Wake Up Excited!

Brad Frost

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.

  1. 2 days ago

    Incubating Ideas, Human Memory, and Designing for Humanity with Don Norman

    Don Norman discusses how his best ideas arrive through “incubation,” often waking him at 1–2 AM to write, and explains how he starts books by finding a guiding title and compelling theme rather than dull “history and basics.” He compares the subconscious to AI: it creatively assembles plausible outputs that may be wrong, requiring conscious evaluation—unlike today’s AI, which can “hallucinate.” The conversation explores reconstructive memory and the unreliability of eyewitness testimony, the power of framing and placebo effects, and how emotions chemically change how the brain operates. Norman describes managing creativity with playful, noncritical collaboration followed by focused stress, and shares optimism rooted in action via the Don Norman Design Award and an “Alliance for Humanity” aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. They address AI’s impact on designers, artists, and musicians, arguing for attribution, licensing, collaboration, and the need for all of us to start getting weird. Links: Henri PoincaréElizabeth LoftusWassily KandinskySnarky Puppy4′33″ by John CageMarcel Duchamp | FountainPeter Singer | The Expanding CircleAnthropic | OpenAIDesign for GoodCommit GlobalInfosysUN Sustainable Development GoalsDon Norman Design Award / Alliance for HumanityThe Design of Everyday Things — Don NormanDesign for a Better World — Don NormanTopics: (00:00) - Welcome (01:55) - Finding the Book (03:26) - Incubation and Breakthroughs (09:24) - Eyewitness and Word Framing (11:52) - Placebos and Double Blind (14:34) - Emotions Change the Brain (16:08) - Creativity Needs Stress (23:35) - Optimism as a Choice (25:35) - AI and the Future of Music and Art (37:21) - Rethinking Cheating With AI (40:45) - Cooperation Beats Competition (47:01) - Alliance for Humanity (51:33) - LLMs as Collaboration Hub (59:10) - Humanity Centered Design (01:08:03) - Disagreeing Without Conflict

    1hr 12min
  2. 12 May

    More Queue, Less Feed with Sacha Judd

    Sacha Judd discusses what excites her now: founding Lume Music, which aims to fix broken subscription-era music economics by launching a digital album format bundled with behind-the-scenes content in a beautiful app for dedicated music lovers. She argues the core problem online isn’t digital vs analog but feed vs queue—algorithmic, engagement-driven firehoses versus intentional, chosen experiences—and critiques venture-capital incentives, dark patterns, and how everything breaks at scale. With search and discovery degraded by AI slop, she advocates for human curation (newsletters, blogs, Reddit) and rebuilding “small shops” and healthy neighborhood-like communities, including optimism about AT Protocol apps. She’s writing a book on internet history through online fan communities, highlighting women and queer power users who pioneered governance, tagging, and moderation, and warns against conspiracy thinking and blunt teen social-media bans. Chapters: (00:00) - Lume Music Vision (02:12) - Albums as Artifacts (04:17) - Feed Versus Queue (07:48) - How Platforms Broke (11:45) - Human Curation Returns (14:08) - Finding Real Recommendations (18:06) - Small Networks Not Mega (22:35) - Everything Breaks at Scale (25:56) - Small Shops Web Future (32:58) - Lume Focused Audience (35:08) - Fandom Conspiracies (39:24) - Deepfakes and Literacy (41:55) - Don't Turn It Off (44:24) - Gen Z and Web Memory (47:25) - Unsung Fan Builders (49:56) - Fandom Journey Origins (55:39) - Community Creativity Loop (01:02:25) - Teens Need Safe Spaces (01:04:38) - Wrap Up and Motto (01:06:23) - Music Recommendation (01:07:42) - Where to Find Sasha (01:08:22) - Closing Thanks (01:08:35) - Morning Excitement Check LinksLume MusicSpotifyApple MusicYouTubeSubstackRedditBlueskyBlackskyMastodonLiveJournalTumblrArchive of Our Own (AO3)Uber EatsGoogleGoogle MapsLovableSachajudd.comShit You Should Care AboutMolly White's BlogRachel AndrewDark Forest Theory of the InternetBowling AloneThe X-FilesFormula 1MarvelTaylor SwiftHarry StylesBeyoncéWaiata / Anthems

