Best The Write Idea Workshop Podcasts (2025)

1
#808: Stephen West — From High School Dropout to Hit Podcast (Plus: Life Lessons from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Friedrich Nietzsche, Simone Weil, and More) 1:44:59

3d ago1:44:59

1:44:59

Stephen West is a father, husband, and host of the Philosophize This! podcast. Sponsors: Gusto simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses: https://gusto.com/tim (three months free) Momentous high-quality supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for up to 35% off) Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 Ultra sleeping sol…

1
216: Evaluating ideas is hard 13:47

4d ago13:47

13:47

Our friends at BetterBriefs, Pieter-Paul von Weiler and Matt Davies have delivered more scathing survey results. This time on the subject of evaluating creative ideas presented by agencies to clients. Why are ideas so difficult to judge? Why have rounds of creative presentation grown from an average of three to five before clients sign off? Henry G…

1
#807: In Case You Missed It: March 2025 Recap of "The Tim Ferriss Show" 45:53

4d ago45:53

45:53

This is a special inbetweenisode, which serves as a recap of the episodes from last month. It features a short clip from each conversation in one place so you can easily jump around to get a feel for the episode and guest. Based on your feedback, this format has been tweaked and improved since the first recap episode. For instance, listeners sugges…

1
#806: How Rich Barton Built Expedia and Zillow from $0 to $35B — Audacious Goals, Provocation Marketing, Scrabble for Naming, and Powerful Daily Rituals 2:25:01

11d ago2:25:01

2:25:01

Rich Barton is the co-founder and co-executive chairman of Zillow, a company transforming how people buy, sell, rent, and finance homes. Before Zillow, Rich founded Expedia within Microsoft in 1994 and successfully spun the company off as a public company in 1999. He served as president, CEO, and board director of Expedia and later co-founded and s…

1
215: SXSW teaching star 55:02

11d ago55:02

55:02

Kit Altin is chief strategy officer at The Gate London. And she made a splash last year at Austin's SXSW with queues round the block waiting for her workshop. She was so popular, she was invited back last month. And she's now a fixture at the annual festival that celebrates tech, film and music. Kit joins Henry Gomez and me to talk about her journe…

1
#805: Philip Goff — Exploring Consciousness and Non-Ordinary Religion, Galileo's Error, Panpsychism, Heretical Ideas, and Therapeutic Belief 2:16:13

18d ago2:16:13

2:16:13

Philip Goff is a professor of philosophy at Durham University. His main research focus is consciousness, but he is interested in many questions about the nature of reality. He is most known for defending panpsychism, the view that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of the physical world. He is the author of Galileo's Error: Found…

1
214: Eight hours to write a brief? 31:29

18d ago31:29

31:29

You're given only eight hours to write a creative brief. What now? According to our guest, Dan Carlton, it's not a common event, but it's not rare either. Dan is the CEO and founding partner of The Paragraph Project, a company that develops "human-centered strategies" for marketers and agencies alike. And he's created an online training for strateg…

1
213: Inside look at podcasting 54:38

25d ago54:38

54:38

Meet Kevin Le, content creator and podcast producer. A chance encounter on a business flight led to a three-hour non-stop conversation. And in invitation to join me on The Brief Bros. Kevin's enthusiasm for podcasting is infectious. And his deep experience opened my eyes. And since so many of Henry Gomez's and my colleagues are dabbling in podcasti…

1
#804: Robert Rodriguez, The Wizard of Cinema Returns — The "Fear-Forward" Way of Life, How to Overcome Self-Doubt, Learning to Love Limitations, and Counter-Intuitive Parenting That Works 1:44:15

26d ago1:44:15

1:44:15

Robert Rodriguez is a film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor, and composer. Rodriguez has written, produced, directed, and edited a series of successful films including El Mariachi, Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, the Spy Kids franchise, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Frank Miller’s Sin City, and many more. Robert recently laun…

1
#803: Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale 2:28:54

1M ago2:28:54

2:28:54

Craig Mod Returns! Craig is a writer, photographer, and walker living in Tokyo and Kamakura, Japan. He is the author of Things Become Other Things and Kissa by Kissa. He also writes the newsletters Roden and Ridgeline and has contributed to The New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, and more. Sponsors: Shopify global commerce platform, providing tool…

