Cadence: A Podcast for Creatives

Yen and Hafsah open Season 3 with an honest check-in on career transitions, creative identity, and navigating uncertainty. They unpack AI’s growing role in creative work, personal values, and how to stay grounded while the industry shifts fast.

EMU student and stage actress Myranda Wiggins shares her path into theater, the challenges of performance, and the confidence that comes from creative practice. This episode focuses on growth, emotional honesty, and using storytelling to connect with others on and off stage.

Neighborhood Theatre Group co-founder Kristin Danko discusses growing a theater company, leading creative teams, and building cultural momentum in Ypsilanti. The episode explores artistic risk, collaboration, and what it takes to sustain meaningful local arts spaces.

Kristin Gapske shares practical lessons from entrepreneurship, nonprofit leadership, and community-centered business building. This episode covers mindset, funding, marketing, and time management strategies for creatives turning passion into long-term work.

Recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library! Featuring Donald Harrison (featured in S1. E5) and Hien Lam (featured in S2. E3). In this live recording, Yen and Hafsah are joined by CadencePod alums Donald Harrison, filmmaker and owner of 7 Cylinders Studio, and Hien Lam, co-owner and designer at Huck Finch, to explore how creative practice can be effectively integrated into real-world applicati...

Multimedia artist and designer Martin Thoburn joins the podcast to discuss how curiosity has driven his diverse career. With a background spanning graphic design, motion graphics, animation, filmmaking, and projection mapping, Martin shares his unconventional journey from film and mixed media experimentation, to a career in corporate work.

Architect, entrepreneur, and community advocate Lisa Sauve shares her journey from early drafting classes to founding Synecdoche. As CEO, she blends architecture, policy, and placemaking to shape urban spaces, local policies, and community culture. Through projects like Do Good Work, she supports creatives and fosters civic impact. This episode explores how design intersects with responsibility, o...

Hien Lam, co-founder of Huck Finch, a strategic design studio in Ypsilanti, joins us to talk about building a business with intention, the power of saying no, and creating a brand that resonates. Hien shares his unconventional career path from pre-med to design entrepreneur, and how travel has influenced his work and worldview. We also dive into client experience, pricing strategies, and why great...

Hafsah and Yen sit down with Jason Jay Stevens, a creative force in exhibit design and the founder of Flutter and Wow Museum Projects. With a career spanning decades, Jason has played a key role in designing and implementing museum exhibits, interactive technologies, and immersive storytelling experiences. Jason shares insights into how curiosity, adaptability, and storytelling shape the world of...

Creative director, web developer, and musician Chris Plumb shares his journey from a digital art-obsessed teen to leading web development at major tech companies like Duo Security, Cisco Systems, and Claroty. He dives into how his passion for music and visual storytelling shapes his approach to web design, breaking down front-end vs. back-end development, the power of hands-on learning, and the ro...

Hafsah and Yan take a deep dive into the day-to-day lives of creative professionals. They break down their workflows, tools, and processes, offering insights into the realities of working in design, motion graphics, and graphic recording. From navigating client relationships to finding efficiency in daily tasks, this episode is a practical guide for anyone looking to understand how creatives make...

In the final episode of Season 1, hosts Hafsah and Yen reflect on their six-month journey of launching Cadence , sharing lessons learned, growth experienced, and their gratitude for the guests and listeners who've made it all possible. We dive into the importance of commitment, navigating red flags, overcoming imposter syndrome, and finding balance in creative work. As the new year begins, Hafsah...

Insurance is not the most fun thing to think about when you're starting out in your career, but it's a vital component of building peace of mind into your journey. Hafsah and Yen grill Chris on what to cover when you're an individual creative versus a mid-sized organization versus a big-sized production. Chris helps us to navigate how to get started with the insurance process and most importantly,...

It's never easy to talk about money. In this episode Hafsah and Yen dive down this rabbit hole with the principal graphic designer of Invisible Engines, a design consultancy that specializes in working with nonprofits and human-centered organizations. Linette talks about why charging hourly is not always the right fit for everyone, and offers insight on how to reframe the value of the dollar. We a...

In this episode, the hosts are joined by Donald Harrison, the lead producer and director at 7 Cylinders Studio. Donald shares insights from his extensive experience in film and video production. With his treasure trove of experiences, Donald shares nuggets of wisdom on everything from tackling the beast of client expectations, to why treating your work like a heartfelt collaboration can lead to ma...

Artist and printmaker Paloma Núñez-Regueiro shares insights into how she manages her complex schedule, balances long-term projects with immediate tasks, and how she factors in self-care and planning as a key component of her her creative process. In this episode, we fan girl over something you might not expect—project management! Mind maps, Pomodoro techniques, and constructive critique—oh my! The...

Hafsah and Yen talk to Dr. Cam McComb, Associate Professor of Visual Art Education at Eastern Michigan University, about the continued path of learning, regardless of where or how you do it. Dr. Cam talks to us about what her students think that becoming an art teacher means and what it actually entails. She offers insight on what "creative" means and how it's flexible with possibility for reshapi...

Hafsah and Yen welcome Pete Baker, photographer, graphic designer, creative director, product design leader, and more recently, bar proprietor. We talk to him about how his personal brand (or more so how he doesn't have a personal brand) and how it's meandered to serve a myriad of markets and clients over the years. Pete talks about why it's so important to demonstrate your usefulness and push awa...

Hafsah and Yen hash out how they met, who they are professionally and personally, and why they decided to start a podcast. Yen Azzaro is a full time graphic recorder, drawing what people say in real time (no, they don't look like courtroom drawings), illustrator and artist. She talks about the amount of time she's worked for others, and how much more she likes working for herself. Which, makes her...