    1hr 9min
  3. 7 May

    The Revenge of the Real with Amber Case

    Amber Case reflects on where you live and how returning to a familiar place can help think clearer. Case discusses seeking authentic, small-scale community, work nights, recess-like breaks, welcoming rituals, and mutual support. She contrasts these with expensive, scalable “community” models and argues effective communities rely on kindness, simplicity, history, and durable governance patterns. She connects this to “revenge of the real,” emphasizing tactile cognition, constraints, long-term thinking, and calm technology principles. Topics discussed: (00:00) - Morning Excitement Check (00:42) - Hot Wheels New York (01:46) - Secret Summer Chateau (03:01) - Dopamine Defragging (04:09) - Why Denver Feels Right (07:37) - Growth And Change (10:43) - Finding Real Community (12:23) - The Company Work Nights (15:44) - Against Scaled Clubs (19:23) - Designing Durable Groups (32:10) - Why People Dont Join (40:31) - History Analog Wisdom (46:00) - Unmoored Digital Life (48:13) - AI Effort Paradox (49:11) - Tactile Work Matters (50:16) - Constraints Create Meaning (51:17) - Handwriting And Cognition (52:42) - Farm Fantasy Reality (57:27) - Arts Therapy Embodiment (59:33) - Multisensory Education (01:00:57) - Long Term Craft Economy (01:07:06) - Local Repair Culture (01:10:37) - Universals Of Design (01:12:42) - Collaboration Conference Idea (01:14:33) - Against Main Character Metrics (01:16:48) - Buzzwords Get Commodified (01:19:24) - Calm Tech Certification (01:22:55) - Human Breaks And Texture (01:25:09) - Wrap Up And Music Pick (01:28:00) - Final Thanks And Goodbye (01:28:43) - Morning Excitement Check Links & ResourcesThe Place You Love Is GoneThe Road to Science FictionThe Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeChuck PalahniukMarshall McLuhanCory DoctorowFight ClubCrystal Quartez

    1hr 29min
  4. 30 Apr

    Design, Creativity, Systems, and Potential in the Agentic Age with Jem Gold

    As we put our course together, I want to have conversations with people who are thinking about things deeply, creatively, and responsibly. That's why it was an absolute pleasure to chat with my long-time internet friend, Jem Gold, technology as a creative medium, the soul of the early web, and the new era of AI-assisted making. 💥 Want to learn how to use AI & Design Systems together to make great digital products? Preorder our AI & Design Systems online course and join our vibrant community here: https://aianddesign.systems/ Topics Covered: ◉The counterculture lineage of the web and why reclaiming it matters now◉ Technology as artistic expression — Jem's concept of the "technology artist"◉ The flow state in music and how it translates to building with technology◉ Should designers code? Why the answer is changing fast◉ Skill-driven development and teaching LLMs how to design (not just what to build)◉ One-shotting beautiful, branded interfaces with minimal input◉ Jem shows off some wonderful one-shotted demos◉ Generative UI as superposition: interfaces that adapt to the person observing them◉ Design systems, Web Components, and building durable foundations for a non-deterministic future◉ AI as a creative process tool — not replacing the music, but clearing the way for it◉ ADHD as a superpower in the agentic era Links & Resources:◉ Jem's newsletter: https://superposition.jem.computer- Support Jem and her work for $8/month; and use code JEMANDBRAD for an annual discount ◉ Jenny Wen's interview on Lenny's Podcast: • The design process is dead. Here's what's ... ◉ The Grid (Jem's AI design startup, ca. 2015) https://thegrid.io/ ◉ Everything Just Gets Built: https://superposition.jem.computer/ev... ◉ I Don't Miss Code https://superposition.jem.computer/i-... ◉ Real-Time UI https://bradfrost.com/blog/post/real-... ◉ "Ghostwriter" by RJD2 drum/synth cover • Ghostwriter by RJD2 -  (00:00) - Chapter 1

    1hr 20min
  5. 28 Apr

    Georgia Lupi on Brain Retraining, and Visual Storytelling with Data

    Georgia Lupi shares what she’s excited to wake up for with us. She recounts getting COVID in 2020, developing worsening long COVID symptoms with reinfections, becoming house- and sometimes bed-bound, and stopping work in 2023 before beginning recovery in early 2024. Lupi and Brad discuss the anxiety and trauma that can persist during physical recovery, the scientific mind-body connection, and how nervous system regulation, brain retraining, and visualization became central to her healing. She describes publishing a New York Times visual op-ed using her symptom data, the messages it sparked, and how a conversation prompted her to commit to brain retraining, leading to slow but meaningful functional return and recent confidence saying she’s fully recovered, alongside an ongoing reintegration into work, creativity, and life. Links: Giorgia Lupi"1,374 Days: My Life With Long Covid" — NYT Visual Op-EdDear DataCaravan PalaceParov StelarKormacDNRS (Dynamic Neural Retraining System)Gupta ProgramPost-Exertional Malaise (PEM)Limbic System / Vagus Nerve / Nervous System RegulationPsychedelic Therapy & Neural RewiringSubway Map as Information DesignMusic NotationChapters: (00:00) - Morning Excitement Check (00:25) - Yoga Team Gratitude (01:18) - Long COVID Journey (02:46) - Trauma And Body Trust (05:38) - Brain Retraining Turning Point (06:18) - NYT Visual Op Ed (08:41) - Feeling Fully Recovered (15:02) - Reintegration After Recovery (17:11) - Returning To Creative Work (19:29) - Presence Priorities And Limits (23:21) - From Darkness To Acceptance (25:57) - Art Data And Experience (28:56) - Art Beyond Words (30:22) - Branding as Narrative (32:28) - Sketching to Think (33:25) - Designing Shared Languages (35:42) - Healing and Tracking (38:16) - Vulnerability and Sharing (39:27) - Dear Data Origins (43:36) - Learning Through Speaking (48:23) - Finding Your Style (52:31) - Obsessions as Projects (56:31) - Electro Swing Picks (57:40) - Where to Follow (58:03) - Closing Reflections

    59 min
  6. 17 Feb

    Mike Rybachuk on Self-Honesty, Resilience, and Spreading Joy

    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

    1hr 43min

About

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.

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