Uncertain Value

About Uncertain Value

Conversations about creating on all levels.

Publisher

Johannes Liegl

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Jan 2024

Latest episode

27 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Jul 2026

   Summer Special with Francis Liegl: Breathing life into an old FitBit

   Synthesized podcast episode into concise, engaging show notes In this episode of Uncertain Value, host Johannes sits down with his son Francis to recount their father-son project of resurrecting an 11-year-old Fitbit Charge HR that Francis discovered in his grandfather's drawer. What started as a "probably just needs a battery" hunch turned into a full repair saga: sourcing a replacement lithium-polymer battery, a T3 screwdriver, and a new charging cable, then borrowing a soldering iron from a neighbor to swap out the old battery, which they discovered had swollen to nearly double its size. Along the way they hit snags with a delicate heart-rate sensor cable and a finicky side button that nearly derailed the whole project, but ultimately got everything working. Francis and Johannes close out by reflecting on the trial-and-error process, the appeal of soldering, battery-life quirks of the old device, and what they'd do differently next time (watch the how-to videos and follow step-by-step guides before diving in rather than mid-repair).

2. 

   13 Mar 2026

   Mara Lantz: Making art & playing games with a missing mind's eye

   Mara Lantz is a Bay Area-based artist and product design leader. She holds a BA in psychology and fine arts from Hampshire College, where she designed her own concentration at the intersection of psychology, studio art, art history, creative writing, and theater. Most recently, Mara worked at Pinterest as a design leader in the monetization sector. Her acrylic paintings and mixed media sculptures (https://www.maralantz.com/) have been exhibited at galleries across the US, including KNK Contemporary in San Francisco, After Time Gallery in Portland, and Artworks Downtown in San Rafael. In this episode, Mara talks about growing up in a family of game designers. Her father Noah Falstein (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Falstein) is a veteran of the industry, her husband James and father-in-law Frank run their own studio, and together the family created Hey Robot (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/292350/hey-robot) , a card game that made it onto The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7thUnP0my7U). She shares what she looks for in a great game and why the best ones let you practice life skills in a safe, low-stakes way. Mara also opens up about her return to making art after a long break, sparked by watching her young daughter draw, and what it's like to be a visual artist with aphantasia, the inability to conjure images in your mind's eye. She walks us through her painting process, her black hot-glue sculptures made from thrifted glassware, and how she finds beauty in objects other people walk right past. Along the way, we cover Vancouver recommendations, the power of naming things, and why she never wanted art to be tied to her livelihood.

3. 

   21 Jan 2026

   Nina Chan: From building products to helping others build strength

   In this episode I'm speaking with Nina Chan, a Strength Coach and former Growth Product Manager. After studying creative writing at Brooklyn College, she spent 16 years as a Product Manager. First at Ask.com, then at SurveyMonkey, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Recently she changed her career to be a strength coach.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

12 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

52

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

Contact Uncertain Value

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.