Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents

Our 26th episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Tamara L. McMillan, MS, an award-winning Lecturer, Author, and TEDx speaker working on her dissertation for the Ph.D. in Creative Leadership for Innovation and Change from The University of the Virgin Islands. As an adjunct lecturer at SUNY Buffalo State and Chief Empowerment Officer at empower mee, she uses deliberate creativity in the classroom and with her clients.

Tamara discusses her passion for using deliberate creativity in her own life and being deliberate about who she is as a person. She learned about the academic program, Creativity and Change Leadership at the SUNY Buffalo State from her sisters. After taking one class, she went on to complete an Advanced Certificate and is continuing her studies today at the doctorate level. She describes the sacred relationship between professors and scholars and the many success stories she has achieved using creativity in the classroom.

You will learn about the Failure Fanaticism Framework and the idea that we all “pass failure on our way to success.”  Using the example of Silicon Valley, Tamara describes the subject of her dissertation on using failure to empower rather than disempower. Failure is positive because if you are not failing, you are “probably playing it safe” and may miss out on opportunities to “elevate, scale and leverage.”

Tamara uses her voice as her vehicle in her business, empower mee, to help women navigate their next move forward. She has assembled a tribe of women from diverse backgrounds to be Bold Together. Her book, Liberation Now, is a “love letter to her younger self,” and her Creative Flow involves “trusting me with me.”

Don’t miss this open discussion of why creativity is essential today because it “allows everyone to show up as their authentic self “ and “holds the space for everyone at the table.” Find our podcast today on all of your favorite platforms.

The start of our third season and the twenty-fifth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Gerard J. Puccio, Ph.D., the Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Creativity and Change Leadership Department at SUNY- Buffalo State.

Dr. Puccio explores the trajectory of the field of Creativity from a pioneering graduate program founded in 1967 to a growing program of distinction known worldwide. The degree program is a transformational educational experience that helps students actualize as human beings, build creative confidence and develop leadership skills. Two exciting upcoming projects discussed are the new Innovation Suite planned for the Butler Library at Buffalo State College and launching a doctoral degree in Creativity and Change leadership.

Dr. Puccio’s journey to Creativity started at Jamestown Community College when he took a course in Creativity recommended by his academic advisor, Dr. Dean Patton. Today he is one of the preeminent leaders in the field, having written more than 60 articles, chapters, and books. As an accomplished speaker and consultant, he has delivered creativity workshops and presentations across the US and in more than 20 different countries.

The Burchfield Penney Art Gallery is an example of a success story where Dr. Puccio led brainstorming concept development sessions for a large group of stakeholders. Concepts directly taken from these sessions are a living representation of using CPS to “engage a community to create something world-class.”  The NY Times named it one of the top buildings to visit in the year it was built.

Don’t miss this inspiring discussion on the future of Creativity as we discuss the impact of neuroscience in providing insights into why creativity methods work and opportunities for improving physical and mental health with Creative Problem Solving.

Our twenty-fourth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Laura and Tim Switalski, a married couple who share a passion for using deliberate creativity in their lives and work. Originally from Milan, Italy, Laura met her husband in Buffalo, NY, at the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI). They used creativity to find a way to be together despite the distance from Milan to Buffalo. Ultimately, they came to work together at Darwin Associates, the consulting business Tim founded, now celebrating its 27th anniversary. They both have an MS in Creativity and Change Leadership from the Center for Applied Imagination, SUNY Buffalo State, where Laura is also on the adjunct faculty.

Tim discusses a success story with the NYS Office of Mental Health, Division of Children and Families, teaching facilitators and conducting youth summits statewide. This work prompted real social,  policy, and funding changes, and is being published in a book on Collective Intelligence. During the pandemic, they worked to help two private schools successfully merge into one. From dialogue sessions to action teams, they helped the new organization create a shared vision and strategy.

Another legacy of Tim and Laura is their work founding the CREA Conference in Europe, a multi-cultural event that has been held for over 18 years. Tim describes the creative flow he finds in musical harmony, and Laura discusses her flow when doing yoga, dancing, and walking in nature.

