Best Jorge Arangop Podcasts (2025)

1
Framing 29:23

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4d ago29:23

29:23

Jorge and Harry discuss how to proactively shift your mental models to get unstuck. Framers by Kenneth Cukier, Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, and Francis de Véricourt Breakneck by Dan Wang Precision questioning Iceberg modelBy Jorge Arango

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The Inner Game 27:00

18d ago27:00

27:00

Jorge and Harry discuss a classic book about how to avoid getting in your own way through overthinking. Show notes: The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey Stick (Apple TV show) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Esther Dyson…

1
OODA Loops 29:29

1M ago29:29

29:29

Harry and Jorge discuss the implications of John Boyd's work beyond its original military context. Show notes: The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security by Grant Hammond John Boyd OODA loop Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram Science, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd by Francis P.B. Osinga Ho…

1
AI for Leaders 24:05

2M ago24:05

24:05

Jorge and Harry discuss a book focused on using AI to lead better — and has underpinnings that align with the show's themes. Show notes: More Human by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter The Mind of the Leader by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter The Glass Cage by Nicholas CarrBy Jorge Arango

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Authentic Efforts 25:02

2M ago25:02

25:02

Harry reads a passage from a book by Robert Pirsig that raises questions about what authentic effort looks like — and the traps inherent in its trappings. On Quality by Robert Pirsig Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig Lila by Robert Pirsig Traction Heroes Ep. 11: Gall’s Law Atomic Habits by James Clear…

1
The Power of “No” 20:42

3M ago20:42

20:42

Harry gives Jorge advice on how to focus on strategically important things. Show notes: The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan unfinishe_ – Jorge's new consultancy with Greg Petroff The Power of a Positive No by William Ury The Harry Max Boot-up Protocol (How to get going in the morning) by Christina Wodtke Essentialism by Greg McKeown Impro …

1
Levels of Learning & Change 25:58

3M ago25:58

25:58

Harry explains a framework for learning and change that originated in the field of NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) — just in time for the launch of Jorge's new consultancy. Show notes: unfinishe_ – Jorge Arango and Greg Petroff’s strategic AI consultancy Sam and Jony introduce io Tools for Dreamers by Robert B. Dilts, Todd Epstein, and Robert W.…

1
Gall's Law 26:01

3M ago26:01

26:01

On the folly of designing complex systems in one go, from the top down. Show notes: Traction Heroes ep. 6: Chesterton's Fence Traction Heroes ep. 2: Unprecedented The Design Squiggle Systemantics by John Gall A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram Wardley mapBy Jorge Arango

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Planning 25:39

4M ago25:39

25:39

It's important to plan ahead when working on large, complex projects. Alas, some people's bias for action keeps them from undertaking what they perceive as wasteful exercise. In this episode, Harry shares an exercise that can help. Show notes: Planning for Everything by Peter Morville How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner On Gra…

1
Procrastination 29:32

4M ago29:32

29:32

What keeps you from doing the things you know you need to do, when you need to do them? The answers go deeper than you think. Show notes: Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman Innovation Games by Luke Hohmann Nonviolent Communication Marshall RosenbergBy Jorge Arango

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Quagmires 26:12

5M ago26:12

26:12

A discussion about the deep underlying causes of the turbulence we're experiencing, and how to think about our agency in the situation. Show notes: Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows Harry’s TEDx San Antonio presentation Cynefin framework Mistakes Were Made (but Not By Me) by Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson Rich Diviney Jocko Willink Lei…

1
Better Questions 20:52

5M ago20:52

20:52

How do you act effectively in times of uncertainty? One way is by asking yourself better questions. In this conversation, Harry shares a framework to do just that. Show notes: - Masters of Uncertainty by Rich Diviney - 8 1/2 - Cascading Choices Framework by Roger MartinBy Jorge Arango

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Chesterton's Fence 23:52

6M ago23:52

23:52

Implementing changes – especially irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes – requires humility and understanding. In this conversation, we discuss Chesterton's fence and the art of mindful change-making. Show notes: The Thing by GK Chesterton Chesterton’s fence Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott Systemantics by John Gall Gall’s law Chri…

