SASM 026 - Multipotentialite Crimes and Triumphs with Emilie Wapnick

MultipotenialiteEmilie Wapnick is someone you should know.

Especially if you're like me and have resisted the push to “specialize” all your life.

Or if people think you have ADD because you jump from one interest to another, and then to another… and then back to that passion from a decade ago.

“Multipotentialite” probably isn't a common word for you, but you'll be glad it's in your vocabulary after listening to this episode. You'll also dig this Smart and Simple Matters classic if you're on the lookout to become a happier, well-rounded, better integrated business person.

This is more than a conversation about being a stellar generalist, scanner, or slasher (the good kind). This is a chat that explains why everyone can't be a specialist and what could be potentially more rewarding.

As you'll hear her say:

I stopped beating myself up about this [scanner] pattern and I started celebrating it to find a way to make it work. – Emilie Wapnick

And while you're rockin' your multipotentialite world, Emilie has resources to:

  • Build your confidence toolbox
  • Simplify your goal-setting and goal achieving
  • Help you combine the things you love into an income-generating dynamo

If ever there was a person qualified to bridge seemingly separate topics like simplifying, organizing, and being money wise, Emilie's the one.

And just wait until you hear how Emilie turns the tables on me like no guest ever has. It's fun, insightful, and reveals a personal story that very few people know.

In This Episode You'll Learn About:

  • How to evolve from a dabbler to a multipotentialite maestro.
  • What it's like to be a “leader of the weirdoes and dorks.”
  • What happens when you try to specialize … and you're so not a specialist.
  • How to effectively (and enjoyably) “smoosh” your interests into an umbrella business.
  • Why you should set a launch date for any personal or professional project.
  • Using positive accountability as a motivational force.
  • Why stifling your multipotentialite nature is a crime.
  • How to flip the switch between focus time and scanner time.
  • What the original Value of Simple website name was supposed to be (I'm blushing).

Resources and Items Mentioned in This Episode Include:


  • [07:55] Emilie's seeds of awesomeness
  • [16:31] What a multipotentialite is and how you know if you're one
  • [21:40] How to overwhelm overwhelm
  • [29:09] Positive accountability
  • [35:20] Fighting internal resistance and finding focus
  • [39:20] Finding your overarching theme to bridge your passions
  • [43:59] Joel tells the origin story of Value of Simple

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