Design Downtime

Joining us on the field is Taylor Cashdan, who’s here to tell us about his love for sandlot baseball. Taylor talks about the approachability of the sport, how inclusive it is, and how he was drawn to the community aspect of it. He touches on the challenges of maintaining a casual and fun atmosphere while accommodating players of varying skill levels, and the rituals and preparations involved on game days. Taylor highlights how he’s grown through sandlot baseball, which he sees as an opportunity for making connections beyond the realm of work.Guest BioTaylor Cashdan (he/him) is a North Carolina-based multidisciplinary creative and community builder that’s passionate about people, design, and all the intersections in between. He has a burning desire to collaborate with others to create exceptional work for people who give a shit.With nearly a decade’s worth of experience, Taylor currently spends his workdays leading the next evolution of the Mayo Clinic’s design system program. Previous roles include a variety of in-house positions within the management consulting realm, ad-tech, and HBO all focusing on brand and marketing maturation, as well as leading fintech UX projects, contributing to and consulting for established design systems, and leading design standardization and operations efforts.LinksCarolina Sandlot Collective: https://www.carolinasandlotcollective.com/Neuse River Nine: https://neuse-river-nine.square.site/Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-cashdan-7720b442Taylor on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/taylorcashdanTaylor on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorcashdan/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Mordechai Hammer joins us to talk about the world of improv comedy. He talks about his journey into learning and practicing improv, joining a local troupe, taking classes, and performing on stage. Mordechai explores the building blocks of improv, such as the importance of making bold choices or building trust with fellow performers, and reflects on how far he’s come, as well as what skills he’s still working on.Guest BioOriginally from Los Angeles, Mordechai Hammer (he/him) graduated from Santa Monica College with a Bachelor’s in Interaction Design. After a stint as a Motion Graphics designer in the entertainment industry, he discovered his true passion — design systems. As a child of deaf adults and a former sighted guide, his work is rooted in a drive for inclusive, accessible design that works for all. In his current role as a Product Designer on the Design Systems team at Lyft, he’s grateful to be surrounded by people who share those values. He is also an avid teacher, running Figma workshops at California State University Long Beach, as well as internally at Lyft. There’s nothing that brings him more joy than sharing knowledge with his peers. In his spare time, Mordechai just finished taking a woodworking class, which was decidedly not his thing. You’re equally likely to find him hosting his weekly trivia game or on a hike with his wife and pup. LinksThe Idiot Box Comedy Club: https://www.idiotboxers.com/Mordechai on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/_mordechaiMordechai’s site: https://www.mordechai.design/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Ben Callahan shares his journey and passion for coffee, a fascination that began in childhood. This curiosity led him to explore the science behind coffee preparation, and his quest for the perfect cup of coffee led him to experiment with various brewing methods, equipment, and even water quality. Throughout the conversation, Ben emphasizes his love for sharing coffee with others and his enjoyment of both the ritualistic and authentic aspects of coffee culture, highlighting his deep passion, continuous learning, and exploration within that world.Guest BioBen Callahan (he/him) founded Sparkbox in 2009 with a mission to build a better web. He has helped lead and grow the organization while they work alongside clients like Gap, The Oklahoma City Thunder, and Stanford University. He’s focused his energy most recently on developing a maturity model for design systems, articulating the anatomy of design systems, and chronicling his findings about workplace culture in the tech space. When not knee-deep in these explorations with others, Ben is a father, partner, poet, and home barista. His personal motto is, “Stay in learning mode” and this helps him to remember that every interaction is an opportunity to grow.LinksEspresso Vivace: https://espressovivace.com/Bialette Moka Express: https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/moka-express.htmlHario v60: https://www.hario-usa.com/products/v60-coffee-dripper-02-ceramicKalita Wave flat bottom brewer: https://kalitausa.com/collections/waves-seriesFlair Lever Espresso Maker: https://flairespresso.com/Bellman Stovetop Steamer: https://bellmanespresso.com/products/bellman-stovetop-steamer-50ssComandante hand grinders: https://www.comandantegrinder.com/Niche coffee grinder: https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/Fellow Opus grinder: https://fellowproducts.com/products/opus-coffee-grinder?variant=41510665715812Acaia coffee scales: https://acaia.co/collections/coffee-scalesPRESS Coffee in Dayton Ohio: https://www.pressdayton.com/Wood Burl Coffee Roasters in Dayton Ohio: https://www.woodburlcoffee.com/Ben’s site: bencallahan.comBen’s company: sparkbox.comCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Holly Camponez shares with us her lifelong passion for cooking which began in a tiny kitchen at the age of six, how it’s been a way for her to contribute to her community, and the shift in her cooking approach that led her to view food as medicine. Throughout the conversation, Holly emphasizes the joy, creativity, and sense of service that cooking has brought to her life, and reveals the one dish she still struggles with.Guest BioHolly Camponez (she/her) is VP of Design & Head of Adobe Practice at Avenue Code. During her time in this role she's had the pleasure of collaborating with clients from the Fortune 100 to create functional, beautiful, and innovative products and services globally and observe design trends in action. She is passionate about the potential of design thinking to create a positive impact both socially and economically. Holly lives in Northern California with her husband, son, daughter, and three cats.LinksHolly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyvwCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