1
212: Creative-Strategist tension 21:21

1M ago21:21

21:21

Henry Gomez and I return to discuss an important "nuts 'n bolts" topic: why is there tension between strategtists and creatives? Alex Morris joined us a few months ago to share results from his own informal survey on this topic. But Henry and I decided it merited further exploration. When the relationship works, the results are magic. When it doesn…

1
#802: Craig Mod — The Real Japan, Cheap Apartments in Tokyo, Productive Side Quests, Creative Retreats, Buying Future Freedom, and Being Possessed by Spirits 2:15:49

1M ago2:15:49

2:15:49

Craig Mod is a writer, photographer, and walker living in Tokyo and Kamakura, Japan. He is the author of Things Become Other Things and Kissa by Kissa. He also writes the newsletters Roden and Ridgeline and has contributed to The New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, and more. Sponsors: David Protein Bars 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of suga…

1
#801: In Case You Missed It: February 2025 Recap of "The Tim Ferriss Show" 44:40

1M ago44:40

44:40

This is a special inbetweenisode, which serves as a recap of the episodes from last month. It features a short clip from each conversation in one place so you can easily jump around to get a feel for the episode and guest. Based on your feedback, this format has been tweaked and improved since the first recap episode. For instance, listeners sugges…

1
#800: Ev Williams — The Art of Pivoting (e.g., Odeo to Twitter), Strategic Quitting, The Dangers of Premature Scaling, Must-Read Books, and More 1:03:37

1M ago1:03:37

1:03:37

Ev Williams is the co-founder of Mozi, a new social network that helps you connect in person with the people you care about. Over the past 25 years, Ev has co-founded several companies that have helped shape the modern internet—including Blogger, Medium, and Twitter. This episode was recorded live at Diggnation, where digg.com was relaunched. Go to…

1
211: Can AI help clients write better briefs for their agencies? 55:25

1M ago55:25

55:25

Henry Gomez and I welcome Fab Nolan and Adam Green from 99Ravens.ai this week. 99Ravens is a new company in Toronto. And it makes a big promise: to improve the quality of client briefs to their ad agency clients. How? By using its AI-trained tool. Fab and Adam explain how it works and why they deliver on their promise. And they provided us with a d…

1
#799: Richard Taylor and Greg Broadmore, Wētā Workshop — Untapping Creativity, Stories from The Lord of the Rings, The Magic of New Zealand, Four Tenets to Live By, and The Only Sentence of Self-Help You ... 2:23:16

2M ago2:23:16

2:23:16

Richard Taylor is the co-founder and creative lead at Wētā Workshop, which he runs with his wife and co-founder Tania Rodger. Wētā Workshop is a concept design studio and manufacturing facility that services the world’s creative and entertainment industries. Their practical and special effects have helped define the visual identities of some of the…

1
210: Emerging Talent Series continued 35:10

2M ago35:10

35:10

Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications student Alex Chrislu joins us today. She graduates in May and as you'll soon discover, she explodes with enthusiasm and confidence. And it's not hard to picture her in a senior leadership role in a short time. Henry Gomez and I revel in meeting young talent like Alex. For all the oldsters we talk…

1
#798: Terry Real — Breaking the Rules of Traditional Couples Therapy for Superior Results, A Few Frameworks That Work 40:59

2M ago40:59

40:59

For this episode, I’m doing something a bit different. I’m featuring five chapters from the audiobook Fierce Intimacy by Terry Real. What you will hear in this episode will help you identify both your and your partner’s losing strategies in relationships, and help you move from disharmony to repair. Terry is the creator of Relational Life Therapy, …

1
209: Why do agencies rewrite the brief? 22:19

2M ago22:19

22:19

Henry Gomez and I return with a Nuts 'n Bolts episode. Today we share with you a paper written in 2010. It's authored by Merry Baskin, a member of the World Advertising Research Center (WARC). And she writes on writing the agency brief. As Henry points out, this is the topic that triggered a debate between the two of us. The debate that motivated u…

