Unlocking Creativity And Productivity With Natalie Nixon - TWMJ #1032
Release Date: 04/19/2026
A World Of Intelligent Machines With Steve Brown - TWMJ #1044
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1044 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). has spent more than twenty-five years helping organizations prepare for the future of technology. A former Senior Director and in-house futurist at during the launch of , former Chief Evangelist and Futurist at , entrepreneur and advisor, Steve has worked with global brands including Nike, JPMorgan Chase, Samsung, Disney and more to navigate digital transformation and the rapidly evolving AI landscape. His latest book, , argues that AI is not another technology deployment but a fundamental...
info_outline
A Playbook For Growth With Nicolas Darveau-Garneau - TWMJ #1043
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1043 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). has spent his career helping organizations understand where technology creates lasting competitive advantage. A serial entrepreneur, former General Manager of in Canada, and then off to the Valley (where he still resides) as Google’s former Chief Evangelist, Nicolas has advised more than a thousand executives on digital transformation, AI, marketing, and growth strategy. His latest book, , challenges one of business’s most common assumptions: that efficiency is the ultimate measure of success....
info_outline
The Most Powerful Force In Business With Marcus Buckingham - TWMJ #1042
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1042 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). has spent more than three decades changing how organizations think about people, performance, and leadership. As one of the pioneers of the strengths movement, his research has influenced millions of managers around the world and helped reshape the way companies approach employee engagement and organizational culture. After beginning his career as a researcher at , Marcus became one of the driving forces behind some of the most influential ideas in modern management. His books include , , , and . He has...
info_outline
Winning With AI With Charlene Li - TWMJ #1041
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1041 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when every leadership team is being told that artificial intelligence will change everything, has spent her career helping organizations separate signal from noise. A New York Times bestselling author and trusted advisor to CEOs and boards, Charlene first became widely known for helping leaders understand transformative shifts through books like , and . Her latest book, , co-authored with , tackles one of the most pressing questions facing business leaders today: not what AI is, but what to do...
info_outline
AI And The Knowledge Economy With Sangeet Paul Choudary
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1040 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). Long before artificial intelligence became the dominant business conversation, was helping leaders understand another profound shift in economic power: the rise of platforms. As the co-author of , founder of , advisor to global corporations and governments, and a respected thinkers on digital business models, Sangeet has spent years studying how technology changes the sources of competitive advantage and reshapes entire industries. His latest book, , extends that work into the age of artificial...
info_outline
Developing A Vital Voice With Carmine Gallo - TWMJ #1039
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1039 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). I believe that communication has always been one of the most valuable skills in business. But in an era of AI-generated content, algorithmic feeds, podcasts, newsletters, keynote stages, short-form video and endless digital noise, it may be becoming even more important. Few people have spent more time studying what makes ideas resonate than . A communication coach, author, and instructor in executive education at , Carmine is best known for bestselling books including , , and . His latest project, , is...
info_outline
Human Agency With Marcus Fontoura - TWMJ #1038
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1038 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when technology feels simultaneously more powerful and more opaque than ever, is making a case for something many people feel they’ve lost: agency. A Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President at , Marcus has spent decades helping build the infrastructure that powers the modern internet, including leadership roles at , and . His new book, , is both a guide to understanding the technologies shaping our lives and a reminder that we are not merely passengers along for the ride. Drawing on...
info_outline
The Value Of Uncertainty With Simone Stolzoff - TWMJ #1037
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1037 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a moment when certainty has become both a cultural obsession and a commercial product, is asking a far more uncomfortable question: what if the real skill is learning how to live without it? A journalist whose work has appeared in publications like and author of the bestselling book , Simo has built his work around examining the hidden psychological contracts shaping modern life… especially our increasingly tangled relationship with work, ambition and identity. His new book, , pushes that...
info_outline
Unlocking The Best In People With Ashley Herd - TWMJ #1036
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1036 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). did not set out to become a management expert. Trained as an employment lawyer and later serving in senior HR and leadership roles supporting organizations including , Ashley built her career at the intersection of people, performance and workplace culture. What began as practical leadership advice shared through short-form social media videos evolved into a , with hundreds of thousands of managers turning to her for direct, actionable guidance on how to lead teams without burning people out. Her new...
info_outline
Modern Marketing With MichaelAaron Flicker - TWMJ #1035
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1035 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when marketers have more data, more technology and more precision than ever before… consumer trust, attention and loyalty somehow feel more fragile than ever. Few people are exploring that paradox more deeply than . An entrepreneur who started his company at just fourteen years old, Michael has spent years studying the intersection of marketing, behavioral science and human decision-making (he runs an agency, vventure capital firm and leads several other businesses). His book, (along with...
info_outlineWelcome to episode #1032 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).
At a time when productivity is still measured in speed, output and constant motion, few voices are pushing for a more human… and ultimately more effective… way of working than Natalie Nixon. A creativity strategist, keynote speaker and founder of Figure 8 Thinking, Natalie has built her career helping leaders unlock the business value of imagination… not as a soft skill, but as a strategic capability. Her work sits at the intersection of design thinking, anthropology and business innovation, and her previous book, The Creativity Leap, positioned curiosity, empathy and intuition as essential leadership muscles. In her latest work, Move. Think. Rest. - Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship With Time, Natalie challenges the deeply embedded belief that more effort equals better results… arguing instead that we’re not in a tech revolution, but a human one. She introduces the MTR framework (movement, thought and rest) as a way to rebalance how we work and live, emphasizing that creativity doesn’t happen despite pauses… it depends on them. In this conversation, Natalie explores how burnout and busyness have become normalized, why organizations must move beyond outdated productivity metrics, and how leaders can cultivate environments where creativity and trust can thrive. She makes a compelling case that AI, while powerful, is not the story… it’s the backdrop. The real opportunity lies in how humans choose to engage with it… whether we double down on efficiency or expand into imagination, play and connection. From rethinking workplace culture to redefining growth as a non-linear, deeply human process, this conversation is a call to redesign not just how we work… but why we work at all. Enjoy the conversation…
- Running time: 1:02:21.
- Hello from beautiful Montreal.
- Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
- Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
- Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
- Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
- Check out ThinkersOne.
- Here is my conversation with Natalie Nixon.
- Move. Think. Rest. - Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship With Time.
- The Creativity Leap.
- Figure 8 Thinking.
- Sign up for Natalie’s newsletter.
- Follow Natalie on Instagram.
- Follow Natalie on LinkedIn.
Chapters:
(00:00) - Introduction to Creativity and Productivity.
(04:01) - The Crisis of Creativity and Busyness.
(08:06) - Redefining Creativity in Various Professions.
(11:57) - The Role of AI in Creativity.
(15:52) - Human Connection in the Age of Technology.
(19:51) - The Infinite Nature of Creativity.
(24:14) - The Importance of Play in Work Culture.
(32:35) - Cultivation 2.0: Rethinking Productivity.
(34:01) - Proofs of Concept: Companies Leading the Way.
(39:03) - Culture and Productivity: An Inextricable Link.
(40:51) - Redesigning Work: The Need for Systemic Change.
(45:51) - Navigating Liminal Spaces: Embracing Uncertainty.
(50:47) - The Human Revolution: Beyond Technology.
(56:07) - Rest as a Productivity Tool: A Paradigm Shift.