Known for her natural, relaxed style and down-to-earth approach to design and living, interior designer & influencer Lauren Liess loves to help people live their best lives at home. A mother of five who understands the ins and outs of a busy, beautiful, and sometimes-messy life, she hosted the HGTV show Best House on the Block with her husband, and runs an interior design studio and real estate brokerage in Northern Virginia where she also rehabs properties, and designs and sells spec homes. Lauren has written three best-selling design books and has forayed into product design including furniture, tile, kitchen cabinetry, and textiles. Lauren and her projects have been featured in publications such as Milieu, Southern Living, Traditional Home, House Beautiful, Luxe, Arch Digest, and Domino. 

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Ian is an educator and a student with a passion for human-centred design and student led innovation. In his ten years as an executive teacher he worked in a range of roles including student engagement, technology and policy development. He is now the Executive director of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the Ed Institute. 

He was nominated for the ACT school leader of the year in 2018, and led educational interventions that received an ACT violence prevention award and an order of Australia recognition.

He is a Professional Associate at The University of Canberra and his Professional Doctorate was on the use of design thinking in the educational setting.

Prior to his work as a teacher Ian worked in TV and cinema with his productions featuring at festivals such as TropFest, Palm Springs, and the Berlin flim festival.

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Known for her natural, relaxed style and down-to-earth approach to design and living, interior designer & influencer Lauren Liess loves to help people live their best lives at home. A mother of five who understands the ins and outs of a busy, beautiful, and sometimes-messy life, she hosted the HGTV show Best House on the Block with her husband, and runs an interior design studio and real estate brokerage in Northern Virginia where she also rehabs properties, and designs and sells spec homes. Lauren has written three best-selling design books and has forayed into product design including furniture, tile, kitchen cabinetry, and textiles. Lauren and her projects have been featured in publications such as Milieu, Southern Living, Traditional Home, House Beautiful, Luxe, Arch Digest, and Domino. 

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Jamie Milne is one of the Sunshine Coast's respected, and leading strength and conditioning coaches, and a reputable results-based force in the field of psychotherapy and self-development. Jamie has a unique background in Sports Psychology, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Hypnotherapy and as a professional Strength and Conditioning Coach. Improving mental performance, maximising success and getting that mental edge is Jamie’s life calling. Jamie's approach is unique in delivery, and the results speak for themselves.

Jamie works closely with individuals and sports/business teams to fine-tune their mental aptitude to achieve results. This has led to incredible achievements for both coach and client and has seen Jamie become highly sought after, not only with personal coaching, and team coaching but also as a dynamic presenter through his seminars and guest speaking engagements for corporations such as EUP Bruce Campbell's Entrepreneur University program, a multitude of schools, NCP Plumbing Australia, Dementia Australia as their QLD Ambassador, Memory Walk and Jog Ambassador.

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Ray Calabro’s work emphasizes the relationship of a building to its surrounding landscape; he believes that architecture is a thoughtful response to the culture and spirit of each place. His buildings embody the common principles of site-responsive architecture, robust forms and innovative use of material. Yet each responds differently to the special nature of client, program and place, qualities that elevate buildings to the realm of sensitive and lasting architecture.

Educated at Virginia Tech (B. Arch 1994), Ray began his career there as a Lecturer in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Since joining Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in 1995, Ray’s project experience spans academic, cultural commercial and residential projects in the continental US and Canada. In 2009, he was named a Principal/Owner in the firm.

As Principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s Seattle studio, Ray leads a collaborative design process on a diverse range of projects. Some of the projects discussed in this podcast include the award-winning Grand Teton Discovery and Visitor Center in Jackson, Wyoming, the Nu Skin Innovation Center and corporate headquarters in Provo, Utah, Everlane’s Abbot Kinney retail store in Venice, California and extraordinary private residences in Jackson, Wyoming; Canmore, Alberta; West Kootenay, British Columbia, and the San Juan Islands in Washington state. His work has been recognized with numerous national and international awards for design, and has been published in Dwell, Architectural Record, ArchDaily, The PLAN and Architectural Digest. He is a curatorial leader within BCJ and has been instrumental in the creation of its celebrated monographs, including its most recent publication Gathering.

In 2014, he was elevated to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.

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Rodrigo Rabaco is a multidisciplinary digital designer based in Brisbane, with 20+ years of experience creating communication pieces and marketing campaigns across several industries. Rodrigo has produced visuals and animations for advertising agencies, furniture brands, developers, interior designers, and architects in Brazil, Australia, the US, the UK, China, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

His contributions have helped his clients and brands elevate their marketing campaigns and articulate their products and services visually, attracting potential customers and enhancing their brand voice.

In the last couple of years he specialised in working with furniture design brands by offering all-encompassing solutions that include architecture projects, interior design, styling.

All these services are encapsulated in 3D images and animations that connect with people and tell stories.

His work involves blending the theoretical components of visual communication and aesthetics with cutting-edge technological tools, such as 3D and Artificial Intelligence.

The end results consist of compelling communication pieces that greatly enhance the perceived value of projects, products, ideas, and brands. 

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Russ Stephens is a Co-founder of the Association of Professional Builders, a business coaching company dedicated to improving the residential construction industry for both builders and consumers. Russ is a data analysis expert who has introduced data-driven decision-making to the residential construction industry. Russ is also a proud member of the Forbes Business Development Council.

The Association of Professional Builders (APB) provides business coaching for professional builders. It helps residential home builders grow their building companies with systems that generate more leads, more contracts, and higher margins while improving the client experience. 

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Davin studied sustainable development at the University of Colorado and subsequently spearheaded numerous entrepreneurial ventures in various industries including: a magazine, record label, software, industrial robotics, and now shipping containers. As a managing partner in ROXBOX, he continues to drive growth and innovation while working to advocate for the use of volumetric construction via sustainable building blocks.

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Kurt Krueger, AIA, ArCH, LEED AP was educated in the practice of architecture and design at Kansas State University. With an entrepreneurial spirit and an approach of learning by doing, he formally interned for the well-known firm of Frank Harmon Architect in Raleigh, North Carolina during his last year of school.

After graduation, Kurt worked for the award-winning Rockhill and Associates Firm in Lawrence, Kansas. Here, Kurt was a key member of the team and contributed to building several houses in Kansas City and Arkansas–hammer and all.

Convinced that blending architecture and the building sciences was the best way to deliver unique, custom homes, Kurt relocated to Los Angeles to work for the prestigious architecture firm of Marmol Radziner & Associates. After four years of building his knowledge and experience, the desire to gain an even better mastery of the building arts, Kurt moved over to ARYA Group, Inc. where he worked on some of the firm’s exclusive and high-profile projects. The entrepreneurial spirit propelled Kurt once again, and Kurt Krueger Architects, Inc. was established in 2012 with a focus on luxury residential, commercial, and historic renovation projects in Southern California.

Kurt prides himself on the craft of building and strives to create spaces that engage people while elevating a sense of interest for the individual qualities of the site.

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Kristina LoMonaco the founder of Kristina LoMonaco Interior Design Studio based in both New York City and London. Kristina specialises in full-service commercial and residential interiors. The firm has earned a reputation for having a sharp eye for design and a deep commitment to outstanding customer service.

Kristina has an eye towards the future and a foot in the past, her team continue to evolve their aesthetic persuasions. They look to fashion for fear-defying boundaries, history for timeless motifs and nature for wild, uninhibited nods to beauty. It is their goal to constantly think ahead, evolve, and create thoughtful, artfully designed spaces. 

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