Shows
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason IX | EP 5: Julia Michels, Gymnast. Music Supervisor. Grammy Winner. Beautiful Thinker.What if getting injured twice was the best thing that ever happened to your career? Julia Michels is a Grammy-winning music supervisor whose work on A Star Is Born, Pitch Perfect, and The Devil Wears Prada has generated over $2 billion in ticket sales—but she went to IU for sports science and drove to LA in a Toyota Tercel to dance in music videos.From teaching aerobics to running into elevators for mentorship moments to bringing Bradley Cooper's midnight song to set, Julia reveals why saying yes before knowing how built her entire career, why there's enough wo...
2026-01-2132 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason IX | EP 4: Marshall Goldsmith. Student of Drucker. World's #1 Executive Coach. Beautiful Thinker.What if the biggest risk isn't failure—it's staying down when life knocks you flat? Marshall Goldsmith didn't become the world's #1 executive coach by accident. He sat in the back of Paul Hersey's classroom for months serving coffee for free, studied under Peter Drucker, and learned that credibility must be earned twice: first by doing good work, and second by making sure people know about it.From IU Kelley School of Business to coaching CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, Marshall reveals why happiness and achievement are independent variables, why your good work will never speak for itself, and wh...
2025-12-1934 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason IX | EP 3 : Chris Noel, Mayor of Denali. From Hoosier to the Last Frontier. Beautiful Thinker.What if the craving for community is what roots you in the most unlikely places? Chris Noel left Indiana for Alaska's remote Denali Borough—fewer than 2,000 residents stewarding the land around North America's highest peak, where half a million visitors attempt the mountain each year. From environmental management to fighting fires to becoming the fifth mayor of a place where neighbors aren't optional, they're essential, Chris shows how building real community means showing up when the call comes. Sometimes preparedness isn't about predicting what's coming, it's about being ready for your finest hour. And sometimes the universe conspires in yo...
2025-12-1430 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason IX | EP 2: Mike Weasner, Stargazer. Fighter Pilot. Beautiful Thinker.What if failure isn't the opposite of success but the fuel for it? Mike Weasner's initials were written in the stars before he could spell them—and his path to those stars included medical disqualifications, career pivots, and his unheeded warnings about Challenger. From keeping private astronomy logs for 35 years to building one of the world's largest amateur astronomy websites, Mike reveals how craving the cosmos taught him to get back up when life knocked him down—and why sharing that craving matters more than keeping it to yourself. Sometimes the universe you trust is literally the universe itself.
2025-11-2530 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason IX | EP 1: Dr Bryant Paul, Rebel. Optimist. Beautiful Thinker.What if our ability to worry about social media and porn means we're doing better than we think? Dr Bryant Paul, whose research has been cited by the Supreme Court, studies the fundamental human craving that connects every ancestor on our family tree - and reveals how our caveman brains simply aren't built to process today's mediated world. Yet even as algorithms exploit ancient desires, the fact that we can debate these dangers suggests our most primal needs are being met.
2025-10-2829 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VIII | Episode 6: Jonathan Racek, Designer. Playmaker. Beautiful Thinker.On the sixth episode of Season VIII Polarity - IU Edition, welcomes Jonathan Racek, Professor and Program Director of Comprehensive Design at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design. In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Racek discusses the importance of play within all stages of life, and how his experiences with playmaking and design thinking around the world have shaped his perspective. Throughout this conversation, he explores the beauty of embracing ambiguity, taking risks, and fully exploring a problem before jumping to conclusions.
2024-12-1730 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VIII | Episode 5: Jean Camp, Academic. Engineer. Beautiful Thinker.On the fifth episode of Season VIII "Polarity" - IU Edition, welcomes Jean Camp, Professor and Director of Center for Security and Privacy at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. In this episode, Dr. Camp discusses the dynamic interplay between technology and human behavior, highlighting the importance of designing systems that prioritize trust and usability. Through this conversation, she explores the balance between privacy and security, the role of community involvement in cybersecurity, and the rapid evolution of AI.
2024-12-1127 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VIII | Episode 4: Shahzeen Attari, Environmentalist. Storyteller. Beautiful Thinker.Our fourth episode of Season VIII “Polarity”: IU Edition, welcomes Shahzeen Attari, professor at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. In this episode, Dr. Attari shares her insights into how human behavior influences environmental policy and how storytelling can be a powerful tool in shifting public perception. Through this conversation, they explore how seemingly opposing forces—individual actions and global solutions—can work together to create meaningful change.
