"Māori values are just human values" (Laura Cibilich bonus episode)

0:00Radim Malinic:Hey, welcome to another bonus episode of the Daring Creativity Podcast. I'm back to unpack some of the gems from this week's conversation, Polinado's moment that deserve a second look and digging deeper into what makes them special. It's about the ideas that hit differently. This week I sat down with Laura Cibilich and I got to find out how she runs a creative studio titled Run out of New Zealand. The episode published a few days ago was titled Dare to Lean into Indigenous Values and I got to learn about Māori values and principles that guide their work day to day. If you haven't checked out a full interview yet, let me start with these four moments that stood out from our conversation.

0:44Like it really does ground us and we've got a full-time Pau Aharao Māori, cultural director is her role And she likes to say Maori values or indigenous values are just human values. When you take it back to just people to people, it's those human values and the way people are just being real. That's what it comes down to. Yeah, strip away everything else. Yeah, just quite pure.

1:09Radim Malinic:Here, Laura articulates something really profound. What we often categorize as indigenous values or cultural values are usually universal human principles that hypercapitalism has made us forget. Kinship, environmental stewardship, genuine relationships, accountability to community. And this matters because businesses worldwide struggle with defining authentic values that aren't just the marketing speak. Companies plaster walls with value statements about innovation and excellence, while indigenous frameworks offer something more fundamental. How do we treat each other? How do we care for our environment?

1:49Radim Malinic:And what responsibility do we have to future generations? For any leader trying to build authentic company culture, this is a revelation. Stop inventing corporate values from scratch, and instead look at time-tested human principles. strip away the complexity the consultants speak the buzzwords when laura says just being real she's identifying the antidote to corporate artifice genuine human connection honest relationships and values you can actually live by rather than just display on your website this approach to values isn't about being trendy or checking diversity boxes it's about returning to what actually matters when humans work together In the second standout moment, Laura talked about the size of her business and how it actually is a benefit.

2:43Yeah. And I mean, I guess we're small enough that we can be so strongly aligned to our values and say no and things like that. With those kind of things, it's like, where is the line? And then ultimately, if you think bigger picture, does it really matter in terms of big thinking? Is a few job losses or not worth it either way? So would the planet thank you for it? It's just about the money, that kind of thing. So we really lean into trying to be responsible and looking after that and all those things.

3:14Radim Malinic:This moment exposes the uncomfortable truth that many agencies and studios avoid. Size often come at the cost of integrity. Laura frames their smaller scale not as limitations but as their competitive advantage. They can afford to be choosy about clients because they haven't locked themselves into growth at all cost. mentality that forces larger agencies to compromise. The second part, does the planet think you or is about money, is a kind of gut-wrenching question that every creative should really ask themselves. It matters because it reframes business success. In our industry obsessed with winning big clients, expanding headcount and maximizing revenue, Laura proposes a different metric.

4:00Radim Malinic:Are we making decisions that benefit the world beyond our bank account? And this is particularly relevant now as greenwashing and performative corporate responsibility become easier to spot. Agencies tower B Corp status while servicing fossil fuel clients. Studio post about sustainability whilst producing wasteful campaigns. Laura's willingness to turn down lucrative work that doesn't align shows that values-based business isn't just idealistic posturing, but it's a viable strategy when you control your scale and expenses. In the next standout moment, we talked about creativity, education, and childhood.

4:46I believe that, you know, everyone is creative, and some people just get it almost taught out of them sometimes. Kids get it taught out of them, which is really sad. But I kept that and just have always been passionate about art and creativity and loved it. Did like lots of colouring competitions when I was little and things like that. Lots of drawing, all that was when I was that kid. And yeah, and then just through school, did art through school.

5:13Radim Malinic:In my conversation with Laura, I tried to pose a question about how this quote challenges the fundamental myth that creativity is a rare gift possessed by a selected few. Laura's observation speaks to system issues in education and society. We often prioritize conformity and standardization over creative exploration. When children are repeatedly taught to color inside the lines, follow the rigid templates, or that there's only one correct answer, we gradually erode their natural curiosity and willingness to experiment. The real insight here is that creativity isn't lost, it's actually suppressed.

5:54Radim Malinic:This matters to anyone building creative teams or raising children because it shifts the question from how do we find creative people to how do we create environments where people feel safe to be creative again. And Laura's own journey proves that maintaining that creative spark through childhood into adulthood is possible, but it requires conscious resistance against systems that value compliance over curiosity. For business leader, this is a call to examine whether your workplace cultures encourage experimentation or inadvertently punishes it. In the last time that moment, we talk about challenges when it comes to running your own business.

6:37I think it's just part of your journey, really. There are ups and downs through life and it's just one of those things. and I think very long term in general. And so it was just one of those bumps in the road. I always knew I would get to running a studio, but it just took longer than I thought maybe and needed a few more steps along the way.

7:00Radim Malinic:This quote is a masterclass in reframing setbacks that could derail most people's creative careers. When Laura had to return to employment after starting an agency, a moment that many would interpret as failure, she saw it as a temporary detour on a longer journey. This isn't a toxic positivity or delusional optimism. It's a strategic patience grounded in self-knowledge. This matters profoundly in our instant gratification culture where three months before attraction feels like a failure, where we compare our day-to-day to someone else's year 10. The creative industry especially suffers from highlight reel syndrome.

7:39Radim Malinic:We see that award-winning work and the big client announcements the studio expansions, but we rarely get to see the years of unglamorous groundwork, the contract jobs taken to pay bills, or the pivots and restarts. So Laura's long-term thinking gives her permission to experiment, fail, recalibrate, and try again without the crushing weight of, I should be further along now. When she says, I always knew, she's not being arrogant. She's demonstrating the power of internal conviction that doesn't require external validation at every step. This is just the antidote to anxiety spiral so many creative people face.

8:20Radim Malinic:If this project doesn't work, if this client says no, if this launch flops, then I'm not meant to be doing this. So for anyone navigating a non-linear career path, and whose creative path is actually linear these days, this quote is a permission to zoom out. The detours aren't derailments, the extra steps aren't wasted time, they're part of a longer arc that only makes sense in retrospect. This perspective is especially crucial for mid-career professionals who feel behind or feel like they've made wrong turns. Laura suggests there are no wrong turns when you maintain conviction about your eventual destination while staying flexible about the route.

9:03Radim Malinic:If you haven't checked out the full episode with Laura Sibylic, I really encourage you to do so there's a lot in there which is full of humility there's great encouragement there's a great view into indigenous values and how they get applied yeah check it out and thank you for being here I'll see you on the next one