1
208: Whither "Get, to, by"? 39:22

2M ago39:22

39:22

Uri Baruchin joins Henry Gomez and me for the final segment of our conversation about frameworks. And today we tackle a brief construct designed to simplify and clarify. Yet too often practitioners flub it. Why? Uri tells us. But he's just getting warmed up. What is the biggest cost of AI? You've heard many pundits pontificate. But Uri's answer may…

1
#797: Dr. Keith Baar, UC Davis — Simple Exercises That Can Repair Tendons (Tennis Elbow, etc.), Collagen Fact vs. Fiction, Isometrics vs. Eccentrics, JAK Inhibitors, Growth Hormone vs. IGF-1, The Anti ... 1:59:22

2M ago1:59:22

1:59:22

Dr. Keith Baar is a Professor at the University of California, Davis in the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology. During his Ph.D. studies, his research revealed that mechanical strain on muscle fibers activates the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, a crucial regulator of muscular hypertrophy. Subsequently, he studied…

1
#796: L.A. Paul — On Becoming a Vampire, Whether or Not to Have Kids, Getting Incredible Mentorship for $250, Transformative Experiences, and More 1:42:00

2M ago1:42:00

1:42:00

L.A. Paul is the Millstone Family Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Cognitive Science at Yale University. She is also the author of Transformative Experience. Her work on transformative experience has been covered by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, NPR, and the BBC, among others. And in 2024, she was profiled by Th…

1
Episode 138 with Melanie Bradshaw 40:58

2M ago40:58

40:58

We're back! After a far too long hiatus, The Write Idea Workshop has returned! This episode, Ryan sits down with fresh on the scene stand-up Melanie Bradshaw to talk about her creative origins, what interested her in trying comedy, and how her experiences as a therapist have helped shaped her comedy style. On March 5th, 2025 if you're in the Schene…

1
207: Why brand frameworks fail 41:28

2M ago41:28

41:28

Our friend Uri Baruchin returns for a two-part conversation. When he joined Henry Gomez and me three weeks ago, we simply ran out of time. It happens. Today, we asked him to expand on a thought: why have brand platforms failed us? It's a master class in strategy. Part 2 is next week.By Creative Brief Workshops LLC

1
#795: The End of Time Management 51:46

2M ago51:46

51:46

This time around, we have a bit of a different format, featuring the book that started it all for me, The 4-Hour Workweek. Readers and listeners often ask me what I would change or update, but an equally interesting question is: what wouldn’t I change? What stands the test of time and hasn’t lost any potency? This episode features one of the most i…

1
206: Reid Holmes on Appreciated Branding 1:04:33

2M ago1:04:33

1:04:33

Henry Gomez and I welcome back our friend Reid Holmes. And together, we celebrate the publication of his book Appreciated Branding. It's an enlightening and provocative examination of how to make mature brands, in Reid's words, "irreplaceable." His prescriptions for brands, according to reviewers, are timely and humane. We begin our chat with a lit…

1
#794: Brandon Sanderson on Building a Fiction Empire, Creating $40M+ Kickstarter Campaigns, Unbreakable Habits, The Art of World-Building, and The Science of Magic Systems 3:23:00

3M ago3:23:00

3:23:00

Brandon Sanderson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Stormlight Archive series and the Mistborn saga; the middle-grade series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians; and the young-adult novels The Rithmatist, the Reckoners trilogy, and the Skyward series. He has sold more than 40 million books in 35 languages, and he is a four-time nomine…

1
205: Adeola Mosanya, Creatives Accountant 18:41

3M ago18:41

18:41

We work hard as creatives, strategists and brand advocates. So when it comes to organizing our finances and paying taxes, how many of us are as buttoned-up with the numbers as we are with ideas? This week, we thought we'd pause for a moment and talk dollars and sense. And introduce you to a numbers person who knows creatives, Adeola Mosanya, Founde…

1
#793: How to Calm Your Inner Storm — A Guided Meditation to Tame Restlessness with Zen Master Henry Shukman 13:53

3M ago13:53

13:53

This episode is part of a new experiment called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher. In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so me…

1
#792: Seth Godin on Playing the Right Game and Strategy as a Superpower 2:00:11

3M ago2:00:11

2:00:11

Seth Godin is the author of 21 internationally bestselling books, translated into more than 35 languages, including Linchpin, Tribes, The Dip, and Purple Cow. His latest book is This Is Strategy. Sponsors: Cresset prestigious family office for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: https://cressetcapital.com/tim (book a call today) AG1 all-in-one nutri…