Don’t miss this entertaining discussion from a married couple who describes using creativity in their everyday lives together and the many successes they have achieved in their work with Creative Problem Solving.

Our twenty-third episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Amanda Lohiser, Ph.D.. Amanda has over twelve years of experience in higher education, teaching undergraduate and graduate students in the United States, Singapore, and Denmark. Her educational background includes a BA and Ph.D. in communication studies, an MS in public relations, an MS in Creativity and Change Leadership from the Center for Applied Imagination, SUNY Buffalo State, and facial action coding systems certifications. Her Ph.D. focus was on socio-emotional intelligence and how understanding your own emotions and the emotions of others can help you be a better communicator.

Amanda uses Creative Problem Solving in the classroom at SUNY Fredonia by infusing her lessons with creativity and deliberately teaching workshops on the topic. She describes how she was faced with the challenge of moving her classes from in-person to virtual with only a few days' notice and used her training and a creativity mindset to incorporate techniques such as virtual whiteboards, resulting in a successful semester for her students.

Amanda has collaborated with Dr. David Yates, to define best practices when leading a workshop or teaching a course online. She has collaborated with colleagues working on book chapters and sees benefits from incorporating virtual whiteboards in her in-person classes. The key is making learning a fun environment by incorporating interactive elements that are engaging for students.

Learn about the crossover between communication and creativity as defining elements of the human experience. Amanda’s research combines emotional intelligence with Communication Studies to explore how our emotions help us communicate more effectively.

Don’t miss this positive discussion of using creative problem solving in higher education, communications, and remote learning.

Our twenty-second episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Beth Slazak, MBA, MS, a certified humor professional, the Education and Events Manager at the Creative Education Foundation, and the conference manager of the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI). She has an MBA and a Master's in Creativity and Change Leadership from the Center for Applied Imagination, SUNY Buffalo State.

Beth shares her work with teachers sharing tools such as empathy maps to make learning more engaging, and describes the experience of CPSI as so much more than a conference. This year is again in person, and there are opportunities to learn foundations in Creative Problem Solving or take advanced immersion classes that are deep dives into topics. One of the highlights will be Massimo Agostinelli from Cirque du Soleil, who explores the concept of bouffon characters with a sense of humor. Some people have attended 40 CPSIs, and they keep coming back for the campfires, networking, labyrinth as well as the learning.

Beth describes her journey as self-actualization, where deliberate Creativity has given her more awareness and a deeper understanding. She studied improv at Second City and the Comedy Sport and a three-year program offered by the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. She uses improv in every training at CEF  and regularly experiences how games can help warm up the brain and help participants practice in a lower-risk way.

Don't miss this lively discussion of what it is like to work in the field of creativity and be in the forefront of teaching at the highest level. We hope to see newbies and old friends in June at the CPSI Conference, where the community gathers to learn and laugh.

Our twenty-first episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Nicole Jones, Owner of Artisans Journey, LLC, based in Charlotte, NC. She is a graduate of the Master's program at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, SUNY Buffalo State. Her career included working as a Confidential Criminal Investigator for the Erie County District Attorney, a Detective with the Buffalo Police Department for 21 years, and a forensic examiner.

Nicole shares how her path to creativity was accelerated by some health challenges she experienced. Using Creative Problem Solving to explore alternative healing modalities helped her solve her problem and find a new world view. She now runs a wellness company where she uses multiple modalities to help her clients heal, and creative problem-solving runs through all processes.

Nicole discusses how she was always a clarifier (Foursight Preference https://www.foursightonline.com) in her career as a detective and how her Master's studies illuminated her natural skills in creativity that played a role in her successes throughout her career. One skill that she regularly used in law enforcement was the power of observation, and she tells fascinating stories on how she learned to stop, pause, ask the right question, and hold space for the answer. Now she uses this same skill to ask intuitive questions deliberately.

Don't miss this inspiring discussion of using creative problem solving to look within. Nicole discusses how the future of Creativity lies in our ability to attend to the self within and access what is below the surface. If we can free ourselves, we can be as creative as we choose.

