Design Downtime

Turn off the lights and enjoy the vibrant colours, as Soren Hamby joins us to talk about their love of glow art. They share their fascination with natural bioluminescence, and how a birthday party sparked a deeper passion for this medium, leading to participatory art projects and installations. Soren also reflects on the glow art community, and the notion that the value of art isn’t determined by mainstream acceptance but by the impact it has on those who experience it.Guest BioAs a Senior Manager of UX, Soren Hamby (they/them) is dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion within teams while spearheading the transformation towards accessible design. With a BFA in Design, post-graduate and professional coursework at Cornell, Parson’s, and CUNY, and a wealth of experience in the field, Soren is a seasoned professional committed to making the design industry more equitable.In their free time, they often indulge their creative side through crafting, fashion, collecting enamel pins, and creating weird art that glows. LinksSoren’s website: https://www.soren.ooo/Soren’s social media presence: https://soren.start.page/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

In the first episode of season 2, Sara Wachter-Boettcher shares her journey with powerlifting, and how it helped her redefine her relationship with her body and cultivate a sense of strength and confidence both in and out of the gym. She talks about her early introduction to strength training, and how her interest in lifting evolved over the years. Sara reflects on the societal pressures women face regarding body image and explains how lifting shifted her focus from appearance to physical capability. She also touches on the importance of embracing failure as part of the process.Guest BioSara Wachter-Boettcher (she/her) is a leadership coach, speaker, author, and the CEO of Active Voice, a company dedicated to creating bold leaders and better workplaces in design and tech. She started Active Voice after spending a decade running a content and UX consultancy. Her books include Technically Wrong, Design for Real Life (with Eric Meyer), and Content Everywhere. Learn more about her work at activevoicehq.com.LinksSara’s company: https://www.activevoicehq.com/Sara’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraboettcher/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Brad Frost, a music enthusiast, shares his journey from classic rock to punk and ska, ultimately embracing a wide musical spectrum purely for fun. He organizes 'Frostapalooza,' a one-night-only concert involving 40 musicians, showcasing the importance of enjoying music without commercial pressure.

Angelina Severino joins us to talk about her love of poster art. She discusses the evolution of the poster from a practical advertising tool to a recognized art form, and her personal project to celebrate poster graphic design, detached from its commercial use. The conversation gets quite philosophical as Angelina explores the intersection of design and art, and questions the traditional view that design lacks personal expression.Guest BioAngelina Severino (she/her) is an inspirational design leader with more than 15 years of combined Branding and Product experience in renowned advertising agencies and various tech companies. As a Design Lead at Gamgee, Angelina has brought this innovative startup from 0 to 1, from the very first product MVP to a full, complex product with an advanced multi-brand design system. Angelina is a Top Design Mentor at ADPList, and a Mentor and Advisory Board member at Women in Tech.Aside from her design work, Angelina creates art posters inspired by graphic design and typography. She and her husband are raising three lovely daughters who undoubtedly keep them busy and inspired.LinksAngelina’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelina-severino/Angelina’s website: https://www.angelinaseverino.com/Angelina’s Postress project: https://posteress.com/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Grab your clay and join us as Amelia Marschall-Miller shares her journey with pottery, rekindled after a long hiatus since her childhood fascination with ceramics. She is self-taught and enjoys the creative and experimental process of wheel-throwing, where getting comfortable with unpredictability is the key to having fun. Amelia describes her artistic style and influences, and looks to deepen her expertise while keeping pottery an enjoyable and fulfilling activity, rather than a stressful obligation.Guest BioAmelia Marschall-Miller (she/her) is a Senior Director of Experience Design at EPAM Systems. She has spent her career in digital design consulting, having previously worked for Deloitte Digital and TCS. She also co-founded a web and mobile development company in Michigan called Gravity Works - which she led for four years and grew from 2 to 13 people, and is still operating today. After earning a degree in Graphic Communications from Northern Michigan University, her roles have included work in UX and UI design, user research & discovery, front-end development, project management, and operations. After spending 8 years in Colorado and Utah, she now lives in the woods near Traverse City, Michigan. When she's not making pottery in her home studio she enjoys hiking, mountain biking, boating, swimming, and cross country skiing with her husband, John, and blue heeler, Bitsy.LinksAmelia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepingsandspottery/Amelia’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliamarschall/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Put on your bicycle helmet and join us in the bike lane, as Justin Godard talks about his lifelong passion of cycling. Justin reflects on the changing role the bike has played in his life, from childhood, through teenage years, to adulthood. He shares how the bike offers a balance of exploration and physical challenge, and how it fosters a bond with his daughter.Guest BioJustin Godard (he/him) is a design leader with extensive experience in cultivating collaborative, innovative, and user-centered design cultures within major tech organizations. Currently leading a team at Cisco, he is deeply committed to enhancing the workplace experience, ensuring that all employees have the opportunity to perform at their best by minimizing unnecessary complexities in their tasks. His team of product designers, visual designers, and UX engineers creates an ecosystem where Cisco employees can excel while supporting the company's vision for pioneering hybrid workplace solutions.Before his current role, Justin’s journey through the tech industry was marked by positions at Varicent, IBM, and Firmex, in addition to design positions in the cosmetics and automotive industries.LinksJustin’s LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/justingodardJustin’s Instagram: http://instagram.com/justingodardCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Start your engines, as Julie Tait joins Design Downtime to share her passion for car racing. Julie tells us how she fell in love with the sport of autocross, and her journey from an enthusiastic fan to a seasoned driver. She highlights the lessons she learned along the way, being part of a community of racers, and her efforts to promote the sport, especially among women.Guest BioJulie Tait (she/her) is a passionate, award-winning creative person and Design System lead with 15 years in design. She lives her life with an attitude of, "I can do it". Rooted in a broad educational upbringing and talented role models in the arts, design, and craft disciplines, she's able to leverage divergent thinking and creative problem-solving to break through challenges in all aspects of life. Being engaged and open-minded to finding resources as a maker allows her to drive her passion for design systems.In addition to her professional life, Julie is an illustrator, wood-worker, potter, teacher, coach, and mother of 2. She competes in car racing events and gives back to the sport by being a volunteer coach, and advocates for women to get involved with grassroots local racing events.Julie likes to leave you with the question - "What is your 'and'? Designer and...?"LinksJulie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayday_jt/Julie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliejancen/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

