UNSTRUKTURED with Michelle Rose

In this episode of Warriors & Roses , host Michelle Rose talks with creative director, writer, and former colleague Morgan Love Thomas about what happens when a successful creative life collapses from the inside… and what it takes to rebuild from almost nothing. Morgan and Michelle first knew each other at The North Face , where they both led creative teams and built a mutual respect through the w...

This episode dives into what it means to dedicate your life to an art form that’s constantly changing, even crumbling, beneath you. Greg Brace, a lifelong metal musician, composer, and performer, began his creative journey in an era when music still lived in CDs, magazines, and sweaty live rooms. He watched the industry shift… from analog to digital, from albums to algorithms… and had to rebuild n...

Warriors & Roses dives into the emotional reality of creative life... the loneliness, obsession, and persistence it takes to build something beautiful out of chaos. Host Michelle Rose talks with musicians, designers, and writers who have fought for their art and found meaning in the struggle. Through the fight, the ritual, and the release , these long-form conversations explore what it costs to st...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast. In this episode my co-host, Bob Smith, and I sit down with creative apparel designer Adrienne Mercante. Adrienne has led design at some of the most innovative brands in the performance apparel space—including Outlier, Betabrand, Western Rise, Nathan Sports, and Skechers. Moving fluidly between concept and execution, her work blends aesthetic vision with hands-o...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast. In this episode, Bob Smith and I sit down with Damien E-LOVE Matthias, award-winning producer, entrepreneur, and a powerful force in the early formation of hip hop. We begin at the intersection of music, design, and cultural resistance with the story of how E-LOVE himself became immortalized as the figure in the iconic Public Enemy logo. From that lasting image...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast. In this episode my co-host, Bob Smith, and I dive into the world of Artificial Intelligence with creative director Allison Ross. We explore the evolving landscape of AI in the creative industry, discussing its implications for designers, musicians, and artists of today and tomorrow. Allison shares her insight on AI's potential and the importance of maintaining...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast. In this episode, my co-host, Bob Smith, and I talk with three young artists shaping music today....Musician and Studio Founder Harun Bonnett , Artist and Performer Lake Kyle , and Producer and Mix Engineer Juan Carlos Hernandez . From growing up in the underground music scene, to studying at Juilliard, Berklee and the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast! In this episode my co-host, Bob Smith, and I talk with legendary artist and creative director Scott Clum. First Design Director for Sims Snowboards in the eighties, Co-Founder of Morrow Snowboards in the nineties, and early Design Director at Raygun Publishing. A pioneer in the early days of snowboarding, Scott went from team rider to graphic designer to buildi...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast. I'm Michelle Rose... musician, martial artist, and design leader shaping some of the largest brands in the outdoor industry from The North Face to Columbia Sportswear, former espresso slinger and barista trainer at Starbucks and stylishly badass girl. In this episode I introduce you to my new co-host, the one and only Bob Smith... fellow musician, graphic desig...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast! In this episode, I talk with design leader Hadrien Monloup, cofounder of the premium brand Bellroy and the ultimate community for carry called Carryology . From his early years growing up in Paris with a family of artists, to moving across the globe to build his design career with Rip Curl in Australia, Hadrien has spent his life making leaps and taking risks t...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast! In this episode I talk with sustainable design leader Andrew Morgan . Starting out in the Ready-To-Wear and high-end fashion world of New York in the 1980s, creating collections for luxury department stores such as Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, and Neiman Marcus, Andrew eventually made a shift to focus on sustainable textiles for...

Welcome to the UnStruktured podcast! In this episode I talk with Performance Designer turned Regenerative Farmer Star Miklashek Hoerauf. Pulling from an active and creative childhood, Star has woven her love of animals, holistic patterns, and clothing into a mindful way of life. Carving out her early career creating award-winning performance apparel for cutting-edge brands like Arc'teryx, The Nort...

Welcome to the UnStruktured podcast! In this episode I talk with producer and audio engineer Stanley Soares. Born in Brazil and based in the US, Stanley has dedicated his career to the art of sound engineering. From traveling the world to serve as the Front Of House engineer for Megadeth, Motorhead, Sepultura, Devin Townsend, and many more, to earning several Latin Grammy nominations for Best Rock...