1
Strategic Priorities 21:52

6M ago21:52

21:52

Acting skillfully entails choosing the right thing to do at any given moment. But these actions must also serve higher-level goals. In this conversation, we explore the relationship between both levels of priorities. Show notes: On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis The New How by Nilofer Merchant Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin Fou…

1
Mental Models 28:34

7M ago28:34

28:34

Mental models are key to thinking and acting skillfully. But the phrase "mental models" itself has several meanings. In this conversation, we explore models of mental models – and land on one with practical implications for your life. The Power of Impossible Thinking by Yoram (Jerry) Wind, Colin Crook and Robert Gunther Indi Young The Informed Life…

1
Beyond Data 35:58

7M ago35:58

35:58

Relying solely on data for decisions is limiting; integrating intuition and diverse insights enhances judgment and outcomes. Show notes: Libby Alchemy The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life by Rory Sutherland The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to A…

1
Unprecedented 35:01

8M ago35:01

35:01

Harry shares an extreme personal experience in service to exploring the question: How can we act skillfully in unfamiliar circumstances? Show notes: An introduction to Ambient Music by Jon Dale Spinning Away by John Cale & Brian Eno The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone (YouTube) Zen Mind, Beginner’s…

1
Self-Deception 25:10

8M ago25:10

25:10

Exploring the balance between self-deception and reality in goal setting and navigating chaos in professional settings. Show Notes: MIT Professional Education Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition) by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace Alvin Toffler High Output Management by Andrew S. Grove John Cutler (LinkedIn) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Do…

1
Epilogue 41:54

8M ago41:54

41:54

In this final episode, I reflect on things I learned by producing the show. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/12/29/episode-156-epilogue/ Photo by Diego Jimenez on Unsplash.By Jorge Arango

1
Peter Morville on Exit Interview, part 2 32:37

9M ago32:37

32:37

Peter Morville is a pioneer of information architecture. He co-authored Information Architecture for the World-Wide Web, the classic O’Reilly “polar bear” book on the subject. In our previous conversation, I interviewed Peter about a big change in his life. In this interview, we turn the tables: he interviews me about a big change to this show. See…

1
Peter Morville on Exit Interview, part 1 51:03

9M ago51:03

51:03

Peter Morville is a pioneer of information architecture. He co-authored Information Architecture for the World-Wide Web, the classic O’Reilly “polar bear” book on the subject. This is Peter’s third appearance on the show. I asked him back because I wanted to learn about his decision to retire from IA consulting. This is the first of two conversatio…

1
Joe Natoli on The UX Team of One 37:57

10M ago37:57

37:57

Joe Natoli is a renowned UX design consultant, advisor, and educator. Now, he’s collaborated with Leah Buley on a new edition of her classic book, The User Experience Team of One. That is the subject of our conversation. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/11/17/episode-153-joe-natoli/…

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Andy Budd on The Growth Equation 41:32

10M ago41:32

41:32

Andy Budd co-founded pioneering UX design agency Clearleft. After leading and growing that company, he became an advisor, VC, and coach. He’s now written a book on how early stage startups can benefit from good design. That is the focus of our conversation. See full show notes: https://theinformed.life/2024/11/03/episode-152-andy-budd/…

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Karen McGrane on Content Management 41:09

11M ago41:09

41:09

Karen McGrane describes herself as a “UX multi-hyphenate”: information architect, content strategist, technical communicator, accessibility advocate, and more. She’s co-founder of Autogram, a content management and design system consultancy, and author of two classic books on content strategy. In this conversation, we focus on how AI might affect c…

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Scott Berkun on Why Design is Hard 36:03

11M ago36:03

36:03

Scott Berkun is the bestselling author of nine books on design, innovation, remote work, and more. His most recent book, Why Design Is Hard, is the second of a pair on why design makes a difference and how designers can best go about it. That is the focus of today’s conversation. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/10/06/episode-1…

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Tamsen Webster on Communicating Change 39:52

12M ago39:52

39:52

Tamsen Webster describes herself as “part message designer, part English-to-English translator, and part magpie.” She is also a consultant and author who helps leaders enact large-scale change. Her latest book, Say What They Can’t Unhear, explains how to drive lasting change through effective communication. That is the focus of our conversation. Se…

