Design To Be Conversation

In today’s episode, I speak with Mike Gorgone. Mike is an Associate Director at EY. He is someone who loves being part of a creative, supportive and collaborative design team that builds engaging experiences for digital products at a company that fosters a culture that values design thinking and makes it a priority in how the company runs and solves problems. He currently gets to do all of the above in the Experience Design (XD) Group at EY. The Group is divided into Strategy, Creative, and Technology disciplines. The XD Group collaborates heavily with leadership and stakeholders to align with business goals and strategy.

We dive into all the ways that improv and design intersect, including how active listening helps you let go of ego, how patience gives you an opportunity to be present, and the momentum that comes from saying “yes, and…”

In today’s episode, I speak with Mike Gorgone. Mike is an Associate Director at EY. He is someone who loves being part of a creative, supportive and collaborative design team that builds engaging experiences for digital products at a company that fosters a culture that values design thinking and makes it a priority in how the company runs and solves problems. He currently gets to do all of the above in the Experience Design (XD) Group at EY. The Group is divided into Strategy, Creative, and Technology disciplines. The XD Group collaborates heavily with leadership and stakeholders to align with business goals and strategy.

We dive into all the ways that improv and design intersect, including how active listening helps you let go of ego, how patience gives you an opportunity to be present, and the momentum that comes from saying “yes, and…”

In today’s episode, I speak with Ran Segall. Ran has been a freelance web designer for 17 years — 6 of those as a full-time business owner. He started his career at big advertising and branding agencies, and as a freelancer, has served clients in many industries, including tech startups, social enterprises, and restaurateurs. By developing high-value skills, he scaled his freelance web design business to over $250k in yearly revenue. Since 2015, Ran has been sharing his learnings on his YouTube channel, Flux — the very foundation of Flux Academy.

We dive into how to gain external self-awareness, how triggers can teach you what you value, and how to practice a ‘here to learn’ mindset.

In today’s episode, I speak with Ran Segall. Ran has been a freelance web designer for 17 years — 6 of those as a full-time business owner. He started his career at big advertising and branding agencies, and as a freelancer, has served clients in many industries, including tech startups, social enterprises, and restaurateurs. By developing high-value skills, he scaled his freelance web design business to over $250k in yearly revenue. Since 2015, Ran has been sharing his learnings on his YouTube channel, Flux — the very foundation of Flux Academy.

We dive into how to gain external self-awareness, how triggers can teach you what you value, and how to practice a ‘here to learn’ mindset.

In today’s episode, I speak with Sabrina Hall. Sabrina is a creative leader, product design manager, professor, and writer living in NYC. Currently, she is a Senior Product Design Manager at Etsy. With a career spanning over 14 years, she has collaborated with companies of all sizes. Sabrina is an activist, caring deeply about people and how design impacts others. She is a Board Member for the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) and previously served as co-chair of AIGA NY’s Mentoring program. She is also an Adjunct Professor at CUNY where she teaches design. Sabrina is passionate about accessibility in design, creating opportunities for emerging designers and advocating for equity within the field of design.

We dive into the impact and nuances of giving and receiving feedback: the role of power dynamics, the vulnerability that’s required in learning, the value of specificity, and how to navigate, call out, and clarify assumptions.

In today’s episode, I speak with Sabrina Hall. Sabrina is a creative leader, product design manager, professor, and writer living in NYC. Currently, she is a Senior Product Design Manager at Etsy. With a career spanning over 14 years, she has collaborated with companies of all sizes. Sabrina is an activist, caring deeply about people and how design impacts others. She is a Board Member for the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) and previously served as co-chair of AIGA NY’s Mentoring program. She is also an Adjunct Professor at CUNY where she teaches design. Sabrina is passionate about accessibility in design, creating opportunities for emerging designers and advocating for equity within the field of design.

We dive into the impact and nuances of giving and receiving feedback: the role of power dynamics, the vulnerability that’s required in learning, the value of specificity, and how to navigate, call out, and clarify assumptions.