Welcome to the UnStruktured podcast! In this episode, I talk with Dan Trapp, C-Suite and Senior Leadership Headhunter for the Sports and Outdoor Industry. With thirty years of leadership experience working with companies like Salomon, Hoka and Columbia Sportswear, Dan now uses his expertise and network to help brands build high-caliber leadership teams. Dan and I connect on our early years working...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast! In this episode, I talk with Pro Audio Engineer Lenise Bent. A hidden legend in her own right, Lenise is known for her work on huge rock classics such as Steely Dan's Aja and Supertramp's Breakfast In America , as well as for being the first female recording engineer to be recognized with a platinum album for Blondie's Autoamerican. Lenise and I talk about her...

Welcome to the UnStruktured podcast! This week I talk with fellow performance design leader, Elizabeth McGarry. Based in Boston, Elizabeth has spent the past two decades creating collections for iconic brands like Nike and Reebok and has led design for some of the most talked about startups in the performance and outdoor industry. From her early experience with coveted design labels in Antwerp, Be...

Welcome to the Unstruktured podcast. In this episode, I talk with artist, musician, and creative producer Stephanie Lamond. Daughter of the longtime CEO of NAMM, one of the largest and longest-running music product trade shows in the world, Stephanie has grown up surrounded by creative business leaders and mentors. Initially focused on a career in film music composition, her education shifted to a...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast. In part 2 of this episode I talk with Creative Director and Graphic Artist Allison Ross, Founder and Janitor at Yesterday , about her time at the groundbreaking sustainable brand Nau Clothing , the joys of working for cutting edge design firms with great people, bad reviews and being let go, starting your own thing, and the power of reverse swear jars and break...

Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast. In this episode I talk with Creative Director and Graphic Artist Allison Ross, Founder and Janitor at Yesterday . Allison's passion for good people, social purpose, and creativity with a healthy dose of humor has led her to work with some of top design firms and cutting edge brands in the industry. We'll dig in to the career path that led her to run her own bus...

In the second part of this two-part episode, I talk with trend researcher and strategist Tsveti Enlow. After opening the first youth hostel in Bulgaria at the age of 19 a few years after the fall of communism, Tsveti went on to study international business in the United States and became an expert in identifying trends and connections across art, business, and culture. Tsveti and I talk about her...

Hi everyone! We had to republish this episode due to a glitch in connections across platforms. Such is the way of starting something new…gotta work out the kinks! Anyway, this episode should be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and TuneIn shortly. Look for Part 2 landing tomorrow as well as the video version on YouTube later this week. Talk to you soon! In this two-part episode, I ta...

In this two-part episode, I talk with trend researcher and strategist Tsveti Enlow. After opening the first youth hostel in Bulgaria at the age of 19 a few years after the fall of communism, Tsveti went on to study international business in the United States and became an expert in identifying trends and connections across art, business, and culture. Tsveti and I talk about her consistent path of...

Welcome to the UnStruktured podcast. In the second half of this episode J.J. and go into the stories that shaped his performance apparel design career: from pro-snowboarding to designing the first apparel line for Salomon, to having to make the difficult choice to leave behind a great thing to take on his dream job designing for Ralph Lauren’s RLX… …from Annecy, France, to New York City where he m...

Welcome to the UnStruktured podcast! In this episode, I talk to performance apparel design leader and former pro snowboarder JJ Collier. From snowboard to sewing machine to leading design for brands like Salomon, RLX by Ralph Lauren, Spyder and more, JJ and I talk about what it takes to design high end, high performance gear, and how to channel your passions into designing an authentic life. Enjoy...

Join us as we revisit the unearthed first episodes of the Struktur podcast, remembering the pre-pandemic world of active outdoor design with words of wisdom from the professionals who drive the industry. In this episode we talked with Sue Bal, Business Development Manager for the Athletic and Outdoor Industry at Prosper Portland (formerly the Portland Development Commission). Portland is ground ze...