Ignite Seattle Podcast

Have you ever found yourself getting annoyed by a noisy neighbor or distraught about the gap in a public toilet cubicle? At Ignite 39, interior designer Bonnie Toland took to the stage with her talk 'Design For Conflict'. This week, Bonnie speaks about why she became a designer, what effect interior design can have on different cultures around the world, and what her favorite public space in Seattle is.

In this week's episode of the Ignite Seattle podcast, we speak to Ginger Chien, who got on stage at Ignite 39 with her talk "A Transgender Rock Band Walks Into A Rural Olympic Peninsula Bar".Ginger talks about how she's gained confidence when it comes to public speaking, what drew her towards being in a band, and her journey for self-acceptance.

Season 2 of the Ignite Seattle Podcast is here! In this episode, Daniel speaks with Evy Haroldson. Evy got on stage at Ignite 39 to talk about her passion for tinkering in her presentation "Fix Evy-thing".Daniel talks to Evy about where her passion came from, Evy's love of screws, and Ikea furniture.As always, comments or emails can be sent to podcast@igniteseattle.com if you have anything to say.

Have you ever been so mad about something that you've written an angry note and left it somewhere? Sixta Morel was so annoyed about experiencing the Seattle freeze that she left a note in her apartment's elevator.In this episode of the Ignite Seattle podcast, Sixta speaks about the culture shock of moving to Seattle from the Dominican Republic, and how she learned to adapt to the Pacific Northwest.

Our podcast producer, Daniel just gave his first Ignite talk at Ignite Open Mic last week. In this week's podcast, we hear from Daniel as he rehearses his talk, explains why he's doing the open mic, and gives his talk live on stage.

Chances are you've seen an emoji pillow before, but did you ever wonder who came up with the idea? Roberto Hoyos is that person. Before emojis even became a thing, Roberto's company Throwboy was making a pillow version of your favorite emoji.Everything was going great for Roberto's emoji pillows until he found himself competing with cheap, low-quality knock offs that were seemingly everywhere. What followed was a period of hurt and lessons learned for Roberto.In this episode of the Ignite Seattle Podcast, I speak with Roberto about his talk "Retiring My Best Idea - Emoji Pillows." We talk about why he gave up on emoji pillows, what it's like to be a man that sews for a living, and whether there are any perks to being the guy that came up with emoji pillows.

When I decide to invite somebody to appear on the Ignite Seattle podcast, it's often because of two things: 1. The speaker has a topic that makes me want to know more. My curiosity gets the better of me.2. The topic is something that I have something to say about myself. I get egotistical.Bill Bernat's talk, "De-Isolation: Overcoming Social Anxiety" from Ignite 29 fell into the second category. Me and Bill have both gone through periods of social anxiety, and I thought it'd be a great discussion for us both to share our insights.In the following podcast, we talk about how we came our social anxiety, what lead to us experiencing the issue, and whether introversion played a part.All comments can be emailed to me (Daniel) at podcast@igniteseattle.com

Forget everything you think you know about being a dominatrix. Kaila Yi got up on stage at Ignite 38 to talk about how lessons she's learned from being a dominatrix can be applied to dating.We sat down to discuss how she became a dominatrix, what her first session was like, and what other intersections there are between her work and every day living.

So many websites have had data leaks that many of your online accounts have already been compromised. This week, I speak to Zach Cohn about his talk "How To Not Be The Least Secure Gazelle" from Ignite 35. Zach explains why data security is so important and what you can do right now to ensure you're more secure than others online.As well as being a regular Ignite speaker, Zach has also been volunteering with the event for 9 years. Currently he is the Speaker and Slide Wrangler. We talk about how he got into volunteering with Ignite, the stress that comes with starting each PowerPoint presentation at the event, and lastly why Ignite has a red shag rug.Tickets for our next event are on sale now at IgniteSeattle.com

In this episode of the Ignite Seattle podcast, we talk to Tae Phoenix. Tae is a 4 time Ignite Seattle alumni who is one of only two people who can claim they've been married at an Ignite Seattle event. (The other person is her husband!)Tae is an activist and songwriter who got on stage at Ignite 38 with her talk "Civil Disobedience: A Beginners View." We'll listen to the talk, as well as discussing protests with Tae.Tae speaks about why singing is important to protestors, why she is involved in activism, and what it was like the first time she was arrested.You can visit Tae's website at TaePhoenix.comIgnite 39 is now on sale and you can get your tickets at IgniteSeattle.com.

