Inside the Design Studio with David Peck
This podcast is where creativity meets real lifeācandid conversations on reinvention, identity, and designing a life that fits (with a bit of humor, because why suffer twice?).
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Guests, not gurus.
(Smart people, great stories.)
I sit down with designers, founders, artists, authors, and culture-makersāand sometimes go soloāto pull practical insights from real careers, real pivots, and real behind-the-scenes moments.
Expect thoughtful takes on creativity and designing a life you love, with enough humor to keep it from feeling like homework. No perfection requiredājust smart conversations you can actually use.
46. She Nearly Died in a Houston ER. Now, Rayna Reid Rayford Is Building the App Every Black Mother Needs
Rayna Reid Rayford was sent home from a Houston ER twice while suffering from acute necrotizing appendicitis ā and it took five physician family members to save her life. Now she's building the app she wished had existed.
45. Find Your Word: The Practice That's Kept Me Grounded Through Every Reinvention
For nearly a decade, I've used one word to guide my year. Not as a resolutionāas a practice. In this episode, I break down the ART method and introduce a new tool to help you find your word.
44. Voice Notes: Rewriting the Script - Taylor Swift, Winter Olympics, and Bad Bunny
Taylor Swift broke her own pattern, Olympic athletes navigated representing a divided country, and Bad Bunny forced America to confront a 70-year-old conversation about Puerto Rico. This week is about rewriting the scriptāwhether it's your own narrative, a national identity, or a story we've been telling wrong for decades. When you're confident in your vision, you can change the plan mid-stream and create with what you're given, not what you wish you had.
43. Voice Notes: Things That Matter - Catherine O'Hara, Mattering, and the Roseberrys
This week I'm thinking about Catherine O'Hara, a conversation on Oprah's podcast, and the Roseberry siblings. The unexpected through-line? Performance versus being performativeāand why some art sticks with us while everything else disappears.
42. Voice Notes: A Hard Week
This week felt especially heavy. In this episode, I share three moments from pop culture that helped me stay present and groundedānot to escape whatās happening, but to think about it more clearly. I reflect on Michelle Obamaās recent interview, what it means to use a platform with intention, and why even familiar comfort shows donāt always land the same way depending on the moment weāre experiencing.
41. Word of the Year 2026: How I Design My Year on Purpose
Resolutions have never really worked for me. Instead, I use one Word of the Year as a design principle for my life and work. In this episode, I walk you through my ART methodāAssemble, Refine, Tryāand share why I chose Amplify for 2026.
Episode 40. From the Menils to Karl Lagerfeld: William Middleton on Fashion, Power, and Paris
Journalist and biographer William Middleton joins me to trace the thread from Houston's legendary Menil family to Karl Lagerfeld's world at Chanel and H&M. We talk fashion, art, power, and what it really takes to write definitive biographies while designing a life between cities.
Episode 39. Popular to Popped Bubbles: Glinda, Elphaba & the Trouble With Being āGoodā
Wicked: For Good reframes Oz as a story about truth, complicity, and what happens when performing āgoodā replaces living honestly.
Episode 38. From Kerrville to Couture: Jill Reno on Holding Beauty and Grief Together
Jewelry designer Jill Reno went from plastic Michaelās beads on a Milwaukee layover to Paris Haute Couture Week, all while navigating devastating loss and rebuilding at home in Kerrville.
37. Brisbane to Birkin: Ghosts, Glam, Grit
One of my best friends, Australian stylist and salon owner David Bamford, joins me for a wild, hilarious, and unexpectedly moving conversation. From blue mohawks and Farrah Fawcett helping his green card, to opening a River Oaks salon five weeks before lockdown, to bringing a Birkin to mediationāthis is grit with glam.
36. Who Are YouāReally?
From being āfour nationalities in a weekā to faith and immigration, this solo episode asks why we whiteāknuckle labels, how othering spreads, and what changes when we loosen our grip.
35. Well, That Escalated: Pop Culture, Business Strategy & Digital Chaos
Pop culture meets business strategy as David and Laura dissect the Blake Lively-Justin Valdoni case, Taylor Swift's chess moves, manufacturing ethics, and why Instagram's algorithm changed everything.
34. BookTok, Box Office, and Casting Controversies
Dive into the BookTok phenomenon and controversial casting decisions with expert Laura Max Rose, discussing Colleen Hoover adaptations, box office trends, and which books shouldāand shouldn'tābecome films
33. Tariffs, Textiles, and Truth: What It Really Means to Make in America
Resolutions have never really worked for me. Instead, I use one Word of the Year as a design principle for my life and work. In this episode, I walk you through my ART methodāAssemble, Refine, Tryāand share why I chose Amplify for 2026.
Episode 32. Kelli O'Hara: Broadway Star to TV's Gilded AgeāCareer, Family, & Creative Risk-Taking
Tony Award-winning actress Kelli O'Hara shares her journey from small-town Ohio to Broadway stardom, and why she'll always choose craft over celebrity.
Episode 31. Hustling Into Fashion PR: Travis Paul Martin on Reinvention, Grit, and Making It Work
David talks with longtime friend Travis Paul Martin about building a career in fashion PR, the importance of proximity and timing, and designing a life you truly love.
Episode 30. Burnout, Broadway, & Big Ideas: How Katharine Quinn Manages It All
Katharine Quinn shares her journey from conducting orchestras to designing for Broadway, exploring the intersection of music, theater, and creative mentorship.
Episode 29. Galentine's Day, Rom-Coms, & Pop Culture's Best (and Worst) Love Stories
Celebrate Galentine's Day with David, Leisa, and Shavonnah as they discuss pop culture's greatest love stories, the nuances of romantic vs. platonic love, and introduce Culture Club HTX's new Intimacy Wellness Consultancy.
Episode 28. The AI Dilemma: Creativity Killer or Ultimate Muse?
With generative AI reshaping education and creative work, is it a threat to human creativity or a powerful tool? Scott Chalupa shares insights from his AI training work.
Episode 27. What's My Word of the Year? A Reflection on the Past and Intentions for 2025
Join David as he explores his annual tradition of choosing a word of the year. Discover his journey through abundance, expansion, possibility, consistency, and effortless ā and learn his powerful 2025 intention: determined.
Design a Life You Love
New episodes released every week to help you approach life with creativity.
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