Katie Martell (she/her) returns to interview me (Derek) for a special Season 1 finale episode. We discuss my journey over the past year, including the creation of this very podcast, how empathy could help us conquer many of the challenges facing society, body image standards and how they were impacted by lockdown, and unpack the very idea of uncertainty. Derek J. Horn is a designer and podcast host. He works remotely as a Senior Designer for New York City-based agency, Beardwood&Co., where he has contributed to award-winning global design projects. His writing has appeared in publications including Dieline and Ad Age and he started a podcast, In These Uncertain Times, in Fall 2020. Derek is a longtime volunteer and now brand advisor for Out for Undergrad, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ students reach their full potential. He lives in Orlando, FL with his fiancé Joey and Shiba Inu pup, Luna. Follow Derek on Instagram Connect with Derek on LinkedIn Check out Derek's original HCD podcast interview and article that inspired it And in case you missed them the first time around:  Follow Katie on Twitter: @KatieMartell Subscribe to The World’s Best Newsletter at Katie-Martell.com

Deon Mixon (he/him), Graphic Designer, Author, and Entrepreneur, joins for a thoughtful discussion about his various projects including the Design Eye board game and his proposed redesigned flag for the City of Detroit, how he balances his various creative pursuits, and the causes and potential solutions for racial inequity in the design industry. Deon Mixon is a graphic designer, author, and entrepreneur from Detroit, MI who specializes in brand identity design. He is an alumnus of Cass Tech (2013) and Western Michigan University (2017) with his BFA in Graphic Design. Mixon is a Bill Gates Millennium Scholar, designer of the Detroit Rise Flag (a new flag for the City of Detroit), the author of the Lethal Creed Saga, and creator of the world's premier graphic design education board game, Design Eye. A movieworm, violinist, Naruto and Jason Bourne enthusiast, and practitioner and student of Krav Maga, Spanish, and Japanese, Mixon believes not in creating for himself but in giving great design to the world to help realize and voice ideas for others. Follow Deon on Instagram: @deonmixon  Check out Deon’s Website: https://www.deonmixon.com/ Follow the Design Eye Instagram: @designeyegame Follow the Detroit Rise Instagram: @detroitriseflag_

Black Luxe Creator Charlene Izere (she/her) joins to share how she built her personal brand and several ventures, strike down the notion that guilty pleasures need to be guilty, and share some great advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, thought-leaders, and well-meaning non-Black allies. Charlene Izere is a Black Luxe Creator and three-time entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Melanin & Money, a comprehensive hub for entrepreneurially-minded Black women; Soulful Systems, a boutique online business management agency supporting high-level entrepreneurs with sustainable systems; and Wellness Delivered, a self-care and community care brand. Her mission is to leave the world Blacker than when she entered. Charlene has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Thrive Global, and Disrupt Magazine. Follow Charlene on Instagram Follow Charlene on YouTube Follow Charlene on Twitter Check out Charlene's website Donate to the We Own Our Legacy Impact Fund to fund essential financial resources, business coaching, and tech support for Black and Brown women founders.

Cj Giovingo (they/them), systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, joins for a beautiful conversation about the intertwining nature of systems and creativity, their experience with the ultimate remote work—landing a spacecraft on another planet while working from home—and the invaluable power of telling your story. Cj Giovingo is a Systems Engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California where they’ve worked since 2014. They are currently a member of the Mars 2020 Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) Systems team which just landed the Perseverance rover on the Red Planet on February 18th of this year. Prior to their current work in space technology, Cj had a career in environmental and union organizing, skills that transferred surprisingly well to being a systems engineer. Outside of work, Cj and their wife live as Faculty in Residence on the University of Southern California campus where they serve as mentors, advisers, and advocates for the first-year students in their residential community. In July 2019, Cj joined the National Board of Directors for Out for Undergrad, a non-profit aimed at helping high-achieving LGBTQ+ undergraduates reach their full potential. Connect with Cj on LinkedIn Check out Cj on the Mars 2020 Meet the Martians page

Bassam Shawl (he/him) joins for a wide-ranging conversation about his journey with stand-up comedy, our media diets and the attention black hole named Twitter, and have lots of reminiscing about growing up in Upstate New York, including performing together in high-school musical productions. Bassam Shawl is a comedian, writer, and actor based in New York. Originally from Syracuse, NY, he started performing comedy in Washington, DC before moving to Brooklyn. He’s been featured in Buzzfeed and Prior Magazine, has written for Emmy-Award-winning comedian Tiffany Haddish and has performed at several venues & festivals across the country, including Comedy on State, The Stand Comedy Club, Oak City Comedy Festival, and Laughing Devil Comedy Festival. Follow Bassam on Twitter: @bassamshawl Follow Bassam on Instagram: @bassamshawl Follow Bassam on TikTok: @bassamshawl Check Out his Podcast, Wokemanistan

