pure moment tells us something important about ourselves.

There are people out there who seem to move through life with intention, authenticity, creativity, kindness, and enthusiasm. And they do this despite the deeply inperfect world we inhabit. This podcast is an attempt to learn from these people.

Through wide-ranging conversations, Wake Up Excited explores guests' passions, interests, enthusiasms, and philosophy of life.

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  • 24 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 21 min
  • English

Episodes 24

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  • #13
    April 21 · 1 hr 3 min

    Ben Callahan on Building Community, Your Values, and the Power of Connection

    Ben Callahan joins Brad to discuss what’s currently motivating him, from enjoying homemade ham and bean soup in Ohio to a deeper focus on connecting people through curiosity-led facilitation. Ben reflects on a transitional season of life, the importance of personal and organizational values, and how communities work best when they’re allowed to form organically. He describes his annual values exercise, the role of sharing and teaching in web culture, and the need to reintroduce humanity after COVID. The conversation also explores music’s ability to create presence and unity, with recommendations including Chanticleer, Jacob Collier, and Radiohead. Books Get Together — Building Community Music / Artists Chanticleer Jacob Collier Bobby McFerrin Radiohead Websites / Communities / Projects ben callahan.com — Ben's home base for everything The Question — Weekly open community design systems research project Redwoods — Ben's new paid community for design systems practitioners Sparkbox — Ben's consultancy Design Downtime — Podcast by Guy Siegall (Ben was a season 1 guest) Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction (00:26) - What has Ben waking up excited? (09:37) - Community as Resistance (13:55) - Values and Learning Mode (35:08) - Hardship Resets Trajectory (37:52) - Sharing Culture Of The Web (42:46) - Music Presence And Connection (50:39) - Consciousness Curiosity And Openness (57:02) - Music Recommendations (01:01:00) - Where To Find Ben

    • Transcript
    • Chapters
  • #12
    March 11 · 1 hr 16 min

    Gemma O’Brien on Neuroaesthetics, Flow States, and Trusting Creative Intuition

    Brad Frost welcomes Sydney-based artist and designer Gemma O’Brien to Wake Up Excited to discuss her work in murals, lettering, and calligraphy and her recent move to London to study at the intersection of art and neuroscience. Gemma shares what she learned shifting from “thinking like an artist” to “thinking like a scientist,” including the rigor of statistics and research, and describes her flow-state study with artists, where self-reported intuition in the creative process significantly predicted flow even after controlling for expertise. They explore how to foster flow through attention, intrinsic motivation, goals, and challenge-skill balance, plus the healing power of the arts, stepping outside comfort zones, collaboration, and optimism as a learned superpower. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:20 Neuroaesthetics Leap 03:31 Thesis Crunch Time 05:47 Artist Workflow Reset 09:09 Science Learning Curve 12:37 Studying Flow And Intuition 20:40 Why Art Moves Us 25:37 Arts Therapy And Healing 34:38 Optimism As Superpower 38:32 Helping Without Burning Out 42:04 Strengths Gratitude Daily Practice 45:56 Beginner Mind And Discomfort 51:55 Collaboration Ego And Delegation 01:00:57 Flow State Conditions And Attention 01:07:54 Intrinsic Motivation 1:12:07 Music Playlists 01:15:07 Wrap Up Links

    • Transcript
  • #11
    February 17 · 1 hr 43 min

    Mike Rybachuk on Self-Honesty, Resilience, and Spreading Joy

    Brad Frost welcomes Mike Rybachuk, founder of Ukraine-based design education platform The Projector Institute, to discuss living a positive, fulfilling life while Russia’s war impacts Mike’s family, friends, colleagues, and business in Ukraine. From Prague, Mike shares practical, low-cost ways to improve daily life and spread positivity—working outdoors with a hammock and foldable chair, waving to strangers, and intentionally combining work, nature, and social time. They talk about making work fun without diminishing seriousness, prioritizing joy, and avoiding cultures of constant complaining. Mike emphasizes self-honesty, introspection, and personal responsibility, including his five-year commitment to becoming honest with himself, reframing emotions like fear as signals for action, and using simple techniques like counting to three before reacting. He stresses helping others from where you are with what you have, collaborating rather than starting alone, and choosing responsible work that improves the world. Topics discussed: (00:00) - Introduction (01:34) - Support the Podcast: Brad’s Courses + Discount Code (02:20) - Kicking Off in Prague: Why Mike’s Waking Up Excited (03:04) - Starting Skateboarding at 40 (05:20) - Cheap Ways to Upgrade Your Day (08:25) - Why Can’t Work Be Fun? (11:30) - Not Waiting for Retirement to Live (16:11) - Priorities, Joy, and Escaping the “Complaining Communities” Trap (19:56) - Micro-Positivity in Real Life (30:11) - The 5-Year Project: Practicing Self-Honesty (and What It Changes) (37:19) - Subjective vs Objective Thoughts: Letting Go of Stress Triggers (47:51) - Stop Mind-Reading: Ask, Validate, and Communicate Clearly (52:00) - Emotions Aren’t Weakness (58:25) - Stoicism & Philosophy as Tools (01:08:48) - Ukraine’s Resilience on the Ground: Living Life Under Bombs (01:19:45) - Education as Resistance (01:28:00) - Choosing Work That Makes the World Better (01:33:33) - Collaboration Creates Magic (01:38:55) - Where to Find Projector Institute

    • Chapters
  • #10
    January 22 · 1 hr 5 min

    Designing a Life That Excites You with Christine Vallaure

    Brad sits down with Christine Vallaure, a renowned designer, speaker, and founder of Moon Learning. Christine shares insights into living a balanced and fulfilling life, drawing from her experiences as a solo entrepreneur and author. The conversation explores the importance of agency autonomy, the difference between ambition and competition, and the joy of finding fulfillment in daily actions rather than future goals. Christine also emphasizes the value of enjoying mundane tasks, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and staying motivated through passion and interest. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a creative professional, or someone seeking inspiration, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways on designing a life that excites you every day. Topics discussed: 00:00 Introduction 01:25 Supporting the Podcast 02:19 What has Christine waking up excited? 04:16 The Struggle for Autonomy 05:29 Remote Work and Flexibility 08:02 Overcoming Creative Blocks 16:58 Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome 22:22 Ambition vs. Competition 28:45 Finding Inspiration and Community 36:12 Finding Joy in the Mundane 39:55 The Importance of Self-Awareness 49:18 Redefining Success and Ambition 53:24 Embracing Privilege and Opportunity 01:02:14 Encouraging Creativity and Exploration

    • Transcript
Showing 21–24 of 24 episodes