Our twentieth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Shazina Masud, Chief Executive Officer at the Aman Foundation and Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services. She is a graduate of the Master's Program at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, SUNY Buffalo State.  In her current role, she leads an organization of 700 people to provide state-of-the-art ambulance and emergency services in Karachi, Pakistan, offering advanced emergency care for people who previously had no access.  She has worked worldwide and applied creative problem-solving in a range of commercial and social sector organizations.

Shazi is passionate about using deliberate creativity in nonprofits and the social sector.  She describes using the Kotter 8-Step Change Leadership Model to successfully restructure the manpower and finances of her organization. In her telehealth call center, her volume of calls went from 3000 per month to 1000 calls per day. She increased the impact and effectiveness of this service by rethinking what was missing and ensuring the organization was dealing with the most critical issues of patients' health.

Don't miss this inspiring discussion of how to use creative problem solving to deal with social issues such as hunger, nutrition, healthcare, and education, by focusing on the people and defining the problem correctly.  She generously shares fascinating stories and leadership insights from her vast experience working with government, partners, and international aid organizations. Shazi is leading the way to increasing the effectiveness of money spent in nonprofits by educating everyone in her organization about creativity and finding new ways to arrive at a solution.

Our nineteenth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Carine Chisu, an Educational Innovation Advisor  in Brussels, Belgium, and  Christine Boyko-Head a Liberal Studies and Communications professor at Mohawk College based in Ontario, Canada. Carine owns her own business, and Christine is a playwright with a new book on arts-based strategies in higher education coming out soon.

Carine’s journey began when she realized old business models were coming to an end and decided to understand creativity better with an MS from the International Center for Studies in Creativity. Christine found creativity in arts education while teaching a Master’s level program on integrating arts across the curriculum at Leslie University.

Carine and Christine met in a Zoom session and the COVID pandemic brought them together as “a force of nature” from two different continents. Their collaboration includes workshops and writing a book together.  In their Return on Risk and Return on Ritual workshop, Carine addresses risk and entrepreneurial Creativity, and Cristine discusses how rituals can help participants. Their relationship is based on a shared commitment to Creativity, a passion for the arts, and the belief in human potential.

Don’t miss this fascinating discussion of international experiences and how the COVID-19 pandemic has made global collaboration and distance learning more accepted. Carine and Christine are comfortable teaching online, have developed friendships, and enjoy their time together empowering learners to benefit from the virtual experience. This new reality helps learners find their voice and increases inclusivity.

Our eighteenth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features John Frederick, a lifelong educator who created the Center for Executive Leadership at Daemen College (Buffalo, NY). His journey to Creativity started when he received a postcard that changed his life. This postcard was an invitation he accepted to join a research study called the Creativity Project which involved taking a sequence of four courses as a College Freshman at the State University of NY Buffalo State. Two giants in the Science of Creativity, Sid Parnes and Ruth Noller, were just starting a groundbreaking study that ultimately was the first to prove that creativity can be taught and improved using deliberate creativity methods.

John has been an active part of the history of Creative Studies as an educator and instrumental in the field of Leadership. He shares his beliefs about the importance of Creativity as a mindset and that all people can be creative. He teaches his students the importance of different styles of Creativity and how to recognize and honor differences within yourself and others.

As he was developing the Executive Leadership and Innovation program at Daemen, John used Creative Problem Solving (CPS) as a foundational approach. His work reflects a belief that we are all leaders, not just ones with a specific title. By incorporating mindfulness and coining the term 3EO (Keeping Three Eyes Open), he encourages leaders to pay attention with a heightened sense of awareness to what is happening within themselves, others, and the context. John incorporates contemplative education in his work and is a founding member of The Mindfulness Alliance.  He sees mindfulness as part of deferring judgment, a central tenant to CPS and uses a moment of mindfulness before starting a class.

