Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I've spent years teaching productivity, but Kelly Wilde Miller just exposed my biggest blind spot. During our conversation at a recent mastermind, she said something that stopped me cold:
"I looked back at photos from my year and felt grief. Was I really present in those moments, or was I thinking about work?" I immediately thought of my own experience—pacing a Brazilian beach with productivity audiobooks while my family relaxed. I was in paradise, but I wasn't really there.
As a creative embodiment coach, Kelly introduced me to a framework that's revolutionizing how I think about creative work: Creative Seasons. Just like nature, our creativity moves through cycles of growth, harvest, rest, and renewal. But we've built a culture that demands eternal summer—constant production, visibility, and output.
The cost? We're burning out our creative soil.
In this conversation, Kelly shares:
- Why your creativity has a "winter" (and why fighting it destroys you)
- The nervous system-creativity connection I'd never considered
- How she tracks her energy patterns to work WITH her natural rhythms
- Why Building a Second Brain needs seasonal maintenance too
- The difference between "competence" and "joy" in your work
This isn't about working less. It's about working in harmony with your creative nature instead of against it.
*👤 CONNECT WITH KELLY:*
📖 Get your copy of Creative Dysregulation: Why Your Creativity is Chaotic & What to Do About It: kellywildemiller.com/creativedysregulation
✍️ Read Kelly’s Writing: wildonpurpose.co
🎯 *MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:*
Tiago’s Annual Review Workshop: buildingasecondbrain.com/annual-review
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Creative Dysregulation & Emotional Blocks
02:27 What is Creative Embodiment?
05:01 Kelly's Creative Journey: From Dance to Digital Arts
09:09 Breaking Creative Identity Boxes
13:00 The Evolution of Identity & Leadership
16:13 Annual Review Practices & Photo Reflections
21:25 Working Through Emotions in Annual Reviews
26:26 Audio Reflections & AI Integration
30:11 Circular Time Mapping Exercise
35:55 Releasing the Past & Setting Intentions
38:17 Understanding Creative Cycles & Seasons
42:45 The Four Seasons of Creativity
46:48 Cyclical Productivity in Practice
52:13 Menstrual Cycles & Creative Energy
55:36 Following Joy vs. Obligation
58:35 Finding Your Zone of Genius
59:58 Resources & Book: Creative Dysregulation
01:01:35 Final Thoughts on Seasonal Living
-----------------------
💌 Join our weekly newsletter for more tips and resources: fortelabs.com/subscribe
📚ORDER MY BEST-SELLING BOOKS
🧠 Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential: buildingasecondbrain.com/book
📂The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life: buildingasecondbrain.com/para
👩🎓 TAKE MY SELF-PACED COURSES
1️⃣ Pillars of Productivity: buildingasecondbrain.com/pop
2️⃣ BASB Foundation: buildingasecondbrain.com/foundation
🤓 TEST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY POTENTIAL
Take our Productivity Pulse Check to evaluate your daily habits and find out where you can make improvements. Take the quiz now: fortelabs.typeform.com/pulsecheck?utm_source=youtube
👋 CONNECT WITH ME
📬 My weekly newsletter: fortelabs.com/subscribe
👩💻 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiagoforte
🌐 My website: buildingasecondbrain.com
💌 My blog: fortelabs.com/blog
🐦⬛ X: http://x.com/fortelabs
🟦 Facebook: facebook.com/fortelabs
🤳Instagram: instagram.com/fortelabsco
I've spent years teaching productivity, but Kelly Wilde Miller just exposed my biggest blind spot. During our conversation at a recent mastermind, she said something that stopped me cold:
"I looked back at photos from my year and felt grief. Was I really present in those moments, or was I thinking about work?" I immediately thought of my own experience—pacing a Brazilian beach with productivity audiobooks while my family relaxed. I was in paradise, but I wasn't really there.
As a creative embodiment coach, Kelly introduced me to a framework that's revolutionizing how I think about creative work: Creative Seasons. Just like nature, our creativity moves through cycles of growth, harvest, rest, and renewal. But we've built a culture that demands eternal summer—constant production, visibility, and output.
The cost? We're burning out our creative soil.
In this conversation, Kelly shares:
- Why your creativity has a "winter" (and why fighting it destroys you)
- The nervous system-creativity connection I'd never considered
- How she tracks her energy patterns to work WITH her natural rhythms
- Why Building a Second Brain needs seasonal maintenance too
- The difference between "competence" and "joy" in your work
This isn't about working less. It's about working in harmony with your creative nature instead of against it.
*👤 CONNECT WITH KELLY:*
📖 Get your copy of Creative Dysregulation: Why Your Creativity is Chaotic & What to Do About It: kellywildemiller.com/creativedysregulation
✍️ Read Kelly’s Writing: wildonpurpose.co
🎯 *MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:*
Tiago’s Annual Review Workshop: buildingasecondbrain.com/annual-review
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Creative Dysregulation & Emotional Blocks
02:27 What is Creative Embodiment?
05:01 Kelly's Creative Journey: From Dance to Digital Arts
09:09 Breaking Creative Identity Boxes
13:00 The Evolution of Identity & Leadership
16:13 Annual Review Practices & Photo Reflections
21:25 Working Through Emotions in Annual Reviews
26:26 Audio Reflections & AI Integration
30:11 Circular Time Mapping Exercise
35:55 Releasing the Past & Setting Intentions
38:17 Understanding Creative Cycles & Seasons
42:45 The Four Seasons of Creativity
46:48 Cyclical Productivity in Practice
52:13 Menstrual Cycles & Creative Energy
55:36 Following Joy vs. Obligation
58:35 Finding Your Zone of Genius
59:58 Resources & Book: Creative Dysregulation
01:01:35 Final Thoughts on Seasonal Living
-----------------------
💌 Join our weekly newsletter for more tips and resources: fortelabs.com/subscribe
📚ORDER MY BEST-SELLING BOOKS
🧠 Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential: buildingasecondbrain.com/book
📂The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life: buildingasecondbrain.com/para
👩🎓 TAKE MY SELF-PACED COURSES
1️⃣ Pillars of Productivity: buildingasecondbrain.com/pop
2️⃣ BASB Foundation: buildingasecondbrain.com/foundation
🤓 TEST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY POTENTIAL
Take our Productivity Pulse Check to evaluate your daily habits and find out where you can make improvements. Take the quiz now: fortelabs.typeform.com/pulsecheck?utm_source=youtube
👋 CONNECT WITH ME
📬 My weekly newsletter: fortelabs.com/subscribe
👩💻 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiagoforte
🌐 My website: buildingasecondbrain.com
💌 My blog: fortelabs.com/blog
🐦⬛ X: http://x.com/fortelabs
🟦 Facebook: facebook.com/fortelabs
🤳Instagram: instagram.com/fortelabsco
