In this episode, Jeff and Mike interview Maximillian Piras, a Product Designer with Headliner Video. Headliner is a video creation tool designed for audio creators, making audio easily shareable across the web by automatically transforming audio clips, like this, into engaging videos. At Headliner, Max leads cross-platform UI & UX. We talk about the importance of side projects, truly listening to your customers, and some of the latest podcasting/social trends


[1:20] Max talks about escaping the day job & starting a side project, Lost Cat, that ended up being sold in the New Museum in NYC. We also covered the hard decision to wrap up a project and keep maximizing career learnings (and fun!)
[6:30] Mental model for this group indexes high on side projects. “Productive Chilling” - it’s addictive to get things going & explore the things you’re not able to do during the work week. But, it begs the question - when are there too many irons in the fire?
[9:00] Wanting to be a director as a kid that planted the seed for Max to work on Movie Posters. We talk about Max’s love of films, drawing inspiration from Saul Bass, and the formulaic nature of movie posters.
[12:30] Mike & Jeff are stoked to finally chat with someone from Headliner Video - it’s a tool that we use on the Product Explained show every Monday when we launch our videos. We hear more details from the inside and today’s current gap in the internet for optimizing for audio.
[15:30] Being scrappy, building from the ground up, and how Headliner differentiates Product & Design.
[18:00] How Headliner got started - and the classic pivot which lead to exploring social video. Eventually leaning in to customers that love your tool (podcasters in this case!)
[24:00] Max’s mental model for picking out trends & doing the right research for the right customers. For example, podcasters using short-form video content that is the hook for audio-only content. Mike & Jeff found Headliner to help automate their social content
[28:00] Rapid fire questions & rounding out the interview! We talk about Apple Podcasts, Figma, and the book recommendation of “Thinking in Bets” (Optimize for process, not outcomes).
[34:00] You can find more about Headliner at: headliner.app and find Max on social media: @maximillian.nyc

In this episode, Jeff and Mike interview Elijah Woolery, Senior Director of Design Education at InVision. InVision is “the online whiteboard and productivity platform powering the future of work.” We talk about Eli’s work on the Design Better Podcast, his mission to elevate design, and how you should always Assume Good Intent.


[1:30] We discuss what led to Eli’s post-college adventures as a scientific research diver in Bermuda and surveying everything from corals to fish.
[5:00] Iterating designs quickly in the machine shop and knowing what you’re strengths are.
[8:00] We talk about Eli’s work as a lecturer at Stanford teaching 216B and 216C (Product Design) and the transition from focusing on hardware to software. (it’s still eating the world…)
[10:30] The beauty of being fresh out college & designing with optimism. We hear about some of the recent projects from his class, like Tangible. https://www.tangible.team/ based on the idea of how can we connect people over distance?
[12:30] Sequel - https://www.trysequel.com; started by two female athletes that realized there was a need for more protective and more absorbent tampon for athletes.
[13:00] Some key design principles that everyone should know are summarized in a book that Eli wrote: https://www.designbetter.co/design-thinking. Some other key traits include curiosity, writing, and empathy.
[18:00] What InVision is, Eli’s journey and work at InVision to elevate design. We also hear about the last 5 to 6 years of screen design tools and how this shaped out.
[23:00] How it’s more and more important for design-adjacent roles (i.e. Product Managers) to understand and be exposed to Design.
[27:00] Eli’s work on The Design Better Podcast https://www.designbetter.co/podcast
[33:00] We discuss the fallout from recent tech layoffs and how we need to make sure we continue to be empathetic and kind to our coworkers.
[37:00] Rapid Fire Questions: Worst Product (Dog barking!) Best Product (Leica Camera!). Eli’s Billboard: Assume Good Intent.
[39:00] You can check out the Design Better podcast at design better dot co and find Eli on social media: @ewoolery

In this episode, Jeff and Mike interview Nate Reynolds,  Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of NRG health. We talk about Nate’s power use of Therabody products, striving for better health care, and looking for ways to scale quality care.


[1:30] Nate’s a ProdEx super fan - we talk about the serendipity of his favorite episode (MyQ) coinciding with him moving into his new house.
[3:30] We talk about incorporating products we’ve reviewed on the show to help him run his business more productively and transforming care for his patients.
[5:00] How Nate went from playing college baseball to starting his own business, NRG Health.
[7:00] Nate took the literal last test for his PT specialization before the world shut down on March 13th, 2020. Jeff & Mike also share their pain of taking the GMAT
[9:00] Inspiration of starting a business - being furloughed for 2 months right after graduating. “What can I do to work for myself?” and create better healthcare for patients. All while helping PT scale better.
[13:00] We talk about Nate’s expertise as a PT and also on his use of Therabody products.
[14:00] We walk through the science behind percussive massage guns like the Theragun, along with other products like Therabody’s leg sleeves to help reduce recovery time for fatigued legs.
[20:00] Therabody’s history of innovation and continuous  improvement to new products like their Theraface. It’s not only great for end customers, but also for Physical Therapists to help them extend the life of their own careers by reducing strain in caring for patients.
[27:00] Nate takes over the Therabody review (including guessing Mike and Jeff scores!)
[30:00] Rapid Fire Questions: Worst Product (Ultrasound for PT) Best Product (Chiro Lux Table). Nate’s Billboard: Don’t be an Asshole.
[39:00] You can check out Nate’s company on social media: @nrg.health.