Podcast Summary: The Creative Boom Podcast – "The Spark: Haraldur Thorleifsson on Impulsive Adventures, Inner Critics & Dream Guests"

Host: Katy Cowan
Guest: Haraldur “Harley” Thorleifsson
Date: October 22, 2025

Episode Overview

In this warm, insightful episode of The Creative Boom Podcast, host Katy Cowan chats with entrepreneur and creative leader Haraldur Thorleifsson (aka Harley). The conversation centers on the personal realities behind creative success: facing inner critics, building rituals for resilience, learning to let go, and the highs and lows that color a creative life. The format is light-hearted but honest, with reflective questions, memorable anecdotes, and Harley’s candid takes on ambition, failure, and empathy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. When Have You Felt Out of Your Depth?

[00:42]

• Harley shares the story of building a restaurant in memory of his mother—a deeply personal yet ultimately overwhelming project.
  • He admits to pushing on “for longer than I should” out of a sense of not wanting to give up (01:23).
  • Key Lesson: “There’s nothing wrong with things not working out. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you can always quit.” (01:58, Harley)
  • Although it was a relief to stop, he later found new value in the space when a Michelin-starred chef opened a new restaurant there.

2. Non-Negotiables in Creative Work

[02:53]

• Harley’s “hill to die on”: Creative work should make people feel something—it’s not enough for it to just function.
  • “I think that if you’re making something, it should make people feel some way.” (02:56, Harley)
  • He emphasizes that knowing the feeling you want to evoke helps make decisions easier during the creative process (03:36).

3. Bringing Yourself Into Your Work

[04:18]

• Conversation turns to Katy’s own introspection—she shares AI’s (brutally honest) advice to be more outspoken and personal:
  • “It said that I hadn’t quite discovered yet this thing that I had, and I wasn’t exploiting it enough... not be so polished and professional... just be a bit more feisty and opinionated...” (04:38, Katy)
• Both reflect on moving away from people-pleasing and embracing authenticity, even if it means not pleasing everyone (05:19–05:37).

4. Personal Rituals for a Better Day

[06:02]

• Harley discusses his twice-daily meditation routine (20 minutes each), describing it as both challenging and transformative:
  • “When I do it, it really makes my life and my day better... it just calms me down and makes me so much more resilient for whatever comes my way.” (06:22, Harley)
  • He favors transcendental meditation as a simple, app-free approach (06:47).

5. Impulsive Adventures While Traveling

[08:06]

• Harley recounts an impulsive trip across Iran, initially intending to stay in Tehran but spontaneously choosing to explore the country:
  • “Everything we did during that week or 10 days was just winging it... but it was amazing.” (08:27, Harley)
  • Profound takeaway: “There’s kindness everywhere... you find that [people] have the same aspirations, the same needs, the same longings.” (09:17–09:45, Harley)

6. Believing in Something (Even If Not Real)

[10:05]

• Harley reflects on the comfort of religious belief he once had, and how he now envies those who maintain faith:
  • “I really envy people who do. I think it is something that can help people through a lot of hard times, and not having that can be extremely hard.” (10:53, Harley)
• Katy shares her own journey from Catholicism to finding peace in the idea of a finite, peaceful end, urging others to make the most of their time. (10:58–11:30)

7. The Voice of the Inner Critic

[12:01]

• Harley’s inner critic is informed by childhood memories of feeling different (disability, using a wheelchair) and is “an amalgam... shrieks in my head that I can almost hear.” (12:01, Harley)
  • “Even still now, with being almost 50 and having done and accomplished a fair amount of things, there’s still these voices... saying, ‘that’s not good enough.’” (12:51, Harley)
• Katy quips about her own inner critic: “I talk back to mine, I say, ‘Shut up, you know nothing.’” (13:20, Katy)

8. Dream Dinner Guest

[13:38]

• Harley chooses musician Nick Cave:
  • He admires Cave’s “endless wisdom” and the way he’s transformed pain and loss into something beautiful and compassionate (13:38–14:18).
  • “He’s sort of a no-bullshit but still kind person.” (14:26, Harley)

9. What’s on Your Phone?

[14:50]

• Harley’s latest photo: “It’s a screenshot of a tweet... a nun that’s playing a tenth,” with the caption “forgive me, Father, for I have sent.” (15:00–15:24)
• Laughter as an essential part of daily life—“I try to [laugh a lot].” (15:32, Harley)

10. New Podcast: Let’s Walk

[15:38]

• Harley talks about his new podcast, inspired by increased mobility from a new wheelchair:
  • “I started doing long walks with creative people... it has been just really enjoyable.” (15:38–16:12, Harley)

11. The Book That Changed You

[17:06]

• Harley’s pick: The Lionheart Brothers by Astrid Lindgren, a childhood favorite read by his father.
  • “The thing that always brings tears to my eyes is kindness... I think it maybe even started in that book...” (17:39–18:34, Harley)

12. A Question for the Next Guest

[18:42]

• Harley’s favorite to ask: “How do you want to die?” and what that answer reveals about living:
  • “It’s good to have an ideal death in mind... is the life you’re living now the one you want to have lived when you’re on your last breath?” (18:55, Harley)
  • He reflects on how pondering mortality helps focus on what matters (19:29–20:01).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On letting go:

  “There’s nothing wrong with things not working out. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you can always quit.” (01:58, Haraldur)

• On creative intent:

  “If you’re making something, it should make people feel some way... How does it make you feel?” (02:56, Haraldur)

• On inner critics:

  “There’s still these voices in my head that are... pointing at it and saying, ‘that’s not good enough.’” (12:51, Haraldur)

• On kindness and empathy:

  “There’s kindness everywhere.” (09:17, Haraldur) “The thing that always brings tears to my eyes is kindness.” (17:39, Haraldur)

• On mortality and meaning:

  “Is the life you’re living now the one you want to have lived when you’re on your last breath?” (18:55, Haraldur)

Important Timestamps

• [00:42] Feeling out of depth—building and closing a restaurant
• [02:53] Creative work “hills to die on”
• [04:38] Pushing past people-pleasing; importance of authenticity
• [06:02] Meditation and daily rituals
• [08:06] Impulsive trip through Iran and lessons on human nature
• [10:05] On religion, comfort, and making the most of life
• [12:01] The nature and origins of Harley’s inner critic
• [13:38] Dream dinner guest: Nick Cave
• [15:38] New podcast: Let’s Walk
• [17:06] The book that changed him: The Lionheart Brothers
• [18:42] “How do you want to die?”—perspectives on mortality and life priorities

Tone & Style

The conversation is authentic, friendly, and often humorous, mixing deep insights about vulnerability and creativity with light-hearted moments. Both Katy and Harley display warmth and honesty, offering practical and philosophical takeaways for any creative professional.

For more candid creative conversations, visit creativeboom.com.