Defining Design

Emily Nau

5.0 (1)
DESIGN

Casual and fun interviews about different avenues of design you may or may not know and the designers behind them. If you have a love for design, a curiosity for design, or a love for hearing the stories behind creative ventures, this is a podcast for you.

JAN 8

Ep 09 - Watercolor Creations - Jamie

Jamie Goth sits down with me for Episode 9 and walks me through her story of art, painting, and finding a love for watercolor creations. She recently decided to share her paintings and started a business, specializing in hand-painted watercolor paper goods, called Porch Swing Paper Studio. Surprisingly, this is her "second" job, in fact she is an attorney by trade. In her off time though you will find her testing watercolors, designing greeting cards, customizing pieces for family, and finding inspiration throughout life. She talks about having a foundation of art but when life and work stress increased watercolor became an outlet again. Her family pushed her to keep going, all while being her biggest cheerleaders, proving that creating, even as a hobby, is always a possibility.

47 min
12/24/2025

Ep 08 - Building the Business - Luke

Episode 8 I bring back another fellow Architect to the podcast. Luke Kamp is a Ball State Alumni along with Reed Thompson (Episode 5) and myself, as well as a Registered Architect. Luke recently transitioned to a project management role where he wears many hats, including one of entrepreneurship. We talk about what interested him in Architecture and his roots growing up near Chicago, and how in his first job at an architecture firm fell in love with educational projects i.e. schools, auditoriums, stadiums. His new-found interest is one that is all about the business of Architecture or Design and what is takes to build one.

51 min
12/11/2025

Ep 07 - R&D & Calligraphy - Allyson

Allyson Fronk creator and owner of The Pemberley Creative joins me for Episode 7. As a born creator, Allyson was around creative processes including a printing business of a former swim coach. But even though she enjoyed the art, she pursued a higher education degree in Mechanical Engineering. In school and in her early years of her career she loved projects that were about people and making things with the human needs in mind. Her step into entrepreneurship wasn't easy but her decision to create her own calligraphy business sparked her beginnings in highly customized, handwritten, wedding decor. Allyson brings process driven artistry to a wide range of products; a process with the help of an engineer's eye to provide the best products for her clients.

58 min
11/25/2025

Ep 06 - Adaptability & Project Management - Litany

I talk to Litany Zenz, a Construction Project Manager at Turner Construction, and listen to her journey of finding the career that fit her best. Her initial thought was to go to school to be an architect, but after a real life experience of what that looked like, decided to shift gears and focus on construction management. Her love for people and always adapting to the project, the team, and the lessons learned aligned with what she was passionate about. Working as the design team's field expert requires that she interact with every person that it takes to make a project successful.

41 min
11/13/2025

Ep 05 - Thinking of the Why & Architecture - Reed

Reed Thompson joins me in this episode and discusses his journey into Architecture from his beginnings in rural Illinois and his parents instilling the original idea of going into architecture to design churches. He paired his love of design, foundations of art and sketching, and faith to complete his goal of becoming a church architect and specializing in Classical Architecture. His projects have community involvement and design becomes more than creating a pretty space, instead he talks about thinking through the "why" or intentionally designing a place to better other people's lives.

49 min
10/30/2025

Ep 04 - Sense of Home & Interior Design - Beth

Interior Designer, Beth Metcalf, and co-owner of Snider & Metcalf Interior Design joins us for Episode 4. She relives the beginning steps to her career and the choices she has made to gain experience (even as a student ), increase her knowledge about products, and build relationships with people who turn into long-term clients. After the years she has spent honing her craft she has never been bored and a big part of that is always enjoying the ability to provide people a sense of home.

42 min
10/23/2025

Ep 03 - Living Breathing Design & Landscape Architecture - Brandon

Episode 3 we dive into the life behind Landscape Architecture with Brandon Roos. Similar to my story, Brandon knew he wanted to be a Landscape Architect early on. Growing up he preferred outside, drew on graph paper, loved his grandma's greenhouse, and had an awareness for the spaces people inhabit. He continued to work through different experiences that allowed him to become not only a Landscape Architect, but project manager, and now partner of a firm. His definition of Landscape Architecture makes it clear that it is Living Breathing Design.

42 min
10/21/2025

Ep 02 - Change Course & Project Management -Chris

In Episode 2 we are joined by Chris White who tells the story of how he made it to Construction Project Management. His story has some twists and turns from changing degrees, changing careers, and moving cities. He looks back at what he has gained from every phase of his journey, his personal skill sets, and explains why that makes him a better Project Manager today. Even though changing course can be scary, Chris shows that it's never impossible.

40 min
10/16/2025

Ep 01 - Midwest Roots & Architecture - Emily

Starting off with the first ever episode of the podcast! Who am I? Why am I here and starting a podcast now? What is my job? And how do I define architecture? I answer these questions and more all while explaining the inspiration behind this podcast, the passion I have for design, my personal journey that has led me to where I am today, and my hopes for this podcast. Let's see where this goes starting with Episode 1!

26 min

9 Episodes

Casual and fun interviews about different avenues of design you may or may not know and the designers behind them. If you have a love for design, a curiosity for design, or a love for hearing the stories behind creative ventures, this is a podcast for you.

Creator

Emily Nau
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

9
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Defining Design
Show Website

Defining Design