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Brendan Leonard is back for his third appearance on the podcast—this time recorded in person at his house in Missoula. Brendan’s the creative mind behind Semi-Rad, and over the years, he’s become a good friend and one of my most trusted advisors when it comes to creativity and building a life around the things you care about. He’s a writer, illustrator, filmmaker, ultrarunner, teacher, and all-around creative machine—someone who’s carved out a career by doing things his own way, with a healthy dose of humor and generosity.
This episode is pretty much two friends sitting at a kitchen table having a laid-back chat about our long list of shared interests. We talk about everything from teaching writing and designing online courses, to the pros and cons of Substack, to how to market your work without feeling like a sellout. We dig into the practical side of creativity—how to make things, share them, and make a living—without losing the joy and weirdness that made you want to create in the first place.
We also get into self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, why Brendan makes funny books like 15-Second Recipes, and why he believes that generosity, self-deprecation, and consistency matter more than flash or perfection. There’s a lot here for anyone trying to make meaningful things in the margins of a busy life… or build a creative life from the ground up.
If you’re new to Brendan’s work, be sure to check out his website, newsletter, and his earlier podcast episodes. I’d also specifically encourage you to check out his most recent book "Ultra-Something," his recent film "The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood," and the podcast he co-hosts, which is called "The Trailhead." There are links to everything in the episode notes.
Brendan is one of the most thoughtful, practical, and humble voices out there when it comes to creative work, and I’m always better off after talking to him. Hope you enjoy.
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- Brendan Leonard
- Semi-Rad
- Ultra-Something
- The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood
- The Trailhead podcast
- Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/brendan-leonard-3/
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TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- 2:11 - Brendan blowing out the speakers
- 3:47 - How Brendan got into teaching and early days at Freeflow
- 8:06 - Brendan’s teachers
- 11:09 - The Feynman technique
- 14:10 - Substack versus a website
- 17:54 - The necessity of marketing yourself
- 20:53 - Keeping the voice
- 25:00 - Moving Brendan’s writing course online
- 27:23 - Keeping it low-key
- 29:40 - Abundance vs. scarcity mentality
- 33:56 - Publisher vs. self-publishing
- 38:39 - Nickels and dimes of self-publishing
- 42:31 - Talking The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood
- 50:23 - Digging into the niches
- 51:55 - Curing the male loneliness epidemic
- 55:44 - Helping people with humor
- 58:43 - Treating others with respect
- 1:00:07 - Book recs
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