Jon Filitti
Editor
As I’ve said ad nauseam, Mindsoak is a project. An experiment. A way to spread my wings and scratch the curiosity itch. A way to learn and connect with fascinating people. A way to explore my limits. To find my comfort zone and expand into the unknown.
As Mindsoak approaches six months I see it as an unmitigated success. I’ve had fun doing it. I’ve done it consistently. I’ve learned. And I’ve met fantastic people, many who continue to be friends.
With Mindsoak, sometimes it can flow quite seamlessly…weeks go by and I’m able to pump out new podcasts and new collaborations effortlessly. Sometimes it doesn’t flow at all. But so it goes. Projects are for free time.
But as I started thinking about the second half of Mindsoak’s first year I wanted to reach a little higher. Or at least take my other hand and reach in another direction.
I’m a sucker for long-form content. A blog post that’s 2,000 plus words. An interview which takes me 20 minutes to read. A multiple episode podcast. I like consuming this way. Much like watching a movie and then immediately watching the behind the scenes extras…I always want to dive in a little more.
I find myself saving a ton of long-form articles to Instapaper and then getting up early on the weekends to drink some coffee and read through the articles I saved. The enjoyment of the written word.
Photograph via Unsplash
The written word is one thing I believe is missing from Mindsoak. Interesting, engaging and entertaining blog posts. At first I shot down the idea. I don’t have time, unfortunately, to write much more than I already do. And I already talk about most the subjects I want to discuss during the podcast.
But then it hit me. I’ve met some really creative and inspiring people doing the podcast. Maybe they would be interested in sharing their writing. Maybe they would be interested in helping create a community of Mindsoak contributors who could share their work as a collective.
I reached out to those I thought may be interested. I was humbled by their response. They were ecstatic about the idea too.
Once they were on board I realized I needed to formulate an editorial process and think this through. For those who know me, I tend to impulsively lead with my mouth and leave it to my brain to come in and create some order.
What has transpired over the last several weeks is a pretty exciting addition to Mindsoak. A collective of contributors who are going to share their unique perspective in the Mindsoak forum surrounding a variety of topics.
As a blueprint I am starting with the following topics, which you may find recognizable if you listen to the podcast:
Psychology: Anxiety/Fear, Failure/Vulnerability, Learning/Education and Relationships.
Philosophy: Creativity, Kindness, Life/Personal, History/Goals and Wisdom/Advice.
Technology: Life Hacking and Gadgets/Apps.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me be clear, none of this is possible without the eight people who have signed on to be a part of this collective. They’re willing to share their time and talent to Mindsoak and for that I am indebted to them.
Since I’ve had almost all of them on the podcast at one time or another, I’ll save the introductions of each and simply link to their respective episode in case you would like to learn more about them.
Photograph via Jon Filitti
Here they are, in alphabetical order: Chiara Townley, Dana Faletti, Francis Sparks, Jessica Reino, Joe Cardomone, Laura Clydesdale, Michael C. Bryan, and Sarah K. Stephens.
So there you have it. The blueprint for what I believe to be Mindsoak 2.0. We’ll be releasing new posts Monday thru Thursday each week with podcasts to return and released on Fridays.
As always I’ll make sure to post all the releases on Twitter at @jonfilitti but if you want to make sure you don’t miss a post feel free to sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter below.
More about Jon Filitti: First I became a counselor. Then a dad. I created some comic books and started a mental health private practice. Now I talk to interesting people on Mindsoak and Twitter.