The story you’re going to hear today is a powerful one. I met Alejandro Estrada ( Designer at Empire Office ) at what I would rank as one of the top local design events that I’ve witnessed – The New Year New You event in Miami, Florida, where I hosted a panel. When we met at this event, what stood out about Alejandro was his aura… He had a magnetic, creative, and positive energy that you could just feel. Over coffee, I learned more about Alejandro’s story and the more he spoke, the more I was de...
Jun 06, 2022•35 min•Ep. 94
In this episode, we decided to do something different, we wanted to reflect back on a few powerful moments that made us stop and think just a little bit deeper. Today, we revisit discussions with Mark Bryan , Pat Milbery , and Andrea Herron to discover those moments in the conversation that sparked our curiosity on the metaverse, how to encourage passion in others, and the importance of mental health in the workplace. Hear the full episodes below: Mark Bryan: " The future of design and work ." P...
May 30, 2022•10 min•Ep. 93
Mark Bryan is the Director of Innovation and Research at M+A Architects - He’s also a certified futurist. As a Futurist, Mark leads M+A’s Futurism services, using innovation and research to create personalized data-driven solutions and future-driven forecasts to solve now for what is to come next. Mark uses his work to predict, and protect, what inevitable change means for the future. In today's episode, we go deep into the metaverse, artificial intelligence, and what the future might hold for w...
May 23, 2022•39 min•Ep. 92
Lakiesha Stanley spent 7 years as an ER Nurse… and now she’s designing hospital interiors. As Lakiesha moves about her career as a healthcare interior designer (currently with Gresham Smith ), she brings so much more than empathy from her time as a nurse… She brings over a mindset on how to prioritize and deal with tough situations. In today's episode, she lets us in on how we can "triage" any situation. The second half of the conversation really captures the advice she has for others - and ther...
May 16, 2022•34 min•Ep. 91
Today our guest is Mario Vasilescu , he's the CEO and Co-Founder of Readocracy and this episode just might revolutionize how you feed your brain. Over the past 5 years, greater awareness and data have helped us understand the layers of our health and wellbeing in ways that we’ve never considered before. However, there’s one very important layer, that is too often left out of the conversation - information. This episode centers around the importance of your information diet and new technology tha...
May 09, 2022•42 min•Ep. 90
Adam Stover is a Senior Principal at Kansas City’s Populous and has led the design for some of the most significant sports stadium renovations and new builds of the last decade: These include Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, Gillette Stadium, and Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever….. which is exactly where we met Adam for this interview, smack dab on center court.— And as you might have expected, we brought the crew and filmed it – yo...
May 02, 2022•43 min•Ep. 89
A well-designed hospitality experience transports you… and so does a great conversation. But when you have a great conversation about well-designed hospitality experiences… well, that’s just going to a whole nother level. Today, we bring on Valentina Castellon , DLR ’s Principal and Sr. Interior Designer out of Minneapolis. She’s a leader in the hospitality space, and her love of story and experience is felt through this entire conversation. Click here to get your FREE copy of the Imagine a Plac...
Apr 25, 2022•22 min•Ep. 88
Earth Day is a time to celebrate, learn, and maybe try something new, So we’ve got a great conversation today and a couple of questions for you too, Today, we brought back two of our favorite podcast pals, The hosts of Break Some Dishes , to boost your Earth Day morale. And what do we cover in this conversation, today? We’ll help you get your mind and your spirit prepped for Earth Day. About Break Some Dishes : Hosted by Verda Alexander and Jon Strassner, Break Some Dishes is a podcast that cove...
Apr 18, 2022•24 min•Ep. 87
Today, we speak with Wendy Rodgers , CEO of architecture and design firm LPA - and in this episode, she's going to encourage you to "raise your hand." Since joining LPA as an intern in 1987, Wendy Rodgers ' journey has taken her all the way to CEO. How'd she do it? As Wendy explains, embracing an entrepreneurial spirit and taking on BIG initiatives can create momentum in your career - however, the journey might not always be easy, and there is a risk, but leaning into this risk is where we learn...
Apr 11, 2022•20 min•Ep. 86
Today, we host the developer and president of Prince Concepts , Philip Kafka - and we promise, this episode will feed your mind and your soul. Philip Kafka ’s bold but unconventional vision for reimagining urban spaces has earned him commercial, critical, and career success with acclaimed projects in Detroit. In this episode, Philip explains the keys to personal growth, how to do GREAT work, and the necessity of maintaining a balance between sensitivity and toughness. Click here to get your FREE...