1
204: Uri Baruchin, strategy philosopher 50:24

3M ago50:24

50:24

Thanks to our friend and a former guest, Baiba Matisone, Henry Gomez and I introduce you to Uri Baruchin. Uri is a consulting strategist in London with more than 20 years of agency and brand experience under his belt. And he has more than a few things to say about our industry as he looks back on his career. He is unflinching in his critiques. And …

1
#791: How to Feel at Peace Amidst High Stress — Guided Meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman 12:25

3M ago12:25

12:25

This episode is part of a new experiment called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher. In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so me…

1
#790: Chris Sacca — How to Succeed by Living on Your Own Terms and Getting Into Good Trouble 3:05:50

3M ago3:05:50

3:05:50

Chris Sacca is the co-founder of Lowercarbon Capital and manages a portfolio of countless startups in energy, industrial materials, and carbon removal. If it's unf**king the planet, he's probably working on it. Previously, Chris founded Lowercase Capital, one of history's most successful funds ever, primarily known for its very early investments in…

1
203: Two UK ad students talk shop 1:08:39

3M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

With special thanks to our friend Marc Lewis, dean of the venerable SCA in London, we present Louie Scott (AD) and Giorgia La Vecchia (CW). Marc recommended both these young people who are deep into SCA's portfolio development classes. Louie's path appears like a long and winding road. Giorgia thought she found a creative outlet in the art world. F…

1
#789: Ease Into Stillness — Guided Meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman 12:46

3M ago12:46

12:46

This episode is part of a new experiment called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher. In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so me…

1
#788: Naval Ravikant and Aaron Stupple — How to Raise a Sovereign Child, A Freedom-Maximizing Approach to Parenting 3:11:42

3M ago3:11:42

3:11:42

Aaron Stupple (@astupple) is the author of The Sovereign Child: How a Forgotten Philosophy Can Liberate Kids and Their Parents. Naval Ravikant (@naval) is the co-founder of AngelList. He has invested in more than 100 companies, including many mega-successes, such as Twitter, Uber, Notion, Opendoor, Postmates, and Wish. Stick around after the end of…

1
202: The perils of agency search 44:39

3M ago44:39

44:39

Our friend Vivek Kuchibhotla returns to talk about the challenges brands face when they search for a new ad agency. He's a veteran of Leo Burnett, where he worked on Proctor & Gamble, first in Venezuela, then Hong Kong, finally in Chicago. He was then put to work on the global MacDonald's business. Vivek is also on the faculty of the Association of…

1
#787: How to Be in The Present Moment — Guided Meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman 15:57

3M ago15:57

15:57

This episode is a new experiment called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher. In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so meditation…

1
#786: Tactics and Strategies for a 2025 Reboot — Essentialism and Greg McKeown 1:48:27

4M ago1:48:27

1:48:27

Greg McKeown is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less and Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most. 200,000 people receive his weekly 1-Minute Wednesday newsletter, and he recently released The Essentialism Planner: A 90-Day Guide to Accomplishing More by Doing Less. Sponsors: Momentou…

1
201: Howard's Single-Minded Proposition webinar 9:13

4M ago9:13

9:13

Henry Gomez chats me up today about my latest training, a 90-minute webinar on writing the Single-Minded Proposition. It's one week from today, Wednesay, January 15. Today, I give you highlights of the webinar's take-aways. The training consists of 60 minutes of insights into real SMPs on real briefs, plus 30 minutes of discussion and Q&A with me. …

1
#785: The Random Show — 2025 Predictions (AI, Aliens, BTC, and More), New Year’s Resolutions and Strategies, Smart Fitness, The Spinal Engine, New Apps, and Much More 1:59:35

4M ago1:59:35

1:59:35

This time, we have a very special episode I recorded with my close friend Kevin Rose. We cover 2025 predictions, AI, Bitcoin, aliens, fitness goals, and much, much more. Please enjoy! Sponsors: Ramp easy-to-use corporate cards, bill payments, accounting, and more: https://Ramp.com/tim (Get $250 when you join Ramp) Our Place's Titanium Always Pan® P…

