In loading up my iPod for an upcoming trip, I came across these thought-provoking podcasts:

• The Accidental Creative. The direct link to the podcast on iTunes is:phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=93424211. Todd Henry interviews some great thinkers about their work and how they stay creative. I especially enjoyed the interviews with management guru, Peter Block, author of The Answer to How is Yes, and networking guru, Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone.

Block talks about how the question we ask is more important the answer, taking on personal responsibility, and how the story we tell often limits our future.  He also points to a familiar concept for boundary crossers, that you need to get out of your field to innovate.

Ferrazzi talks about how generosity and intimacy are the keys to great relationships. He also talks about his secrets to staying creative, among them are Vipassana meditation, reading retreats (similar to what I’ve heard Bill Gates does), and finding enough space in life to hear your inner voice. Ferrazzi is also a prolific writer with lots of great articles on his site.

• w3w3, an Internet talk radio site, has a new interview with tech entrepreneur, Audrey MacLean. A professor of entrepreneurship at Stanford, MacLean is also the founder of several high-tech companies, including Network Equipment Technologies and Adaptive. I particularly resonated with her description of entrepreneurs as individuals who create something out of nothing, seeing things the way they could be instead of how they are today, and inspiring others to create with you. She’s emphatic that you can’t do it alone, that you have to create a team. I’m living that lesson with my new venture, A Bigger Voice. MacLean also talks about the challenges of balancing family with building a biz. I’m living that one as well. Lucy Sanders, the CEO of the National Center for Women in Technology, and someone I know from my days at Avaya, is one of the interviewers.

As long as I’m on the subject of entrepreneurship, I heard a great concept from Sue Kunz, a Boulder entrepreneur who just sold her company, Solidware to Coverity. With any successful company, there’s usually a "nut" and a "bolt." The nut is the visionary, the one who dreams big. The bolt is the pragmatist, the one who knows how much is in the checking account at any given moment. Sue considers herself the nut. Her partner at Solidware was the bolt. I marveled when she recalled that in the early days of Solidware, they spent less than $300 on office furniture for 14 employees.  Made me think a bit more frugally in setting up A Bigger Voice.

While these thought-leaders are seemingly talking about different topics, it comes down to two opposing but complementary ideas–reaching for the stars and staying grounded. If I’m able to do that consistently, I’ll consider myself a lucky woman.