Daring Creativity. Daring Forever.

Host: Radim Malinic
Episode: "I've never met a person who's not creative" (Haraldur Thorleifsson bonus episode)
Date: October 23, 2025

Episode Overview

This bonus episode of Daring Creativity, Daring Forever dives deeper into the key insights from Radim Malinic's recent interview with Haraldur "Halli" Thorleifsson, a prolific entrepreneur, creative, and social advocate. Halli's story is shaped by his experience living with muscular dystrophy, a perspective that profoundly influences his philosophies on creativity, urgency, leadership, and resilience. Radim unpacks four standout themes from their discussion, sharing notable moments that challenge perfectionism, redefine creativity, and model courageous authenticity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Embracing Urgency: The Power of Acting Now

([00:44])

• Halli’s Reflection on Muscular Dystrophy:
  Halli describes how his progressive condition made him value every present moment, propelling him to act rather than procrastinate.

  "Knowing that there was always the current state is always the best there is, then I felt I should use my opportunities while I have them... It's always I should do it now because who knows?" — Haraldur Thorleifsson ([00:44])

• Radim’s Interpretation:
  Radim reframes this philosophy as an antidote to perfectionist paralysis, highlighting that “someday” is an illusion—conditions may never improve, so the present is the richest creative ground.

  "Today is the best day there is. This realization doesn’t create despair, it actually creates urgency and gratitude for creatives." — Radim Malinic ([01:51])

2. Universal Creativity: Breaking the Gatekeeper Myth

([03:13])

• Halli’s Universality Principle:
  Halli powerfully rejects the myth of the “creative type.”

  "I've never met a person that is not creative. I have met a lot of people who've been told that they're not creative, and I've met a lot of people who believe that they're not creative. But I've never met a person who's not creative... I think all creativity is connected." — Haraldur Thorleifsson ([03:13])

• Radim’s Commentary:
  Radim explores systemic suppression of creativity—how educational, social, and workplace structures teach people to see themselves as uncreative, rather than fostering innate creative instincts. Icelandic culture’s necessity-driven creativity becomes a compelling model for democratizing creativity in the age of AI and automation.

  "If creativity is rare talent, most people are obsolete. If it’s a universal human capacity requiring only permission and practice, everyone has agency." — Radim Malinic ([03:31])

3. Leadership, Culture, and the Mistake of Forcing Fit

([05:08])

• Halli on Team & Company Culture:
  Halli recounts his maturation as a leader—realizing that not every employee or collaborator can, or should, be forced to fit a company’s culture or vision.

  "Meeting people where they are, working from there, I think is very important... Sometimes it just doesn’t work. And it doesn’t have to be the fault of anyone, it just doesn’t work... They just didn’t fit into what we were doing." — Haraldur Thorleifsson ([05:08])

• Radim’s Analysis:
  Radim calls out the savior complex in empathetic leadership—believing you can transform anyone through sheer effort. Respectful, timely transitions serve both the individual and the team, and being a “misfit” isn’t a failing.

  "Trying to force fit damages both the individual and the team... If you're a misfit, it doesn't mean you're broken." — Radim Malinic ([06:37])

4. Resilience Through Context: The Lessons of Public Conflict

([07:42])

• Halli on Public Conflict (Elon Musk Incident):
  Halli recounts his very public dispute with Elon Musk during a high-profile firing via Twitter, describing how past experiences equipped him for the spotlight and scrutiny.

  "I’ve been in so many different heated debates on Twitter that prepared me for that moment... I don’t regret anything that I did there. And I feel I made the right choices in a pretty heated moment... I was able to put this in context that even though it got a lot of attention, this was very far from being the most important thing in my life." — Haraldur Thorleifsson ([07:42])

• Radim’s Perspective:
  Radim examines Halli’s emotional intelligence, noting that years of adversity—loss, illness, minor debates—gave him the poise to navigate a globally watched event. Context and prioritization, Radim argues, are creative acts themselves.

  "It was every difficult conversation before this incident that was Halli's resilience building... He maintained his own narrative while the world wrote theirs. It is the ultimate creative act of authoring your story, regardless of external chaos." — Radim Malinic ([08:42])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Present Action:
  “It's always I should do it now because who knows?”
  — Haraldur Thorleifsson ([00:44])
• On Universal Creativity:
  "I've never met a person that is not creative... I think all creativity is connected."
  — Haraldur Thorleifsson ([03:13])
• On Company Culture:
  "It doesn’t have to be the fault of anyone, it just doesn’t work..."
  — Haraldur Thorleifsson ([05:08])
• On Resilience:
  "I was able to put this in context that even though it got a lot of attention, this was very far from being the most important thing in my life."
  — Haraldur Thorleifsson ([07:42])

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:44] — Halli on urgency and acting now
• [03:13] — Halli on the universality of creativity
• [05:08] — Halli on company culture, leadership, and fit
• [07:42] — Halli on resilience through adversity and public conflict

Final Thoughts

This episode is a masterclass in reframing limitation as opportunity, and in understanding creativity as an inherent, universal trait—one that can be fostered or stifled through culture, leadership, and context. Through Halli Thorleifsson’s lived wisdom and Radim Malinic’s insightful commentary, listeners are invited to act now, honor their creative instincts, practice honest leadership, and author their story with courage and clarity.

For the full conversation and stories, listeners are encouraged to hear the main episode with Halli.