Good morning, friends!

Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin takes up to eight showers per day whenever he suffers from writer's block to help revive his creativity. Author Malcolm Gladwell reads footnotes in books and articles to generate new ideas. TV powerhouse Shonda Rhimes uses a mental trigger that tells her brain it's time to focus.

I've been long fascinated by the creative process. When I read about someone whose work I admire, I want to better understand their brain. How do they bring their ideas to life? What do they do when they feel stuck? When do they decide to pivot and re-invent?

Thanks to The Profile, I've been able to study some of the world's most creative people. I've kept my own personal notes around creative strategies that I've found helpful, and now I want to share them with you guys.

For the last few months, I've been working on a creativity seminar that's jam-packed with practical strategies to bring more creativity into your life. The class will answer the following question: "What's the secret to creative success?" We'll go through the whole creative process all the way from generating an idea to unleashing your creativity to turning your passions into reality.

So if you're interested in participating, note the following:

• The live seminar will be available to everyone, but the recording of the session plus the detailed class notes will only be sent to premium members. (Join premium here).

• The seminar will last one-and-a-half hours. I'll reserve the last 20 minutes to answer questions from you. Feel free to stay for as long as your schedule allows.

• If you register for one of the sessions below, I will email you a reminder with login information as we get closer to the date.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR SPOT 👇👇👇

I'll hold the same seminar on two different days, so please choose the one that best works with your schedule and RSVP below:

• Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 12 p.m. EST (RSVP HERE)

• Thursday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. EST (RSVP HERE)

Looking forward to seeing you in class!

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THE PROFILE DOSSIER: On Wednesday, premium members received The Profile Dossier, a comprehensive deep-dive on a prominent individual. It featured Conrad Anker, the legendary mountaineer who cheated death (multiple times). Become a premium member, and check it out here.

PODCAST ALERT: I recently went on the Creator Lab podcast to talk about all things media, creativity, and lessons I've learned from the world's most successful people. It's one of the most comprehensive conversations I've had about The Profile in recent days. Watch it here or listen to the podcast here.

Here's a short preview:

Polina Marinova Pompliano @polina_marinova

Tie 👏 your 👏 identity 👏 to 👏 your 👏 own 👏 name

January 8th 2021

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PROFILES.

— The sperm kings of America [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— Wall Street’s greatest living economist
— The spy for planet Earth
— The man who turned credit-card points into an empire
— New York City's beloved business owner
— Maine's island shepherds
— The entrepreneur who organized a million-dollar clothes drive

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The sperm kings of America: Many people want a baby during the pandemic, but there’s a problem: Sperm banks are struggling to keep up with demand. Now, some prospective parents are turning to unregulated Facebook groups and TikTok accounts to find donors. (Yes, there are super-donor influencers now.) (The New York Times)

“People want college-educated sperm, so to speak.”

Wall Street’s greatest living economist: It is universally acknowledged that Edward S. Hyman Jr. is Wall Street’s greatest living economist. After a total of 40 years as the No. 1 analyst in economics on the All-America Research Team, another four in second place, and a single appearance as a runner-up, Ed Hyman is still at it. This profile explores how he has stayed on top for so long. (Institutional Investor)

“I gather ideas and try to decide which ones I like. I talk to a lot of people, all the time, all over the world, trying to make sense of what’s going on.”

The spy for planet Earth: Linda Zall's decades of service to science were done in the secretive warrens of the Central Intelligence Agency. Now, at 70, she’s telling her story — at least the parts she’s allowed to talk about — and admirers are praising her highly classified struggle to put the nation’s spy satellites onto a radical new job: environmental sleuthing. (The New York Times)

“It was fun. It was really a lot of fun.”

The man who turned credit-card points into an empire: Brian Kelly is the reigning king of cheap travel. You might know him as "The Points Guy" because he's the writer of the eponymous blog that publishes articles about how to maximize credit-card rewards and airline miles. But in 2020, he had to grapple with the question: What are all those points and miles worth in a global pandemic? (The New York Times)

"The poor underwrite the fantasies of the middle class, who in turn underwrite the realities of the rich."

New York City's beloved business owner: Henry Yao, the owner and sole employee of a tiny military surplus store on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, was worried his business wouldn't survive the pandemic. He was a charismatic salesman with nothing to sell as tourists vanished and foot traffic came to a halt. But his customers rallied and raised nearly $60,000 on crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to help cover his expenses. Yao’s shop is just one example of a whopping 200,000 small businesses that are on the brink of never coming back. (The New York Times)

“I never expect that kind of good to come from everybody. New Yorkers have power. They are the best.”

Maine's island shepherds: Three miles off the coast of Maine lies a cluster of islands populated only by sheep. The Wakeman family, who live on the nearby mainland, are the year-round caretakers. Alfie Wakeman works full-time as a pediatric provider in the local clinic. His wife, Eleni, works full-time as a speech-language pathologist and the assistant fire chief for the local volunteer fire department. Their three daughters — Wren, Lilly and Evie — are all college-age or newly graduated. As someone on Twitter said, "A good reminder that the world outside of the internet exists and is beautiful." (The New York Times)

“It’s about realizing that everything has value and everything has beauty.”

The entrepreneur who organized a million-dollar clothes drive: Max Hamilton, 27, runs a small company called Limitless Production, which manufactures clothing for young designers and small brands. But when wildfires in Oregon left a trail of destruction, Hamilton said, “It just felt impossible for me to really focus on anything else.” Here's how he organized a massive drive that donated clothing, blankets, masks, toiletries, appliances, canned food, and other supplies to families who were displaced by the fire. (Bloomberg)

"I’m thankful to be in a position to help and look forward to doing more in the future.”

This installment of The Profile is free for everyone. If you would like to get full access to all of the recommendations, including today’s audio and video sections, sign up below.

AUDIO TO HEAR.

Andrew Huberman on activating a calm state: When you get bad news, your mind recruits the body to release chemicals to make you feel panicked. But there's a way to calm your nervous system in that moment. In this fascinating podcast episode, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman shares several techniques that can almost instantly calm you down, helping you to think more rationally. (Link available to premium members.)

Jewel on turning your life around: Singer-songwriter Jewel has a fascinating life story. She grew up in Alaska in a two-room saddle barn with an outhouse. At age 15, Jewel left her family’s unstable situation only to wind up homeless. She says she was able to turn her life around by deliberate practice. "You can have intellectual awakenings and therapeutic realizations, but until you find skills that you can practice every day, you're not going to create a new thought paradigm for yourself," she says. This is a brilliant interview. (Link available to premium members.)

VIDEOS TO SEE.

Tim Urban on the creative process: If you've read anything on Tim Urban's blog Wait But Why, it's undeniable that he's one of the most clever and clear writers out there. In this episode, Urban explains how he developed his writing voice, where he gets his ideas, and why self-confidence is the key to doing great work. It's a must-watch. (Link available to premium members.)

The American mom who joined ISIS: In November, Samantha Sally, a mom from Indiana, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for financing terrorism, which made her the first American woman to be convicted on ISIS-related terrorism charges. This documentary details what happened during her time in the ISIS-controlled territory in Syria. (Link available to premium members.)

Kobe Bryant on the qualities he looked for in a partner: Whether it's in business or in life, Kobe Bryant believed in surrounding yourself with people who are relentless about self-improvement. He looked for two characteristics when evaluating people. "The most important thing is curiosity first. I want curious people — people who ask questions, people who want to figure things out, and people who figure out news ways to do things," he says. "Then, you need to have the determination to see that curiosity through." (Link available to premium members.)

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