John has attended and led sessions at the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) for over 38 years, including working in their Youthwise program. While most podcast guests have one Creative Flow, John has four:

1. When he attends CPSI,  he describes seeing, hearing, and even dancing differently and feeling “feels so alive in every aspect” 
2. When participating in a well-facilitated CPS session 
3. Educator Flow when teaching and getting into deep discussion 
4. Heartfelt Flow is spending time with the grandkids and being totally engaged with them

Don’t miss the fascinating discussion in the episode from a man who has lived the evolution of Creativity and continues to take it to new places in the field of Leadership.

Our seventeenth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Clara Kluk, a renowned global leader in creativity, author, and entrepreneur from Mexico. She started as a successful artist in Mexico City and suffered a tragic experience that altered her life forever. She attended a Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) Conference where she met Dr. Gerard Puccio, Chair of the Master’s Degree program in Creativity. She developed a close connection with him and quickly decided to change direction to pursue her MS in Creativity from the Center for Applied Imagination, SUNY Buffalo State. She tells the story of her incredible career and life journey, a gift for which she is forever grateful.

Clara started a Creativity and Innovation Company called Grupo Piensa, which grew to become the largest organization of its kind in Latin America with 14 offices worldwide and a team of 140 people.  She describes the successes she worked on with her varied client base, from commercializing the stainless-steel credit card to achieving 12 patents in fuel cells for hydrogen energy to developing new processes for Coca-Cola.  She is passionate about taking the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process beyond the corporate setting, and this creativity and social innovation became the topic of her first book. Her company helped people in poverty start businesses and partnered on social innovation topics, from developing new forms of proteins to harnessing the energy of spoiled bread.

Clara has recently finished writing a manual on ISO 56000 to help businesses manage innovation as a process, set an international standard for innovative practices, and develop master innovation professionals. Don’t miss the fascinating discussion on the future of creativity. She sees innovation as essential to the future of economies and expressed a desire to see the community continue to grow through ongoing study, accepting new methodologies, and nurturing individuals. Her Creative Flow is not when she is working or facilitating a CPS process but evident in her personal life, playing with her grandchildren, and being in nature.

Clara shares great wisdom and humor in this episode while she details her incredible life and work.

Our sixteenth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Jennifer Gippel Ph.D. and Paulina Larocca, both living in Australia and graduates with an MS from the Center for Applied Imagination SUNY, Buffalo State. Jennifer delivers research writing workshops, facilitates creative thinking workshops, and won a prestigious award for a recently published paper. Paulina is the author of three published books on creativity and has her own consulting business in creativity training for NGOs and corporations. She leverages a 20-year career as an innovation expert for large multinational drink companies.

Jennifer and Paulina are both passionate about writing, researching, and training on topics related to creativity. They discuss their partnership setting up a platform for writing about the Science of Creativity on Medium.com called Creative Enlightenment. Medium.com is a social media site designed for authors that want to write long-form articles about their area of expertise.  Through setting up this platform (search for Creative Enlightenment under publications), recruiting authors, and holding training, they have grown as individuals and formed a new community.

Jennifer shared how she came to know about deliberate creativity through an online MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) called How to Ignite Your Everyday Creativity and how it opened up a world of thinking. As an Innovation Manager for a large organization, Paulina was curious about the relationship between Innovation and Creativity and discusses how writing her books have contributed to the field.

Jennifer and Paulina share their views on the future of Creativity as a skill and a way to solve big problems such as climate change.  They each describe their creative flow and how they see writing as a way to contribute to diverse points of view, create opportunities to learn more deeply about topics, and share experiences.

Paulina and Jennifer encourage you to be a part of a worldwide community of authors who share their personal experiences on practical aspects of creativity on the medium.com platform. To get involved, contact [email protected] and check out a Master Class they are presenting to make writing easier and stress-free.

Our fifteenth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Branko Broekman, a landscape architect and environmental engineer from The Netherlands. He has worked with organizations to amplify the creative mindset in his own consulting and facilitation business for over 15 years.

Branko experienced the power of creative thinking when working as a project leader on the restoration of natural areas at the Ministry of Transportation and Water Management in the Netherlands. A consultant achieved such great results applying Creative Problem Solving that their leadership invested 500,000 Euro in the project. He became fascinated by the process, attending the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI), and coming to earn his MS in Creativity and Change Leadership from the Center for Applied Imagination, SUNY Buffalo State.  He believes the same experience should be available in Europe and has worked with the Center to offer the MS Program he studied in Buffalo with an in-person option in Europe. They have already completed the first two cohorts and hope to have the third in 2022.

