Conscious Tech
Episodes
Vinci is Betting on Strong by Form's 3D Wood to Disrupt the $16 Trillion Construction Industry
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andres Mitnik is the CEO and founder of Strong by Form, a deeptech startup revolutionizing sustainable construction materials. With a background in ci...
Your Startup Needs a Growth Systems Architect: Sean Ellis on Dropbox, Eventbrite & Unicorn Growth
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sean Ellis is the OG growth hacker who built growth engines for Dropbox, Eventbrite, LogMeIn, and two other unicorns—shares the frameworks climate t...
Trading Stocks Creates Zero Impact | Carbon Equity Democratizes Climate Tech Private Equity
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jacquelyn van den Ende and Liza Rubenstein reveal how they're providing never before seen access to exclusive private markets for climate investin...
The Copper Shortage is Keeping This DeepTech CEO Awake at Night
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Dennett, CEO of Endolith and Alaska native, reveals the hidden copper crisis threatening our digital future. Learn how biotech and microbes could ...
From $20 Billion Acquisition Death to Figma IPO: How Design Systems Can Transform Your Product Team
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After Figma's dramatic journey from a failed $20 billion acquisition to a successful IPO, the design world is buzzing. In this essential episode, reno...
How Microsoft's Design Manager Built Green Design Principles That Influenced Big Tech's Sustainability Strategy
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Microsoft Design Manager Sandra Pallier reveals how she created the Green Design Principles that influenced sustainability strategies...
From Miro Head of Growth Design to Time Freedom: Escape the 9-5
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered what it really costs to escape the 9-5? You’ve never heard a conversation like this with Kate Syuma. The former Head of Growth Design ...
How Design VCs Spot Unicorns, The Growth Equation, and Why Great Products Fail With Andy Budd
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I came across Andy Budd and his background immediately intrigued me. Andy is a design leader turned VC and startup advisor at SeedCamp (pre-seed fund)...
Product Leader Jodi Alperstein's Secrets to Build Teams That Deliver
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, host Sera Tajima interviews Jodi Alperstein, a seasoned product leader who has served as SVP of Product and GM at Digital Ocean, VP o...
Design for Mindful Consumption: How UX Powers Sustainable Choices in a World of Excess
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anna Ratkai is a UX researcher and sustainability advocate. She’s the creator of Kind Commerce. Anna reveals how design influences our buying behavi...
Design Leadership at Customer Data Platform Twilio Segment: Career Growth and Managing Teams
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kwasi's Journey to Twilio SegmentFrom Capital One Designer to Leading Segment: Career Insights on Design Management, Data Platforms, and Navigatin...
Product Led Growth Strategy & Value Creation Metrics Explained
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover how Product Led Growth (PLG) is transforming SaaS business models in 2025. This comprehensive guide breaks down the fundamentals of PLG strat...
Scaling Climate Impact: Inside Watershed's Journey to Reduce 500 Mt of Global Emissions
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is Watershed's zero to one journey. From serving tech companies with climate interest to building enterprise-grade solutions for Fortune 500s...
Will AI Take Your Design Job?
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Juan Ramirez has such an incredible story. He came to the US from Colombia as a student and studied at Carnegie Mellon. Following this, he’s worked ...
Break Free: Colonization in Design, Tech, & AI Harm Everyone
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dori Tunstall is the author of Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook. She has a has a PhD from Stanford and was the Dean of the Faculty of...
How Maven's Founding Designer, Michael Riddering, is Reshaping Design Education
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ridd, aka Michael Riddering, is the Founder of Figma Academy, Host of podcast Deep Dives, and the founding designer behind Maven. Subscribe to Conscio...
What it Takes To Build a Design Business with Founder of UX Playbook Chris Nguyen
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Founder of UX Playbook, Chris Nguyen, shares what it takes to build a design business with a focus on experimentation and understanding your audience....
Everything You Need for JTBD (Jobs to be Done) for Founders & Product Designers
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The most comprehensive guide on the internet for Jobs to Be Done (JTBD). Join Conscious Tech: https://seratajima.substack.com/ ⚡...
This is the FUTURE — Humanity Centered Design: Legend Don Norman
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Don Norman has paved the way for design as we know it. He is a retired Professor, Apple VP, and co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group. His 21 books inclu...
Corporate Sustainability: A Guide to the Planetary Boundaries Framework
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sera Tajima, your host, gives a breakdown of planetary boundaries, tipping points, digital illusions, Biden's legacy, and the potential impact of ...
