Join James Chae and Drew Litowitz as they talk to a cadre of amazing Graphic Designers and hack away at past traumas, spiritual mantras, PSDs, PTSD, and inner peace.
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Ep. 52 - Trouble comes in threes w/ Amanda Snyder Cathey
It’s James here. A few months back a friend sent me a text to an article with the headline “I lost my job, got divorced, and had to move within weeks. I found purpose in building a layoff support tool.” (https://www.businessinsider.com/after-getting-laid-off-vibe-coded-support-tool-2026-6) The situation sounded simultaneously shocking and familiar. With news of layoffs at companies like Microsoft and Meta along with daily debates about the impact of AI on labor across the globe, Amanda Snyder Cathey (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-snyder-cathey-9535461/)’s story was compelling. She recognized the gap in resources between a company’s human resource emails and the actual process of securing resources after a disruptive employment experience.
I’ve been in the “fog” of a layoff before and Amanda’s empathy and positive resourcefulness brought me hope for the current moment of confusion many designers face today. If you or someone you know is dealing with a job transition please share her tool RIF Surfer. (https://rif-surfer.netlify.app/) Amanda also recommends Never Search Alone (https://www.neversearchalone.org/) to find support in navigating job searches.
We R Hear 4 U.
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13 Aug 2026
Ep. 51 - Timing and relationships w/ Abby Chen
“Timing is everything” is as much of a cliché as “you only live once”, but behind those tired phrases is truth. When Bryan and I spoke with Abby Chen (https://abbychen.work/), the timing was right. She was celebrating two months since leaving a job at Apple and beginning her independent practice as Studio Present Tense (https://www.studiopresenttense.com/).
Throughout the conversation, Abby walked us through the tremendous amount of courage, deliberation and negotiation with her self that led up to that moment. She shared how she was able to give herself a chance and described the many barriers along the way. It was such a pleasure to share this intimate conversation that mirrors many talks many of us have in our careers and working lives.
Congratulations again Abby on opening Studio Present Tense. Check out her work!
Again, thank you all for listening
We R here 4 U.
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8 Jul 2026
Ep. 50 - Family archives, multilingual perks and mansplaining w/ Naïma Ben Ayed
Continuing on the mission to introduce more voices to the podcast, we’ve invited Berlin’s #1 fan Muj Abdulzade (https://graphicsupportgroup.substack.com/p/special-mini-episode-promises-broken) to co-host with James. When we first asked Muj about hoping on the podcast Naïma Ben Ayed (https://naimabenayedbureau.com/) was at the top of her list of people to talk to.
We spent a lovely afternoon chatting with the London-based type designer on her family, the laziness of certain tech companies and the general challenge of working on Arabic type in a world that seeks to stay rooted in Latin. Naïma’s honesty opened space for James and Muj to relay their own experiences with language and culture in the globalized design world.
It’s amazing to be releasing the 50th conversation! Thank you to all our past guests and for all the love from our listeners.
Keep a look out on our Substack for more updates from GSG and news about Naïma’s forthcoming Arabic type design book!
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
16 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
31 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 30 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
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