The Barbell Guide to Mentorship — Why Every Leader Needs a Reverse Mentor #351
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
Release Date: 03/28/2025
What Is SuperCreativity? Why AI Expands Your Creative Potential #367
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
In this solo episode, James Taylor breaks down the core idea behind his new book SuperCreativity – Accelerating Innovation in the Age of AI. He explains why the common framing of humans versus machines is outdated, and how the real competitive advantage now comes from intentional collaboration with both people and intelligent systems. Drawing on eight years of global research and work with organisations across industries, James introduces the three types of modern creativity and reveals why AI doesn’t kill creativity, it exposes unpractised creativity. This episode offers a clear,...
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Why Most AI Transformations Fail: AI and the Octopus Organization with Jonathan Brill #366
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor speaks with Jonathan Brill, futurist in residence at Amazon, inventor, strategist, and one of the world’s top-ranked futurists according to Forbes. Jonathan is the co-author of AI and the Octopus Organization, a provocative new book arguing that most AI initiatives fail because they are deployed into broken organisational systems. Rather than fixing dysfunction, AI often amplifies it. Jonathan explains why traditional, top-down organisations struggle in a world of accelerating change, and why the future belongs to adaptive,...
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What Top AI Keynote Speakers Are Really Talking About Behind Closed Doors #365
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
In this solo episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, keynote speaker and AI advisor James Taylor reveals the real conversations happening backstage, in green rooms, and behind closed doors with global CEOs, board members, and fellow AI keynote speakers. While public discussions about artificial intelligence often focus on tools, demos, and optimism, the private conversations are shifting to much deeper questions. This episode explores how leaders are redesigning organisations, rethinking decision-making, redefining value creation, and reimagining leadership itself in an AI-augmented world....
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Creativity in Large-Scale Contexts: How Environments Shape Innovation with Professor Jonathan Feinstein #364
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
Episode Description In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor speaks with Professor Jonathan S. Feinstein, the John G. Searle Professor of Economics and Management at Yale School of Management, and one of the world’s foremost thinkers on the science of creativity. His acclaimed new book, Creativity in Large-Scale Context, explores how creative ideas don’t emerge in isolation—they evolve within complex networks of people, places, experiences, and guiding principles. Feinstein shares why pure inspiration is rarely enough in today’s interconnected world, and how...
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The World of Creativity: Lessons from 75 Countries with Fredrik Haren #363
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
The World of Creativity: Lessons from 75 Countries with Fredrik Haren Episode Description In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor welcomes back Fredrik Haren, the globally renowned Creativity Explorer and author of The World of Creativity: A Journey Across 37 Countries to Discover the Secrets of Creative Minds. Over the past 25 years, Fredrik has travelled to more than 75 countries, meeting everyone from artists in Afghan villages to innovation leaders in global corporations — all to answer one question: What is creativity? In this fascinating and deeply human...
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How the Mind Creates Identity - with Professor Masud Husain #362
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
Our Brains, Our Selves: How the Mind Creates Identity with Professor Masud Husain Episode Description In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor speaks with Professor Masud Husain, neurologist, neuroscientist, essayist, and author of Our Brains, Ourselves: What a Neurologist’s Patients Tell Him About the Brain. A leading researcher at the University of Oxford, Husain explores how the brain constructs our sense of self—and what happens when that system breaks down. Through remarkable patient stories—from a man who loses his motivation after a stroke to a woman whose hand...
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The Creative Brain: Busting Myths About Creativity with Dr. Anna Abraham #361
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor interviews Dr. Anna Abraham, neuroscientist, educator, and author of The Creative Brain: Myths and Truths. As the E. Paul Torrance Professor at the University of Georgia and director of the Creativity and Imagination Lab, Dr. Abraham has spent decades exploring the science behind creativity and imagination. Together, they dive deep into some of the most persistent myths about creativity—from the supposed link between creativity and mental illness to the popular idea that creativity is only a “right brain” activity. Along the...
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Tiny Experiments: How Curiosity Beats Goals with Anne-Laure Le Cunff #360
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor speaks with Anne-Laure Le Cunff — neuroscientist, entrepreneur, founder of Ness Labs, and author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World. Anne-Laure shares her personal journey from Google’s hustle culture to a health crisis that sparked a radical rethinking of success. Instead of chasing fixed goals and rigid outcomes, she advocates for a mindset of tiny experiments—low-risk, curiosity-driven trials that build resilience, creativity, and self-knowledge. We explore her insights on neuroscience,...
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The Untapped Science of Less - Why Subtraction Unlocks Better Ideas with Dr. Leidy Klotz #359
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor speaks with Dr. Leidy Klotz, engineer, designer, behavioral scientist, and author of Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less. Klotz reveals why our brains are biased toward adding complexity—and why the smartest solution is often to remove, reduce, or simplify. From Lego bridges and Jenga-inspired problem solving to organizational strategy and sustainability, Klotz shows how subtraction can fuel innovation, improve decision-making, and create more meaningful lives. Learn why leaders struggle to showcase competence by doing...
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The Creativity Advantage - How Creativity Shapes Our Lives with Dr. James C. Kaufman #358
SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor | Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas
The Creativity Advantage: How Creativity Shapes Our Lives with Dr. James C. Kaufman In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor sits down with Dr. James C. Kaufman, one of the world’s leading creativity researchers and a professor of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut. Known for groundbreaking concepts like the 4C Model of Creativity and the Sylvia Plath Effect, Kaufman’s latest book, The Creativity Advantage, explores how creativity impacts our lives far beyond innovation—enhancing our emotional well-being, self-insight, relationships, and sense of...
info_outlineMost leaders have mentors. But are they missing the other side of the barbell?
In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor introduces a simple but powerful concept that could transform how you approach mentorship, leadership, and innovation.
You'll discover:
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Why traditional mentorship alone isn’t enough in today’s fast-changing world
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The surprising power of reverse mentorship
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A 30-minute challenge that can shift your thinking and unlock new creative insights
Whether you're a CEO, team leader, or emerging professional, this episode will show you how to balance your barbell—and why doing so could lead to your next breakthrough.
Listen now and start rethinking how you learn, lead, and grow.
#Mentorship #ReverseMentoring #Leadership #Innovation #JamesTaylor #SuperCreativity #CreativeThinking #GrowthMindset #FutureOfWork
Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction: From Dubai Keynote to Mentorship Insight
01:30 – The Barbell Metaphor for Balanced Mentoring
03:00 – Traditional Mentors: Wisdom from Experience
04:25 – The Power of Reverse Mentors
06:40 – How Younger Minds Can Challenge and Inspire You
08:20 – The Reverse Mentor Challenge: Try This Today
10:15 – Final Reflection: Balancing Both Sides of the Barbell
11:30 – Call to Action: What Insight Will You Discover?