Sarah Williams (she/her), Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Beardwood&Co., joins to chat about how we brought our design and strategy agency’s operations and relationships online at the start of the pandemic, how consumers are forming new rituals and brands are adapting to them, and the importance of young people in keeping our creative process fresh and relevant. “Make it happen with what you’ve got”— are words that were spoken frequently at Sarah’s house growing up, and she still lives by them today. Take on the challenge, be smart about finding the best solution, and inspire those around you by doing great work together. Sarah has a passion for brands with ambition and a focus on meaningful leadership with clients—understanding their business challenges, and delivering impactful creative to unlock their full potential. Sarah joined Beardwood&Co. in the agency's infancy and is proud of the all-star team they’ve assembled. She began her career at Landor launching Song Airlines, getting foodie with Burger King and PepsiCo, and later telling the story of CBGB’s. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Check out the Beardwood&Co. website Follow Beardwood&Co. on Instagram: @beardwoodco

Michael Counter (he/him) joins for a great conversation about Queer art and honoring our elders while they’re still with us, he shares how his firm, counterCULTURE, is bringing Queer, Trans and POC narratives to life in the COVID-era through projects like Legends of Drag, and together, we pine for the days of collective gatherings and shared experiences. Michael Counter is a Black Queer United States Air Force veteran, entrepreneur, creative strategist, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant. As the founder of the creative boutique counterCULTURE, Michael amplifies narratives of often marginalized lived experiences to educate, entertain, and edify communities and businesses through signature collaborations, brand partnerships, and talent relations.  Following an Honorable Discharge (Active Duty), Michael began his graduate studies at Southern Methodist University in Creative Writing (Masters), then Arts & Cultural Traditions (PhD), while also gaining years of experience in the public relations and advertising fields with brands like Nieman Marcus, Chipotle, Dallas Museum of Art, Southwestern Medical Foundation, and Michael’s Craft Stores. He currently lives in NYC with his partner and frequently collaborates with leading agencies, brands, and networks securing coverage and partnerships for Queer and multicultural projects as seen in VOGUE, Harper’s Bazaar, and Rolling Stone Magazine. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn Follow Michael on Instagram: @michaellcounter Check out and donate to Legends of Drag

Leah Garlock (she/her), Experience Designer and Fulbright ETA Grant Recipient, is here to discuss her various personal projects, the ways in which she’s been virtually engaging with her communities, the exploration of her identity as a Korean American adoptee, and the challenges of coping with trauma in the midst of pandemic isolation. Leah (She/Her) believes design problem-solving is as much about actively listening, as it is about aesthetics. As an experience designer and illustrator, she takes a multimedia lens to explore social issues, cultural identity, and narratives on personal growth. She earned her BFA in Communications Design and Photography from Syracuse University where she received a grant to explore the cultural identity of Korean American adoptees. Her portfolio includes collaborations with nonprofits like the Center of Urban Pedagogy and Hollaback!, and Adoptee run organizations Also-Known-As, IKAA, Adopteen, and Adoptee Bridge. Outside of work and personal projects, Leah volunteers as the Communications Manager for Asian Womxn in the Arts (AWA), an organization that creates celebratory and healing spaces centering the work of womxn and LGBTQIA+ cultural workers in the Asian diaspora. In January 2021, she embarked to South Korea through a Fulbright ETA grant. Follow Leah on Instagram: @leah.chi.grace Connect with Leah via email: [email protected].

Comic and graphic novel writer Julio Anta (he/him) joins to discuss the challenges of working through the pandemic as a parent to a young child, how he collaborates with editors and visual artists, the vast diversity of Latinx people and the lack of political nuance they’re often afforded, and how many of his stories make their journey from the headlines to the page of a comic.  Julio Anta is a writer based in New York City. Raised in Miami by Cuban and Colombian parents, his writing focuses on the intersection of Latinx identity and American life.   Check out Julio's website: julioanta.com Follow Julio on Instagram: @julioanta Follow Julio on Twitter: @julioanta

Rachel Renock (she/her), Co-founder and CEO of Wethos, joins to discuss how her company pivoted their entire business in the midst of the pandemic, how she and her co-founder are trying to curb employee burnout through smart policy (and some tips on how you can do the same for your business), the opportunities of the current moment for the future of independent work, and the responsibility of white business leaders to leverage their power to create equitable workplaces.  A former advertising creative working across big brands like Covergirl and Hershey, Rachel quit her agency job at 25 in pursuit of more meaningful work. She teamed up with her now co-founder Claire to build technology that helped them scale their own independent studio to $1.4M in revenue in just 18-months. They’ve since released their platform to empower the next generation of independents to team up and launch their own Virtual Studios, providing the financial infrastructure to simplify complexities from pricing projects to paying teammates. Since its founding in 2016, Renock has raised over $5M in VC funding and has been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, Business Insider, and the New York Times in pursuit of her mission to put more money into the pockets of independents everywhere. Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rachren1 Check out the Wethos website