Imagine a Place

Latest Episodes:

Checking in with Alexandra Tseffos, Host of The Design Pop Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

We are a few months in to The Design Pop joining the Imagine a Place network and it's been a major success. This is in part due to Alexandra's willingness to stay nimble and reactive with content. Her goal is to provide perspective even without definitive answers, and focusing on technology convergence and its impact.

Alexandra's website—The Design Pop—has grown into an education and training ecosystem with courses, searchable manufacturer videos, and opportunities for community contributions. She plans to add new relevant content while revisiting existing content for freshness.

Listen to The Design Pop here.

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Alexandra is always looking for audience engagement on her podcast. Leave her a voice message here.

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Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.

Designing for Hope and Social Impact | Jose Jordan, DLR Group Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

Jose Jordan leads interiors focused on justice and civic spaces at DLR Group in Florida. Justice and civic space interiors are often overlooked, but Jose believes they can be thoughtfully designed to empower and inspire. One example of this approach is a recent juvenile detention center project in Birmingham, Alabama where the history of steelwork was implemented to motivate residents toward a new potential.

Jose also offers up some career advice—care deeply and passionately about your work. This attracts others who also care, creating an environment where everyone works as a team for shared goals.

Jose recently rediscovered his Puerto Rican heritage on a trip to Old San Juan. The history, architecture, culture, food, and family connections left a deep impression. Now, during Hispanic Heritage Month, Jose enjoys spending time with family, eating traditional Puerto Rican food, and introducing others to the culture. He values bringing people together through food, music, and laughter and aims to create spaces that have the same welcoming community feel.

Learn more about Jose Jordan.

Learn more about Jose's company DLR Group.

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Finding Your Squirrel, What's Your Motivation? | Stefanie Ince, March Management Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

During NeoCon 2023, Doug sat down with Stefanie Ince—a career coach who helps people find their passion and purpose in work. The conversation goes all the way back to the basics of sleeping enough, eating healthy, and getting enough exercise. These three basics tend to fall to the wayside when people get wrapped up in their work.

But more than the basics, what makes you happy? It's important to be intentional about figuring out what gives you energy and ignites your passion—even if it means going against conventional wisdom. Can you find this naturally or does it need to be intentionally sought out? And once you find it, can it ever change?

Stefanie talks about people such as Doug—someone who is very passionate about what he does—but still has to find variety and new challenges to keep his passion alive. Be open to reinventing yourself multiple times over in life. But most importantly, tell the truth about yourself in the best possible light when pursuing new opportunities.

Stefanie loves coaching others and holding space for her clients to explore themselves. If you'd like to contact Stefanie, you can email her here.

Learn more about Stefanie Ince.

Learn more about Stefanie's company March Management.

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Social Innovation Through Capitalism | Adam Goodman, Goodman Interior Structures Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Doug interviews Adam Goodman— the third generation CEO of Goodmans Interior Structures. The Black Lives Matter movement deeply affected Adam and spurred him to confront systemic racism within his own company. Goodman gives you his game plan on confronting systemic racism inside his company and it comes with a heavy dose of self vulnerability and a heaping side of courage. He uncovered bias in areas like promotions and "occupational sorting," and how he's working to develop individualized growth paths to retain diverse high-potential employees.

Goodman proposes and interesting idea—properly-executed capitalism can help solve societal issues. One example of this is Goodman is engaging his company's surplus resources for community benefit. When Goodman originally brought these ideas to the table, some employees doubted the concept, but this only fueled his commitment to authentically lead with purpose. Goodman emphasizes the power of vulnerable, heart-centered leadership to build trust and reduce stress.

Check out the article Doug mentioned.

Learn more about Adam Goodman.

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Spaces That Heal | Erin Peavey, HKS & TEDx Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

Creating environments that support your health, your happiness, and your well-being is a passion for Erin Peavey,—Architect and Health & Well-being Design Leader at HKS. She's also well known for her TEDx Talk "Can design heal loneliness?"

Her passion was born from personal experience as Erin cared for her mother during her battle with cancer. Daily walks in the community with her newborn daughter showed her the power of feeling connected to a community through shared public spaces. Erin decided to look into academic research and understand more about how design elements like accessibility, nature, and human scale foster social bonds.