We’re excited to be back after a few months' break. We have many inspiring guests in store for you this time around. We’ll be diving into their insightful stories and sharing their actionable advice, so you can invest in your emotional intelligence to become more impactful in your career.

In today’s episode, I speak with Terrence Williams. Terrence is a designer, illustrator, and storyteller located in San Francisco, CA. By producing work that encourages and celebrates an individual's authenticity, he proudly advocates for a more inclusive approach to design. He also strives to connect with audiences through courageous conversation. This has been a critical part of his growth as a voice in this industry, where he elevates designers of color and their intersectional narratives. Terrence hopes to inform, inspire, and empower others to take action and create more inclusive design cultures through the power of compassionate storytelling.

We dive into navigating spaces where you are “the only one,” finding authenticity, honoring the story of the community you’re serving, and the four mindsets of Relationship Design: compassion, intention, courage, and reciprocity.

We’re excited to be back after a few months' break. We have many inspiring guests in store for you this time around. We’ll be diving into their insightful stories and sharing their actionable advice, so you can invest in your emotional intelligence to become more impactful in your career.

In today’s episode, I speak with Terrence Williams. Terrence is a designer, illustrator, and storyteller located in San Francisco, CA. By producing work that encourages and celebrates an individual's authenticity, he proudly advocates for a more inclusive approach to design. He also strives to connect with audiences through courageous conversation. This has been a critical part of his growth as a voice in this industry, where he elevates designers of color and their intersectional narratives. Terrence hopes to inform, inspire, and empower others to take action and create more inclusive design cultures through the power of compassionate storytelling.

We dive into navigating spaces where you are “the only one,” finding authenticity, honoring the story of the community you’re serving, and the four mindsets of Relationship Design: compassion, intention, courage, and reciprocity.

Today’s show marks our 36th and final episode of the Design To Be Conversation podcast before we come back in February 2022. Before we dive into our episode for today, I want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for listening and supporting Design To Be Conversation and thank you to each of our incredible guests who have made each episode so insightful and impactful. I’m extremely excited for the future of Design To Be Conversation. We have an incredible lineup of guests planned for next year, so be sure to follow us along on social at design_tobe or head to designtobeconversation.com to be the first to know when we return. Now, let’s get into today’s episode.

Today, we are wrapping up our show with Raquel Breternitz. Raquel is an award-winning design leader and strategist with a resume spanning years of purpose-driven work experience from serving as Design Director for US Senator Elizabeth Warren to private sector credits at the New York Times, Pivotal Labs, and IBM. Raquel is a public speaker with works and topics connected by a passion for accessibility and inclusion, research-driven design thinking, and a hunger for tackling complex and challenging problems. She has spoken at Lesbians Who Tech, PluralSightLIVE, Wonder Women in Tech, and O'Reilly Design.

We dive into what it means to connect with your passions and ideals in design, the importance of prioritizing rest and well-being to manage burnout, and intentional ways to practice self-care that provides purpose and joy.

Today’s show marks our 36th and final episode of the Design To Be Conversation podcast before we come back in February 2022. Before we dive into our episode for today, I want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for listening and supporting Design To Be Conversation and thank you to each of our incredible guests who have made each episode so insightful and impactful. I’m extremely excited for the future of Design To Be Conversation. We have an incredible lineup of guests planned for next year, so be sure to follow us along on social at design_tobe or head to designtobeconversation.com to be the first to know when we return. Now, let’s get into today’s episode.

Today, we are wrapping up our show with Raquel Breternitz. Raquel is an award-winning design leader and strategist with a resume spanning years of purpose-driven work experience from serving as Design Director for US Senator Elizabeth Warren to private sector credits at the New York Times, Pivotal Labs, and IBM. Raquel is a public speaker with works and topics connected by a passion for accessibility and inclusion, research-driven design thinking, and a hunger for tackling complex and challenging problems. She has spoken at Lesbians Who Tech, PluralSightLIVE, Wonder Women in Tech, and O'Reilly Design.

We dive into what it means to connect with your passions and ideals in design, the importance of prioritizing rest and well-being to manage burnout, and intentional ways to practice self-care that provides purpose and joy.