Branko is a certified Foursight Advanced trainer and works as a certified Master Coach in intercultural Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). He shares many examples of his work in creative leadership projects at municipalities and ministries in the Netherlands. One success story led to one organization creating hubs of part-time facilitators who were empowered to spend 10% of the time working as a process facilitator of creative change throughout the organization

Branko discusses the differences in culture between the Netherlands and other countries and how this impacts the creative mindset. He has been instrumental in training creative leadership and helping others evolve from “efficiency” to “effectiveness “in an organization. He describes his Creative Flow as working with his hands, sculpting, and creating in 3D, which emulates his process for idea development.

Branko shares his deep understanding of deeper and deeper levels of applied Creativity. Don't miss his introduction to the concept of “Nearling” as part of a different dictionary of innovation.

Our fourteenth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Tabatha Mcnab discussing how she expresses her Creativity in food and cooking in so many ways.

Tabatha's creativity knows no bounds. From catering soul food dinners to running a daycare to writing a cookbook, she is passionate about connecting Creativity and food.  She is completing her final semester for an MS in Creativity and Change Leaders at the Center for Applied Imagination, SUNY Buffalo State (SUNY).

Tabatha describes how she found a love of food at a young age by cooking and being in the garden with her grandmother.  Cooking for her father at seven years old started her on a path that she continues today as a graduate student with her master's project.  She is working on a 20-30 -page children's cookbook with recipes and more called Tabfabulous Kid Friendly Cookbook. It features a scratch and sniff and touch and feel concept for the fruits and vegetables. Most importantly, it will help them understand nutrition and enjoy making meals.

She shares how studying creativity has helped her personally and alos all of the people she connects with in her professional work and community service. She always incorporates food in unique ways, including a creative cooking presentation and demonstrating creative thinking styles. She wants to earn a Master's Degree in nutrition and a Ph.D. in psychology in the future.

Tabatha sees the Science of Creativity going around the world and being a force for empowering people to be all they can be.

Our thirteenth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features a mother, Hedria Lunken Saltzman, and her son David Lunken.  In this inter-generational discussion, we explore their work and how Creativity has impacted their relationship and family.

Hedria, now 82, is a speaker, coach, writer, and authority in Creativity. She has presented and worked for fortune 500 companies on five continents and has earned her MS in Creativity and Change Leaders at the Center for Applied Imagination, SUNY Buffalo State (SUNY). She also served as President of the Creative Education Foundation (CEF) and wrote the book Square One at 51: What I did the day after I buried my life. David is the principal of Cedarcroft Advisors, where he helps leaders build effective teams and a senior consultant for PI Midlantic, a talent optimization consultancy. He is also on the faculty at CEF and a beloved presenter at the Creative Problem Solving Institute.

Hedria describes her work and many achievements, from traveling to Turkey to start a conference to teaching introduction to Creative Problem Solving at MBA programs across the country. She had a profound impact as an early leader in the field and shares her work with FourSight and how it was her idea to include the "o" in the famous PPCo Tool for CPS. Her discussion of losing her first husband suddenly and how CPS became not just a career but the way she lives her life.

David describes how his mother influenced and inspired him to use CPS from a young age.  While he teaches and uses the CPS methodology in his work, he prefers to frame it to clients in a way that helps to ensure meetings are productive, everybody is engaged, and there is a positive outcome.  He describes working with clients on retreats, team building, and a wide range of projects.

You can feel the love and pride that this mother and son have for each other and how they have integrated Creativity into their family. They describe working with each other and David's other siblings and highlight a recent Zoom session, Hedria led with her ten grandchildren to discuss current social and political issues.  Don't miss this episode to see the impact that Creativity can have across generations of a family.

Our twelfth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features five students who attended the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Program in Myanmar in 2018 and 2019. This episode is the second part of our series about this program of the State University of New York, Buffalo State's International Center for Studies in Creativity founded by John Cabra, Ph.D.  The participants usedCreativity to transform, make history, and profoundly impact the people of Myanmar.