Erin now shares her research through her podcast Shared Space, Psychology Today columns, and an upcoming book. All of these resources aim to make scientific insights accessible and captivating to inspire more empathetic design.

Learn more about Erin Peavey and HKS.

Check out Erin's TEDx talk here!

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Sensory Design in the Hybrid Workplace | Kendra Linton, NELSON Worldwide Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Recently Doug came across an article in Work Design Magazine by Kendra Linton—Senior Associate at NELSON Worldwide—that grabbed his attention. Kendra's article is about using sensory design to create engaging workspaces for the new hybrid workplace. As the world continues to grapple with making hybrid work more efficient and human-friendly, thinkers like Kendra cut through the noise and help us understand the importance of connection, creating engaging spaces, and evolving the employee experience.

Check out the article that inspired this episode!

Learn more about Kendra Linton and NELSON Worldwide.

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The Soul of a Team | Yahir Sarmiento, Cushman & Wakefield Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

Yahir Sarmiento is Cushman & Wakefield’s Senior Managing Director for Latin America.

When it comes to hiring, Yahir believes the best "fit" is someone who will work with the already existing team soul. A leader must consider the team's soul when making decisions. It's easy to make decisions when feeling strong emotions, but making decisions based on motivation and good intention is best for a team.

Doug and Yahir talk about time management for leaders—who often spend a majority of their time on shallow, immediate issues. In reality, leaders should devote 50% of their time to deep thinking about the future. But how? Making time for that isn't easy, but Yahir believes focusing on getting enough sleep can have a huge, positive impact on a leaders ability. Investing in sleep is like adding happiness to tomorrow.

Yahir speaks from the heart and dips into his life experiences and the wisdom of his mentors to pass on some excellent advice.

Learn more about Yahir Sarmiento and Cushman & Wakefield.

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Designing a Sanctuary Space | Lisa Kahn, Finding Sanctuary Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

Today, we have a special treat for you – Lisa Kahn is an expert in building "sanctuary spaces" and her story of how and why she’s decided to dedicate her life’s work to this is incredible. As you'll hear in this episode, now more than ever, we long for spaces that nurture us emotionally and allow us to feel a sense of well-being, tranquility, and joy - because as Lisa says, “When designed with consideration and care, our environments cradle not only our body but also our spirit. And this is why, when we find sanctuary, we thrive.”

The world needs more of what Lisa will teach you and inspire you within this episode.

Learn more about Lisa Kahn - founder and visionary behind Finding Sanctuary by Lisa Kahn Designs.

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#LoveWhereYouWork: The Power of Culture | Tracy Hawkins, Grammarly Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

For 9 years, Tracy Hawkins led workplace strategy at Twitter as they scaled from 700 to 13,000 employees. Today, she's Grammarly’s Global Head of Workplace Experience and Connection. In this episode, she will share Grammarly's formula for hybrid work and how deeper levels of research and experimentation help them create better outcomes for work and the workforce.

Tracy also explains how impactful company culture can be, relating a story of how a hashtag at Twitter emerged from employees supporting a coworker with cancer and evolved into an influential mantra. For Tracy, mission-driven, people-focused cultures are key when seeking new roles.

Click here to get your FREE copy of the Imagine a Place journal

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Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Click here to get your own Imagine a Place Conversation Card Deck.

Designing for Change: Paul Shahriari's Vision for Ecomedes and the Future of Sustainability Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

Paul Shahriari is a visionary and a do-er – It’s a powerful combination. Today, he shares the mission and vision behind the company he cofounded Ecomedes. You’ll hear his inspiring story behind what set him down this path of sustainability - if you’ve ever had a college professor you loved, you’ll appreciate Paul’s story.

Paul and the Ecomedes tribe are determined to make more informed choices easier for designers and consumers and they are already succeeding. This is a fun conversation, it was really cool to learn about his business and I enjoyed Paul’s energy.

Click here to get your FREE copy of the Imagine a Place journal

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn

Connect with Doug Shapiro on LinkedIn

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Click here to get your own Imagine a Place Conversation Card Deck.