Designing Your Life (Part One)

Mar 26, 2021

This week, we're reviewing the #1 New York Times bestseller Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

Bill Burnett is the Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford as well as an adjunct professor in mechanical engineering. He got his BS and MS in Product Design at Stanford and has worked professionally on a wide variety of projects ranging from award-winning Apple PowerBooks to the original Hasbro Star Wars action figures. He holds a number of mechanical and design patents, and design awards for a variety of products including the first “slate” computer. In addition to his duties at Stanford, he is a on the Board of VOZ (pronounced “VAWS – it means voice in Spanish) a socially-responsible high fashion startup and advises several Internet start-up companies.

Dave Evans is a lecturer at the Product Design Program at Stanford, as well as a management consultant and c-founder of Electronic Arts. Having participated in forming the corporate cultures at Apple and EA, Dave decided his best work was in helping organizations build creative environments where people could do great work and love doing it. So he went out on his own; working with start-up teams, corporate executives, non-profit leaders, and countless young adults. They were all asking the same question. “What should I do with my life?” Helping people get traction on that question finally took Dave to Cal and Stanford and continues to be his life’s work.

Dave holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford and a graduate diploma in Contemplative Spirituality from San Francisco Theological Seminary.

In the first part of this Designing Your Life book review podcast, we cover the following chapters:

1. Start Where You Are

2. Building a Compass

3. Wayfinding

4. Getting Unstuck

Make sure to tune in next week to hear the second part of this review!

If you like what you're hearing, you can purchase the book here. 

If you'd like to learn more about the authors, you can visit their website here. 

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Thanks for supporting Go Help Yourself!

XO,

Lisa & Misty