Rakia Akter is a fourth-grade teacher in Buffalo who traveled to Myanmar to connect with people, cultures, and languages. This life-changing experience helped her be a better teacher and relate with her students and parents who immigrated from this country. Matthew Burch has a BFA in wood working and furniture design from SUNY Buffalo State and is a US Army Vet who went to Myanmar to work on new and improved techniques for funeral caskets. This work led to an opportunity to design a guitar-shaped casket for a beloved local musician and activist. This project became a life-changing experience for a new designer that made him part of the country's history.

Jeremy Brewster participated in the Myanmar program twice and worked for over a year to develop a unique course to help students express themselves through art. This class became a unique, shared experience for people who don’t usually learn art at school and brought the students and teachers closer together. Ashley Daigle is an arts educator in Buffalo who was involved in delivering this course at a Monastery School and discussed co-creating a large piece of art. She discovered the difference and connection that art can make in lives. Maggie Giamo is a Visual Arts instructor in Buffalo Public Schools and a freelance artist who also taught the class. She discusses how she was able to connect with students at a profound level and shares her view of creative flow through the eyes of a teacher.

This emotional discussion discusses how the University's program brings more meaning to each student's life and the far-reaching impact they had on the people of Myanmar. Don't miss the stories of five students who became global citizens and worked together to make the world a better place.

Our eleventh episode features John Cabra Ph.D., a professor at the State University of New York, Buffalo State's International Center for Studies in Creativity, a Facilitator at Knowinnovation, and a Fulbright Scholar. This episode focuses on his work as a Program Director of the University's Service-Learning and Civic Engagement program in Myanmar. Our next episode, part 2, involves five students who completed some meaningful projects in Myanmar over the past several years.

John shares his path to Creativity as driven by serendipity because he had the curiosity to sit in on a friend's class and happened to walk in the wrong classroom. Ultimately, he completed his Master's Degree at the International Center for Studies in Creativity and became a faculty member.  He discusses how the program in Myanmar began by learning the story of his student Myo Thant. Myo Thant had a background in political activism and worked with Nobel Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Ky during a period of intense political upheaval in the country that involved both danger and struggle. He ultimately left Myanmar and become John's student when studying for his Masters in Creativity in Buffalo, NY, but had promised Aung San Suu Ky that he would return to help his country.

The friendship and work of John and Myo Thant in Myanmar became larger than both of them. John discusses the impact as being so much larger than the projects completed to encompass bringing hope, freedom, and meaning for a country that has gone through so many years of trauma.  The influence on the students who participated involved a transformation for each of them to become a global citizen. This work is part of a larger trend John identified of using Creative Problem Solving to address "wicked problems requiring new thinking" that are increasingly presenting themselves in our societies. This program focuses on civic engagement and service-learning to offer students a chance to work in social justice and make essential contributions to society's betterment. As we will learn in the next episode, the result is bringing more meaning into each student’s lives.

This emotional discussion touches on how creative flow can manifest from the impact of this work on individuals at an international level by touching the participants' hearts. He encountered so many obstacles when starting and continuing this program but was able to overcome each one. Don't miss this story of creating global citizens and how creativity is transforming, making history, and profoundly impacting the people of Myanmar.

Our tenth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Najja Bouldin, an Innovation Coach, a Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development expert, and Founder of Phoenix Innovation Group. He holds a Master’s Degree in Creativity from the International Center for Studies in Creativity, SUNY Buffalo State.

Najja shares his path to Creativity, where he started studying for his Masters as a new father in the middle of a semester. After graduation, he launched his consulting firm to work as a growth coach and consultant for many large, international companies. He shares some of the creativity tools and frameworks he uses as a Creatologist and Innovation Coach. The story of his work with a physician that he called reverse engineering serendipity involved helping her break through a period of career disillusion to help make an impossible dream come true.

