In this episode of the SuperCreativity Podcast, James Taylor interviews Dr. Joseph Jebelli, neuroscientist and author of The Brain at Rest and In Pursuit of Memory. Together, they explore how rest isn’t laziness but a neural necessity that unlocks creativity, productivity, and mental clarity.

Discover the neuroscience behind the brain’s default mode network (DMN), why overwork accelerates aging and burnout, and practical strategies for harnessing rest to spark creative insights. Dr. Jebelli also shares actionable tips on micro-rest practices, the surprising cognitive power of nature, and why doing “nothing” could be the most productive thing you do today.

Perfect for entrepreneurs, creatives, leaders, and anyone looking to work smarter—not harder.

• Rest is a productivity tool: Rest activates the brain’s default mode network, boosting intelligence, memory, and creativity.

• Burnout rewires the brain: Chronic overwork shrinks the hippocampus, enlarges the amygdala, and accelerates cognitive aging.

• Micro-rest techniques work: Short breaks, naps, and even just staring into space can enhance problem-solving and creative thinking.

• Nature fuels creativity: Spending as little as 20 minutes in green or blue spaces significantly improves creativity, memory, and immune health.

• Cultural mindset shift needed: From hustle culture to embracing rest as a key driver of performance and well-being.

“People often succeed in life not despite their inactivity but because of it.” – Dr. Joseph Jebelli

“Rest isn’t powering down; it’s your brain switching states and forming new connections.” – Dr. Joseph Jebelli

“Nature is full of what psychologists call soft fascinations—things that hold your attention effortlessly and calm the brain.” – Dr. Joseph Jebelli

“The more you rest, the sharper and more creative your brain becomes.” – Dr. Joseph Jebelli

• 00:00 – Introduction to Dr. Joseph Jebelli and his work

• 01:32 – Personal story: How overwork led to insights about rest

• 05:07 – The statistics behind burnout and its neurological effects

• 08:29 – The cultural roots of overwork and the Protestant work ethic

• 13:36 – The brain’s default mode network explained

• 17:31 – Why naps grow your brain (literally)

• 20:27 – Creativity, the shower effect, and hypnopompic states

• 24:26 – The importance of green and blue spaces for brain health

• 28:49 – Micro-rest practices for everyday life

• 33:22 – The connection between place, nature, and creativity

• 41:24 – Favorite quotes and reflections on solitude

• 44:09 – Why boredom sparks creativity

• 45:46 – Rituals vs. apps for better rest and productivity

• 47:27 – Book recommendation: The Expectation Effect by David Robson

• 49:00 – How to connect with Dr. Jebelli

• Dr. Joseph Jebelli’s Website: drjosephjebelli.com

• Book: The Brain at Rest

• Book: In Pursuit of Memory

• Recommended Read: The Expectation Effect by David Robson

In this solo episode, James Taylor shares his favorite listening game—Only Questions—and shows how strategic curiosity can unlock trust, insight, and innovation. You’ll learn the science of the curiosity gap (why a good question makes the brain restless until it gets an answer), the three reasons leaders suppress curiosity (ego, speed, fear), and a practical playbook for asking better follow-ups, spotting surprises, and building a personal “question bank.” Includes a Zurich-to-Dubai story where one question turned into a keynote-worthy insight.

• Play “Only Questions.” Make it your mission to learn as much as possible about the other person—without talking about yourself. It sharpens listening and builds trust fast.

• Use the Curiosity Gap. As behavioral economist George Loewenstein described, the gap between what we know and what we want to know pulls attention like gravity—great communicators open that gap on purpose.

• Why curiosity gets suppressed: Ego (signal expertise), speed (rush to ship), and fear (looking uninformed). Naming these helps you counter them.

• Questions change rooms. “What problem are we actually trying to solve?” and “What if we flipped the approach?” surface constraints and reveal blind spots.

• Follow-up is where the gold is. Ask “Why is that important to you?” or “What’s been the biggest challenge so far?” to go deeper.

• Train your curiosity muscle. Listen for surprises, keep a running list of great questions, and practice in low-stakes settings (planes, breaks, 1:1s).

• Pro travel tip: Bring chocolates for cabin crew—they often know the stories behind the seats.

• “Only Questions is a deliberate exercise in curiosity.”

• “In leadership, innovation, and creativity, curiosity is a superpower—and it’s massively underused.”