It’s story time on Design Downtime, as Laura Costantino joins us to talk about their lifelong love of stories. They take us all the way back to their childhood in southern Italy, to their father's folk tales, their grandmother's wartime stories, and their aunt's classical literature narratives. Laura tells us how that interest led them to study film and eventually curate film festivals, drawing parallels between the communal experience of oral storytelling and the shared experience of watching films in theatres. Laura also explores their preference for certain genres and touches on the impact of artificial intelligence on storytelling. Guest BioLaura Costantino (they/them) is a senior content designer and strategist working on AI and large language models (LLMs) at Google. For the past ten years, they have worked at the intersection of UX, content, and marketing for some of the world's largest tech companies. Laura developed a passion for storytelling early on and received a MA in Cinema Studies in San Francisco, where they worked as a curator for a range of film festivals and cultural institutions around the Bay Area. Outside of work, Laura is committed to mentoring people transitioning into UX and tech, advocating for content, and sharing advice on LinkedIn. They currently live in NYC, were born in Southern Italy, and speak both English and Italian fluently.LinksLaura’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracostantino/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Podcasting all-star Davy Fung joins us to talk about… podcasting?! He tells us how he went from being a listener to trying to create a podcast himself, and how it evolved into an ongoing creative outlet. Davy shares insights into the technical aspects of podcast creation, from equipment to editing, and reflects on how important authenticity is in building a successful podcast.
Guest BioDavy Fung (he/him) is a Product Design Lead, supporting the Meta Business Design System. Previously he’s been the Design Manager for Design Systems for Disney+ and Hulu. In his spare time, Davy co-hosts the Design Systems Office Hours podcast, talking about all things design systems, and LOVES COFFEE.LinksDesign System Office Hours podcast: https://officehours.systems/Davy’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/DavyFCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Noelle Lansford enters stage right to tell us about her love of local theatre. She takes us through her journey, starting from her high school days up to her recent involvement in community theatre, and touching along the way on her love for musicals, memorable productions, and the challenges of balancing theatre with other commitments. Noelle shares her transition from acting to backstage roles, and reflects on facing her the fear of imperfection. Guest BioNoelle Lansford (she/her) is a digital product designer and design systems enthusiast. She is passionate about bridging gaps on multi-disciplinary teams from ideation to build processes. She works on AI design standards and patterns at Nationwide Insurance. In previous roles, Noelle has led design systems everywhere from a Fortune 500 SaaS company to a Series A startup. Noelle is passionate about learning and coaching others on their own journey into tech. After teaching and writing web design courses for her alma mater, Noelle has become a presenter and thought leader in the design systems community.Noelle lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and bearded dragon, where she enjoys exploring the city and the outdoors. Outside of work, Noelle has rekindled her high-school passion for theatre in the Columbus scene, meeting new people both on stage and behind the curtain.LinksNoelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noellelansford/Noelle’s site: https://www.noellelansford.com/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.