The Art of Charm

• What are gaba levels? (4:50)
• What have been the two themes throughout his career? (9:30)
• The unhealthy myths of a "self-running business" and of being a nomad. (13:30)
• Why you need patience when starting any new venture. (18:00)
• How to get back into the creative space of kindergarten. (31:50)
• Google's 20% time policy and how to apply it for success. (41:50)
• And so much more...

A bank robber. A happiness expert. A hip hop artist. A CEO of a multi-million dollar company. Can you find the common thread? Maybe, maybe not. Our guest for episode 322 can; these are all types of people he has interviewed on his podcast, The Unmistakable Creative.

On today's show Srinivas and I talk about the current state and future of podcasting, why comparing yourself to others is a losing battle, as well as the roles curiosity and creativity play in succeeding at business. Join us for all of that and so much more on this edition of The Art of Charm.

Just a few short years ago, Srinivas was faced with the daunting task of finding work in a declining economy. He had just graduated business school and wanted to find work that would give him a creative outlet. He had had a social media internship but felt wholly unequipped to work in that field.

So he began experimenting. He started a web site, but quickly stopped when he couldn't deliver on the topic of the site. Then he started a blog and started interviewing people. That experimentation eventually led to what is his podcast today, Unmistakable Creative. The show gets over 10,000 downloads an episode and allows Srinivas to connect with some of the most innovative and interesting people in the world. As we mentioned earlier, he's interviewed a bank robber, happiness experts, behaviorists and super successful CEOs.

The show has been so successful and has such a wide appeal is the varied guests but also Srinivas' approach to podcasting. He views it as a craft, an art form that must be invested in, worked on and molded into its finest form. To do this, he naturally analyzes his previous shows and looks at what to do better in the future, but he also turns off distractions and unplugs. Some of his greatest inspirations and breakthroughs have come through unrelated activities, like surfing.

He also did an experiment where he spent 20 hours learning to do something he was terrible at: drawing. As a result of studying the art of drawing, he also saw the impact in his business. It's a practice he recommends to everyone: experiment with art and see where it takes you. Go out and sing, take an improv class and explore the new insights it gives you.

Not only will art give you insights, it also provides a much-needed reprieve from our information-overload society. Srinivas has discovered the value in unplugging and being conscious of what information he's taking in, and he suggests everyone do the same. There is scientific evidence to support him; science has shown that our environment can and does have a significant impact on our overall well-being.

One final topic we discuss is the state of podcasting. We dive into the reasons why anyone doing an interview show needs to take the craft seriously and why it's important to cultivate relevant, interesting content (and why that is no small feat). Even if you aren't a podcaster or an entrepreneur, we cultivate relevant information for you in this show.

Srinivas was an interesting and insightful guest, please join me in thanking him for being on the show today. It was great to talk with him and I hope you enjoy the episode! Thanks for being here and we'll see you next time.

If you enjoyed this session of the Art of Charm Podcast, let Srinivas know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out on Twitter:

Click here to thank Srinivas on Twitter!