Creativity: How Rest, Wonder, and AI Redefine Productivity with Natalie Nixon

Creativity, rest, and mindset are at the center of this conversation with Natalie Nixon, author of The Creativity Leap and Move, Think, Rest.

Natalie Nixon has spent two decades as a creativity strategist advising Fortune 500 companies on innovation strategy — work she calls being a "creative whisperer to the C-Suite." She's the founder of Figure 8 Thinking, and her two books make one connected argument: creativity means toggling between wonder and rigor, and rest isn't procrastination — it's fuel for better thinking.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Rest that looks like nothing: Why Natalie assumed her best thinking — staring out the window, taking a slow walk — was procrastination, and what finally convinced her it wasn't.
• Wonder and rigor, not "creative types": The real definition of creativity as a toggle everyone already uses, and why "I'm not a creative person" misses the point entirely.
• The 90-second daydream break: The neuroscience of the default mode network, and how a short, timed pause can unstick a problem that's had you stuck for hours.
• What her father taught her about rest: A weekly Saturday ritual that was equal parts self-care and discipline — and why the work still got done anyway.
• Flourishing over productive: Why the right question about AI isn't "how does this make us more productive," but "how does this help us flourish."

If your calendar rewards constant output and treats stillness like a red flag, this one's for you.

Connect with Natalie:

• Figure 8 Thinking

Connect with Erik:

• LinkedIn
• Threads
• Facebook
• Bluesky

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