CREATIVE STRENGTHS

div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&_pre>div]:border-0.5 [&_pre>div]:border-border-400 [&_.ignore-pre-bg>div]:bg-transparent [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8"> _*]:min-w-0 standard-markdown"> What if this isn't the year you reinvent yourself? What if this is the year you return to yourself, to your own personal strengths, your genuine values, your natural way of working? This first episode of 2025 challenges the pressure to set aggressive goals and push harder. Through examples of creators who grew significantly in 2025 using completely opposite approaches, we explore why there's no single formula for success, only your formula. I introduce three principles for building a lighter, steadier business: making it truer rather than louder, choosing depth over momentum, and embracing small aligned shifts. If you're tired of forcing yourself into someone else's model, this episode offers a refreshing path forward. Key Moments: [00:00] The pressure of new year expectations: A gentler alternative approach [01:19] Why traditional business advice doesn't work for creative minds [04:52] Doing things your way: Example - Creators with completely different approaches, both successful [08:52] 3 Principles to anchor you in 2026  [15:15] Personal story: how removing rather than adding transformed my floral business [17:05] Three grounding questions for the year ahead   Notable Quotes: "Your business doesn't need to be louder than everyone else's. It needs to be more authentically yours." "Big transformations almost always come from gentle, repeated adjustments. Small shifts, made consistently, in a direction that aligns with your strengths."   Resources Mentioned: Read: This Week's  Full Journal Post Link: The Base Notes Waitlist Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter Website: www.philippacraddock.com Send an Email: [email protected]   Share Your Insights: I'd love to hear what you're focusing on this year. What's the one thing that really matters to you?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on Instagram, Many of our wonderful conversations prompt future episodes.   Never Miss an Episode: Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. You'll receive thoughtful reflections on building a creative business that feels genuinely yours, along with practical guidance you can implement straight away.

div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&_pre>div]:border-0.5 [&_pre>div]:border-border-400 [&_.ignore-pre-bg>div]:bg-transparent [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8"> _*]:min-w-0 standard-markdown"> We're brilliant at looking forwards. At setting goals. At planning what's next. But taking time to genuinely look back and celebrate what we've achieved? To acknowledge the obstacles we've overcome, the solutions we've created, the progress we've made? That's something we tend to skip right past. And I think that's a real shame. Because that reflection, that celebration, it's not indulgent. It's strategic. It's how we build sustainable success. In this year end episode, we're pausing to do what creative entrepreneurs rarely give themselves permission to do: look back and genuinely acknowledge how far we've come. We'll explore why we skip this crucial step, why it matters more than you might think, and what happens when you give yourself space to reflect on where your exceptional strengths showed up this year.   Key Moments: [01:39] Taking time to celebrate how far you have come [02:53] Why we skip this step: The real power of looking back [08:40] My personal reflection [10:44] The one powerful question to reflect on over the next few days: where did your exceptional strengths show up this year? [13:39] A gentle invitation   Notable Quotes: "When you take time to acknowledge how far you've come, something changes. You start to see your capabilities more clearly. You recognise patterns in what works for you. You build confidence in your ability to solve problems and overcome challenges."   Resources Mentioned: Read: This Week's Full Journal Post Link: Why Taking Time Off Work is The Smartest Productivity Strategy Link: The Base Notes Waitlist Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter Website: www.philippacraddock.com Send an Email: [email protected]   Share Your Insights: I'd love to hear from you: Where did your exceptional strengths show up this year? What moments felt most like yourself in your work? Send me a DM on Instagram I read and respond to every message.   Never Miss an Episode: Don't forget to subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast wherever you listen, and join my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, practical guidance, and first access to new content.

