Syncreate Launches 6-Month Coaching Program, Empowering Individuals to Bring Their Creative Dreams to Life

Anyone who’s engaged in a creative pursuit, such as writing a book or essay, composing music, or working on a piece of art, knows how it feels to be stuck. It goes by many names, such as writer’s block, imagination drought, or creative rut, but the experience is similar for many people – they feel like they lack the creativity to start a new project or continue and finish what they’re working on. 

The co-founders of creativity and innovation consultancy Syncreate, Charlotte Gullick and Melinda Rothouse, are both lifelong creatives, and they know exactly how it feels when their creative spirit needs an extra spark. Charlotte is a novelist, essayist, editor, and educator, while Melinda is an educator, professional creativity and leadership coach, as well as a musician– singer/songwriter and bass player.  

This has led them to launch a six-month group coaching program, which will run from April to September. The program offers monthly virtual group meetings as well as two one-on-one sessions with either Charlotte or Melinda. 

According to Syncreate, the coaching program is targeted at a wide variety of people. Creatives, such as writers, visual artists, and performers can benefit from it, allowing them to find inspiration and accountability to complete their projects. It can also help entrepreneurs who have a business idea or concept that they want to launch, as well as business leaders who are looking for ways to most effectively motivate and inspire their teams. 

The program will introduce the Syncreate model, which is an iterative and cyclical process involving the Three Ps – Play, Plan, and Produce. The first step, Play, involves brainstorming, also known as divergent thinking. This is followed by the Plan step, which involves convergent thinking, where ideas are narrowed down and a coherent and realistic strategy is formulated. The third step, Produce, is where a draft or prototype is created, and it is continuously refined until it reaches its final form, and it is ready to be unveiled to the world.  

“There's a misconception that creativity is all about divergent thinking. But, to bring anything to completion, we have to be able to narrow it down. Creativity uses both sides of our brain. Yes, we need to brainstorm and achieve free-flowing ideas, but we also have to make a plan with clearly defined goals and milestones, if we are to turn an idea into reality,” Melinda says. 

Previously, Syncreate held a six-week group coaching program, which was a much more condensed version of the current offering. While it was a success, the co-founders felt that a longer program would enable participants to better accomplish their goals. As a result, Melinda and Charlotte decided to expand the program. 

Aside from coaching programs, Syncreate has various other creativity-related endeavors under its umbrella. In 2021, Melinda and Charlotte co-authored Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities, which serves as a guidebook for the creative process, based on the authors’ experiences as artists, educators, and coaches. It won a Silver Nautilus Award for Creativity & Innovation. 

“Before we wrote the book, we were working on an app centered on creativity,” Melinda says. “We had lots of ideas, and we were working with several other collaborators. Later, we realized that we weren't really tech entrepreneurs, but we were writers, and we had developed so much content, so we just decided to compile it into a book.” 

Meanwhile, the Syncreate Podcast explores the intersections between creativity, psychology, and spirituality, and expands the boundaries of what it means to be creative. It is mainly hosted by Melinda, with Charlotte as an occasional co-host. 

“We're always in a creative entrepreneurial mode, constantly trying things out and refining and pivoting if needed,” Melinda says. “We're excited about the group coaching program beginning this April and, if everything goes well, we're looking to develop other forms of content around it. We have put significant effort into developing this 6-month course and we both believe that the insight we have to offer from years of experience will truly transform how our clients view creativity and innovation.”