Wake Up Excited!
Wake Up Excited!
Podcast Description
Inspiring conversations with exuberant humans about how to live a creative, fulfilling, and authentic life. Hosted by enthusiasm enthusiast, Brad Frost.
We experience a brief moment of truth when we first wake up in the morning. Before the cold shower of reality, our infinite to-do lists, and macro-level woes seize our consciousness. We experience a brief moment of excitement — and this pure moment tells us something important about ourselves.
There are people out there who seem to move through life with intention, authenticity, creativity, kindness, and enthusiasm. And they do this despite the deeply inperfect world we inhabit. This podcast is an attempt to learn from these people.
Through wide-ranging conversations, Wake Up Excited explores guests' passions, interests, enthusiasms, and philosophy of life.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into themes such as creativity, personal growth, community engagement, and mental health. Specific episodes explore topics including the impact of social media on mental well-being, work-life balance amidst societal pressures, and the empowerment derived from creative endeavors. For example, discussions with guests like Jessica Hische and Aarron Walter highlight the significance of positivity and the relationship between personal values and financial decisions.
Inspiring conversations with exuberant humans about how to live a creative, fulfilling, and authentic life. Hosted by enthusiasm enthusiast, Brad Frost.
We experience a brief moment of truth when we first wake up in the morning. Before the cold shower of reality, our infinite to-do lists, and macro-level woes seize our consciousness. We experience a brief moment of excitement — and this pure moment tells us something important about ourselves.
There are people out there who seem to move through life with intention, authenticity, creativity, kindness, and enthusiasm. And they do this despite the deeply inperfect world we inhabit. This podcast is an attempt to learn from these people.
Through wide-ranging conversations, Wake Up Excited explores guests’ passions, interests, enthusiasms, and philosophy of life.
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
Disclaimer
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