Known for his work with disadvantaged youth 17-25 years old, Najja discusses how he validates their issues, appeals to their need for freedom, and gives them tools to overcome their challenges.  Best of all, he furnishes them with innovation fitness sessions that make them the victor of their own story vs. the victim. He also discusses cultural competence and its role in working with organizations to explore issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Don’t miss this episode and the opportunity to hear the story and wisdom shared by this leader, who is changing the field with his insightful perspective.

Our ninth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features Susan Newhouse, Principal, Susan Newhouse & Associates, LLC, a strategic innovation consultant, expert facilitator trained in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, and Executive coach based in Chicago, IL, USA.

As a young person, Susan wished she was a creative person and throughout her early work life and education she was successful but had trouble finding her passion. A guidance counselor helped her realize she could work in a creative field and at the time of this podcast she has been living in the world of creativity for over 20 years.

Known for impersonations, she studied intensive long form improv and has worked with large Fortune 500 companies at some of the preeminent organizations devoted to innovation. She discusses her experience at the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) where she started as a student and has been teaching since 2008 as one of the highlights of her creative experience. At CPSI she found her new family in creativity and enjoyed the greatest satisfaction helping people find their own creativity and flashes of inspiration.

Susan discusses her ideas to democratize creativity for all and her belief that each person needs to find their own definition of creativity and learn what inspires them to be more creative. Her creative flow involves humor and laughter and here is a lot of this in this episode including an impersonation of Pee Wee Herman. Don't miss this episode. 

Our guest for the eighth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series is Noor Baig, M.D., an emergency room physician in one of the largest hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Dr. Baig is currently working on his Master’s Degree in Creativity from SUNY Buffalo State and PhD. in Clinical Sciences at The Aga Khan University. Dr. Baig shares how he developed an interest in creativity and the ways he applied it with medical students to open up new thinking. 

The story of creativity and his passion project is particularly moving. His mother passed away prematurely from a sudden cardiac event and he wants to prevent this tragedy for others. By applying deliberate creativity he has trained more than 2,000 people in CPR skills and is on his way to teach 10 million people CPR and life saving skills - making Pakistan a nation of lifesavers.

Dr. Baig discusses what he has learned about using creativity in the world of medicine and describes his latest exciting project — a new app designed to help prevent COVID19 in Pakistan. It was developed in collaboration with other students in his Master's Program, who helped him achieve its recent launch on the Google Store.  Finally. we discuss his approach to creative flow and lessons learned in using creativity to help in the field of medicine in the future.

Our seventh episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series is Juliana Sanchez Trujillo. Based in Colombia, she is a Creativity and Innovation Consultant at Borealis Innovations. Juliana holds a M.S. in Creativity from the International Center for Studies in Creativity, SUNY Buffalo State is also a certified Prosci Change Management Practitioner, a Lego Serious Play workshop designer and FourSight facilitator.

Juliana shares how she came to Buffalo to learn about the Masters Degree in Creativity program in the worst snow storm she had ever seen, yet knew the program was meant for her. She shares her passion for helping her clients, at Borealis Innovation, to put everything in place to make innovation sustainable in their own organizations, Her new business focuses on nutrition and wellness to help individuals to create the lives of their dreams.

Through teaching and consulting she has trained over 7,000 people in Creative Problem Solving in Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Panama. She inspires people to increase sales, take their business in new directions, have a healthier family life, and most importantly deliver new purpose for their organization. She also discusses living happily in ambiguity and her approach to creative flow.

Our guest for the sixth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series is Brandon Williamson. He is a Creativity Consultant, an Admissions Counselor at Fredonia State University of New York as well as the founder and creator of the internationally recognized Pure Ink Poetry Slam. Brandon shares his love of all things creative and how applying the intellectual side of the topics that he studies helped him achieve successes with multi-cultural groups on the SUNY Fredonia campus, minorities in the Department of Justice and in diversity workshops.

In this most entertaining episode, Brandon discusses how he uses a tool called Forced Connections in his poetry to help change perspectives so a poem can touch and move his audience. One of the insights he often shares in his workshops is “Creativity is the catalyst for change. Creativity is not the icing on the cake, it is the cake.” Listen to the end for a performance of one of his favorite poems called Buffalo Wings that ties into his feelings about his home, the City of Buffalo, NY.

