This podcast is what happens when a user researcher and product strategist hash out hype and popular trends in technology. It’s honest, minimally produced and reflects over 15 years of experience from Zach (product) and Rachel (research) in their respective fields.
You should walk away refreshed, yet thinking deeply and maybe even a bit jolly. 😝
First Pancake is hosted by siblings Zach & Rachel and produced from Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX.
firstpancakepodcast.substack.com (https://firstpancakepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
They’re a paradox (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonini%27s_paradox) only snowmobiles can solve.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit firstpancakepodcast.substack.com (https://firstpancakepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
16 Sept 2025
Vulnerability or TMI?
Brené Brown has some things to say about this topic. (https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-be-vulnerable-at-work-without-spilling-everything-from-brene-brown/) And she’s smarter than us.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit firstpancakepodcast.substack.com (https://firstpancakepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
6 Aug 2025
We Need Doorknobs
Conversations are tough to get right. Based on research (https://www.experimental-history.com/p/do-conversations-end-when-people), they either go too long or too short and they’re often awkward and we worry a lot about doing them right. But still, we need them. Also, affordances (https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/affordances?srsltid=AfmBOopRyOz3pLLYQw_N5igfD3ZpNQ5s8jxEC-p8_P5q6e31Ylak-4RJ).
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit firstpancakepodcast.substack.com (https://firstpancakepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
5 Aug 2025
AI and a Meaningful Life
We started by reading this article (https://behavioralscientist.org/ai-productivity-and-human-finitude-a-conversation-with-oliver-burkeman/) and then went off on tangents about radiologists and shitty AI-enabled jobs. In short, we just like humans.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit firstpancakepodcast.substack.com (https://firstpancakepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
5 Jun 2025
Strategy
Zac discusses his strategic approach, revealing where the most valuable insights and opportunities typically emerge.
3 Jun 2025
Pbbt, UXR!
Rachel discusses her frustrations with corporate culture and explores her reasons for potentially leaving the field of User Experience Research.
29 May 2025
AI Shmai
The hosts discuss extracting value from AI, sharing humorous anecdotes about various topics in this conversational episode.
7 May 2025
Working Title: Quitting
Things we reference in this episode:
Rubicon Model: It was Julius Caesar, not Napoleon (https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/control/rubicon-model/#:~:text=Thus%2C%20the%20Rubicon%20model%20of,the%20desired%20outcomes%20if%20I)! We continue to learn things.
Intermittent reinforcement: Researchers found that the way to keep the subjects working longest was to reinforce the behavior at unpredictable intervals (https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/intermittent-reinforcement#:~:text=Intermittent%20reinforcement%20is%20the%20delivery,but%20at%20seemingly%20random%20intervals.), rather than regularly.
100 Repetitions: Maybe Atomic Habits (https://jamesclear.com/repetitions)?
Sunk cost fallacy: the phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action (https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/the-sunk-cost-fallacy)because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial.
And sadly, Bolton’s department store is permanently closed.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit firstpancakepodcast.substack.com (https://firstpancakepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
2 May 2025
The Shitty First Draft
We come by perfectionism honestly - and generationally - so this shitty first draft is no small feat for us. Listen as we figure out how to start and stop a podcast, introduce our professional backgrounds, wrestle with career transitions and chat about what inspires us to keep going. (Hint: It’s not passion.)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit firstpancakepodcast.substack.com (https://firstpancakepodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
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