Apr 04, 2022•40 min•Ep. 85
Have you ever heard the expression, "start with why?" Well, Rex Miller starts somewhere else. Here’s what's awesome about this episode… We are dropping this one before the launch of The Resilience Lab . It’s an Imagine a Place Productions original that features Rex Miller interviewing experts who explore ways to build resilience into your work, life, and practice of design. Rex is a well-published author, a business and life coach and he packs into this conversation a greatest hits episode where...
Mar 28, 2022•36 min•Ep. 84
Our guest today is one of the world’s leading experts in designing for a population that is too often overlooked and misunderstood. Jane Rohde believes in a global cultural shift toward de-institutionalized senior living communities. As Principal as JSR Associates , she is putting people at the center of her practice – For Jane, this means more than just the senior living residents, but also the staff and the community at large. Today, Jane Rohde shares a vision for how a more blended, empowerin...
Mar 21, 2022•30 min•Ep. 83
Today, we host Bolanle Williams-Olley , aka Bola. She’s the CFO for the New York design and architecture firm Mancini Duffy , and she’s going to help you Build Boldly. Build Boldly is the title of Bola’s recently published book. It’s a hybrid autobiography and self-help book that immerses you in her own journey and how those lessons can apply towards building your own career. B.O.L.D. is the acronym that ties it all together and today, we explore the “B” part of that acronym – “Be Yourself”. Sou...
Mar 14, 2022•24 min•Ep. 82
Dianne Murata is the witty and enthusiastic founder of Kimiko Designs . In today’s interview, she helps you think differently about furniture planning and specification. Dianne brings over 2 decades of experience in furniture planning and design and she doesn’t hold back in our conversation. She shares how furniture doesn’t have to be the “F word”, why we’ll need to embrace our inner MacGyver as designers in the future, and some advice on where you might want to be shifting a little more of your...
Mar 07, 2022•25 min•Ep. 81
Over the last 10 years, Gensler's Todd Heiser has emerged as one of our industry's most creative and BIG thinking leaders in workplace design - and you're about to find out why. Todd Heiser is a Co-Managing Director of Gensler’s Chicago office. His leadership showcases more than 20 years of experience in next-generation design at the cutting edge of workplace strategies, and his commitment to conceptual and technical development transforms spaces around the globe. Sure, Todd Heiser knows his stu...
Feb 28, 2022•38 min•Ep. 80
We asked our previous guest, Kia Weatherspoon (episode 35 - May 3, 2021), for an intro to someone she’d want to hear from – The first name on her list: Jessica Caldwell . Jessica Caldwell is the founder of Folke Creative in Brooklyn NY, a boutique branding and design studio inspired by the stories of people, places, and things. She also runs the design blog: Design is Lit . Today, Jessica will let us in on her "messy" process of design and also provides some wise advice on how to conjure creativ...
Feb 21, 2022•21 min•Ep. 79
Ok, a few episodes back, we mentioned that we were cooking up some good stuff in the kitchen at Imagine a Place. Well today, we are proud to announce the launch of our own podcast network, Imagine a Place Productions ! The goal of Imagine a Place Productions is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives. Our new collection of podcasts gathers industry-leading voices that have the power to inspire and educate through conversation and stor...
Feb 15, 2022•8 min•Ep. 78
There is just so much we want to say about our guest Mark Ostrom today - It’s just hard to fit that much goodness into one introduction though. Mark is the founder and executive director of Joy Collaborative , a nonprofit that you will love learning about. Joy Collaborative is a partnership of impassioned doers and givers –designers, architects, and builders; donors, volunteers, and sponsors – who come together to transform kids’ personal spaces, creating environments that for some kids become m...
Feb 14, 2022•27 min•Ep. 77
In 2016, Amy Leigh Hufford stood on a stage in Chicago as she was handed the IIDA Interior Design Student of the Year Award. For those of us in the room for that moment, it would prove to be unforgettable … and you’re about to hear why. Amy’s an interior designer at Nelson Worldwide and to say she’s wise beyond her year would be a terrible understatement. Through today’s conversation with Amy, you’ll take away three things: A load of inspiration on embracing your path no matter how rough that ro...
Feb 07, 2022•34 min•Ep. 76
Christian Giordano is the president and co-owner of the New York design firm Mancini Duffy , and the host of the popular podcast - The Anti-Architect . We hosted Christian Giordano right here on Imagine a Place in June of 2021. We brought Christian back on the show because after our first interview with him, we felt like he had a “secret sauce” at his firm… and we wanted to figure out what it was. It will be up to you to decide what that “secret sauce” really is - but if we had to break it down,...