Break the Rules: The Unexpected Joy of Returning to IC Work
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kelly Jacobs is a Product Design Lead and Manager at Parachute Health, formerly Design Manager at Twilio. We talk about becoming a manager, women in l...
Figma Expert Reveals Design Systems Hacks at Figma, Twitter, and Webflow
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joey Banks, (he/him) is the Founder of Baseline. Heis based in Colombus, Ohio. Joey started in healthcare working on dashboards and fell in love with ...
Is Tech Ageist? Digital Accessibility for Seniors | Michal Halperin Ben Zvi
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Michal Halperin Ben Zvi is a product strategist and consultant who increases engagement for the 65+ segments in digital products. She has a PhD in Psy...
The Dark Side of AI: The Data Center Energy Crisis
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sera is your host, Founder of Conscious Tech, Principle Designer & Climate Investor. Today we do a dive into data centers, energy consumption, ...
An Asian American's Path to Tech Leadership: Identity, Design, & Recruitment
17 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hang Xu is the Founder of Collective Supply, a candidate-centric talent agency based in NYC. Before that, Hang worked as a UX Designer for a decade, a...
US Election 2024: Become the Light for Civic Engagement and Democracy💡| Sera Tajima
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An unplanned message on the US election results for those that are feeling down. ___________________________________________________________I'm Se...
Why Singapore Leads Sustainable Design Education | Karin Aue, Jeffrey Koh
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Karin Aue and Jeffrey T. K. Valino Koh were partners of design consultancy Chemistry and both transitioned into design education at universities in Si...
AI Innovations in Digital Health Equity: The Future of Medicine | Videha Sharma
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Videha Sharma is theClinical Innovation Lead for the Pankhurst Institute for Health Technology, Co-founder at Fava Health, and Ted speaker. Videha has...
Understanding Systems Thinking to Prevent Tech Disasters: From Frog to the Gates Foundation
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sheryl Cababa drives a human-centered design practice that is focused on systems thinking and evidence-based design, working on everything from roboti...
Our Only Path to Survival Revealed by Ted Speaker Gaya Herrington: From Growth to Wellbeing Economy
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gaya Herrington is an internationally known sustainability researcher and wellbeing economist, living in Washington D.C. A regular guest lecturer and...
How This Designer Generated $3M ROI at Netflix: Growth Design Strategy | Fonz Morris
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fonz Morris is lead designer for Netflix monetization growth team. Based in San Jose, he has worked with Netflix since 2020 after leading the design t...
Season 1 Most Popular ⭐️ Sera Tajima | Growth Hacking
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sera Tajima is your host, Founder of The Craft, Startup Advisor, and Climate Investor. Get Sera's podcast highlights & re...
Season 1 Most Popular ⭐️ Dan Mall | Design Systems
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Mall is Founder of Design Systems University. He's an expert in helping companies scale design systems. In this episode Dan and Sera talk design s...
Season 1 Most Popular ⭐️ Sera Tajima | What is Design
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sera Tajima is your host, startup advisor and climate tech investor. Get on the waitlist to learn Sustainable Growth Design (Sold Out )...
Season 1 Most Popular ⭐️ Tommy Geoco | Making Time for Play
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tommy Geoco is Founder and author of UX Tools. After serving in the U.S. military, he worked in Product Design for over 14 years now. He has a combin...
What Does it Mean to Create Emotionally Intelligent Design? | Sera Tajima
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sera is your host, Principle Designer, & Founder of Conscious Tech. Learn growth designChapters(00:00:00) Welcome newbies 🎉(00:01:17) Please li...
What it Takes To Build a Design Business | Christopher Nguyen, Founder UX Playbook
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher Nguyen is Founder of UX Playbook. He went from zero experience to head of design in just 4 years. His mission is to Make UX education acce...
Instagram Product Designer, Frank Back, Shares Aspirational Moments in Design, Music, & Mindfulness
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Bach, aka “Zen Daddy,” is a Staff Product Designer at Instagram. Frank not only designs the creator experience at Meta, he also runs his own...
Ridd (Michael Riddering) on Being a Founder Designer at Maven, Figma Academy, & Dive Club
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ridd, aka Michael Riddering, is the Founder of Figma Academy, Host of podcast Deep Dives, and the founding designer behind Maven. Chapters(00:00:00) R...
