"Passion is energy. You’ll know it when you have it. Passion is inseparable from pain. If you want and believe in something deeply, you won’t let go, even when the road gets bumpy."

What happens when you treat passion not just as a feeling, but as a strategy?

This week, we sat down with Sandra Reichl and Karin Novozamsky, the Vienna-based co-founders of A Passion Thing — a biannual magazine celebrating creative trailblazers who have turned what they love, into their business.

Launched in 2019, A Passion Thing is more than a magazine — it’s a manifesto for redefining success on your own terms. Sandra and Karin are part of a new creative vanguard championing purpose-driven careers, radical imagination, and the power of leaning into what truly moves you. Consider this episode your blueprint!

TOGETHER WE'RE COVERING

• Definitions of success and passion
• Where drive and motivation come from
• A team vs a one-man/woman show
• The F word (failure) and how to deal with it
• Lessons fear and doubt can teach us
• Family business and generational change
• Why being flexible is the new power move
• Value systems
• Outside the box thinking
• The importance of keeping your cool

Follow @apassionthing_magazine

A few references that came up in conversation:

• The Feldenkrais Method
• Ottilengi’s spiced pea stew recipe
• Fear, Pain and Other Friendsby Avi Grinberg

Thoughts on the episode? We’d love to hear them — DM us @creativebloodworld

EPISODE CREDITS

Hosted by Laura Conway
Produced by Scenery Studios
Show music by Ben Tarrant-Brown

“I’ve always been authentic and that’s always served me well. I remember Eddie Murphy being very amused by my banter.”

When Oprah says, “People get to where they want to go because they know where they want to go,” how do you even begin to answer that? Especially when you’re a Mancunian-born actor who’s spent over two decades living and working in Hollywood. That’s exactly what we asked Marsha Thomason in this candid, access-all-areas conversation—recorded from a slightly seismic LA (seriously, listen out for the tremor in the second half!).

With infectious enthusiasm, ambition and off-the-charts charisma, Marsha has built an extraordinary career on screen, holding her own alongside legends like Helen Mirren, Richard Griffiths, Terence Stamp, and Eddie Murphy. From Better Things and Las Vegas to Lost, The Haunted Mansion, and ITV’s The Bay, she’s done it all, on both sides of the pond—winning lead roles in major TV shows and Hollywood hits while navigating the industry’s twists and turns.

In this episode, Marsha gives us the raw, inside track on how she made it to Hollywood: from cutting her teeth on a Saturday morning kids’ show to how she landed her first US role, to bouncing back from a box office flop (released in the wake of 9/11). You’ll hear all about the chutzpah, resilience, and sheer delusion needed to get ahead and stay the course.

Follow Marsha @iammarshathomason

WHAT TO EXPECT

• The joy of working with an auteur (Pamela Adlon)
• Unforgettable career pinch-me moments
• The importance of representation in front of and behind the lens
• The power of collaboration between cast and crew
• How timing can make or break a show’s success

Thoughts on the episode? We’d love to hear them—DM us @creativebloodworld

EPISODE CREDITS

Hosted by Laura Conway

Produced by Scenery Studios

Show music by Ben Tarrant-Brown

Welcome inside the world of Lee Williams, the creator behind two of London’s photographic institutions- Rapid Eye Darkrooms & the Photobook Cafe - both of which we are proud to say are our neighbours, right here in the heart of Shoreditch.

Typically, you’d find our guest for this episode, Lee Williams, behind the scenes, coming up with ideas that foster community and natural habitats for creative humans working in fashion, advertising and film- alongside (unknowingly) being recognised as a mentor to them.

In this episode, we’re taking you even deeper into Lee’s personal story and how he’s turned his passion into not one, but two thriving businesses.

From leaving his native Wales and working weekends in an East London darkroom, to receiving a £250 grant from the Princes Trust that led to him setting up his very own, Lee exposes his ambition behind a beloved community institution. And then right back to the present day - on why he encourages photographers to talk about their work during the printing process at Rapid Eye, and how his interest in the concept of “third spaces” led to the creation of the Photobook Cafe…

It’s also important to mention the two powerhouse women at the helm of both Rapid Eye and Photobook Cafe, making it all actually happen - Lee’s wife Sebi & London nightlife legend Farika Holden. A massive shout-out to you both!

Consider this episode your warm and cosy entrance into Lee’s roots, mindset and above all, passion for photography. It’s a truly rare insight into his photographic universe.

Follow @rapideye.darkroom & @photobookcafe

EPISODE INSIGHTS

• Why following your curiosity can lead to everything falling into place
• Why analogue photography is more relevant than ever
• How personal projects feed passion and help build community

Thoughts on the episode? DM us @creativebloodworld

EPISODE CREDITS

Hosted by Laura Conway

Produced by Scenery Studios

Show music by Ben Tarrant-Brown