Our guest for the fifth episode in the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series, is Paolo Sbuttoni. Based in Italy, he is an experienced leader and thinker who is helping to grow the field of creativity on a global basis. From working as a creative director at an advertising agency to changing corporate culture as a marketing manager at a manufacturing company to starting the CREA Conference in Europe, Paolo shares what he has learned about applying deliberate creativity. A long time speaker and participant in the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) he shares memories and knowledge he learned from important figures such as Sid Parnes.

In his charming and engaging style, Paolo discusses success stories including work on the CREA conference, an actionable win in a hospital environment and his professional journey to understand creativity. Don’t miss the lessons learned he shares including insights from his six year old daughter and his philosophy on creative flow.

The guests in our fourth episode, hosted by Kim Marie McKernan and Anthony Billoni are Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Ismet (Izzy) Mamnoon, both thinkers and change agents in the area of Creativity in Education. Cyndi is a Creativity and Education Specialist and Izzy is the Founder and Guardian of Imagination at Beyonder. Both are graduates of the Master's Degree program at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, SUNY Buffalo State where Cyndi was also a faculty member.

The focus of this episode is on the deep collaboration that Cyndi and Izzy have developed, starting with Izzy’s Master’s project and continuing with the Missouri Project. In just six weeks they developed a new online program to bring creativity to the education of gifted and talented students in the state of Missouri. That collaboration continues with Cyndi’s work on her Five Star Model for education on her new website, where visitors will be prompted to “Go Beyond” to access the deep resource Izzy shares on her website.

You will be introduced to Izzy’s alter ego, Wanda, and learn about her powerful creative flow. Cyndi also shares valuable tips for harnessing creative flow both in her work and artistic life.

Don’t miss this episode to learn how Cyndi and Izzy are is changing the world of education.

The guest in our third episode of the Creative Flow podcast series hosted by Kim Marie McKernan and Anthony Billoni, is Laura Ryan,  a change agent forging new ground in the area of strategy and creativity.  As an Advisor to the President, she responsible for Business Analytics and Strategy at Heritage Christian Services and uses the tools she learned in her Masters in Creative Studies and Change Leadership every day.

Laura candidly discusses the reality of using creativity in large, complex organizations as part of an ecosystem for both strategy and implementation. As an engineer, she regularly combines Creative Problem Solving (CPS) with agile and lean methodologies to use the right approach for the situation. We also explore outcomes her organization has achieved such as reducing the time to onboard new employees from 20 to 5 days and how employees feel about the process. Equally important is Laura’s sharing her own creative journey and approach to creative flow.

Don’t miss this episode to learn how Laura is changing the world.

The guest in our second Creative Flow podcast series hosted by Kim Marie McKernan and Anthony Billoni, is Meredith Rutherford,  a change agent in many ways, in both her personal and professional life.  With a background that includes serving in the Peace Corp in Ghana, working with the underserved in Rochester, NY and helping universities to champion service learning, she is now applying creativity to help transform healthcare through her work with the Finger Lakes Performing Provider System.  Working on the goal of “reducing unnecessary hospitalizations by 25% in 5 years” entails innovating, trying new things and a fearless approach to making healthcare more efficient and effective.  She shares how she is applying skills learned in the Creative Studies Certificate Program as well as Participatory Action Research and Appreciative Inquiry to bring diverse people together to address problems and engage people to be part of the solution.  Equally important is her own creative journey and approach to flow.  Don’t miss this episode to learn how Meredith is changing the world.

This episode features Matei Schwartz, a graduate student at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, State University of NY Buffalo State from Romania who is involved in helping "The Center" define a new brand.  Hosts Anthony Billoni and Kim Marie McKernan discuss with Matei the story of his career and how he came to study at "The Center." They explore the process used to help "The Center" define a new brand and the significance of this initiative for the future.  Matei also share his creative journey, what he is taking away from his education and how the alumni community can support him.  The episode ends with an inspiring discussion of Creative Flow.   Please share this podcast and help spread the word.