Productivity, Creativity, and the Stories We Tell

Media Links

• Website: delvepsych.com

• Instagram: @delvepsychchicago

• YouTube: Delve Psych

• Substack: delvepsych.substack.com

Hosts

• Ali McGarel — Staff Therapist at Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago

• Adam Fominaya — Executive, Clinical, and Training Director at Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago

This episode blends personal reflection with psychological insight as Ali and Adam explore the pressures of productivity, the nature of creativity, and the ways our cultural and personal stories shape both. They touch on motivation—what it is, how it works, and how to manufacture it when it doesn’t come naturally. Along the way, they connect these ideas to broader systems like capitalism, psychology’s own history, and theories of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.

The discussion also celebrates Delve’s fifth anniversary, the growth of its training program, and the ongoing commitment to creating a supportive and thoughtful therapy community.

• Opening reflections — Ali and Adam thank listeners, talk about word-of-mouth support, and highlight recent blog posts from the Delve Substack.

• Delve’s 5-year anniversary — Looking back at the growth of the practice and the evolution of the training program.

• Productivity and creativity in clients’ lives — From art students to professionals, why motivation feels elusive.

• When creativity meets deadlines — The difference between passion-driven projects and output-focused demands.

• Manufacturing motivation — Why waiting to “feel like it” doesn’t work, and how action generates motivation.

• The 85% rule — Adam’s heuristic for finishing creative projects and overcoming symbolic self-completion.

• Goals, needs, and values — Using big-picture commitments to reignite motivation when creative fire dwindles.

• Capitalism, behaviorism, and output culture — A systemic lens on why we equate worth with productivity.

• Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation — Why rewards can backfire, and how self-determination theory reframes motivation.

• The stories we tell ourselves — How beliefs and self-narratives influence our emotions and experiences.

• Closing thoughts — Encouragement to share the podcast, explore Delve’s services, and reflect on personal goals.

• Katherine Nieweglowski’s blog post on therapist uncertainty and repair (via Substack)

• Jeff Haden — The Motivation Myth

• Alfie Kohn — Punished by Rewards

• Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, University of Rochester)