1
Luc Beaudoin on Hookmark 40:56

1y ago40:56

40:56

Dr. Luc Beaudoin is the co-founder and CEO of CogSci Apps, the developers of a brilliant Mac productivity tool called Hookmark. He is also an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and author of two books on using cognitive science to improve productivity. In this conversation, we discuss the origins and philosophy of Hookmark, the concept of…

1
Chris Risdon on Service Design 43:02

1y ago43:02

43:02

Chris Risdon is a Senior Staff Designer at eBay. Chris describes himself as an interaction designer that tends to look through a service design lens. Alongside his co-author Patrick Quattlebaum, Chris wrote Orchestrating Experiences, which is an excellent guide to the practice of service design. In this conversation, we unpack service design: what …

1
Jodi Forlizzi on Designing With AI 46:00

1y ago46:00

46:00

Jodi Forlizzi is the Herbert A. Simon Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Forlizzi has a distinguished career as a service designer, researcher, design leader, and academic. In this conversation, we discuss the changing role of design in the face of disruptive new technologies…

1
Greg Petroff on the State of Design 41:35

1y ago41:35

41:35

Greg Petroff is a renowned executive design leader. He’s built and led design teams for companies like GE, Google, Compass, and Cisco. In this conversation, we discuss the state of design and how designers can have more relevance in today’s changing environment. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/07/28/episode-145-greg-petroff/…

1
Colin Eagan and Jeffrey MacIntyre on Personalization 43:38

1y ago43:38

43:38

My guests today are Colin Eagan and Jeffrey MacIntyre. Although they work for different companies, Colin and Jeffrey share a common focus: how information technologies might offer more personalized experiences. They co-authored an article on the subject for A List Apart and Jeffrey gave an excellent presentation based on that material at this year’…

1
Harry Max on Prioritization 46:13

1y ago46:13

46:13

Harry Max is an executive player coach with a long trajectory in Silicon Valley. Through his consultancy, he helps senior leaders and their teams realize their visions by zeroing in on pragmatic solutions to complex challenges. And on that note, Harry’s written a new book, called Managing Priorities, that teaches leaders how to do just that. You ca…

1
Stéphanie Walter on Neurospicy 39:43

1y ago39:43

39:43

Stéphanie Walter is a UX researcher and designer based in Luxembourg. She’s prolific in sharing useful information via social media and her newsletter. Recently, she co-founded a new project, called Neurospicy, to bring more awareness to issues of neurodiversity in design. Neurospicy has evolved since we recorded this conversation, but as you’ll he…

1
Rachel Price on Responsible AI 41:56

1+ y ago41:56

41:56

Rachel Price is a Principal Information Architect at Microsoft and teaches Information Architecture at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. She was a guest on The Informed Life in 2019, discussing the role of structure in improvisation. Today’s conversation focuses on a subject that’s on a lot of information architects’ minds: how to responsib…

1
Emily Campbell on The Shape of AI 38:05

1+ y ago38:05

38:05

Emily Campbell is a design leader and advisor. She brings thoughtfulness and depth to producing business results through design and helping designers develop their careers as they fulfill that mission. Like me, Emily is deeply interested in AI. She’s developing an emergent pattern language for working with AI, and that is the subject of our convers…

1
Chris Aldrich on Cybernetic Communications 48:22

1+ y ago48:22

48:22

Chris Aldrich has the most multi-disciplinary resume I’ve ever seen, with a background that includes biomedics, electrical engineering, entertainment, genetics, theoretical mathematics, and more. Chris describes himself as a modern-day cybernetician, and in this conversation we discuss cybernetics and communications, differences between oral and li…

1
Dave Gray on Possibilities 42:35

1+ y ago42:35

42:35

Dave Gray describes himself as a possibilitarian. He focuses on helping people and teams realize their creative potential. Dave the author of several influential books, including Liminal Thinking and Gamestorming, which he co-authored with Sunni Brown and James Macanudo. He also founded the pioneering visual thinking company XPLANE. In this convers…

1
Nikki Anderson on Research Impact 31:51

1+ y ago31:51

31:51

Nikki Anderson is an independent user research consultant, instructor, author, and speaker. Nikki uses her background in education and psychology to mentor people and organizations on the value of user research. And now, she’s written a book to help them build up their research operations. That’s the focus of our conversation today. See full show n…