5 Steps to Create a Business Based on Ideals with Suzan Doodeman, Author of Hoe Dan Wel
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Suzan Doodeman is a social entrepreneur, activist, author of Hoe Dan Wel, and Co-Founder of De IdealenSchool.Chapters(00:00:00) Suzan Doodeman backgro...
Everything You Need to Know About Jobs to be Done (JTBD) with Sera Tajima
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Sera, host & Founder of Conscious Tech deep dives on JTBD for technologists. Chapters(00:00:00) Introduction and Annoucements(00:...
Design for a Better World with Don Norman, Co-Founder of Nielsen Norman
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Don Norman has paved the way for design as we know it. He is a retired Professor, Apple VP, and co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group. His 21 books inclu...
Burnout to Sustainable AI: Navigating Tech Ethics, Privacy, and Human Creativity with Thorsten Jonas
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thorsten Jonas is Founder of SUX, keynote speaker, and consultant on sustainability and responsible AI. Chapters(00:00:00) Thorsten, Digital Sustainab...
How to Design Your Life With Head of Design and Former Uber Employee, Phil Pham
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Phil Pham is a Head of Design, Author of "Work From Anywhere", and fellow Maui resident. We chat about intentionally designing your life and...
2.3 Sera Tajima | Intro to Circular Design with Case Studies
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sera Tajima, Host and Founder of The Craft gives an introduction to circular design with 4 global examples of circularity from Apple to e-waste in Bra...
2.2 Colton Schweitzer | UX Education & Bootcamp Shortcomings
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Colton Schweitzer is the Founder of Kickass UX; he helps graphic designers become UX Designers. In this conversation we chat about Colton's backgr...
Accessible Design Principles with Fable's Head of Acessibility Kate Kalcevich
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Kalcevich is the Head of Accessibility and Innovation at Fable. In this conversation we chat representation, intersectionality, and practical tip...
Reflection on Season 1
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Season 1 is complete! Join me for a review of the season, who the audience is, what we learned from each guest, and overall learnings. Chapters:(00:00...
Digital Equity for Hawaii with Carlo Liquido
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Carlo Liquido is Founder of Lady Bandit Studios, a local product studio dedicated to shaping a more equitable future in Hawaii. Pi’iku, his internsh...
1.10 Sera Tajima | Design Like a Growth Hacker
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many designers struggle to gain buy-in for their work, to communicate with stakeholders, or to measure their impact. Join Sera in this episode to unde...
1.9 Gabriela Lucía Lorenz | Ethics & Sustainability
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gabriela Lucía Lorenz is Director of UBS in Switzerland. She has an MBA in Sustainable Business, is originally from Argentina, and has worked in Swit...
Writing UX Content (Linkedin) with Thijs Kraan
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chapters(00:00:00) Thijs Introduction (00:02:15) Internship with Albert Heijn (00:06:39) Internship with medical center(00:07:25) Why Thijs didn't...
Measuring Design Value with Research Leader at ADP, Leanne Waldal
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Leanne Waldal, Principal at ADP, shares her expertise with us on how to measure the value of design, perspectives on layoffs, career ...
1.6 Sera Tajima | Rethinking Capitalism
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Sera shares an excerpt from the Conscious Tech newsletter exploring the limitations of capitalism.Chapters(00:00:00) Why capitalism? (...
Here's What People Get Wrong About Design Systems | Dan Mall
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Mall is the Founder of Design Systems University. He's an expert in helping companies scale design systems. In this episode Dan and Sera talk ...
UX Designer Redona Dida on Instagram Viral Social Growth
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Redona Dida is Founder of The Sofire, a design agency. She went from 0 to over 100,000 followers on Instagram in the span of a year. In this episode, ...
From Military Veteran to UX Tools Founder: Tommy Geoco's Journey to 1 Million Followers
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tommy Geoco is Founder and author of UX Tools. Chapters(00:00:00) Tommy Introduction (00:01:21) Making design education better with UX Tools (00:02:0...
The Power of Design: From Form to Function to Impact
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chapters(00:00:00) Introduction(00:00:25) Misunderstanding design(00:01:12) Example: The evolution of cars(00:02:02) Continuous improvement for users(...
Open Letter to the Audience
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the 1st episode of the Sera Tajima Podcast! ⚡️ This podcast can also be found on YouTube. Get Conscious Tech NewsletterChapters(00:00...