Attention Surplus
By Sean Howard & Eric Portelance
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Podcast Description
Attention Surplus is an ongoing conversation about our search for purpose. Hosted by Sean Howard and Eric Portelance.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 |
#50: Beliefs, with Adrian Ho | Our fiftieth episode also happens to be our one-year anniversary! This week, our guest is Adrian Ho, who joined us from Minneapolis. Sean and Eric are both big fans of his branding agency Zeus Jones, so it was a great pleasure to talk with Adrian about the beliefs that guided him in founding the company. | 2/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2 |
#49: Play and Purpose | We've been doing this podcast for just shy of a year, and while we've talked a lot about passion and action, it seems as though we've only just begun to touch on the third part of our tagline: purpose. Our two most recent guests, Pat Thompson and Mike Wagner, have really got our minds going on the subject, and this week we discuss how making space for play and reflection can help us discover our purpose. | 2/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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3 |
#48: Clarity, with Mike Wagner | This week, White Rabbit Group CEO Mike Wagner joins us for a mind-expanding discussion of creativity, leadership, clarity, community, and his career path from pastor ("starting churches for people who hate church") to brand consultant to professional speaker. | 2/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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4 |
#47: What Are You At Heart? with Pat Thompson | "What do I want to be when I grow up?" That's the question on the cover of the little book that first drew our attention to this week's guest. Pat Thompson is a leadership consultant, Metcalf Foundation Innovation Fellow and Visiting Scholar at Massey College. She visited our living room studio to talk about vocation and good work, the value of being stuck, and the vital importance of reflection and good conversation. | 1/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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5 |
#46: A Personal Manifesto | Following on from last week's episode, we take a close look at Eric's personal manifesto for the year. | 1/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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6 |
#45: Catharsis | This is as close as you'll get to New Year's resolutions from us: Eric talks about how he came to write a self-critical personal manifesto for 2012, and Sean offers his theory of a "threshold of distasteful actions" as one of the roots of procrastination. | 1/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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7 |
#44: Getting Organized, with Jay Goldman | In part two of our interview with Jay Goldman, we talk about focus and managing tasks. Jay, Eric and Sean compare notes on their favourite tools, in particular the Getting Things Done system. We also chat some more about startup culture and the Canadian "brain drain". | 1/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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8 |
#43: Shifting Gears, with Jay Goldman | We ring in 2012 with part one of a two-part chat with Jay Goldman, author, technologist, speaker and dad. We discuss his involvement with the Toronto tech startup scene, events such as DemoCamp and TransitCamp and his transition to family life and agency work. | 1/2/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
#42: Things I Learned in 2011, with Jon Crowley | The new year is almost upon us, and we felt it was time to look back at what we've learned over the past twelve months. Strategist Jon Crowley joins us for a discussion inspired by his thought-provoking insights from 2011 on balance, flow, leadership, discipline, and doing what you love. | 12/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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10 |
#41: Risk-Taking, with Gavin Heaton | This week, a chat about innovation and imagination in business, and the bravery it takes to open up and "go public" with our personal stories. Our guest is Gavin Heaton, a leading Australian marketing blogger, Director of Social Media for the SAP Premier Customer Network, co-publisher of the Age of Conversation book series, and president of Vibewire, a not-for-profit that supports youth in the arts, journalism and entrepreneurship. You can find him on Twitter at @servantofchaos. | 12/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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11 |
#40: Fear | We've touched on the topic of fear before, but this week we dive in for a discussion of "impostor syndrome", rational vs. irrational fears, alienation from people who are important to us, and that old favourite, fear of change. | 12/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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12 |
#39: Credentials, with Chris Luckhardt | Photographer, podcaster and web developer Chris Luckhardt returns to our studio for a discussion of credentials and other "ways in" to a career or other space. Follow Chris at @motionblur and check out his recently launched podcast network at http://MotionblurMedia.ca | 12/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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13 |
#38: Valuing What You Do | It's easy to judge ourselves by what we haven't finished or aren't getting done. What if we were to look instead at all the things we *have* accomplished? Plus: how and when to say no, and the return of Junk Sean. | 11/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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14 |
#37: Shaping Your Environment | Is your office a pristine work of art? Can you open your window? Paint or nail things to the walls? Can your environment make you more creative, innovative or happy? Sean finally admits that our surroundings matter, and he and Eric talk about adaptable buildings, bachelor pads and poo mountains. | 11/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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15 |
#36: Type | This week, we look at personality type as a tool for understanding ourselves and the people around us. | 11/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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16 |