In this episode of the Ignite Seattle Podcast, I speak with Jeff Hicks about his experiences of bipolar disorder. You'll hear Jeff's talk from Ignite 20, "Welcome to the Psych Ward" where he spoke about being involuntarily committed during a period of mania.We discuss what it's like to experience mania and depression as part of bipolar disorder, how Jeff was originally diagnosed, and how he now lives day-to-day. You can find more old Ignite Seattle talks at IgniteSeattle.com. If you have any comments or feedback on the podcast, you can email me us at podcast@igniteseattle.com

Romeo and Juliet is a play which almost everybody knows. It's so deeply ingrained in popular culture that all I need to say is "the balcony scene" and automatically you'll know what I'm talking about. But did you know that "the balcony scene" wasn't a balcony in the original text at all. It was just a window.In this week's episode, I speak with Emma Broback about her talk from Ignite 37, "Juliet Wasn't Dumb" where she tells us why Juliet and the play are often misinterpreted.We talk about Emma's experience as an actress: what it's like to kiss somebody on stage, what to do when you forget a line, and how lessons from acting can be used in any job.If you have any comments or feedback on the podcast, please email me at podcast@igniteseattle.com. For tickets to Ignite Seattle's latest event, visit IgniteSeattle.com.

In the latest episode of the Ignite Seattle Podcast, I speak to Sarah Schacht about her talk, "#MeToo, What It Takes To Come Forward."In 2018, Sarah came forward publicly with her own #MeToo story as part of an article by Molly Redden of the Huffington Post. Her talk is about the logistics of coming forward publicly with a #MeToo story, along with the potential ramifications both personally and professionally. In the podcast, we talk about why Sarah decided to come forward with her story publicly to begin with. How her perspective has changed about her story over time, and what motivates her to keep going.Sarah has given multiple talks at Ignite in the past, including "I Got E. Coli So You Don't Have To" and "Appy Bride: How I Infuriated The Wedding Industry & Got My Dream Wedding."

Everyone poops. According to the children's book anyway. But that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone poops in public bathrooms. Those that do know all about the horrors of what you can be confronted with.Jason Preston is one of those people. He took to the stage at Ignite #36 to talk all about "Pooing in Public" and the challenges of bathroom locks.We sat down with Jason to grumble about bathrooms, find out where the best bathroom in Seattle is, and also get his advice on some potential public bathroom scenarios.

For the second episode of the Ignite Seattle podcast, we sit down with one of our recent speakers, Rovina Broomfield. She spoke at Ignite #37 about what its like to be black while working in tech and one of her pet peeves, people who refer to themselves as "unicorns". In the episode, Rovina talks about moving to Seattle, how she learned to become a local, and what it's like to become a member of a community.If you have any comments or feedback on the podcast, you can pass them on to Daniel at podcast@igniteseattle.com.

For our first episode, I thought it would be fitting to sit down with Scott Berkun, Ignite Seattle's MC and speaker coach. We talk all about what it's like to be...an MC and speaker coach. Scott shares some critiques of a talk he gave all the way back at Ignite Seattle #6, "How and Why to Give an Ignite Talk". He also speaks about what he's learned in the ten or so years since then, and how he passes that knowledge on to our speakers.Lastly, he gives his thoughts on the importance of being an MC, and answers a question we're all dying to know, "Where did those red trousers come from?"If you have any feedback, or fashion tips to pass on to me, or Scott, please email them to podcast@igniteseattle.com or leave a comment below.