How Radical Curiosity Leads to Innovation in Life and Work - with Shane Snow, founder of Contently

Afford Anything

#134: We often peek inside the world of business to look for lessons about how to simplify, optimize and innovate.

But what can we learn when we examine world-class people who are hacking the system in any field -- including sports, politics and music?

What can we learn when we're radically curious about everything? And how can we apply this knowledge to helping us lead more deliberate, curated lives?

Today, we tap Shane Snow's brain for answers.

Shane Snow is a co-founder of Contently, a company that matches freelancers with publishers. But we're not going to talk about that today. We're going to explore bigger themes.

Because Shane isn't just a tech entrepreneur. He's also an award-winning journalist, which is another way of saying that he's an inquisitive person who lives in the world of storytelling and big ideas.

His first book, SmartCuts, explores how people avoid climbing the normative career ladder. It showcases people across a variety of industries who hack the ladder, often by making unconventional lateral moves. And that is exactly the kind of thinking that appeals to anyone building financial independence, and trying to design a meaningful, autonomous and unconventional living.

His latest book, Dream Teams, explores what it takes for a group of people to come together to create something amazing. How can the whole be greater than the sum of its parts. And he looks across industries, at everything from hockey teams to businesses and beyond, to find the universal threads inside these stories.

A few accolades before we begin: GQ Magazine described Shane's work as "insanely addicting," and The New York Times refers to Shane as a "wunderkind." (I had to Google that term -- apparently, it refers to someone who achieves great success at a young age.) He has also, somehow, appeared on Gossip Girl and beat Super Mario 3.

Let's find out what Shane has to say about innovation, curiosity, teamwork, and hacking the system. Oh yes, and kangaroos.

For more information, visit the show notes at http://affordanything.com/episode134

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices