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My guest today, Dan Erickson, is a writer, producer and creator of the hit Apple TV series, Severance. In this tell all conversation, Dan shares how his inspiration for creating Severance occurred while working a corporate job that included an unfortunate amount of experiences far too many of us can relate to (do windowless offices, featureless ceilings, and a strong desire to be able to forget about work as soon as you leave sound familiar?).

Dan’s amazing story of creating Severance has many twists and turns, and in this conversation we dive into them all. We talk about how he created the first draft of Severance in a matter of weeks, the seemingly endless obstacles and rejections Dan faced afterwards, and the ironic challenges with work-life balance that he experienced along the way to his success. We also dive into the underlying themes behind Severance, and how they could be far closer to our reality than we might expect.

This episode offers valuable insights into the making of Severance, as well as practical tips for anyone striving to find balance in their own life (I even put Dan on the Hot Seat to help him tackle his current work-life balance challenges). Whether you’ve seen the show yet or not (don’t worry, no spoilers!), I guarantee you’ll find Dan’s story as captivating as I did.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• What specific job experience inspired Dan to create the show Severance
• How Dan was able to create the first draft of Severance in a matter of weeks
• Despite all of the rejections and failures Dan endured, he stuck with his plan for one specific reason…
• Why the story of Severance changed so much from its original draft (but how it still feels like the exact same story)
• Why the story of Severance a lot closer to our reality than we think
• How to break down the most important question from Severance: Who are you and can you become whole?
• How to answer the question more and more people are asking…is it even possible to achieve 'work-life balance'?
• How Dan was able to pull off becoming the showrunner of Severance despite the fact that he had zero experience
• What Dan’s own personal work-life balance challenges were while ironically creating a show on the subject
• What challenge Dan is now currently dealing with (that I put him on the Hot Seat to work through)

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Dan Erickson Is on the TIME100 Next 2022 List | TIME

Severance

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