Ben Callahan joins Brad to discuss what’s currently motivating him, from enjoying homemade ham and bean soup in Ohio to a deeper focus on connecting people through curiosity-led facilitation. Ben reflects on a transitional season of life, the importance of personal and organizational values, and how communities work best when they’re allowed to form organically. He describes his annual values exercise, the role of sharing and teaching in web culture, and the need to reintroduce humanity after COVID. The conversation also explores music’s ability to create presence and unity, with recommendations including Chanticleer, Jacob Collier, and Radiohead.

Books

• Get Together — Building Community

Music / Artists

• Chanticleer
• Jacob Collier
• Bobby McFerrin
• Radiohead

Websites / Communities / Projects

• ben callahan.com — Ben's home base for everything
• The Question — Weekly open community design systems research project
• Redwoods — Ben's new paid community for design systems practitioners
• Sparkbox — Ben's consultancy
• Design Downtime — Podcast by Guy Siegall (Ben was a season 1 guest)

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (00:26) - What has Ben waking up excited?
• (09:37) - Community as Resistance
• (13:55) - Values and Learning Mode
• (35:08) - Hardship Resets Trajectory
• (37:52) - Sharing Culture Of The Web
• (42:46) - Music Presence And Connection
• (50:39) - Consciousness Curiosity And Openness
• (57:02) - Music Recommendations
• (01:01:00) - Where To Find Ben

Brad Frost welcomes Sydney-based artist and designer Gemma O’Brien to Wake Up Excited to discuss her work in murals, lettering, and calligraphy and her recent move to London to study at the intersection of art and neuroscience. Gemma shares what she learned shifting from “thinking like an artist” to “thinking like a scientist,” including the rigor of statistics and research, and describes her flow-state study with artists, where self-reported intuition in the creative process significantly predicted flow even after controlling for expertise. They explore how to foster flow through attention, intrinsic motivation, goals, and challenge-skill balance, plus the healing power of the arts, stepping outside comfort zones, collaboration, and optimism as a learned superpower.

Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 02:20 Neuroaesthetics Leap
• 03:31 Thesis Crunch Time
• 05:47 Artist Workflow Reset
• 09:09 Science Learning Curve
• 12:37 Studying Flow And Intuition
• 20:40 Why Art Moves Us
• 25:37 Arts Therapy And Healing
• 34:38 Optimism As Superpower
• 38:32 Helping Without Burning Out
• 42:04 Strengths Gratitude Daily Practice
• 45:56 Beginner Mind And Discomfort
• 51:55 Collaboration Ego And Delegation
• 01:00:57 Flow State Conditions And Attention
• 01:07:54 Intrinsic Motivation
• 1:12:07 Music Playlists
• 01:15:07 Wrap Up Links

Brad Frost welcomes Mike Rybachuk, founder of Ukraine-based design education platform The Projector Institute, to discuss living a positive, fulfilling life while Russia’s war impacts Mike’s family, friends, colleagues, and business in Ukraine.

From Prague, Mike shares practical, low-cost ways to improve daily life and spread positivity—working outdoors with a hammock and foldable chair, waving to strangers, and intentionally combining work, nature, and social time. They talk about making work fun without diminishing seriousness, prioritizing joy, and avoiding cultures of constant complaining. Mike emphasizes self-honesty, introspection, and personal responsibility, including his five-year commitment to becoming honest with himself, reframing emotions like fear as signals for action, and using simple techniques like counting to three before reacting. He stresses helping others from where you are with what you have, collaborating rather than starting alone, and choosing responsible work that improves the world.

Topics discussed:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (01:34) - Support the Podcast: Brad’s Courses + Discount Code
• (02:20) - Kicking Off in Prague: Why Mike’s Waking Up Excited
• (03:04) - Starting Skateboarding at 40
• (05:20) - Cheap Ways to Upgrade Your Day
• (08:25) - Why Can’t Work Be Fun?
• (11:30) - Not Waiting for Retirement to Live
• (16:11) - Priorities, Joy, and Escaping the “Complaining Communities” Trap
• (19:56) - Micro-Positivity in Real Life
• (30:11) - The 5-Year Project: Practicing Self-Honesty (and What It Changes)
• (37:19) - Subjective vs Objective Thoughts: Letting Go of Stress Triggers
• (47:51) - Stop Mind-Reading: Ask, Validate, and Communicate Clearly
• (52:00) - Emotions Aren’t Weakness
• (58:25) - Stoicism & Philosophy as Tools
• (01:08:48) - Ukraine’s Resilience on the Ground: Living Life Under Bombs
• (01:19:45) - Education as Resistance
• (01:28:00) - Choosing Work That Makes the World Better
• (01:33:33) - Collaboration Creates Magic
• (01:38:55) - Where to Find Projector Institute