"Lately, I've been thinking about..."

In the Season Two finale I talk to (un)common good media founder and podcast host pauli reese about painting and in particular how it invites us to experience the divine. We get into our checkered evangelical upbringings and our complicated journeys out of them. We also talk about what it means to have private versus public experiences of engaging with the spiritual and much, much more. Content from this episode: More info about Black Bottom tribe Balikbayan box episode of 99% Invisible Ou...

In this episode we talk to ux writer and Strategic Writing for UX author Torrey Podmajersky about existential dread and, in particular, the dread that comes from having the same conversation over and over and over and over... We get into how sometimes these conversations are practice and how sometimes they're ways to avoid the *real* conversation we have to have if we ever stop having this conversation over and over, the ways we try to define progress, why do some people prefer authoritarian...

In this episode we speak to Sheryl Cababa, Chief Design Officer at Substantial and author of the new book, Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers, about ube, the Filipino flavor that has been appropriated by American dining and all that entails. We get into how responsibility for change gets pushed down to individuals and away from corporations, how identity gets mixed up in the diaspora experience, the difficulty of framing major systemic change in a way that actually gets shit don...

In this episode we speak to Saskia Videler, Content Architect at City of Antwerp, about globalization. We discuss what it means to look at things from other cultures' points of view, how we treat refugees, the cost of the English language taking over the world, and much, much, more. Referenced in this episode Workshop Stopping the Cycle of Oppression Book Closing the Loop by Sheryl Cababa Twitter Saskia Videler Our intro and outro music is "Humbug" by Crowander

In this episode we speak to Dayana Kibilds, Strategy Director at Ologie, about different barriers to higher education beyond sheer cost and into areas of communication. How hard is it to even know how to apply if you don't read at a graduate level already? We get into the very assumptions baked into higher ed, why it isn't always a great idea to emulate the big players in a space, and how major demographic shifts should also be shifting our approach to recruiting students yet somehow...aren't...

In this episode we speak to Dana Rock, director of experience design at Pickle Jar Communications about awe; what experiences induce it and what it means for us going forward. We get into the notion of building a web that highlights sharing experiences over sharing opinions, how WEIRD our notions of self are, and the very nature of consciousness itself. Recommended content from this episode: Books How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect by Matt...

In this episode we speak to content designer Amy Grace Wells about expectations. Diagnosed only a few years ago with ADHD, Amy is reconsidering the expectations she and others have of herself. We get into how our expectations form, how identity and power influence expectations, and when "should" is and isn't a useful concept. Our intro and outro music is "Humbug" by Crowander

On the first episode of our second season, we speak live in front of a studio audience to writer, artist, speaker, and content strategist Malaika Carpenter about leadership and all the different ways we can define it. We also get into Indigenous values, who gets to be defined as a leader, and...you know...slavery. Recommended content from this episode: Movies/TV Homicide: Life on the Street Our intro and outro music is "Humbug" by Crowander

Content warning: This episode deals explicitly with sexual violence, especially from the 23 minute mark to the 28 minute mark and from the 54 minute mark to the end. We talk about sex with Marta Rusek, who identifies as autistic, bisexual, and passionate about ending domestic violence. How do we learn about sex? Why are we so afraid of it? What does a sex-positive world look like? And much, much more. Referenced in this episode Twitter Dr. Timaree Schmit Movies The Fifth Element Auntie Ma...

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of trauma and suicidality. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has concerns about suicide, one resource is the National Suicide Hotline which you can learn more about here: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ In this episode we talk to designer, researcher, business owner, and mom Melissa Eggleston about trauma. How should it inform design? What is a B-Corp and how can they make it easier to for companies to behave ...

On this episode we speak to software developer and my own creative partner (and inspiration for this podcast) Maurice Gaston about mentorship. How do we do it? How does it differ from leadership or management or coaching? When do we feel comfortable in the role? And much, much more. Recommended content from this episode Web series Developing Philly Events BarCamp Philly TV Ted Lasso Video The Anti-Disney Messages of… Disney Movies Our intro and outro music is "Humbug" by Crowander

In this episode we talk to UX career coach Amy Santee about capitalism. How we define it as an exploitative, extractive system. The lack of a good word for making money without screwing people over. The propaganda supporting capitalism. And what we can do to fight it. Recommended content from this episode People Kim Cerna - the designer I talked about Organizations Tech Workers Coalition Collective Action in Tech (list of tech unions) Articles "NY Times tech workers win largest tech union...

In this episode we talk to University of North Texas interaction design professor Cassini Nazir about curiosity. It's (literal) roots in care, how it affects how we think about the war in Ukraine, the defiant ingenuity of the targets of oppression, the pros and cons of empathy, and much, much, more. Recommended content from this episode Articles Articles about our poor memory of weather (shifting baseline syndrome) Another article about shifting baseline syndrome Don Norman -&...

In this episode we talk to Erika Wohlstadter, Principal Researcher at Think Company,, psychobilly upright bassist, sewist, costumer, queer spec fic writer, and so much more about strangeness. What attracts us to it? How do we hide or leverage the strangeness in ourselves? How is normality a political tool? What are the consequences of strangeness? And how is anarchy not what you probably think it is? Recommended content from this episode: Movie Passing Video Glamrou on queer identity and q...

Psychobilly bassist, UX researcher, and all around brilliant thinker Erika Wohlstadter and I talk about strangeness in all its forms: how and when we choose to be strange and when or if to hide it and the political and personal implications of those choices. How this can play out for folks living with autism, how it affects our willingness to perform onstage, and questioning even the concept of "normal". Oh, and also I get an education into what "anarchy" really means. Recommended con...

In this episode I talk to storyteller, connector, and comedian Neil Bardhan about how we work from scheduling to values to measuring productivity to reducing anxiety and all of the things that a COVID-induced work from home environment forces us to think about. How do we manage ourselves when we have a fair amount of freedom? What does it mean for our jobs to be, to some extent, being ourselves? And why are salary negotiations a terrible way to begin a working relationship? All this and more....

Mule Design co-founder and Just Enough Research and Conversational Design author Erika Hall and I chat about how a lack of understanding about the business aspects of their design works can lead designers to become the tools of extractive, unethical practices. We get into how this has played out in her own work and how Mule makes decisions about what work they will and will not do (and also why they're called "Mule"), why some companies choose not to have a sales team, the value of constraint...

On our pilot episode, author and documentarian Kevin Smokler and I talk about consequences. We also get into owning versus sharing, being ourselves, and how to think about restorative justice in a punishment-oriented world. Recommended content from this episode: Books The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee The Half Has Never Been Told by Edward E. Baptist Movies/TV Exterminate All the Brutes The Work Video "Restorative Welcome and Reentry Circle" Our intro and outro music is "Humbug" by Crowan...