“Pipe dreams are okay, but they really get in the way of stuff.” — Professor Bernie Roth
Stanford’s The Designer in Society isn’t your typical academic course — and Bernie’s assigned project wasn’t your typical assignment. It was a bold challenge to stop thinking, start doing.
In this episode, we’re joined by former student Janay Smith, who shares how that experience assisted her in facing later setbacks or as she puts it: when she got “stuck with a wet fish in my face.” Her biggest lesson from learning and occasionally sparring with Bernie? “Everything in life is a choice.”
Note: This episode includes swear words and some emotionally intense stories. Listener discretion advised.
00:16 Intro
01:27 Bernie’s guidelines for the student projects
02:47 Bernie-ism: Stop thinking, start doing
09:25 Fooling yourself
10:29 Janay’s introduction
18:00 Janay’s project
20:05 “ That project made me schedule an attack for fear. This is the day I'm going to attack my fear.”
28:09 A turning point with Janay’s parents, Jock Smith and Yvette Smiley Smith, CPA
32:55: “Everything is a choice”
37:33 Bernie gives project instructions for everyone
39:45 The student whose project didn’t work…
43:16 Janay has some thoughts on blow molds
More on Janay!
Follow us on Instagram: @yelloweyedcats to see our amazing guests like Janay, and the Burning Man project that Bernie references in this episode.
Co-hosts: Bernie Roth & Krista Donaldson; Producer: Krista Donaldson