2024-11-2529 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VIII | Episode 3: Lee Feinstein, Diplomat. Scholar. Beautiful Thinker.Our third episode of Season VIII “Polarity”: IU Edition, welcomes Lee Feinstein, founding dean at the Hamilton Lugar School of International and Global Studies, President of McLarty Associates, and researcher for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. In this episode, Feinstein shares insights on the importance of establishing a global and international studies school at IU Bloomington, reflecting on his experiences working in Poland, and contributing to Holocaust research and remembrance efforts for the Holocaust museum. He also provides informative insights on the upcoming 2024 election and its involvement concerning international relations, and emphasizes the importance of educ...
2024-11-1430 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VIII | Episode 2: Dana Marsh, Professor and Director of Music, IU Jacobs School of MusicOur second episode of Season VIII “Polarity”: IU Edition, welcomes Dana Marsh, director at Historical Performance Institute and professor at the IU Jacobs School of Music. In his work, he prioritizes balancing tradition with fresh perspectives, and how we can preserve old music to honor the history while embracing present times. In this episode, Marsh discusses his extensive work in historical music performance and how working with old instruments brings the thrill of connecting audiences to music from another time.
2024-11-0728 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VIII | EP 1: Jamie Theophilos, Educator / Advocate / Beautiful ThinkerOur first episode of Season VIII "Polarity": IU Edition, welcomes Jamie Theophilos, doctoral student and associate instructor at the Media School at Indiana University Bloomington. Theophilos discusses their work on digital justice, conflict resolution, and the impact of educational relationships. In this debut episode, they'll explore how polarity shapes our online interactions and educational spaces through the lens of thoughtful engagement and collaborative connection.
2024-10-2431 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VII | EP 4: Johannes Torpe, Designer/CEO Johannes Torpe StudiosIn this episode, Carolyn Hadlock, Founder and Host sat down with Johannes Torpe to discuss his circuitous creative path starting with being born in a commune, and his evolution as a multidisciplinary creative and CEO of his eponymous studio.
2024-05-021h 01
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VII | EP 3: Nevada Berg, Author / Founder of North Wild KitchenIn this episode, Carolyn Hadlock, founder of TBTP talks with Nevada about how the landscape of Norway informed her culinary evolution. She speaks to the importance of seasons, cooking in the outdoors and respecting the food traditions of Norway while finding modern takes on them.
2024-04-1044 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VII | EP 2: Paul Bennett, Design Leader / Former CCO, IDEOIn this episode, Carolyn Hadlock, Founder and Host sat down with Paul Bennett to discuss his long and fruitful career with IDEO, his creative partnership with Tim Brown, how to land in a room deeply and what's next on his Not To-Do List.(P.S. Stay past the end for bonus content about his tattoo.)
2024-03-1457 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSeason VII | EP 1: Marcus Engman, CCO / IKEAIn this episode, Carolyn Hadlock, founder of TBTP talks with Marcus Engman about the future of retail, IKEA's inaugural Artist in Residency Program with Annie Leibovitz, designing change and growing up IKEA as the second Engman to be Head of Design at IKEA.
2024-02-2948 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectDr. Hirt (Pt. 2)On the season VI finale of “Saturated,” Carolyn Hadlock and IU students Mina Denny and Caterina DeSantis bring back Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at IU, Dr. Edward Hirt. If you recall, we kicked off “Saturated” with Dr. Hirt. Instead of focusing on the ways in which saturation depletes us as we did in the first episode, here we tap into how we can recharge and ameliorate our mental batteries amongst saturation. Whether an idea of someone else sparks a new creation of our own, or just the mere image of another empowering us to tap into the...
2023-12-2039 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectJason Q. NgThe sixth episode of Season VI "Saturated" : IU Edition welcomes Jason Q. Ng, Author of Blocked On Weibo where he writes about Chinese internet censorship and currently works as a Data Scientist at Duolingo.In this episode Jason discusses how he has used data throughout his career to democratize information in order to help people learn about everything from incarceration rates in his work as a researcher with Citizen Lab, to helping artists on connect with listeners on Spotify, to helping people worldwide learn a new language through his work at Duolingo. He talks about the use o...
2023-12-1431 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectDenise RobersonThe fifth episode of Season VI “Saturated”: IU Edition welcomes Denise Roberson, Chief Purpose Officer at TBWA, Professor and Speaker. Denise is the first Chief Purpose Officer TBWA has had. Denise shares her passion for purpose and her work to embed it inside organizations. While the work of purpose dates back to the late 1880’s, it would be over a century before brands would embrace it as a profit driver. She shares stories of brands who have walked the walk and brands who’ve badly bungled it. Her view is that brands are either part of the problem or part o...