#35: The Data Deluge, with Kyle Studstill | Trends analyst Kyle Studstill joins us from New York via Skype to discuss filtering our world, dealing with information, and setting priorities. | 10/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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17 |
#34: Why Did I Do That? | We humans are great at coming up with rationalizations for the things we do. But often, the reasons we come up with don't stand up to scrutiny. How can we figure out the real forces underlying our own actions and change the way we behave? | 10/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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18 |
#33: An Ethic of Kindness | In the midst of a crazy month, we talk about feeling stretched too thin, as well as the idea of supporting people and organizations that pursue an "ethic of kindness". Plus: an update on Eric's favourite subway musician! | 10/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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19 |
#32: Frustration | It's hard to be positive all the time. Sean and Eric talk about frustration and anger, from the workplace to training a dog, and look for some ways to get over our frustrations with others. | 10/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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20 |
#31: The Learning Letdown | When learning a skill, it can be a big disappointment when the results of our efforts don't measure up to our own expectations. How can we get past these walls and move on to bigger achievements? | 9/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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21 |
#30: Ready, Fire, Aim with Steve St. Pierre | Designer, artist, musician, public speaker and Ottawa Creative Collective co-founder Steve St. Pierre joins Eric via Skype to talk about seat-of-the-pants creativity and making things happen. | 9/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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22 |
#29: Energy | This week: what energizes you and keeps you motivated? We talk about the malaise that can come when we're idle, how to spot it and what to do about it. | 9/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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23 |
#28: Cognitive Dissonance | This week we look at cognitive dissonance, the mental state of holding two conflicting ideas or beliefs at the same time, and what it means for aligning our actions with our ideals. | 9/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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24 |
#27: The Road is My Home, with Chris Luckhardt | Photographer Chris Luckhardt (aka Motionblur) joins us to talk about his travels, including his recent 35-day road trip across Canada and the USA. Check out Chris's website at chrisluckhardt.com, where you'll find links to him on Flickr, Tumblr and Twitter. | 8/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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25 |
#26: Shared Experiences | Happy half-birthday to us! We take a look back at the first six months of Attention Surplus, and reflect on how our experiences change depending on who we share them with. | 8/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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26 |
#25: Addicted to the New | Email, news, Twitter, Facebook, RSS - we talk about climbing out from under the avalanche of information to pay attention to what's actually important, and discuss some more useful insights from dog training. | 8/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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27 |
#24: Have You Thought This Through? | Making a big change in your life – where you live, who you're with or the career you choose – can be unsettling for the people around you. How do you break it to them, and how do you keep them from derailing you? | 8/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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28 |
#23: Dog Training for Humans | After some negative feedback, we change course and revisit the topic of feedback from Episode 20, before exploring animal behaviour training and how we might apply it to human problems. | 8/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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29 |
#22: Meditations on Purpose | Recorded on location on a lake in the Adirondacks, Eric and Sean reflect on their travels and how to shape the kind of life we want by doing things we enjoy and value. | 7/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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30 |
#21: Vulnerability | Eric and Sean exchange stories about vulnerability in strange situations and discuss how it can be a powerful emotion. In the second part of the show, we mention a fascinating article that defies conventional logic and argues that humility requires high self-esteem and respect for others. | 7/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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31 |
#20: Feedback and How to Avoid It | In our always-connected age, when we post something online, we often receive nearly instantaneous feedback. And, perhaps dangerously, we can become addicted to monitoring the stats on our content. Is this healthy? What can we do to avoid it? | 7/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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32 |
#19: A Building Is Not Going To Reject You, with Ren Bostelaar | Photographer Ren Bostelaar joins us to discuss his craft, the discipline of posting a shot a day, and the passion that drives him. | 7/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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33 |
#18: Fear of Failure | It's often said that we need to "fail early, fail often" in order to learn from mistakes and be successful. This week, we discuss the fear of failure and admitting defeat, and question whether the conventional logic holds true. | 6/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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34 |
#17: Capacity | Do we all have the capacity to be passionate, creative, and curious? Is capacity programmed within us or is it an ability that we can learn? | 6/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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35 |
