Unthinkable With Jay Acunzo

Scott Stratten looks every part a blacksmith. He's mastered a rare craft in our digital world today, but make no mistake -- he's a master craftsman. And while he may not work with any type of metal, he still forges his work with red hot fire. It’s Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Scott on Twitter: http://twitter.com/unmarketing  Scott's website: http://unmarketing.com  Scott's podcast: http://www.unmarketing.com/category/podcast/ 

If there was a Yelp listing for every industry niche, "Headphone Brand" would appear with the most possible dollar signs. Big brands use bigger celebrities and spend some of the biggest ad budgets around to promote their products and, really, the emotion they want you to feel when you buy their products. Artists like Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj, athletes like LeBron James, and brands like Apple, Sony, Bose, and more, all slug it out to deliver the same message in increasingly expensive ways: "These headphones are the best." This is a flashy, fast-paced industry niche. So what in the heck do we make of Grado Labs? In 1918, a Sicilian immigrant purchased a small building on a nondescript block in Brooklyn. Over nearly a century, while the world around this building changed at breakneck speed, the world inside plodded along. It was one kind of business, and then, gradually, another. It was led by one generation of Grado, and then, gradually, another. They don't advertise, not one cent. The

We call the show "Unthinkable" because anytime someone uses their intuition, it feels like they did something crazy. Maybe they broke from conventional thinking -- that alone feels pretty unthinkable in many jobs and industries. Maybe they came up with an incredible idea in an instant -- that can be tough to understand from the outside looking in. Or maybe they did work that was exceptional, i.e., an exception, from all the average, familiar, safe, down-the-fairway, just-so-basic-I-could-punch-a-watermelon junk. But here's the catch: When you do that kind of great work, it rarely feels crazy TO YOU. So maybe ... it's not unthinkable at all. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm  FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm  http://twitter.com/jayacunzo  http://instagram.com/jacunzo   

What if intuition was actually the same as the kind of thinking we value in the business world, but it reaches full potential quicker? Wouldn't that be an insanely valuable skill? If you could instantly skip ahead of your peers by seven, 17, or 77 steps or pull from seven, or 17, or 77 sources of ideas ... wouldn't you want to figure out how that stuff works?! Wouldn't you cultivate it? Practice it? Get to the point where you could actually RELY on it? Intuition. Your unfair advantage. It's Unthinkable. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo

The information age has a downside: Advice Overload. In the face of ubiquitous experts and never-ending best practices and how-tos and secrets, what if you trusted your intuition? Well, for starters, you'd need to focus more on your own context than all that advice. Luckily, today, we explore one question you can ask yourself to instantly make sense of all the advice in this Information Age. And we revisit one of our most popular stories EVER to see how this question affects our ability to create exceptional work. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm  FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo  http://instagram.com/jacunzo 

We use our intuition every single day to make decisions. So why does it still feel like a leap to trust it when it comes to the more meaningful stuff in our work? The answer is more complicated than you think. But your response can be a lot simpler than you image, too -- and that's great news if you want to do meaningful work.   SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo        

Last we spoke, we wondered why we don't trust our intuition more. I mean, it's with us at all times, telling us things. But we often feel like it's a LEAP to listen to our intuition. This week, we wonder: How do we cross that chasm? To help make sense of this, we revisit the story of Alec Brownstein, the Executive Creative Director at Dollar Shave Club, and his incredible side project, viewed by billions: The Google Job Experiment SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm  FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm  http://twitter.com/jayacunzo  http://instagram.com/jacunzo 

Technically supposed to be taking a week off but ... I won't tell if you don't! Send your examples of conventional wisdom, pithy quotes-as-gospel, or popular best practices to jay@unthinkable.fm -- we might use them in a future show! Subscribe to the Monday AM newsletter at unthinkable.fm

Last week, we defined intuition once and for all. This week, we wonder: Why don't we routinely TRUST our intuition? We came up with a practical definition, but why can't we seem to make it practical in our daily lives? Why does it so often feel like a leap? To help make sense of this, we revisit the story of Neil Pasricha, a bestselling author, TED speaker, and the creator of the blog 1000 Awesome Things. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm  FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm  http://twitter.com/jayacunzo  http://instagram.com/jacunzo 

So we aspire to do something exceptional, and we can't stand all that average noise created by the endless "hacks" and "cheats" and "secrets" out there. So now what? If all that expertise is simply generalized advice that gets us to average, what can we use to go from average to exceptional? What can we rely on to get the rest of the way there?  Intuition. But what the heck IS intuition? And how can we actually control it proactively? SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo   VIDEO PREVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHwnz1cSCVY 

