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.
---
- 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/
---
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
---
ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com