Creative on Purpose Live!

About Creative on Purpose Live!

Where the art of living meets work that matters. creativeonpurpose.substack.com (https://creativeonpurpose.substack.com/s/creative-on-purpose?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Scott Perry

Category

education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Jun 2017

Latest episode

17 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

82 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Aug 2026

   Be the Thermostat, Not the Thermometer

   CSA: Stepping Into Possibility is now on sale. Purchase the paperback at cost ($6.29 USD) or save 70% on the ebook edition ($2.99 USD). Click here (https://mybook.to/possibilitybook) to start stepping into possibility today! Something happens. A client goes quiet. Someone says the wrong thing. A decision starts weighing on you. And before you know it, you’re no longer dealing with what actually happened. You’re dealing with the story your mind has built around it. That’s the hijack. In this episode, Scott Perry (https://substack.com/profile/39971827-scott-perry) shares a practical framework inspired by Stoic philosophy for interrupting that reaction and turning difficult situations into solvable problems. The central metaphor is simple: be the thermostat, not the thermometer. A thermometer merely reflects the temperature of the room. A thermostat notices the temperature and then does something about it. The same choice exists when life gets difficult. You may not control what happens, what someone else does, or how things ultimately turn out. But you can create enough space between stimulus and response to decide what you’ll do next. Scott walks through three tools for doing exactly that. The Gate Before spending time, attention, or emotional energy on a problem, ask: * Is it necessary? * Is it necessary now? * Is it necessary now by me? A surprising number of apparent emergencies disappear when they pass through those three questions. The Stoic Fork If something really does require your attention, separate what’s yours from what isn’t. You don’t control the outcome, other people, the past, or most circumstances. You do have agency over two things: * How you see the situation. * What you decide and do next. Letting go of everything else isn’t giving up. It’s surrendering responsibility for what was never yours to control. The Decision Triangle Once you know what’s yours, ask three more questions: * What’s now?Strip away the drama, assumptions, motives, and predictions. What are the actual facts? * What’s next?What are all the available actions—not just the first answer your mind rushes toward? * What matters?Which choice best aligns with your values, boundaries, character, and the person you want to become? Scott then puts the entire process to work in a live hot seat with Katherine Palmer (https://substack.com/profile/231780155-katherine-palmer), who wants to write a book but keeps allowing other people’s priorities to consume her time. Their conversation explores boundaries, people-pleasing, finite resources, the difference between responsibility and rescue, and what happens when the work that matters to you continually gets pushed aside. The episode also examines why intelligent people rush toward certainty, why better decisions can still produce bad outcomes, and why sometimes the most important move is getting the problem out of your own head and in front of a trusted fellow traveler. You cannot control the outcome. You can get better at the decision. And that space between the two is where possibility lives. Get Stepping Into Possibility These ideas come from Scott’s book, Stepping Into Possibility: Ancient Stoic Wisdom for Navigating Modern Life, Work, & Relationships. → Purchase Stepping Into Possibility: [CLICK HERE (https://mybook.to/possibilitybook)] Each chapter concludes with a practical invitation designed to help you apply Stoic wisdom to the real situations you’re navigating in your own life, work, and relationships. → Paperback: [CLICK HERE (https://mybook.to/possibilitybook)] Join Creative on Purpose For more practical ideas about living well, doing work that matters, and building something meaningful without betraying yourself, subscribe to Creative on Purpose: And subscribe to the Creative on Purpose YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeOnPurpose (https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeOnPurpose) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit creativeonpurpose.substack.com/subscribe (https://creativeonpurpose.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   22 Jul 2026