PJ Onori joins us to talk about his lifelong love of photography. He discusses his introduction to a manual camera in art school, finding deeper meaning through street photography, sharing his art (or not) with others, and the essential role the camera plays in documenting his family throughout the years.Guest BioPJ Onori (he/him) has been working on software for close to 20 years and has been most focused on design systems for the past decade. He's worked for companies like Adaptive Path, Disney and Pinterest. LinksPJ’s website: https://pjonori.com/Matt Black: https://www.mattblack.com/Darcy Padilla: https://www.darcypadilla.com/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Ermi Isais joins us to share her fitness journey; from viewing it as a mere obligation to discovering its transformative power. Through the unexpected challenges of obstacle course races, Ermi found joy and fulfillment in pushing her limits. Now, she reflects on the importance of embracing new experiences and viewing failures as valuable lessons. Throughout her journey, Ermi learned to overcome inhibitions and fear of failure, finding strength in vulnerability.Guest BioErmi Mendoza-Isais (she/her) is a design leader with over 20 years of experience, (15 years in visual design, branding, studio management and 7+ years in UX/UI design), working with agencies, corporates, fintech and small startups and has managed a freelance business. She's built design teams from the ground up and established cross-team collaboration processes to help companies with low UX maturity digitally transform and elevate their products and services.Ermi's an active mentor of the global design community, ADPList, where she shares career advice and EQ skills not taught in UX boot camps. She is a keynote speaker and is regularly invited to speak on design panels and podcasts to share valuable insights through her diverse journey to help inspire designers to thrive in their careers. When Ermi’s not designing, she challenges herself in her fitness journey, an experience that has been life-changing and helped her develop a “fit for life" mindset.LinksErmi’s fitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ermi_fitnessErmi’s design Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ermi_isaisErmi’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ermiisaisErmi on ADPList: https://adplist.org/mentors/ermi-isaisCity2Surt: https://city2surf.com.au/Spartan race: https://au.spartan.com/enTrue Grit: https://truegrit.com.au/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

We talk with Raquel Breternitz about her love for comics. Raquel has a particular interest in indie comics and autobiographical work, appreciating how they can tell unique and often painful stories. She recounts her personal history with comics, starting with reading them as a child, and rediscovering her passion for them during college through works that profoundly impacted her life. She reflects on how comics blend the literary and visual arts, creating a unique medium that matches the complexity of human communication. The conversation touches on the comics community's openness and supportiveness, Raquel's evolving taste in comics, and her current reading list.Guest BioRaquel Rubio Breternitz (she/they) is an award-winning designer with a unique bent for research-driven work built with craft and polish. She is dedicated to inclusion, accessibility, and keeping tech human (and human-focused).With a diverse background in purpose-driven work across product design and brand, Raquel has served as Design Director for Senator Elizabeth Warren and has contributed to organizations including the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Shopify, the New York Times, Pivotal Labs, and IBM. Currently, they are a founding lead designer at GoodDay software.In addition to her professional accomplishments, Raquel is a writer, public speaker, panel moderator, and sketchnoter. In their free time, they draw comics, tear through fiction novels, play rhythm guitar, and take waaay too many photos of their cat.LinksRaquel on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/RaquelDesigns/Raquel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raquelbreternitz/Alison Bechdel and Fun Home: https://dykestowatchoutfor.com/fun-home-2/Black Hole: https://50wattsbooks.com/products/black-hole-pantheon-graphic-libraryGhost World: https://www.fantagraphics.com/products/ghost-world-softbackAdrian Tomine: http://adrian-tomine.com/Booksandcomics.htmlLenore Yerkes: https://lenorayerkes.com/aboutJillian Tamaki: https://www.jilliantamaki.com/books; Mariko Tamaki: http://marikotamaki.blogspot.comSquire: https://sara-alfa.com/books/squire/- and writer Nadia Shammas: https://www.nadiashammas.com/comicsEden ii, K. Wroten: https://www.fantagraphics.com/products/eden-iiTillie Walden: https://www.tilliewalden.com/booksCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz herself!

In our first episode, we talk with Emilie Mazurek about her passion for travel. Emilie discusses her first time traveling solo, and how that adventure has shaped her approach to life. She highlights the importance of adaptability in addition to planning, the joys and challenges of traveling with others, and her preference for quality experiences over quantity in her travels. Emilie also shares surprising destinations she's visited and her future travel aspirations.Guest BioEmilie Mazurek (she/her) grew up thinking she wanted to be a doctor. She received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from University of Calgary, worked in a microbiology lab, wrote the MCAT, volunteered in Guatemala and even won two World Champion marching band titles. However, when the application cycle rolled around, she had more anxiety that she would be accepted rather than rejected–that’s when she knew something wasn’t right.When she discovered UX Design it was like a lightbulb went on. After graduating bootcamp she landed a full-time, remote role in less than 3 months and was promoted to senior designer in just over a year. Now she’s helping others do the same.When she’s not working you can find her arguing with her parrot Cheeto, giving unsolicited hot chocolate reviews, or finding any excuse possible to book another vacation.LinksEmilie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilie-mazurekEmilie’s website: https://www.dandydesign.ca/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Have you ever felt the pressure to constantly hustle, grind, and push yourself to the limits in your design career? I know I have. In a world where hustle culture reigns supreme, it's easy to get caught up in the frenzy of productivity, always striving for that next big breakthrough.But here's the thing – it's okay to hit the pause button. It's okay to slow down, take a breath, and enjoy the simple pleasures of life beyond the confines of our screens and workstations. That's why I created "Design Downtime".This podcast is a sanctuary for anyone in the realm of product design who believes that life is about more than just work. It's about rediscovering the joy of hobbies, passions, and interests that light up our souls and feed our creativity in unexpected ways.CreditsCover art by Raquel Breternitz.