Imagine a Place

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 halv...

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 guest...

There’s an elephant in your office, and we’ve brought in author, podcast host, and HR leader Andrea Herron to help us understand it. That elephant is the struggle we have with mental health.  Andrea Herron is WebMD’s Health Services’ Human Resource leader.  She is the co-author of the book, " There’s an Elephant in your Office ."  She’s also the award-winning host of the podcast The HR Scoop . Pre...

Tara Headley is a rising star in the world of interior design. In this episode, we explore her journey as an immigrant, the power of networking, and her life hack around setting personal goals. Tara’s journey began in Barbados, 2000 miles away from Savannah College of Art and Design where she studied. Tara currently works at Hendrick in Atlanta designing commercial interiors - and at this past Neo...

Disclaimer: After listening to this episode, you might decide to leave the practicing world behind and begin your second career as a professor.  Our guest today is Nathan Howe , Department Head of Kansas State’s Interior Architecture and Industrial Design program - and Nathan has some stories to tell. There is an energy and openness to the academic world that just feels good to reconnect with at t...

Edwin Beltran is loaded with optimism, cultural understanding, and some powerful insights on Healthcare Design As the Design Principal at NBBJ , Edwin has led some of the firm’s most notable and award-winning healthcare projects. In today’s conversation, Edwin shares some powerful healthcare design insights; and at the end, we end up exploring his Puerto Rican heritage and how it has shaped who he...

Can a website help save the planet?   Joanna Abrams believes so.  Joanna Abrams is the CEO and Founder of Mindclick , a product intelligence platform that rates the environmental impact of manufacturers and their products. Joanna’s journey into Mindclick is an entertaining listen, full of windy roads, detours, and even failures.  One of the highlights of this episode comes towards the end, when Jo...

In this episode, we’re going to discuss soap operas, anime, Visco Girls, and pro-wrestling… and it’s going to be one of the most intellectual dialogs that we’ve had on this show. Sam Ford is an expert on Pop Culture - And if you think pop culture doesn’t matter, then you might be missing the bigger picture. Culture is messy and Sam is here today to help us decode it. Sam Ford is an MIT Media Alum,...

Samantha Lee Smugala is doing important work in St. Louis.   She’s the founder of Pocketparks , a non-profit that is reimagining and reinvigorating the vacant lots that are scattered across St Louis Neighborhoods. For Samantha, it all started with a simple sketch that caught the attention of the local news and eventually propelled her to think bigger about what’s possible. Samantha’s story behind...

As a pro snowboarder and artist, Pat Milbery is one of Denver’s most creative and interesting people.  Buildings all over the city feature Pat’s iconic wall murals - sometimes 40 feet or higher, full of color, geometry, and narrative.  His goal through his art is simple - spread love.   Here’s the thing though -- All these accomplishments are irrelevant to the conversation that you’re about to hea...

Danya Hakky, Ph. D. is an Interior Designer and Design Researcher for Perkins Eastman, a global architecture and design firm. She is also a co-author of the recently published research paper, " The Subtle Art of Place Making ," which sought to answer the question: Why do we still need to create meaningful places when virtual settings and interactions are on the rise? The findings of this research...

Martin Flaherty is the witty and outspoken co-host of the podcast Tailgating with Geniuses.  Tailgating with Geniuses blends the entertaining personalities of the hosts with some of today's most creative thinkers and leaders. Martin also has some interesting ties to the world of design and construction that are rooted in sustainability.  In 2005, he co-founded Eco-Scorecard.  At that time, Eco-Sco...

When we think of what it means to “change perspective”, we often don’t think of it in its literal sense. Yet, for Malcolm Berg, it wasn’t until he was zooming towards the ground in an aerobatic aircraft that he understood architecture in a fundamentally new way. Malcolm Berg is an award-winning architect and designer who leads his firm EoA Group out of Miami.  He was recently selected as IIDA’s Ho...

Steve Jobs was a firm believer in the power of place and the impact that an in-person collaborative environment can have on innovation and a creative corporate culture.  The in-person method of work is being called into question by so many that have found their rhythm as a remote worker. Today, Kay Sargent, Director of HOK’s global WorkPlace practice, helps us explore the new promise that our work...

Mike Petrusky Has been the host of the ioffice’s Workplace Innovator Podcast for 3 years running. He’s had over 150 interviews with real estate, technology, and facilities leaders from all over the world. His style, his humor, and his honesty when it comes to the difficult topics surrounding the workplace today make him the perfect guest for Imagine a Place. In our conversation, Mike and I cover l...

Named by CNN as one of the ten most fascinating people in the world you've never heard of, Raghava KK is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, and featured TED speaker, who explores the intersection of art, life, and technology.   His public art installations include a library for the Robin Hood Foundation in the Bronx, NY, and is internationally treasured, but behind all his accomplishments… t...

Today, we’ll hear from a recent graduate who just began her career at Gensler.  If you think there is nothing to learn from a student, you are about to be turned upside down.  Sofia Acosta is as wise, collected, and clear-headed as anyone we’ve interviewed on the podcast so far.   Sofia graduated in May 2021 from Kansas State’s 5-year master's program in Interior Architecture and Industrial Design...

Have you thanked a teacher lately? Somewhere out there is a teacher that has helped you become who you are today. Well, for so many in the world of architecture and design, that teacher is Jon Otis. Jon is widely known in this industry for so many reasons. He’s on the international board of directors for IIDA, he’s a professor at Pratt, runs his own practice, Object Agency and he’s champion of div...

Rex Miller is one of those people that seems to decode the world around us; almost as if all the complexity melts away when you speak with him. He is the principal and thought leader for MindShift, a future-focused consultancy, and organizational performance firm. He is the author of The Commercial Real Estate Revolution, The Millennium Matrix: Reclaiming the Past, Reframing the Future of the Chur...

Today's episode is all about Color. Color for social good, color to engage our senses, color in ways you probably haven’t thought of before. Laura Guido-Clark is the Founder and President of the color consultancy Love Good Color and the non-for-profit, Project Color Corps. Color changed the way Laura sees the world, and she’s using it to change the world for good. Learn more about Love Good Color:...

Philip Ross is a futurist, author, and advisor who specializes in predicting the impact of emerging technology on the way we will work, shop, consume and live. He is also the CEO and founder of UnGroup and Cordless Group, as well as the creator of the popular Worktech event series. Simply put, Philip is one of the world’s biggest thinkers when it comes to the future of the workplace. In this conve...

What if you could get 1% better every day? Imagine how your life and career would be transformed. Joe Ferraro is the host of the popular, The One Percent Better Podcast, where he and his guests share their unique insights to help us become better versions of ourselves improving our mindset, language, and behavior by 1% each day. In this episode, Joe helps us understand the art of conversation is a...

Something BIG is happening in Chicago this July and it's something you should know about - it's called "Design Your World." The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) recognized that inside the profession of interior design there's been a lack of diversity for, pretty much, its entire existence. So, to address this deficit, they dreamt up "Design Your World" - it's a high school pipeline...

Stacy Garcia founded and runs multiple businesses in design that range from textiles, to furniture and accessories. She was voted one of the 10 leading voices in the hospitality industry and honored by ASID for Design Excellence. The industry leans on Stacy for her knowledge in forecasting color and design trends. Today, she shares her life hacks and the best advice to help you get the most out of...

In this episode, you’ll get the inside scoop on how culture can unlock the true potential of your design studio… and when you really get culture right, it pulls in your clients as well. Manny Navarro is the design director and principal for IA Interior Architects in Austin, Texas and he has helped to build a culture that brings out the best in his staff. You could say he takes his culture seriousl...