Heartful Technologist Podcast by @ckhicks

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  • Your Proficiency Craves Purpose

    The Heartful Technologist
    The Heartful Technologist
    Your Proficiency Craves Purpose
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    EPISODE 007

    This episode explores the importance of having a purpose or plan for growth as a creative. CK shares insights on how to break out of a creative rut by developing simple habits such as documenting lessons learned, maintaining a tidy workspace and personal appearance, and regularly exploring new experiences.

    By incorporating these habits into daily life, creatives can build confidence, stay adaptable, and approach problems with a fresh perspective. Not only is this encouraging, it’s the key to growth and a greater impact in any field.

  • Rubber Ducking and Beyond

    The Heartful Technologist
    The Heartful Technologist
    Rubber Ducking and Beyond
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    EPISODE 006

    Feeling stuck? Explaining your problems out loud can help. This simple trick, known as “rubber ducking,” can be done with a rubber duck, a large language model, or another human being.

    Explaining yourself in detail to someone else can lead to surprising results and new insights. By sharing your thoughts and problems with others, you can gain a deeper understanding and find solutions.

    The key is to seek out opportunities to explain yourself in long form to other humans, rather than just relying on technology or solo reflection.

  • Courage for Creativity in the Daytime

    The Heartful Technologist
    The Heartful Technologist
    Courage for Creativity in the Daytime
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    EPISODE 005

    This episode explores the idea of when we do our best creative work. CK reflects on his personal journey of realizing that his most productive and creative hours are not late at night – they’re actually during the day. He discusses how this shift in perspective has impacted his approach to work and creativity.

    He invites listeners to consider their own productivity and creative patterns, encouraging them to experiment with focusing their best work during daytime hours.

    If you’ve known CK for any length of time, this is a big mindset shift for him. Tune in to hear how his thinking has changed over the years – you might find something that unlocks your creative output as well!

  • Meaningful Individual Contributions

    The Heartful Technologist
    The Heartful Technologist
    Meaningful Individual Contributions
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    EPISODE 004

    “It’s not even for clean water, man.”

    In this episode, CK reflects on late nights, big efforts, and the sobering realization that some projects weren’t all that meaningful.

    We sometimes experience a quiet disillusionment – perhaps you feel it in your own work – and it’s not bitterness, just perspective.

    Even when your contributions feel small or disconnected, they still matter if you bring heart and intention to them. Not everything we do needs to be world-changing to be worthwhile. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is show up, do your piece well, support the people around you, and keep moving forward.

  • Childlike Relationships with Tools and Gear

    The Heartful Technologist
    The Heartful Technologist
    Childlike Relationships with Tools and Gear
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    EPISODE 003

    In this episode, CK gets a little sentimental (in the best way) reflecting on the gear we collect in tech—and how our relationship with tools can shape our work. Watching how children curate their own little “kits” of favorite objects, their simplicity stands in stark contrast to his collections.

    It’s not an anti-gear rant, more of a gentle nudge: don’t let the hardware become the point. The real work isn’t in collecting, optimizing, or system-switching. It’s in creating, sharing, solving, and doing.

    The childlike mindset isn’t naive, it’s pure. Use what you have, share it freely, and don’t overthink the setup. Gear should be a means, not an end. A delight when possible, yes—but never the destination.

    A great reminder that in the endless churn of tools and tech, sometimes the best compass is a little Sterilite bin full of favorite things.

  • Finding Purpose in Slow Work

    The Heartful Technologist
    The Heartful Technologist
    Finding Purpose in Slow Work
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    EPISODE 002

    In this reflective episode, CK shares how a year of independent work has brought a deep sense of calm and clarity. He ties the feeling to the changing Midwest seasons—fall’s natural slowing echoing his own shift in pace.

    After years of software development at agencies, this new rhythm has helped him realize the power of purposeful work. Even amid stress and uncertainty, having direction reshapes how he approaches his craft and manages tension.

    It’s not about working less, but working with intention. We often get pulled into directionless building in tech, which traps us in limbo. It’s exciting at first but ultimately hollow.

    Listeners are urged to build with purpose—not just because we can but because something meaningful is worth sustaining. Our best work is done not out of opposition but out of love for what we’re trying to protect or create.

  • Introductions & Using Your Skills for Good

    The Heartful Technologist
    The Heartful Technologist
    Introductions & Using Your Skills for Good
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    EPISODE 001

    In this inaugural episode of The Heartful Technologist, CK reflects on the quiet power technologists hold to make a real difference in people’s lives. While digitizing old tapes for friends, he’s struck by how a simple skill—like cleaning up audio with AI tools—can seem like magic to those without that know-how.

    If you recognize that difference, you’re part of a rare group that can bridge the gap between what is possible and what others might only dream could be true.

    The challenge is for each of us to use our skills intentionally, even when the work feels routine or unremarkable. That “obvious” step you take could have deep meaning for someone else—especially when it helps preserve something precious, like a memory caught on a fading cassette tape.

    If you have the ability to help through technology, do it—for the good of others and for the deeper human connection it brings.