1
200: Bob Hoffman 1:02:30

4M ago1:02:30

1:02:30

Henry Gomez and I welcome back an old friend, Bob Hoffman. He's here to talk about his new book, The Three Word Brief. It's an incisive and no-holds-barred examination of the ad business and marketing. When Bob speaks, people listen. And on his third visit with us, he has much to say. From the flaws in the agency world to fraud in digital adveritin…

1
#784: Dr. Becky Kennedy — Parenting Strategies for Raising Resilient Kids, Plus Word-for-Word Scripts for Repairing Relationships, Setting Boundaries, and More 2:11:16

4M ago2:11:16

2:11:16

Dr. Becky Kennedy is the founder and CEO of Good Inside, a parenting movement that overturns a lot of conventional, modern parenting practices to empower parents to become sturdy, confident leaders and raise sturdy, confident kids. She is the author of the bestselling book Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be, a chart-topping …

1
199: Is GeorgeCo LLC really a Delaware company? 1:21:49

4M ago1:21:49

1:21:49

Finally, and at long last, George Tannenbaum answers the question on everyone's mind: Is GeorgeCo LLC really a Delaware company? He talks about much more than that, of course. Henry Gomez and I delight in the return of our friend. He's our holiday present to all of you. Consider this our joint thank you for your support over the last year. And the …

1
#783: The 4-Hour Workweek Revisited — How to Get Uncommon Results by Doing the Opposite, Aiming with Precision, and Aiming for the Unrealistic 1:24:47

4M ago1:24:47

1:24:47

This time around, we have a bit of a different format, featuring the book that started it all, The 4-Hour Workweek, which was published in 2007. It’s crazy to think that the 20th anniversary is around the corner. Readers and listeners often ask me what I would change or update, but in my mind, an equally interesting question is: what wouldn’t I cha…

1
198: Alex Morris on the tension between strategy and creative 1:15:03

4M ago1:15:03

1:15:03

Our guest, Alex Morris, is a freelance strategy consultant who authored a study Creatives on Strategy: Looking Outside Ourselves to Define What Strategy Offers. It is a survey of creatives' thoughts about strategy. And it's the topic of our discussion today. Alex is a strategist of high regard, as evidenced by the comments from his colleagues. “Ale…

1
#782: Legendary Inventor Danny Hillis (Plus Kevin Kelly) — Unorthodox Lessons from 400+ Patents, Solving the Impossible, Real Al vs. “AI”, Hiring Richard Feynman, Working with Steve Jobs, Creating Parallel ... 2:36:07

5M ago2:36:07

2:36:07

Danny Hillis is an inventor, scientist, author, and engineer. While completing his doctorate at MIT, he pioneered the parallel computers that are the basis for the processors used for AI and most high-performance computer chips. He is now a founding partner with Applied Invention, working on new ideas in cybersecurity, medicine, and agriculture. Ke…

1
197: Ed Tsue—the brief is dead! 1:20:28

5M ago1:20:28

1:20:28

Ed Tsue, Global CSO at Media Futures Group, a respected and admired strategist in our industry, tells us that the Creative Brief is Dead. Today on The Brief Bros., he defends and expands on his position, first posited in his Medium newsletter a year ago. And thanks to last week's guest Ed Cotton, who reposted Ed Tsue's musings on his blog, Provoke,…

1
#781: David Whyte, Poet — Spacious Ease, Irish Koans, Writing in Delirium, and Revelations from a Yak Manger 2:11:04

5M ago2:11:04

2:11:04

David Whyte (davidwhyte.com) is the author of twelve books of poetry and five books of prose, including his latest, Consolations II, which further explores what David calls “the conversational nature of reality.” Sponsors: GiveWell.org charity research and effective giving: https://givewell.org (If you’ve never used GiveWell to donate, you can have…

1
196: Ed Cotton's creative brief provocations 1:06:29

5M ago1:06:29

1:06:29

When he launched his Substack blog Provoke six months ago, strategist Ed Cotton had a clear goal. He decided to post excerpts from and links to his favorite LinkedIn articles. But he didn't stop there. When a topic struck his fancy, he looked beyond LinkedIn and created a curio box of goodies. Most are strategy related. But his interests reflect th…

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