Build For Better
Exploring how to create better digital products and companies in the digital age with some of the brightest minds in the space.
Episodes
This week I am joined by Author, Speaker, Linguist and all around powerhouse Kate O'Neill. Kate is known worldwide as the "Tech Humanist", which makes her the perfect guest for this show. She lives at the intersection of cutting edge technology and humanity. Data driven with compassion. Thoughtful and on the cusp. Kate is a rare combination of kind and smart, and we dive into the "why" behind that. How she approaches decisions, the...
Sometimes, just sometimes, the internet can be awesome. This episode is an example of when it is. I have followed Theo for years, always excited to see what hir Futurist takes were. His writing style was conversational, his takes were both intelligent and exciting, and he wasn't afraid to push people a bit. Then he went away for a while. And then, he was back. And the second he was, I wanted to see where he went, what he was doing,...
This week, I was lucky enough to have Neil Schaffer on. Neil is a career CFO / COO who has navigated his way through multiple industries, product types and challenges. In this episode we talk about what planning REALLY looks like, how to approach it and how not to. Neil's ability to simplify things has made him an invaluable asset to many, myself included, and it was amazing to get to dive in on his approach.
This week I was thrilled to get to chat with Shann Biglone. Shann is a swiss army knife in the marketing world, be it strategy, creative, analytics or AI, Shann has a take. I was thrilled that this became a very personal episode very quickly. Shann and I discuss what its like growing up with single mothers, how that has influenced our lives, how Shann navigates through the world as an introvert, and how important producing things i...
Season 3 is upon us, and we kick it off with a recorded-in-person episode with the wonderfully funny, charming and intelligent Kevin Maloy. Kevin is a veteran in the Advertising space who has managed to not only live through all it's permutations but strive as they happen. We talk about how quickly landscapes change, how to adapt, and why the future is still so exciting. I am thrilled to be back, and couldn't think of a better way ...
This week I am joined by David Thedinga, Founder and CEO of Tikvah Health and Wellness. With healthcare squarely in the conversation for so many people right now, it felt like the perfect time to bring in an expert. David and his business think all about HOW you approach your health care as a company and an individual. We jump into "sick care" philosophy, the need to retrain how people think about health care, and some personal "be...
This week is a special one...and one long in the making. Last year for Thanksgiving I did a solo episode about being thankful. This year, I thought it made sense to drop this episode because, well, i'm really thankful to be in a position to get to do it. Jeremy has been a friend and mentor for over a decade, a former co-host of a podcast with me, we ran a daily newsletter, have collaborated and helped each other on all kinds of pro...
This week I was joined by Jonathan Lowenhar. Jonathan has become someone that I turn to VERY regularly to get my brain moving in the right direction. He is a beacon of sorts. A north star. And so damn funny and kind. This week we talk about finding purpose, creating purpose and what staying in your purpose requires of you, all while building something that matters in a way that brings you joy. This conversation could gave been 6 ho...
This week I was lucky enough to have Dr. Dani Chesson on the podcast to talk about context. Dr. Dani is an intellectual, a designer, a professor, and an absolute WEALTH of knowledge. During our chat we talk about Context; how important it is, how to frame it, and how to plan for it. From her time to the corporate world to her time in the lab, she has developed a unique and data driven perspective on design thinking that I know wil...
WE ARE BACK! After a summer + some off, Build for Better Thursday are back in action, and I could not be more excited than to kick it off with my friend and incredible design leader J.B. This episode very much resembles my conversations with J.B. in life, running the gamut in topics from AI to Gen-Z to Elon, and just like in real life I walked away wishing I had more time with him. I am so excited to be back, and I am so excited to...
My guest this week is Alex Craig. Alex is the Founder of Triple Play Studios, a Shorty, Clio and Webby award winning Marketing Studio that has cracked the code on making Viral content and experiences for huge brands. Alex is one of those creatives that just has that spark. Whether it's shipping potatoes in the mail or having someone SMILE for an entire baseball game, he just thinks differently. This week we talk about his process, ...
This week, I'm thrilled to have Lee Elliott join me on the podcast. Lee is a founder, a marketer, an industry vet and my favorite thing of all, a bit of a rascal. We tackle the ins and out of Generalism - when it's good, when it's not so good, what the future of it is, and when specialists are the best and the worst. We also talk a bit about philosophy, how all old things become new again, and how to approach this new generation o...
This week I am joined by Entrepreneur, Author, Connector and all around gentlemen Jeremy Berman. Jeremy is the Co-Founder of Good United, the worlds first fundraising platform for social networks, as well as Author of the new book "One-Click to Give". Good United is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary, so it only felt right that the subject of the episode be Perseverance. From sunsetting products, to hard conversations to havin...
My guest this week is Danny Nathan. Danny is the Founder of Apollo21, a product dude, a UX designer, and so many more things, top among them a good friend. When I first mentioned the podcast to Danny, I barely got the idea out before he said "I want to talk about Failure". Danny has an ethos of "Failing Beautifully", which is a perfect topic to dive deep into, along with what failure means, what success actually looks like, and way...
This week I am joined by Evan Shaprio. Aside from being a renowned media executive and innovator, known for his transformative work at IFC TV and Sundance Channel, he also happens to be one of the voices I most look forward to hearing from. Be it on LinkedIn, his Newsletter or his Podcast, Evan is one of those people you just kinda need to hear from. As the "Cartographer" of the Media Landscape, Evan shares his thoughts on building...
This week I was so genuinely delighted and excited to have Barry join the podcast. Aside from being a respected and adored Product person in the digital space, Barry is also the Co-Founder and President of Highwire Improv in Baltimore. In this episode, we dive into all the things Barry has taken from his Improv work and how they have influenced him as a leader, a team member and a coach. As someone with a deep love of comedy and im...
This week I am joined by CEO, Pilot and former Punk rocker Andy Seavers. With Andy's background and absolutely infectious energy, the only possible topic to center on was "The Rush". What does the Rush mean? Well in this episode we talk about running a company, flying a plane, playing a golf and so much more all from the comfort of Andy's office...that's right, it's a live in person episode!
This week is a bit of the departure from the norm...with my guest Ryan Anthony, Co-Founder and CEO of DIRT, we decided to just talk about what's happening right now in our worlds. From being present in the moment, to creating community, to the very best we can hope for AI to the most scary, we definitely danced. But Ryan is so thoughtful and so genuine the hour felt like 10 mins.
This week I am lucky enough to have Ben Kvalo join me for a conversation on location and it's impact on work. Ben left Netflix and started Midwest Games last year, and has been sharing the entire journey on social media. Being that I left the Beast Coast myself and have settled into the South East, we had no shortage of things to think through. We cover topics like work / life balance, kindness, competition and fairness and the eff...
This week I am joined by John Rogers. Aside from years of experience building teams and culture, John is also a listener of the podcast, which made for great fun. The topic this week is Understanding, and specifically how John has built a career and a reputation around leveraging understanding in all facets of business. It's a particularly important topic right now, as the ideological and generational divide is as evident as ever, ...
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