After a year, we finally land on the common thread that ties us all together as listeners. Then, we revisit one of our most popular stories and find out some new things we missed last time. And we begin our march forward, week by week, to solve the biggest problem facing our projects, companies, and careers today. MIKE'S SUPER BOWL AD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_3H_Y5QUWw SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo VIDEO PREVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvVtu4fed8&feature=youtu.be

Our our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't concludes with Amy Schmittauer. In this brutally honest and hilarious discussion, Amy talks about her parody of the Wizard of Oz, why she loves editing more than being on camera, and how she grapples with her early speaking careers. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. How are well-known speakers trusting their own intuition? PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com

Remarkable stories of what happens when you embrace constraints, rather than fight for "creative freedom" (and an exploration of what the heck "creative freedom" even means). Stories today from First Round Capital (one of the premier venture capital firms in tech, with investments in Uber, Warby Parker, Blue Apron, Square, and more) and Soviet Visuals, a remarkable side project from a former Russian ballerina and current Facebook employee revealing something special about constraints. What might happen if you embraced or even sought out constraints in your work, instead of fought them? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday morning email by subscribing at unthinkable.fm   Contact Jay: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo Book Jay to speak: jayacunzo.com   LINKS TO KNOW: First Round Review: firstround.com/review Camille Ricketts on Twitter: twitter.com/camillericketts Soviet Visuals on Twitter: twitter.com/sovietvisuals BusinessPodcast      

We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we get existential and emotional with one of the most creative content marketers on the planet, Doug Kessler. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. How are well-known speakers trusting their own intuition? PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit http://contentmarketingworld.com  FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! jay@unthinkable.fm  http://twitter.com/jayacunzo  http://instagram.com/jacunzo  LINKS TO KNOW: Doug Kessler on Twitter: http:

When we say the word content, MOST of us refer to the container -- a blog post, a video, a podcast. But the audience we aim to serve is after what's INSIDE our content -- the information, the education, the entertainment. So why the heck do brands and marketers spend so much less time focused on the stuff INSIDE the content they create? Stories today from Slack, the fastest-growing business app of all time, and their director of content, Julie Kim. Then, bestselling author Andrew Davis (Brandscaping, Town Inc) pulls from his time in TV production with the Jim Henson Company and Charles Kuralt to teach us how to think more strategically about the stuff we create and how we structure it. What happens when you spend way more time thinking about the stuff INSIDE our work? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday morning email by subscribing at http://unthinkable.fm  FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: jay@unthinkable.fm  http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo   LINKS TO KNOW: Slack'

We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we think the big thoughts and feel the big feels with Robert Rose. We talk music, on-stage interviews with celebrities, and making others FEEL SOMETHING by creating great experiences. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS

We live in the era of experts. If we don't have an idea or answer, we can find and follow everyone else's. This creates copycat, forgettable work. Luckily, the most powerful way to differentiate from all of that is obvious and free. The only question is whether we have the courage to deploy it. Stories about Lisa Schneider, Chief Digital Officer at Merriam-Webster, and their award-winning, President-trolling, brilliant and witty Twitter account. Their success started with an aspiration and ended in a very personal place. Meanwhile, Producer Andrew Littlefield also goes exploring New York and meets a jazz trombonist who gives us something we can use in our quest to trust our intuition. What happens when you combine intent with hunger? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo   LINKS TO KNOW: Lisa on Twitter:

We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we get starry-eyed over big ideas with Tamsen Webster. Stories include Tamsen's love affair with speeches, space bags for her brain, and her latest big idea: the Red Thread. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo   LINKS TO KNOW: Tamsen Webster on Tw

We hear the phrase a lot, from friends, bosses, clients, peers: JUST SHIP IT! Just ship your work already. But should you? COULD you? Is this idea friend ... or foe? Today we go exploring the topic of shippin' it, and shippin' it good. Stories about Chris Piascik, an illustrator who has published a new drawing every single weekday since 2007, and Andrea Fryrear, a newly-minted author who wrote her book in 6 months and got her start writing 5 articles every week for work. We care about craft. And results. We want to make it GREAT. But also done. Let's make sense of this hairy idea today. It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo   LINKS TO KNOW: Chris's portfolio: http://chrispiascik.com Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrispiascik Andrea's site: http://theagilemarketer.net/ Andrea on Twitter: https://tw

We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, a frank discussion with Mitch Joel. Stories include Mitch's first-ever keynote speech (and the celebrity that headlined the event); his obsessive and prolific writing habits; and why he believes there's one platform we'll all use in the future. That's right: ONE. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be the opening keynote! Come see Jay, Mitch, and hundreds of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit http://contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! http://jay@unthink