Some things must end so other things may begin. In this final episode of The Portfolio Life, Jeff discusses what a portfolio life is and shares the lessons he’s learned over the course of producing the podcast. Lessons learned: Your first st

Peak Performance Every Day: Interview with Eric Partaker

Feb 4th, 2021 1h 3m

On The Portfolio Life this week, I’m chatting with Peak Performance Expert, Eric Partaker. Eric helps entrepreneurs become better leaders using behavioral science and techniques from the worlds of elite sports and the military, where peak perfo

The Artist’s Life: Interview with Elida Field

Jan 28th, 2021 1h 10m

On The Portfolio Life this week, I’m talking to Elida Field, a professional artist whose work has been featured in the White House and on magazine covers. She’s currently working on her first book, Nobody Dies in Art Class. To learn more about

Am I Still Me?

Nov 12th, 2020 19m 26s

The act of finding the deeper part of you that never fades may be the most important task of your life. It is certainly the best place from which to create.

Before You Build Your First Product, Do This

Oct 14th, 2020 15m 32s

We're at the end of the 5-day Paid to Create challenge and so far, we’ve identified why we create, the importance of making money off our art, how to know what to sell, and to whom. Now, it’s time to sell.

Sell Them What They Want, Give Them What They Need

Oct 12th, 2020 25m 25s

Before you figure out what you want to sell, you need to first figure out what people are willing to pay for. Your job is to create something unique, something that at first meets a felt need of a person but then, in some way, goes beyond what

More Than Passion: Getting Clear on a Business Idea

Oct 12th, 2020 15m 55s

To start a business, you need more than passion. Getting paid to create really is about getting clear on what people want. Before we get into the super practical work of actually accepting money from other people, we need to get clear on what w

3 Kinds of Creators: Which One Are You?

Oct 12th, 2020 31m

There are, I think, roughly three kinds of creators in this world, each with their own path. Today, I want to share with you two things. First is the three kinds of creators, and the second is the path to building an organization around your wo

Get Paid to Create

Oct 5th, 2020 25m 31s

Why do we create? To share a thought: an idea, a story, a paradigm. To help another person, perhaps, simply by saying something others are unwilling to say. This week, I'm hosting a free, 5-day challenge to get you to take action. My goal for y

What Words Can Do

Aug 27th, 2020 25m 31s

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what words can do. They can cut a person down or lift them up. They can overwhelm another with beauty or devastate their soul. I am always searching for the words that want to be said because when you find

One Unexpected Outcome of Announcing My Divorce on the Internet

Aug 10th, 2020 11m 45s

This past week, I shared the news of my marriage ending. This has been the hardest decision of my life, something I was nervous to talk about publicly, but how people responded more than surprised me.

How to Stop Being Distracted and Do What Matters: Interview with Nir Eyal

Aug 3rd, 2020 41m 6s

Distraction is no friend to a writer. But we all have had our dance with her before, haven't we? She is everywhere, all around us, from the devices we use to the websites we visit, to how we consume our news and media. If we are going to truly

Taking Care of Your Creative Life in the Midst of a Pandemic

Jul 2nd, 2020 39m 25s

These days, I seem to be going through a personal renaissance, re-thinking who I am, what I do, and my contribution to the world. I keep running into other writers, artists, and creative professionals who seem to be struggling with the same thi

When I Became Me: Understanding the Life of an Artist as Story

May 18th, 2020 27m 36s

Before you can create anything, you must first create yourself. The process of changing your life—of pursuing a vocation, finding a true love, even making a career transition—always begins with an understanding of who you are. But it doesn’t st

The 3 Stages of an Artist’s Work: Transaction, Compromise, Gift

May 13th, 2020 32m 8s

What if the point of becoming a professional artist or writer was not what you thought it was? What if success wasn’t the ultimate goal? What if each phase of your journey, even the frustrating ones, was a necessary stage to better understand w

Don't Pivot

May 4th, 2020 28m 41s

The world is in crisis, and many people are telling you to do something new. But what if you didn’t have to do that? What if, instead of pivoting into new and exciting opportunities, we who make things considered this a call to our true work? W

Everything Is a Performance: Michael Port on the Roles We Play

Apr 27th, 2020 56m 26s

How do you respond to something like a pandemic? A crisis when the whole world goes upside down. What role is being required of you when you feel like the thing that you offer the world isn't even needed? In this week's episode of The Portfolio

Think You’re Doing This Quarantine Thing Terribly? I’ve Got You Beat (But There’s Still Hope)

Apr 13th, 2020 16m 46s

Hello there from quarantine. You might be feeling some shame for being unproductive or lazy or depressed during this time of crisis and social distancing. Please allow me to make you feel better. I am doing this worse than you, promise. How are

Now is the Time to Give Your Greatest Gift

Mar 24th, 2020 18m 16s

Is it an act of bravery to merely survive a crisis? Maybe. But if you have the potential to be remarkable, why wouldn’t you be? Now is the time to give your greatest gift to the world.

This Is About More Than Toilet Paper

Mar 17th, 2020 22m 55s

“What did you do with this crisis?” This may be what our children ask us about this time. And as you'll see, a crisis is an opportunity to create something new. Links from this episode: If you are a creator and in financial need, check out thi

No, We Actually Don’t Need You to Write a Book (The Better Book Manifesto)

Mar 2nd, 2020 8m 32s

We don’t need more books in the world; we need better books. We don’t need another mystery novel or cancer survival story or career advice tome. We don’t need another seven steps or four laws or twelve rules for anything, really. Sorry. We just

I Wrote a Book on Public Speaking and Then Became a Successful Speaker

Feb 17th, 2020 17m 51s

This week, my first ghostwriting project, The Successful Speaker, comes out. This was a collaboration with Grant Baldwin, the leading expert on what it takes to build a successful speaking business. It was a lot of fun, but what I didn’t expect

You Don’t Need More to Start: 3 Timeless Truths to Succeed

Feb 10th, 2020 34m 5s

I tend to think of life as a journey these days far more than a destination. If I could summarize what I believe about almost everything in life, it would be this: Clarity comes with action. This is harder than it sounds. Do I quit my job or no

Why We All Need to Act More Like Artists

Feb 3rd, 2020 43m 26s

"Why do we need art?" In a world that seems to more and more focused on "work works," is there still a place for beauty? Do artists matter anymore? I think they do.

What Creativity Can Do That Nothing Else Can

Jan 27th, 2020 35m 29s

There are three messages creativity can communicate, and these messages are what connect us as human beings. Which is to say, without the arts—without the ability to creatively express who we are and what we care about—we lose a bit of our huma