2023-12-0436 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectAakash RanisonThe fourth episode of Season VI “Saturated”: IU Edition welcomes Aakash Ranison, Author, Nomad and Climate Optimist. Aakash shares his personal journey of how traveling (via bicycle) through India opened his eyes to the need for climate change. His optimistic approach calls us to shift our behaviors—starting with daily choices.Discover how he adeptly navigates the challenges of embracing a minimal lifestyle white simultaneously scaling his positive impact on the global environment.
2023-11-2235 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectDon McPhersonDon McPherson invented eyewear for color blindness when he was working to develop eyewear for surgeons to use as protection during laser surgery. He would discover this when he lent his glasses to a friend who was color blind during a round of Ultimate Frisbee in Santa Cruz. In 2005 EnChroma was born. In this episode Don talks about the overlap of art + science, the importance of getting a multidisciplinary degree and overcoming pushback he got from the vision science community.
2023-11-1626 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectConnor HitchcockConnor Hitchcock founded Homefield Apparel with his wife Christa in 2018. Today they sell college themed apparel to over 150 universities nationwide. Homefield prides itself on crafting a brand based on thoughtful design, culture and values. In this episode Connor shares the benefits of starting the business in Indiana, focusing on the fans and why staying scrappy is so important.
2023-11-0830 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectDr. Edward HirtOur first episode of Season VI "Saturated": IU Edition welcomes Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at IU Bloomington. Dr. Hirt discusses his work at the HirtLab where he and students study social identity, mental depletion, replenishment and motivation. In this debut episode, he’ll walk us through how saturation impacts our daily lives through the lens of these topics.
2023-10-3126 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectLiz PaquetteLiz Paquette is the Senior Director of Brand for Drizly, a leading beverage alcohol e-commerce shop. Drizly was the first brand to carve out a space in direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, and it continues to revolutionize the act of buying someone a drink via mobile phone with an innovative brand strategy. She talked about the opportunity Drizly found during the pandemic, the rise of ready-to-drink cocktails, and building a brand and a category at the same time.
2022-12-1528 minThe Beautiful Thinkers ProjectRyan LottRyan Lott is a musician, composer, and founding member of music collective Son Lux. Ryan and his Son Lux collaborators developed the score for the 2022 film “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” much of which was written in a home Ryan rented out in Indianapolis. He talked about reconciling his classical training with a musical rebellious streak, the relationship between music and movement, and why he chose his bandmates to intentionally not just be a bunch of white men.
2022-12-0637 minThe Beautiful Thinkers ProjectCandy TongCandy Tong is a dancer, model, and entrepreneur based in New York City. Having trained and worked in the world of ballet, Candy has a unique perspective on femininity and body politics, and she uses her platform to push the changing look of ballet further forward. She talked about the importance of her education as a dancer, the pressure of social media on dancers and non-dancers alike, and why she’s proud to be a nontraditional ballerina.
2022-11-1531 minThe Beautiful Thinkers ProjectRay RobertsRay Roberts is a former NFL player who currently serves as the Director of Unified Champion Schools for Special Olympics North America. A naturally talented leader and speaker, Ray brings the same heart, work ethic, and communication skills to his career in the nonprofit world that he did to the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks. He talked about the realizations that brought him to retiring from football, living his life with the mindset of a lineman, and his ongoing quest to become a better and better dad.
2022-10-2532 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectAmy Conway-HatcherAmy Conway-Hatcher is an attorney, author, advocate, and founding member of Chief (a network built to support and empower women in positions of executive leadership) in Washington DC. Her book “Infinitely More: Choosing Freedom, A Career Mom’s Turning Point” recounts her journey from equity partner at a prestigious law firm to dedicating more of her life and career to making the worlds of business, law, and more into places where women have better opportunities to accomplish their goals and thrive. She talked about assembling a “kitchen cabinet” of female mentors and supporters, creating allyship between working moms, and how talkin...
2022-08-1831 min
The Firebelly Social ShowThe Importance Of Beautiful ThinkingCarolyn Hadlock is the Principal and Executive Creative Director at Young & Laramore, an independent creative agency located in Indianapolis. She founded The Beautiful Thinkers Project, a podcast where she sits down with founders, leaders, creators, leaders, and visionaries across industries and disciplines to learn more about how they imagine and produce ideas and explore what makes beautiful thinking. In this episode… Do you have what it takes to be considered a beautiful thinker? How can you grow to become one? If you want to be successful, it helps to become a beautiful thinker. But...
