Design Matters with Debbie Millman

Lidia Yuknavitch is the bestselling author of The Chronology of Water , Reading the Waves , and The Big M , and a writer whose work blurs genre to explore themes of memory, embodiment, grief, and transformation. She joins to discuss her childhood, her early life as a competitive swimmer, the film adaptation of The Chronology of Water directed by Kristen Stewart, and how storytelling can reshape the narratives we carry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For over sixty years, Gloria Steinem has been at the center of American culture and political life, where she has been instrumental in shaping our ideas about feminism, humanity, and equal rights for all people. She joins to talk about her legendary career as an award-winning journalist, New York Times best-selling author, co-founder of one of the most significant magazines of the 21st century, and an activist whose work has impacted the place women and girls now have in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

C. Thi Nguyen—philosopher, professor, and author of Games: Agency as Art —joins to discuss his new book, The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game , and how metrics, from grades to likes, quietly reshape what we value and who we become. Together, they explore games as “libraries of agency,” the allure of scoring systems, and the vital question: Is this the game you really want to be playing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega reflects on her pioneering career, the artistry behind her storytelling, and the lasting cultural impact of songs like “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner.” She joins to discuss her new album, Flying with Angels, which poignantly captures the struggles and resilience of our time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lulu Miller is a Peabody Award–winning journalist, co-host of Radiolab, founder of the podcast Terrestrials, and author of the acclaimed book Why Fish Don’t Exist. She joins to discuss her career at the intersection of science, philosophy, and storytelling, inviting us to question how we understand the world and our place within it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Ferriss is a five-time New York Times bestselling author, a legendary podcaster with over a billion downloads, a prolific angel investor, and a relentless experimenter. During his fourth visit to Design Matters , he shares the story behind Coyote , a new card game he’s quietly been crafting—and the mindset that brought it to life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quiara Alegría Hudes is a Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright, composer, and novelist whose work has reshaped contemporary American theater. The co-creator of In the Heights and author of Water by the Spoonful , she has consistently explored identity, family, and belonging across theater, music, memoir, and now fiction in her new book, The White Hot . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and a poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She joins to discuss her career as the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, her best-selling book Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines , and her featured role in the acclaimed Netflix documentary Coded Bias . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Dyson is a visionary inventor, designer, educator, and founder of Dyson, a global company transforming ordinary household appliances into design and engineering marvels. He joins to discuss his iconic career, the role of failure in the creative process, and how good design can reshape the way we live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laverne Cox—best known for her groundbreaking role as Sophia Burset on Orange Is the New Black —is an Emmy-winning actor, producer, advocate, and one of the defining cultural figures of our time. She joins live at the Pride Book Fair in New York City to discuss her new memoir, Transcendent , reflecting on what it means to survive, heal, and become more fully yourself in a world determined to define you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Craig Mod is a writer, photographer, designer, and publisher whose work is rooted in attention—to the roads he walks, the books he creates, and the ways technology shapes our experience of the world. He joins to discuss his memoir Things Become Other Things and how memory, loss, and the paths we travel, both literal and emotional, shape the stories we tell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Piera Gelardi is a creative entrepreneur, writer, New York Times bestselling author, and co-founder of Refinery29, the media company that helped redefine digital media for a generation of women. She joins to discuss her new book, The Playful Way, which explores how play, curiosity, and creativity can help us navigate work, relationships, and everyday life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Popova is the creator of The Marginalian , where for two decades she has traced the connections between science and poetry, astronomy and love, nature and consciousness, all while building a body of work animated by wonder and rigor. She joins to discuss her new book Traversal , the search for meaning in an indifferent universe, and what poetry, astronomy, love, and wonder can teach us about being alive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ann Patchett is the bestselling author of ten novels, including Bel Canto , Commonwealth , The Dutch House , and Tom Lake , the co-owner of Parnassus Books, and the recipient of numerous literary honors. She joins live at the TED Conference to discuss the creative process, the lessons she's learned from love and marriage, and why she continues to find evidence of generosity and hope everywhere she looks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spencer Bailey is a writer, editor, and cultural journalist whose work explores the intersections of design, architecture, memory, and human experience. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Slowdown, host of Time Sensitive, and former editor-in-chief of Surface. He reflects on surviving a plane crash, growing up without his mother, the role storytelling has played in understanding his own life, and why slowing down may be essential in a culture obsessed with speed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Arden is a Tony Award–winning director and actor whose productions, including Parade , Maybe Happy Ending , and Spring Awakening , blend intimacy, spectacle, and extraordinary humanity. Across film, television, and theater, his work returns again and again to questions of belonging, connection, and what becomes possible when people truly feel seen. He joins to discuss the childhood experiences that shaped him, his journey from actor to acclaimed director, and the enduring power of live theater to change lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Sweeney is a writer, performer, and actor whose work spans Saturday Night Live, acclaimed television roles, and a groundbreaking body of one-woman shows that blend wit, humor, intelligence, and inquiry to redefine personal storytelling. She joins to reflect on the unexpected turns of her career, how comedy became a way to navigate trauma and identity, and how embracing contradiction and reinvention shaped both her work and her life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bobby Hundreds is a designer, writer, and co-founder of the pioneering streetwear brand The Hundreds, and currently serves as Global Creative Director at Disney Consumer Products. Recorded live at Canva Create in Los Angeles, he joins for a conversation about growing up between cultures, building The Hundreds from the ground up, and why the strongest brands are built through storytelling, collaboration, and community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manoush Zomorodi is an award-winning journalist, author, and host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour whose work explores how technology shapes our minds, bodies, attention, and sense of humanity. She joins Debbie Millman live at the launch of her newest book, Body Electric , which examines the physical and psychological consequences of our increasingly screen-centered lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mauro Porcini is the President and Chief Design Officer at Samsung, where he leads a global design organization shaping products, experiences, and ecosystems for billions of people through a deeply human-centered approach to innovation. He joins to reflect on his journey from Italy to global design leadership and to discuss the human side of technology amid financial instability, digital toxicity, and existential anxiety. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.