Imagine a Place

Named by CNN as one of the ten most fascinating people in the world you've never heard of, Raghava KK is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, and featured TED speaker, who explores the intersection of art, life, and technology.

His public art installations include a library for the Robin Hood Foundation in the Bronx, NY, and is internationally treasured, but behind all his accomplishments… there is a powerful engine - and the fuel for that engine is questions. Raghava asks a lot of questions - And his questions seem to lead him to a deeper understanding.

I asked Raghava about facing your fears and what advice he has. In this episode, he breaks it down into 3 layers of advice - Loss, Liberation, and Mystery. It’s a great part of our conversation, you’ll want to stick around for that.

What we also learn from Raghava is that in life, if you don’t like the answers you're getting, maybe you’re just asking the wrong questions.

Watch TEDTalks from Raghava KK

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Today, we’ll hear from a recent graduate who just began her career at Gensler. If you think there is nothing to learn from a student, you are about to be turned upside down. Sofia Acosta is as wise, collected, and clear-headed as anyone we’ve interviewed on the podcast so far.

Sofia graduated in May 2021 from Kansas State’s 5-year master's program in Interior Architecture and Industrial Design. Even more impressive is her humble nature and urgent passion for sustainability. Sofia is the perfect example of the bright, passionate youth that will be the change in the planet that we know we need… We just need to give them the stage and allow them to lead.

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Have you thanked a teacher lately? Somewhere out there is a teacher that has helped you become who you are today. Well, for so many in the world of architecture and design, that teacher is Jon Otis. Jon is widely known in this industry for so many reasons. He’s on the international board of directors for IIDA, he’s a professor at Pratt, runs his own practice, Object Agency and he’s champion of diversity and inclusion inside the profession of design. In this episode, Jon shares the lessons on design that he never lets a student leave without. Learn more about Jon Otis: http://www.object-agency.com/about-object-agency/ Connect with Jon Otis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonotis/ Get your free copy of the Imagine a Place journal and join the community: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place Connect with host, Doug Shapiro, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/

Rex Miller is one of those people that seems to decode the world around us; almost as if all the complexity melts away when you speak with him. He is the principal and thought leader for MindShift, a future-focused consultancy, and organizational performance firm. He is the author of The Commercial Real Estate Revolution, The Millennium Matrix: Reclaiming the Past, Reframing the Future of the Church, and Change Your Space, Change Your Culture, and more. In this episode, we talk about change, leadership, and getting to a place of clarity and personal growth in your life. At the end of the episode, we give out a promo code for a free digital copy of Rex’s latest work “Strategy in Rebuilding, Principles to Building Post Traumatic Growth." It’s a $35 value and we are making that available for FREE with the promo code for the first 200 downloads. Link to Strategy in Rebuilding, Principles to Building Post Traumatic Growth: https://rexmiller.com/shop/ols/products/strategy-in-rebuilding-principles-to-build-post-traumatic-growth Learn more about Rex Miller: https://rexmiller.com/ Connect with Rex Miller on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexmiller/ Get your free copy of the Imagine a Place journal and join the community: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place Connect with host, Doug Shapiro, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/

Today's episode is all about Color. Color for social good, color to engage our senses, color in ways you probably haven’t thought of before. Laura Guido-Clark is the Founder and President of the color consultancy Love Good Color and the non-for-profit, Project Color Corps. Color changed the way Laura sees the world, and she’s using it to change the world for good. Learn more about Love Good Color: https://lovegoodcolor.com/ Project Color Corps: http://www.projectcolorcorps.org/ For more Imagine a Place stories, please visit: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place Connect with Doug Shapiro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/

Philip Ross is a futurist, author, and advisor who specializes in predicting the impact of emerging technology on the way we will work, shop, consume and live. He is also the CEO and founder of UnGroup and Cordless Group, as well as the creator of the popular Worktech event series. Simply put, Philip is one of the world’s biggest thinkers when it comes to the future of the workplace. In this conversation, we go deep into the future of work and ask Philip some of the challenging questions on what might lie ahead of us. While he can’t literally whip out a brush and paint a picture for us, he does an excellent job of giving shape to what’s ahead. Learn More about Phillip Ross and the Worktech event series: https://www.worktechacademy.com/ https://worktechevents.com/ Learn more about UnGroup and Cordless Group: https://www.unwork.com/team-members/philip-ross/ Connect with Phillip Ross on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pjnross For more Imagine a Place stories, please visit: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place Connect with Doug Shapiro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/

What if you could get 1% better every day? Imagine how your life and career would be transformed. Joe Ferraro is the host of the popular, The One Percent Better Podcast, where he and his guests share their unique insights to help us become better versions of ourselves improving our mindset, language, and behavior by 1% each day. In this episode, Joe helps us understand the art of conversation is a critical skill - and that the most meaningful insights we will gather in the design process won’t come from numbers and statistics, they’ll come from conversations. Plain and simple - if you grow your skills in conversation, you just might grow your career. Check out The One Percent Better Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-percent-better-podcast/id1254121785 Connect with Joe Ferraro on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ferraroonair/ For more Imagine a Place, please visit: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place Connect with Doug on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/

Something BIG is happening in Chicago this July and it's something you should know about - it's called "Design Your World." The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) recognized that inside the profession of interior design there's been a lack of diversity for, pretty much, its entire existence. So, to address this deficit, they dreamt up "Design Your World" - it's a high school pipeline program to expose the underrepresented to a career in design. And to help make the dream a reality, the IIDA teamed up with OFS. IIDA and OFS (along with the support of After School Matters, Mannington Commerical, 3form, and Configura) are all thrilled to kick off this 6-week crash course in design. So, today we're giving up the mic to IIDA's CEO, Cheryl Durst who will be interviewing the first-ever Design Your World instructor, the Chicago-based Architect and Interior Designer, Ciera Payton. Together, they will share their expectations, wishes, and the future vision of what Design Your World could really mean to this industry. Watch the story behind Design Your World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxaCUAulGK8 Read more about Design Your World: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place/elevating-equity-design Connect with IIDA and the Design Your World program: https://iida.org/ Learn more about the mission of After School Matters: https://www.afterschoolmatters.org/ Connect with Cheryl Durst on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheryldurst/ Connect with Doug Shapiro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/ For more Imagine a Place, please visit: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place

Stacy Garcia founded and runs multiple businesses in design that range from textiles, to furniture and accessories. She was voted one of the 10 leading voices in the hospitality industry and honored by ASID for Design Excellence. The industry leans on Stacy for her knowledge in forecasting color and design trends. Today, she shares her life hacks and the best advice to help you get the most out of your time on this planet. In this conversation, there’s heart, there’s hustle, there’s intellect, and it all comes together into the perfect pep talk you’ve been waiting for. Learn more about Stacy Garcia: https://shopstacygarcia.com/ Connect with Stacy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacygarciainc/ Connect with Doug on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/ For more Imagine a Place, please visit: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place

In this episode, you’ll get the inside scoop on how culture can unlock the true potential of your design studio… and when you really get culture right, it pulls in your clients as well. Manny Navarro is the design director and principal for IA Interior Architects in Austin, Texas and he has helped to build a culture that brings out the best in his staff. You could say he takes his culture seriously… but not that seriously. Connect with Manny Navarro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-navarro-design/ Learn more about Interior Architects: https://interiorarchitects.com/ Connect with Doug: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/ For more Imagine a Place, please visit: https://ofs.com/imagine-a-place