2022-01-0731 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectBryce & Jill MorrisonBryce and Jill Morrison are the co-founders of Mom Water. All-natural, non-carbonated, and available in flavors like the Julie (passionfruit) and the Karen (lemon-blueberry), Jill and Bryce created Mom Water for their group of parent friends before marketing it to the masses in four US states and counting. The beverage gained popularity through social media sites like TikTok, but also organically through the network of moms they discovered while creating the brand. “I've discovered how moms, when they like something or dislike something, they love to share it with all their friends. It’s this tight-knit community. They want to s...
2021-12-0736 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectMartha HooverMartha Hoover is the founder of Patachou, Inc. One of the first restaurateurs to emphasize fresh farm-to-table ingredients back in 1989, Martha has transformed Patachou into an enterprise of multiple European-inspired restaurant concepts that have elevated the restaurant scene in Indianapolis and the Midwest as a whole. She talked about how restaurants can shape a city, making the food she wanted to see be made, and why she thinks motherhood is an oppressive word.
2021-11-2238 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectKourtney MorganKourtney Morgan is a Senior Designer at Patagonia— and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People In Business in 2020. Kourtney, a nature lover herself, has taken up the company’s mantle to find unique solutions for minimizing waste in Patagonia’s clothing design, from championing the brand’s Worn Wear program for selling gently used out-of-season clothes to designing the ReCrafted collection from used and damaged clothing. According to Kourtney, the brand isn’t looking to just own these sustainable practices, but to pave the way for others: “There's a huge movement, not just within Patagonia, but across a lot of brand...
2021-11-1030 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSusan Holmes McKaganSusan Holmes McKagan, author, model, and influencer. Susan has defied the expectations of being a model and rock star wife (to Guns N Roses’ Duff McKagan) by taking on a host of other careers, from swimwear designer and businesswoman to journalist and novelist. She talked about stressing the importance of her entertainer kids’ education, co-hosting a Sirius XM show with her husband, and the rejection-filled process of publishing a rock n roll novel.
2021-11-0330 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectKevin LynchKevin Lynch. Creative Director at Oatly. World traveler. Story maker. Beautiful thinker. With a background at ad agencies in Chicago, Kevin first traveled the world to work in Shanghai, and later came to help the nondairy milk brand headquartered in Malmo, Sweden make creative messaging to further develop its quirky, highly individual tone. Kevin talked about educating consumers through laughter, being a brand with bravery, and staying in a year’s worth of Shanghai Airbnbs.
2021-10-2728 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectChris DavisChris Davis, Chief Marketing Officer of New Balance, on forming authentic partnerships, calculated risk-taking, and making dad shoes cool.
2021-06-0434 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectJulie Browning BovaJulie Browning Bova, designer/founder of Julie Bova Design, on story-centered interior design, putting intentional fear into your life and Midwest craftsmanship
2021-05-2529 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectDavid NapolitanoDavid Napolitano, founder of Breadico, on baking out of a garage, the perks of growing a business in a smaller market, and why we all got so into bread in 2020.
2021-05-1831 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectAlessandro ManfrediAlessandro Manfredi, EVP, Dove at Unilever on why brand purpose is good business, the need for systemic change in the world of beauty, and partnering with Lizzo.
2021-05-1132 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectJustin ParnellJustin Parnell, Senior Director of OREO at Mondelez International, on staying playful, building a doomsday vault in Norway, and being an “and” brand.
2021-04-2737 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectAlex MatisseBeautiful Thinker: Alex Matisse, founder of East Fork Pottery, on bringing old-school manufacturing back, making community part of brand DNA, and finding success beyond his family’s legacy.
2021-04-2027 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectAlan LightmanAlan Lightman, author, physicist, and educator, on living a creative life, challenging science’s view of the unexplainable, and bringing the humanities to MIT.
2021-04-1323 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectJohn MerrisJohn Merris, President and CEO of Solo Stove, on cultivating a solid company culture, radical customer service transparency, and creating your own fire.
2021-04-0628 min
Inspiring Futures - Lessons from the Worlds of Marketing and AdvertisingCarolyn Hadlock- The Creative Who Loves StrategySend a textAlexander Rae and I had the opportunity to interview Carolyn who is the executive creative director at Young & Laramore in Indianapolis.We talked about Indianapolis, the new rules and definitions of creativity, why she loves strategy, and more.Sadly, she never told us she was also a podcaster. I guess we aren't getting invited onto any of her shows.
