In the first episode of The Art of Paying Attention Podcast, Ryan talks about the connection between art, activism, creativity, and faith. You can’t have one without the other. In every cultural moment addressing social injustice you find new art right around the corner. You also find new expressions of faith and spirituality. Mentioned in the Show: * Join the newsletter and never miss a beat: * Martin Luther King documentary “King in the Wilderness”: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7689960/ * Shepard Fairey (Street Artist): https://obeygiant.com/ * Corita Kent (Nun/Artist): https://www.corita.or ..read more

In this episode Ryan interviews author, business coach, and entrepreneur Steve Kidd. Steve is helping people get their books and voice into the world. Kidd has made hundreds of his clients bestselling authors. In this interview, Ryan and Steve explore the difficulty of writing, why certain books sell (and others don't), marketing for ordinary people, what Steve does for his clients, and much more. Mentioned in the Show: Free Gift from Steve: https://thrivingbestsellers.thrivecart.com/only-the-beginning/ We Moved: join us on our new platform: https://ryanjpelton.substack.com/ All the things ..read more

Deborah Smith earned a degree in holistic health coaching at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2006 and opened her own vegan catering company, Green Pirate Juice, in 2007. Over those 15 years, Deborah had the privilege of serving and coaching thousands of New Yorkers and global clients through her programs and services. In this interview, Ryan and Deborah explore the benefits of healthy living for the creative, why diets don't work, what she learned during the Pandemic about health, entrepreneurship, and much more. You can find Debora ..read more

DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling author. His collaboration with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero, The Living Dead, was acclaimed by The New York Times and The Washington Post. With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored The Shape of Water, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus co-authored Trollhunters, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. Kraus’s The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s Top 10 Books of the Year. Kraus has won a Scribe Award, two Odyssey Awards (for both Rot ..read more

Joe Phoenix is a co-founder and CEO of Givinga, a Boston-based financial technology firm that is removing barriers to philanthropy by providing open access to modern tools. Givinga’s Philantech® platform allows companies, platforms and partners to customize giving programs that engage employees and enable everyone to give back regularly and efficiently. With 30 years of experience in global asset management, including 25 years at Putnam Investments, Joe created Givinga to redefine philanthropy, and he believes anyone can be a philanthropist when they have access to all available resources. In ..read more

In this episode, Ryan remembers his friend, and fellow writer Jay Wilburn, who passed away last week. Jay was a "prolific" writer and a vital member of the horror and indie writing community. He was a beloved husband and father and man of faith. This interview was one of the first on the former podcast "The Prolific Writer." If you'd like to donate to Jay's favorite charity do it here: https://scaresthatcarecharityweekendwi.godaddysites.com/donate-now?fbclid=IwAR3h089L7jCHXxzo-2LQz9kwKX2TNEi9lJt-8Pi_hzR7vDmSuQkFSdQD5PM You can also find Jay and his work here: https://www.jaywilburn.com/ S ..read more

Commonly described as equal parts loud music, Disney culture, tattoos, and book nerd, Matt Briel is an entrepreneur and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Lulu.com, as well as a self-diagnosed collaboration junkie. After more than 15 years leading Sales and Marketing teams in the Media & Publishing spaces, he’s developed a unique passion for helping creators become more successful by leveraging books as a catalyst for opportunities and sustainable revenue. Matt has been featured in some articles you probably don’t care about and has spoken at several industry events th ..read more

Matt Spielman is an executive and organizational coach and the founder and head coach of Inflection Point Partners. Matt’s journey into coaching and the methodology and philosophy of his work is laid out in his recently released book, “Inflection Points: How to Work and Live with Purpose,” which you can buy here. Matt draws upon decades of senior-executive operating experience at both public and Venture Capital-backed organizations. He now partners with high-performing executives and their teams to realize business and personal success. Matt is an ICF Professional Certified Coach and graduate ..read more

As the Director of the Race Institute for K-12 Educators, Ali Michael, Ph.D. works with schools and organizations across the country to help make research on race, Whiteness, and education more accessible and relevant to educators. Eleonora Bartoli, Ph.D., is a consultant and licensed psychologist, specializing in trauma, resilience-building, and multicultural/social justice counseling. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology: Human Development/Mental Health Research from the University of Chicago in 2001. In this conversation, Ryan, Eleonora, and Ali discuss why talking about race and ge ..read more

Abigail Morrison is a creative writer who’s been telling stories for over a decade. She loves stories that feature grace and redemption, ask questions (without necessarily answering them), and point toward possibility. Her debut novel, Yochni’s Eye, will be launching in Summer, 2022. Ryan and Abigail chat about her journey into publishing, what held her back for many years, how The Prolific Creator helped in the journey, and much more. You can find Abigail here: https://amorrisonbooks.com/ ***Sign up for The Prolific Creator+ and get full access to the archives and weekly bonus content ..read more