Masterpiece

Last year Madeleine Gottlieb spent 53 days in the South Australian desert directing a television series, working 18-hour days in intense conditions — an experience she describes as physically, emotionally and mentally taxing, and completely life-changing.
In this conversation we talk about what it really looks like to live a creative life. The role friction plays in making good work, what happens when the plan falls apart (like the day a brown snake appeared on set), and why understanding the feeling underneath what you’re trying to create might be the most important part of the process.
We also explore what balance means to us, why curiosity might be the sexiest quality in a human, and when being yourself stops feeling like rebellion and starts to feel like being.
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JYK 🤍

It’s the year of the horse and it feels like there’s a shift. More momentum, movement, creative energy. More people wanting to make a change. To get in the arena. But where do you begin? James Clear says when you want to make a change but feel stuck, you don’t lack motivation — you lack clarity. I started this year burnt out, foggy, exhausted. So I made space. I went away for a week by myself, switched off my phone, disconnected from the outside world, and sat with one simple, confronting question: What do you want?
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Sign up to my newsletter here
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JYK 🤍
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Retreat: Sundara 
Pod reference: James Clear x Aspire
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The Masterpiece soundtrack is composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton.

When you have an idea in your mind, it can feel perfect. The moment you begin, you realise how hard it is to make anything real (let alone good).
For the past few months, I’ve been living inside that gap while creating the sound of this podcast.
This episode is a reflection on why creating anything with love and integrity is so uncomfortable, the space between taste and ability, and why the pursuit is the point.
We finish with the Masterpiece soundtrack, composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton.

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You can email me on [email protected]
DM me on IG here
Sign up to my newsletter here
And order a One Word Journal here
I always love hearing from you :)
JYK 🤍

When I feel overwhelmed, like there aren’t enough hours in the day, every part of me wants to do more. Wake up earlier. Cram it all in. Get on top of things.
Lately, I’m learning the opposite might be true.
This episode is about doing less. Letting go of pressure. And giving yourself permission to meet yourself where you are.
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You can order a One Word Journal here
Email me on [email protected]
DM me on IG here
And sign up to my newsletter here
Thank you for listening :)
JYK 🤍

I always thought perfectionism was a bit of a humble brag — a flaw that was actually a strength. Something that helped you get ahead.
Then I read an article in The New Yorker, and everything changed. I realised perfectionism isn’t something to gloat about at all. It’s a debilitating way of being, with deep roots, that can quietly stop you from living, creating, and connecting.
In this conversation, I sit down with Cass Seidler, psychologist and recovering perfectionist. Together, we unpack what perfectionism really is, how it shows up, the toll it takes on your life, relationships, and energy — and what the road to recovery can look like.
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You can order your One Word Journal here
Email me on [email protected]
DM me on IG here
And sign up to my newsletter here! (for things I learnt from these pods and more)
Thank you for listening :)
JYK 🤍