After five years immersed in writing Resonance: The Art and Science of Human Connection, Michael Trainer emerges from what he calls “the creative cave” to share reflections on renewal, creativity, and the natural seasons of life. Inspired by The Artist’s Way, this episode explores how daily creative rituals like morning pages can reawaken intuition and align us with the deeper rhythms of growth. Michael draws parallels between the cycles of nature, the discipline of sport, and the creative process — reminding us that mastery comes from honoring each phase: winter’s stillness, spring’s rebirth, summer’s expansion, and fall’s integration. He also reflects on introversion and extroversion as dynamic states, the importance of solitude in cultivating presence, and how relationships — like nature — require mutual growth to stay resonant.
Get Resonance: The Art and Science of Human Connection
Topics Covered:
The power of Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages and Artist Dates
Emerging from a five-year creative season into public sharing
Why the process matters more than the outcome
Lessons from Ryan Holiday and Rick Rubin on mastery and audience detachment
Understanding personal “seasons” — from dormancy to bloom
The balance between introversion and extroversion (“ambivert awareness”)
How to see endings as compost for new beginnings
The link between growth, relationship, and resonance
Key Quote:
“You’re not behind — you’re simply in a different season. Let winter teach you rest, so spring can teach you rebirth.”
Mentioned:
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Ryan Holiday (Discipline Is Destiny)
Rick Rubin (The Creative Act)
Reflection Prompt:
What season are you in right now — winter, spring, summer, or fall — and what would it look like to honor that fully?