Hi, we're Desai and Thuan, best friends from architecture school and early career designers on a journey to discover how to build creatively fulfilling and financially sustainable careers. We are super excited to share with you notes from our podcast, and hope you’ll subscribe for bi-monthly updates!

Why We Started

From Cornell studios to Rome apartments, we’ve always collaborated. The podcast began as a way to explore how design thinking applies beyond architecture—and to share those paths with students and early-career creatives.

The Wall We Hit

After 8 episodes, we’ve had 454 downloads and 14 subscribers. We’re proud of the start, but reaching our target audience—students and recent grads—has been tough. LinkedIn posts mostly reach peers and seniors, not the people who’d benefit most. Add demanding day jobs and 10+ hours to produce each episode, and momentum isn’t easy to keep.

How We’re Adapting

In this episode, we brainstormed ways forward:

* Slack community for listeners to connect. (Update: The Slack channel is live, join here → The Pragmatic Designers Community.)

* Live streams & workshops to share skills (cold outreach, navigating corporate culture).

* Practical solo episodes alongside interviews.

* Short-form content on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts to attract new listeners.

Why Share This?

We believe in showing the process, not just the polish. Building something from scratch is messy—and that’s worth talking about. As Thuan says: “If we were doing this alone, the podcast probably would have been dead a month ago. Doing it together keeps us excited.”

If you’ve been listening—thank you for sticking with us in our “ugly duckling” phase. Your feedback means everything. <3

Connect with usDesai → desaiwang.com & LinkedIn.Thuan → thuanla.com & LinkedIn.

Join our Slack channel here → The Pragmatic Designers Community.

Listen to this episode on Substack, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepragmaticdesigners.substack.com

Getting Real: Behind the Mic with Desai and Thuan