• “Some of the biggest breakthroughs didn’t come from the right answers; they came from better questions.”

• “The most valuable insight you hear this month might come at 35,000 feet—starting with two words: What’s interesting?”

• 00:09 — The game: How Only Questions works and why James plays it on long-haul flights.

• 01:xx — Outcomes: Building trust, mapping context, and collecting insight—while revealing almost nothing about yourself.

• 03:xx — The Curiosity Gap: Why questions hook attention and keep people engaged.

• 04:xx — The blockers: Ego, speed, and fear—how they shut down inquiry in business.

• 05:xx — Questions that shift strategy: “What problem are we actually solving?” and “What if we flipped it?”

• 06:xx — Zurich→Dubai story: A finance conversation that became a keynote-level case study.

• 07:xx — The practice plan: Follow-ups, listening for surprises, and keeping a question bank.

• 08:xx — Travel tip: Chocolates for crew = social intel.

• 09:xx — Closing prompt: Open a curiosity gap—start with, “What’s interesting?”

If this episode sparked better questions, like, follow, and subscribe to the SuperCreativity Podcast—and share it with a teammate who leads innovation.
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Creativity at work isn’t random—it’s designed. In this SuperCreativity Podcast episode, Dr. Amy Climer (author of Deliberate Creative Teams and creator of Climer Cards) joins James to break down her Purpose–Dynamics–Process model for team creativity. We dig into psychological safety and “creative abrasion,” reframing the right problem before ideating, meeting redesigns that unlock innovation, and practical tools like ethnographic interviews and image prompts. Plus: exnovation (what to stop doing) and how leaders can turn conflict into better ideas, faster.

• Be deliberate to be creative: rituals + structure make innovation repeatable.

• The Deliberate Creative Team model = Purpose, Dynamics, Process—alignment matters.

• Clarify before you ideate or you’ll solve the wrong problem.

• Encourage task conflict (“creative abrasion”), avoid relationship conflict—psychological safety is the guardrail.

• Redesign meetings: less reporting, more collaborating through clear stages (clarify → ideate → develop → test).

• Make time by stopping things: exnovate outdated tasks and meetings.

• Practical tools: Creative Problem Solving, ethnographic interviews, and image-based prompts (Climer Cards).

• “Be deliberate to be creative.”

• “Creativity is novelty that is valuable.”

• “Teams think they have a process—until you ask them to describe it.”

• “If you didn’t spend time clarifying, you’d solve the wrong problem.”

• “Creative abrasion means disagreeing about the work—respectfully.”

• 00:08 — Intro to Dr. Amy Climer and her work with innovative teams and organizations.

• 01:16 — Amy’s path: from The Artist’s Way to a PhD and a consulting practice.

• 03:23 — Creating the Deliberate Creative Team Scale: measuring behaviors, not just traits.

• 04:36 — The model: Purpose, Dynamics, Process (and why all three matter).

• 06:17 — Applying the model to an engineering team: purpose, process, and meeting design.

• 10:53 — Clarifying the problem: how five minutes can change the brief.

• 12:25 — Ethnographic interviews: talk to the people who actually have the problem.

• 14:55 — Dynamics & “creative abrasion”: productive task conflict vs. harmful relationship conflict.

• 18:05 — Safety, hierarchy, and speaking up (airline cockpit lesson).

• 22:58 — The biggest blocker is “time”—and how exnovation frees it.

• 29:47 — Letting go to innovate: pausing projects to serve emerging client needs.

• 30:30 — A teacher’s influence and early psychological safety.

• 33:59 — Leaders’ misconception: “I don’t want creativity, I want innovation.” Defining terms.

• 36:56 — More people now self-identify as creative; culture and generational shifts.

• 38:41 — The 1950 APA moment and the boom in creativity research.

• 39:37 — If you do one thing: fix your team meetings to unlock brainpower.

• 41:03 — Tools: Climer Cards and image prompts to deepen conversation and ideation.

• 43:42 — Book pick: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

• 45:12 — Connect with Amy: Climer Consulting and LinkedIn.

• 45:58 — Close.

• Deliberate Creative Teams — Dr. Amy Climer

• Climer Cards (image-based facilitation/ideation decks)

• The Artist’s Way — Julia Cameron

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow and rate the show—and share it with a colleague who cares about building innovative teams.
👉 Like & subscribe to the SuperCreativity Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/scp