1
Michael Anton Dila on Oslo for AI 48:55

1+ y ago48:55

48:55

Michael Anton Dila describes himself as a “designer of conversation” and someone with a passion for starting things. Among the things he’s started are ventures in online learning, co-working, and mobile technology. He’s also held several leadership roles in an elite innovation unit in the U.S. Department of Defense. In this conversation, we discuss…

1
Dave Elfving on Gray Area 37:11

1+ y ago37:11

37:11

Dave Elfving is an experience designer and educator. He spent eleven years at apple, where his last role was as Head of Interactive Strategy. These days, he’s my colleague teaching interaction design at the California College of the Arts. He’s also co-chairperson at Gray Area, a San Francisco-based nonprofit interdisciplinary cultural incubator. Gr…

1
Joey deVilla on Layoffs 35:53

1+ y ago35:53

35:53

Joey deVilla describes himself as an experienced, engaging, accordion-playing, golden-voiced developer advocate looking for a new role. He’s had a long career in the technology space and writes about his experiences in two long-running blogs, The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the Twenty-First Century and Global Nerdy. Recently, Joey became one of …

1
Elizabeth McGuane on Design by Definition 34:14

1+ y ago34:14

34:14

Elizabeth McGuane is a UX director at Shopify and the author of Design by Definition, a book about the impact of language in user experience. As you might imagine, that’s a subject I’m keenly interested in, so I was excited to speak with Elizabeth about it. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/02/11/episode-133-elizabeth-mcguane/…

1
Pierluigi Dalla Rosa on Interactive Environments 43:11

1+ y ago43:11

43:11

Pierluigi Dalla Rosa is an interaction designer at Humane, the makers of the AI Pin. But that isn’t the focus of our conversation today. Instead, we discuss novel computer interfaces in general, and interactive environments in particular. This is a subject that’s near to my heart, as it points to exciting possibilities for future digital experience…

1
Nathan Shedroff on Strategy 43:19

1+ y ago43:19

43:19

Nathan Shedroff is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and educator. Like me, he teaches at the graduate interaction design program of the California College of the Arts. This conversation focuses on his new book, A Whole New Strategy, which teaches strategic thinking. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/01/14/episode-131-nathan-she…

1
2023 Year in Review 1:10:04

1+ y ago1:10:04

1:10:04

This episode is a compilation of conversations from 2023. It’s not meant as a best-of collection, but an opportunity to highlight some themes that emerged during our conversations throughout the year. The episode is also an experiment, with the themes being curated partly by an AI. Cover photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash. Show notes Episode 107:…

1
Steve Portigal on Writing, part 2 37:07

1+ y ago37:07

37:07

Steve Portigal is an independent user research consultant. He is the author of Interviewing Users and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries. Steve and I both have new books, so we thought it’d be fun to compare notes on writing non-fiction. In this, the second of two episodes on the subject, we focus on the process of writing. If you haven’t done s…

1
Steve Portigal on Writing, part 1 39:03

2y ago39:03

39:03

Steve Portigal is an independent user research consultant. He is the author of Interviewing Users and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries. Steve was previously on the show last year, talking about research skills. This conversation is a bit different: both of us have written new books, and we thought it’d be fun to compare notes about the process…

1
Audrey Crane on Shadow Design 36:29

2y ago36:29

36:29

Audrey Crane is the Head of Growth at DesignMap, a product and strategy design firm. She’s also the author of What CEOs Need to Know About Design, a book that helps leaders understand and tap into the power of design in their organizations. In this, Audrey’s second appearance on the show, we focused on how organizations can ensure they’re getting t…

1
Nate Davis on IA Sub-disciplines 35:41

2y ago35:41

35:41

Nate Davis is an independent information architecture consultant and a longtime contributor to the global IA community. In this conversation, we discuss his ideas about IA sub-disciplines that influence the construction of digital user interfaces. Show notes Nathaniel Davis - LinkedIn Methodbrain Four Information Architecture Disciplines Every Team…

1
Karl Voit on Org Mode 41:36

2y ago41:36

41:36

Karl Voit describes himself as “a life hacker trying to make deliberate decisions on every aspect of life.” Among these are the tools he uses to manage his personal information. In particular, Karl is an avid user of Org Mode in Emacs, which is the focus of this conversation. Show notes public voit - Homepage of Karl Voit Karl Voit on Mastodon (@pu…