2021-02-251h 04
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectGiovanni CorazzaGiovanni Corazza, founder of the Marconi Institute for Creativity, on the dangers of expertise, balancing creative ideas with business principles, and how even non-living things can be creative.
2021-01-0630 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectEmily Granger & Luke TierneyBeautiful Thinkers: Emily Granger, harpist, and Luke Tierney, founder of Tier 1 Arts, on discovering the harp, the modern playlist movement, and what happens when classical music meets social media.
2020-12-1633 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectWes RozenWes Rozen, founder of Camber Studio, on the dynamic meaning of "camber," finding creativity in the spaces between, and building the perfect place to work from home.
2020-12-1025 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectMarshall "Mr. P" Pollard & Hugh WeberBeautiful Thinkers: Hugh Weber, Managing Editor and CCO of The Great Discontent, and Marshall “Mr. P” Pollard, Founder of the Creative School, on creating equity through networks, intergenerational education, and an unlikely friendship that began on a bus in Switzerland.
2020-12-0128 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectLindsay AdlerBeautiful Thinker: Lindsay Adler, fashion photographer, on starting a business at 15, redefining femininity and the symbolism of the color red.
2020-11-2428 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectMark GrahamBeautiful Thinker: Mark Graham, Culinary Director at the Kellogg Company, on the role of ritual in food, global palates, and owning breakfast.
2020-11-1133 min
Sweathead, A Strategy PodcastThe Paths Taken By Beautiful Thinkers - Carolyn Hadlock, ECDDo creative lives happen in straight lines?
Carolyn Hadlock is Executive Creative Director at Indianapolis's Young & Laramore. She does creative work but, as part of doing that creative work, Carolyn also does ethnography. She likes to go deep into people's lives to try to understand what's going on inside their minds. It's an unusual combination–a creative director who does ethnography–and it's led her to set up her own publication Eunoia where she's recently started documenting other people whose minds are also unusual combinations.
In this interview, we discuss:
- The creative and agency scene in Indianapolis
- Young & Lara...
2020-11-1051 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectJoshua RamusBeautiful Thinker: Joshua Ramus, Designer and Founding Principal at REX, on evaluating conventions in architecture, the utility of aesthetic, and COVID's impact on gathering spaces.
2020-11-0432 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectAdam LisagorBeautiful Thinker: Adam Lisagor, founder of Sandwich, on representing digital concepts in physical space, embracing your niche, and making mistakes only you can make.
2020-10-2733 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectBill NeffBeautiful Thinker: Bill Neff, VP Consumer Marketing at YETI, on expanding from hook and bullet, befriending communities, and the invisible work that cements a brand.
2020-10-2029 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectKatherine GrayBeautiful Thinkers: A conversation with Katherine Gray, artist and judge on Netflix's Blown Away, on glass blowing's mystical history, elevating domestic glassware, and interpreting the world through the polarities of glass.
2020-08-0328 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectRebekah MosesBeautiful Thinkers: A conversation with Rebekah Moses, Head of Impact Strategy, Impossible Foods on the global becoming local, the pitfalls of guilting consumers, and her cautious optimism on COVID's environmental impact.
2020-07-2130 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectPete JohnsonBeautiful Thinker: A conversation with Pete Johnson, Head of Creation at the Lego Group, on living your company values, the universal state of play, and moving from Brooklyn to Denmark.
2020-06-3033 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectKat VellosBeautiful Thinker: Kat Vellos, author, activist and former UX designer at Slack, on forging meaningful relationships through the intersection of design and empathy.
2020-06-0130 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectTom HerbstBeautiful Thinker: Tom Herbst, former CMO for The North Face, on cultivating a sense of exploration and curiosity — especially now.
2020-05-0730 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectSophie KellyBeautiful Thinker: Sophie Kelly, SVP, Whiskies, Diageo North America on redefining status, having purpose at the heart of a brand and shaping the future.
2020-04-1727 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectHugh WeberHugh Weber, Managing Editor and CCO of The Great Discontent on telling untold stories from the spaces in between and the wider definition of the word creativity.
2020-02-2557 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectArmin Vit and Bryony Gomez-PalacioArmin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio, founders of Brand New, on the benefits of being married to your partner, creating to survive, and what it’s like to publicly critique your mentor’s work.
2019-12-0548 min
The Beautiful Thinkers ProjectPaula ScherPaula Scher, Partner at Pentagram, on fighting the inner and outer critics and doing your best work in mundane moments.
2019-12-0534 min