   The Human Advantage Over AI

   AI may know everything written about the ocean—but it has never been wet. In this wide-ranging live Q&A, Scott Perry (https://substack.com/profile/39971827-scott-perry) speaks with author, entrepreneur, and mentor Nic Peterson (https://substack.com/profile/125738406-nic-peterson) about what it means to create meaningful work in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Nic explains why lived experience, genuine curiosity, human connection, and the willingness to put unfinished work into the world are becoming more valuable—not less. He also shares how to make an impact without pretending to be someone you are not, how to uncover the simple truth buried inside a complicated idea, and why the process really is the shortcut. The conversation moves from practical communication and business-building principles into deeper questions about identity, fear, structure, energy, and integrity. Nic also reveals what happened when he quietly published a collection of books on Amazon—and how writing those books forced him to confront the gap between what he taught and how he behaved. In this episode: * How to serve others when you naturally prefer solitude * Why you may need a source on one side and a megaphone on the other * How conversations help you find the one sentence people remember * Why you should test ideas on real people instead of polishing them in isolation * How to choose which fear will guide your actions * Why curiosity can interrupt anxiety, shame, and embarrassment * The advantage lived experience gives humans over AI * Why growth requires a structure capable of supporting more energy, money, or influence * How writing can expose the difference between your stated beliefs and actual behavior * What Nick learned from publishing his books through Amazon * Why philosophy is useless unless it improves your life or the lives of those you serve The central invitation is simple: put the idea into contact with reality. Say the thing. Watch what happens. Stay receptive. Then use what you learn to make the work clearer, truer, and more useful. Join the Next Live Q&A This conversation was recorded during an exclusive live session for members of The Circle (https://open.substack.com/pub/creativeonpurpose/p/the-solopreneur-success-circle?r=nsqgj). Join The Circle to participate in future live Q&A calls with Scott and Nic, connect with purpose-driven solopreneurs, and gain access to conversations, coaching, and resources designed to help you build meaningful work on your own terms. Subscribe to Creative on Purpose: Subscribe to the Creative on Purpose YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeOnPurpose (https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeOnPurpose) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit creativeonpurpose.substack.com/subscribe (https://creativeonpurpose.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   8 Jul 2026

   You’re Not Behind

   What does it mean to have “enough”—and how do you know when your business is helping you build the life you want rather than slowly taking it over? In this episode of Creative on Purpose (https://creativeonpurpose.substack.com)’s Scott Perry (https://substack.com/profile/39971827-scott-perry) reconnects with Nic Peterson (https://substack.com/profile/125738406-nic-peterson) for a wide-ranging conversation about sufficiency, Stoicism, self-mastery, priorities, non-negotiables, and the quiet discipline of telling the truth about what you actually want. Nic challenges the usual extremes: chasing more for its own sake on one side, renouncing desire altogether on the other. The real work is more honest and more demanding. It begins with knowing where you are, what time it is in your life, and what you’re actually building toward. Together, Scott and Nic explore why “enough” is not scarcity, why boundaries create freedom, why you’re probably not behind, and why clarity must come before certainty — and certainty before any meaningful attempt to collapse time. This conversation is especially useful for solopreneurs, coaches, consultants, creatives, and purpose-driven professionals who want their business to fund and fit a life worth wanting, not consume it. Want to go deeper with Nic? Paid subscribers to Creative on Purpose are invited to join us next Monday at noon ET for an exclusive live Q&A with Nic. We’ll continue the conversation around enoughness, priorities, non-negotiables, and how to build a business and life with greater clarity. Upgrade today to join the Circle or Inner Circle, bring your questions, and be part of the conversation. In This Episode Scott and Nic explore: * Why “enough” begins with honesty about what you want * The difference between owning something and letting it own you * Why your business should serve your life, not the other way around * How priorities help you decide before fear, panic, or greed take over * Why non-negotiables free up time, energy, and bandwidth * The problem with believing you’re “behind” * Why comparison fails when everyone is playing a different game * How clarity, certainty, and collapsing time work together * Why you become the thing by doing the thing Key Takeaway You are not behind. You are where you are. The better question is whether your current decisions are increasing the probability that you get closer to what you actually want. Subscribe For more conversations, essays, and resources for purpose-driven solopreneurs, subscribe to Creative on Purpose on Substack: And subscribe to the Creative on Purpose YouTube channel. Thank you Brie-Anna Willey (https://substack.com/profile/219753623-brie-anna-willey), New Paths with Sparks (https://substack.com/profile/246832865-new-paths-with-sparks), Duncan The Sage (https://substack.com/profile/254449706-duncan-the-sage), Emma Medina (https://substack.com/profile/154061974-emma-medina), and many others for tuning into my live video with Nic Peterson (https://substack.com/profile/125738406-nic-peterson)! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit creativeonpurpose.substack.com/subscribe (https://creativeonpurpose.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.