Whether you're a fan of Taylor Swift or not, the strategic thinking behind her Eras Tour offers remarkable lessons for creative entrepreneurs. This episode explores the business operation, leadership decisions, and discipline that made a $2 billion tour possible and what you can apply to your own creative business. From six months of intensive preparation to handwritten letters for her entire team, discover how making excellence look effortless requires extraordinary work behind the scenes. You'll learn about building for long-term trust rather than short-term profit, creating cultures where clients become participants, and maintaining standards that become your reputation.   Key Moments: [00:00] Why Taylor Swift's tour docuseries reveals powerful business lessons for creative entrepreneurs [02:50] The scale and strategic planning behind a $2 billion operation with 149 shows and making it look effortless [10:17] Creating Partisipants not Spectators [12:08] Personal Touches and Continuous Evolution [18:19] What does Taylor Swift's tour have to do with your creative business?   Notable Quotes: "Making something feel effortless requires incredible preparation. The sense of freedom comes from having done so much work that you don't have to think about all the different components anymore." "Building something exceptional is never about luck or talent alone, it's always about the choices you make behind the scenes. The preparation you're willing to do that no one sees. The discipline you maintain when no one's watching."   Resources Mentioned: Read: This Week's Full Journal Post Link: The Base Notes Waitlist Link: Episode 090. Why Care And Design Matters In Business Link: Taylor Swift Docuseries:  The Eras Tour Docuseries Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter Website: www.philippacraddock.com Send an Email: [email protected]   Share Your Insights: What stood out most to you from these business lessons? Have you experienced how preparation creates freedom in your own work, or discovered ways to build long-term trust with your clients? I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a message on Instagram I read every message.   Never Miss an Episode: Don't forget to subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast wherever you listen, and join my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, practical guidance, and first access to new content.  

So many creative entrepreneurs think they need to leave their "serious" professional self behind. That corporate background, that legal career... they see it as separate from who they are now. But that might be costing you your most distinctive positioning. The parts of yourself that feel contradictory? Those might just be your superpower. The creative entrepreneurs I see thriving are the ones who've brought their whole selves forward. That's what creates a business no one else can replicate. In this episode, I share how your previous career isn't something to hide, it's an integral part of what makes you exceptional. From my own journey in executive search to stories from recent Base Notes participants, I explore why integration beats separation every time.   Key Moments: [00:00] Introduction: Why your "serious" background is actually your superpower [03:25] The false choice: Treating previous careers as separate from creative work [04:59] My executive search background and how it shapes everything I do today [09:22] Real transformation: The strategist who blended high-level work with gentle creativity. The lawyer who brought precision thinking into creative copywriting [14:34] The Pattern I keep seeing [18:02] How professional backgrounds create genuinely unique positioning [26:30] The takeaway: Your contradiction is your competitive advantage, bringing your whole self forward   Notable Quotes: "You don't have two separate lives. You have one remarkable journey and a bucket load of brilliant experience, where you've been building an extraordinary and unique skill set. And when you bring all of that forwards, when you integrate rather than separate, that's when you become genuinely unstoppable."   Resources Mentioned: Read: This Week's Full Journal Post Link: The Base Notes Waitlist Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter Website: www.philippacraddock.com Email: [email protected]    Share Your Insights: Have you been treating your professional background as something separate from your creative business? I'd love to hear how this episode landed for you. Send me a DM on Instagram. I read and respond to every message.   Never Miss an Episode: Subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast wherever you listen, and join my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, practical guidance, and first access to new content.              

Welcome to the very first episode of the Creative Strengths podcast. This foundational episode examines something backed by research but often overlooked: how your creative thinking isn't a quirk misplaced in business, it's one of your biggest competitive advantages. Leading research consistently identifies creativity as the number one factor for future business success. This episode explores what creative thinking actually means in practical business terms, why it matters more than ever, and what becomes possible when you understand your specific creative strengths as genuine competitive advantages.   Key Moments: [00:00] Introducing Creative strengths  [02:33] The Research That Changes Everything  [05:22] What Creative Thinking Actually Means in Business  [14:07] Your Unique Creative Strengths  [17:17] Real Life, Right Now and my Experience [20:05] What Becomes Possible  [23:12] The Missing Piece & What You Actually Need  [26:56] What This Podcast Explores   Resources Mentioned: Read: This Week's Full Journal Post Link: The Base Notes Waitlist Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter Website: www.philippacraddock.com Email: [email protected]  Ref: World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report Ref: IBM CEO Study on Creativity Ref: Linkedin Learning 2024 Workplace Learning Ref: Adobe State of Create report Ref: McKinsey on Agile Organisations Ref: Harvard Business School on Leadership in Uncertainty   Share Your Insights: What creative strength do you have that feels too easy or obvious to you, but others consistently find remarkable? I'd love to hear what you discover about your own creative thinking. Send me a message on Instagram. I read every message, often these discussions lead to future episodes   Never Miss an Episode: Subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast wherever you listen, and join my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, practical guidance, and first access to new content.