#16: Perspective | After spending two weeks in Thailand, Eric returns to tell the story of one man who made an impact on him and changed his perspective on how to see the world. | 6/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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36 |
#15: Art, Commerce and Fear, with Amrita Chandra | People from the worlds of art and commerce tend to view one another with a certain suspicion. Amrita Chandra should know - she's VP of Marketing at Sequentia Environics, but she's also known as an artist and gallery owner. We chat about reinvention, crossing disciplines, and about confronting our own fears about making a big leap into the unknown. | 5/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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37 |
#14: Constraints | At some point we've all been told to always keep our options open, or to think outside the proverbial box. But can constraints and boundaries actually help us create? What if they're actually essential to focusing our creative energies? | 5/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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38 |
#13: Rolling the Rock Uphill | What do you do when you're treading water and lacking momentum in your work? This week, we talk about being unproductive so that you can be productive, fighting procrastination, and changing directions. | 5/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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39 |
#12: Commitment, Curiosity, Courage and Character | This week we discuss our "four Cs" that can lead us to unexpected life experiences: Commitment, Curiosity, Courage and Character. | 5/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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40 |
#11: Discipline | How can a discipline help us stay focused and achieve our goals? This week, we revisit the daily ritual, discuss the creative habits of famous people and the role that our environment plays on our work. | 5/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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41 |
#10: Measuring Your Life, with Douglas Reid | In part two of our interview with Douglas Reid, Associate Professor and Distinguished Faculty Fellow in Strategy at the Queen's School of Business, we chat about measuring life experiences, the career ladder paradigm, and the content of your character. | 4/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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42 |
#9: The Decade List, with Douglas Reid | Our guest Douglas Reid explains his Decade List, having a common thread that guides your life, belonging to verbs instead of nouns, and what cycling has to do with it all. | 4/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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43 |
#8: Ritual vs. Inertia | Can daily rituals help you overcome the paralyzing effects of inertia and procrastination in your life? | 4/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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44 |
#7: The Network | Do the people we choose to surround ourselves with determine our behaviour? This week, we talk about life stages, embracing insecurity, and connecting with "the crazies" that lead us to rewarding experiences. | 4/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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45 |
#6: Fear Of Missing Out | This week, Sean and Eric get a little "junk" on wine, debate acronyms, and talk about the fear of missing out. | 3/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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46 |
#5: Avoiding Online Cesspools | How do you create online communities of value amidst a sea of anonymous trolls? Sean and Eric talk about tiers of engagement, rewards, and social proof. | 3/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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47 |
#4: Coffee, Baileys and Merlin Mann | Fueled by coffee and Baileys, Sean and Eric talk about getting things done, dealing with email, and getting into flow state. | 3/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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48 |
#3: Trash Dances and Lobster Docs | This week, Sean and Eric talk about communities and reward models that help you do some good by donating or loaning small amounts of money. | 3/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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49 |
#2: Time to Give Back | Sean and Eric talk about barriers to commitment, free time, happiness, and some communities that make it easier to give back. | 2/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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50 |
#1: Is Passion Contagious? | In this inaugural episode of Attention Surplus, Sean and Eric discuss whether it's possible for passion to transfer from one person to another, and whether online and offline interactions can lead to similar emotional connections. | 2/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 50 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Insightful
Disclaimer: I'm friends with Sean and Eric and was their guest on episode 27.
Attention Surplus is one of my favourite podcasts, and not because I know Sean and Eric. I like the podcast *despite* knowing them. Sean and Eric have a way of discussing personal topics about purpose, passion and action and flipping them around in a way that makes them accessible for everyone. Some of the most insightful and intense conversations I've had with friends and family recently were spurred on by the weekly topics on Attention Surplus.
My only criticism thus far is that Eric hasn't been able to give a poor starving musician a simple monetary donation. ;)
Quite interesting!
An engaging podcast with insightful and thought-provoking perspectives on what drives us. It's well worth listening to and I look forward to future episodes!
Entertaining, funny and brilliant.
Sean and Eric are two insightful fellows with deep understanding of being creative with purpose. In many episodes there's a side discussion about time management as well, I love it. I learn something every time I listen.
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- Category: Personal Journals
- Language: English
- © Copyright 2012 - Sean Howard & Eric Portelance