Jan 31, 2022•37 min•Ep. 75
Shuli Steele is the Director of the Higher Education market at Planon , a global leader in smart building technologies. She’s an author, a TEDx speaker , and a self-titled learner advocate. In this episode, Shuli shares how space planning at the campus is evolving. We discuss campus and work/life culture and what we really crave from others when it comes to our time in the workplace. Click here to get your FREE copy of the Imagine a Place journal : Connect with Doug below : On Instagram : @Dougl...
Jan 24, 2022•28 min•Ep. 74
Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day - And we want to bring you a conversation that honors the values and legacy that Dr. King left behind for this world…. and Mike Johnson II , well, he wants to bring you a whole building full of it. Mike Johnson is a senior associate at the architecture and design firm, Perkins&Will . He’s actively engaged in advancing the profession of design at both the community and global level. Today’s episode centers on a project that Mike is right in the middle o...
Jan 17, 2022•21 min•Ep. 73
Lori Louis is the Sr. Director, Experiential Space Design & Concepting at JLL . And Lori has built and runs a highly effective and efficient design team that is entirely remote. So… in this conversation, Lori is going to help us crack the code. How can we bring our remote or hybrid design game to a new level? She also challenges the processes of today’s commercial design, procurement, and construction. We talk about iterative design, we talk about research, we talk about well-being in the wo...
Jan 10, 2022•36 min•Ep. 72
In this episode, Doug Shapiro shares his personal journey as a podcast host and what he has learned after nearly two years of conversation. Get your FREE copy of the Imagine a Place journal : Connect with Doug : On Instagram : @Douglas_Shapiro On LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/doshapiro/ By Email : dshapiro@ofs.com Email Imagine a Place : imagineaplace@ofs.com Connect with Maria on LinkedIn . Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World. Follow Imagine a Place...
Jan 03, 2022•6 min•Ep. 71
Rachel Bascombe is an architect in Los Angeles at the firm CO Architects and Rachel is number 412. A number that will soon make sense to you and will probably surprise you. In today’s interview with Rachel, we’ll hear about a moment that changed her life path and how that moment helped to create a sense of purpose when it comes to place. Rachel also shares how one project early in her career helped her understand the full significance of being a Black female architect in America. Get your FREE c...
Dec 27, 2021•20 min•Ep. 70
As the buyer’s journey becomes increasingly digital…so do our jobs, our communication, our processes. As Abby Murray embraced this new digital lens, her motivation for starting Mortarr was built through a combination of frustration and opportunity. She saw the potential for a more inclusive, efficient, and greener way of doing business. Today, she is the CEO of Mortarr – A website built around connecting ideas, products, and professionals in the commercial design industry. In this episode, she d...
Dec 20, 2021•20 min•Ep. 69
Today’s episode features two big thinkers when it comes to place and technology. Edward Wagoner is the CIO for the progressive-minded $17 billion, global real estate firm, JLL . Will Cowell de Gruchy is the founder and CEO of Infogrid - a fast-growing startup aimed at making buildings smarter and the world healthier. These two are thinking about the intersection of real estate and technology at the highest level, and with 90% of our time spent indoors, the stakes are high. In today’s conversatio...
Dec 13, 2021•46 min•Ep. 68
Regan Donoghue is the energetic workforce strategist and co-founder of SimConsults . For well over a decade, she’s been researching and rethinking the role of work in our lives. Today, we talk about gamification at work, the future role of place in office work, data in the workplace, and how we can build a culture that values the feedback of our employees. Regan co-founded SimConsults based on the need for unique solutions and next-level problem-solving. Their partnership aligns with corporate r...
Dec 06, 2021•47 min•Ep. 67
When it comes to sustainability and architecture, there are few on the planet that are more progressive-minded and informed than Eric Corey Freed. We can also now say with certainty that there are none more witty and entertaining. Eric Corey Freed is the Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Cannon Design, where he is leading them on a mission to have every project be net-zero energy and halve embodied carbon by 2030. He’s authored a dozen books on the topic of sustainability— his most rece...
Nov 29, 2021•41 min•Ep. 66
This Thanksgiving we are thankful for YOU, so thank you for listening, sharing, and reaching out to us! It always feels great to say thank you, but this week we are feeling especially grateful for our amazing listeners and producers of the Imagine a Place podcast. It has been a privilege to connect with you each week! We are always so appreciative when we hear from our listeners on ideas for guests, thoughts from a recent episode, or just to say hello. So, please feel free to reach out anytime! ...
Nov 22, 2021•4 min•Ep. 65
