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In this real-time reflection, Linda and Heather speak from a familiar place: creative overwhelm. With honesty and gentleness, they explore what it feels like to be maxed out emotionally, mentally, and energetically, and how naming the truth of that experience can become its own kind of medicine. They discuss nervous system overload, the pressure to show up anyway, and why sometimes the most helpful thing is to say, “I’m at capacity.” If you’ve ever felt like you just can’t push through, this episode will not only help you feel less alone, but also give you permission to slow down.

We Chat About:

• What it actually feels like to be in a state of creative overwhelm
• The physical and emotional signals that capacity has been exceeded
• Why honest conversations matter more than polished performances
• The gap between intention and what’s available in the moment
• How childhood trauma affects our ability to focus on ourselves
• Reclaiming softness and slowing down when things feel like too much
• How co-regulation and shared truth can bring relief
• The gift of naming exactly where you are
• Choosing rest, spaciousness, and connection over pushing through
• Tools to break down projects into tiny manageable steps

Connect with Us:

Creative Energy Podcast: www.wearecreativeenergy.com

Linda Lewis: www.lindalewcreative.com

Heather Manwaring: www.heathermanwaring.com

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In this episode, we sit down with longtime friend and creative force Kyle Metzger, an award-winning lighting designer and multi-disciplinary artist whose work spans ski films, fine furniture, carpentry, and photography. Through the lens of perfectionism, we explore how the desire to create something exceptional can become a paralyzing block. Kyle opens up about his journey navigating the tension between idealism and action, identity and ego, creative vision and real-world limitations. From career pivots and burnout to breakthrough projects and deeply personal insights, this is a powerful conversation for anyone who’s ever struggled to start (or finish) because it didn’t feel perfect.

We Chat About:

• How perfectionism disguises itself as integrity, identity, and control
• Why perfectionism often leads to procrastination, paralysis, or avoidance
• The emotional cost of being “too precious” with your work
• Navigating perfectionism as a multi-passionate creative
• Kyle’s “I’ve arrived” moment after 20 years of quiet effort
• Why design, lighting, and environment are emotional experiences
• How ego and creative expression are deeply intertwined
• The tension between wanting recognition and fearing exposure
• Why small creative acts matter just as much as big ones
• Giving yourself permission to be seen—even when it’s messy

About Kyle: Kyle Metzger is an award-winning lighting designer for films specializing in ski movies. He is also a talented carpenter, photographer, writer, farmer and chef. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Connect with Kyle:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basil_wrathbone/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchetlerFilms

Website: https://www.chrisbenchetler.com/

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction to Kyle Metzger

01:15 – Which creative role feels most fulfilling now

02:30 – From film to carpentry: building as expression

05:00 – Why Kyle almost became an architect

06:45 – Choosing filmmaking: fear, freedom, and social life

08:50 – Charting a nonlinear creative career

10:20 – Advice for younger creatives: “You can do less in a day, more in a year”

12:00 – Current desires: writing, building, skiing, and solitude

14:00 – How Kyle’s rural upbringing shaped his creative eye

16:00 – Cooking as survival creativity

17:50 – What life in the film industry actually looks like

20:00 – The Mountains of the Moon project: skiing, psychedelics, and skeletons

23:00 – Authoring work vs. being a cog

25:00 – Kyle’s “I’ve arrived” moment in British Columbia

28:00 – Why he couldn’t have handled success any earlier

30:00 – Rejecting mainstream influence to preserve intuition

32:00 – Kyle’s take on perfectionism as ego and identity

34:00 – Trade-offs, reality checks, and the cost of idealism

36:00 – When perfectionism leads to avoidance

38:30 – How identity and self-image slow down creative starts

40:00 – The pain of sharing messy first drafts

42:00 – Complaining vs. caring deeply: reframing critical observation

44:30 – Crafting better experiences: the designer’s perspective

46:00 – Encouragement to share your lens with the world

49:00 – Why Kyle doesn’t post more—and how perfectionism gets in the way

53:00 – Shar

Connect with Us:

Creative Energy Podcast: www.wearecreativeenergy.com

Linda Lewis: www.lindalewcreative.com

Heather Manwaring: www.heathermanwaring.com

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In this first teaching episode under the new Creative Energy name, we dive deep into the tangled roots of perfectionism: a pattern that keeps so many creatives stuck in fear, performance, and procrastination. Linda and Heather share their personal experiences of how perfectionism has shown up in relationships, business, parenting, and artistic work, offering insight into how to recognize, unravel, and release its grip. If you’ve ever felt held back by the need to get it “just right,” this episode will help you reconnect with your real, imperfect, and wildly creative self.

We Chat About:

• How perfectionism masks itself as productivity, control, or care
• The connection between people-pleasing and perfectionism
• Parenting patterns, early survival strategies, and “good girl” programming
• The parasite metaphor: how perfectionism seeps into all areas of life
• Creative procrastination as a fear-based perfectionist strategy
• Tools for working with—not eradicating—perfectionist patterns
• The role of writing, somatic work, and service in loosening its grip
• How real connection replaces the need for perfection

Chapters:

00:44 – Naming perfectionism as a core creative block

02:00 – Defining what perfectionism isn’t

05:00 – Control, image, and the fear of exile

07:00 – Relationship perfectionism and performative care

10:00 – How school rewards perfectionism—and adulthood punishes it

13:00 – Childhood roles and the cost of always being “the good one”

18:00 – Sibling dynamics and early identity stories

21:00 – The surprise of discovering “hidden” perfectionism

23:00 – Under-baking as a protective strategy

26:00 – AI, filters, and the illusion of perfect

28:00 – Parenting and redefining the “perfect” home

32:00 – Releasing control in family and business

35:00 – Can we ever fully let go of perfectionism?

36:00 – Compassion as the key to recognizing the pattern

39:00 – Writing as a tool for pattern tracking

42:00 – Dancing, tapping, and being of service

46:00 – Befriending our inner rejected parts

Connect with Us:

Creative Energy Podcast: www.wearecreativeenergy.com

Linda Lewis: www.lindalewcreative.com

Heather Manwaring: www.heathermanwaring.com