The Crazy One
Stephen Gates
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About This Podcast
The Crazy One is an award-winning podcast for creatives, leaders, and anyone who refuses to settle. Hosted by renowned designer and global design leader Stephen Gates, this show delivers unfiltered honesty, actionable insights, and hard-won wisdom to help you grow your creativity, lead with confidence, and build a meaningful career.
With over two decades leading world-class design teams at companies like InVision, Citi, Starwood Hotels, WW, and McCann Erickson, Stephen has built brands and digital experiences for clients including Disney, American Airlines, W Hotels, Verizon, Acura, and more — work that’s earned over 150 international awards and has been featured by Apple in 10 keynotes, 4 commercials, and the Human Interface Guidelines.
Now as the founder of CRZY, an independent strategy and design studio, he’s helping companies find bold new visions for their brands, experiences, and creative futures. Through The Crazy One, he shares everything he’s learned along the way — from integrating behavioral science with human-centered design to navigating imposter syndrome to building a career and creative life on your own terms.
With over 100 episodes and a loyal global audience, The Crazy One has been named:
• Webby Award Honoree for Best Technology Podcast
• #1 Podcast by Inside Design, HOW Design Live, and Springboard
• 5-star rated across every iTunes Store worldwide
This is more than a design podcast. It’s a wake-up call. A masterclass. A real-talk guide for finding your voice, owning your crazy, and changing the game.
No BS. No buzzwords. Just real insights from someone who’s been there.
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Recent Episodes
Ep 146 AI: Premortems, Because A.I. Won't Wait for a Retrospective
The "ship it, fix it later" playbook was already broken. AI just made it catastrophic. Post-mortems assume you have time to observe, adjust, and course correct. AI has collapsed those timelines, and…
Ep 145 Creativity: Stop Asking AI to Agree With You
You've turned the most powerful thinking tool in history into a yes-machine — and it's making your ideas weaker without you even realizing it.This episode is about a fundamental shift in how you use…
Ep 144 AI: Your Company Decided Your Value Before AI Existed
AI didn't build the case to replace you. It just gave companies the tool to finally act on a decision they'd already made.In this episode, Stephen Gates gets brutally honest about what's actually…
Ep 143 AI: AI Isn't a Tool Problem. It's a Culture Problem.
Four years into running CRZY, Stephen has watched AI go from an interesting experiment to an organizational crisis that almost nobody is naming correctly. The problem isn't which model you're using.…
Ep 142 AI: The hidden cost of plausible, almost-right work
AI and cheap tools have given everyone the ability to produce work that looks professional, sounds credible, and feels like the real thing. The problem? It isn't. In this episode, Stephen introduces…
Ep 141 Design: A bigger strategy behind Apple’s Liquid Glass?
Stephen finally breaks the seal on AI — not with a prompt tutorial or workflow breakdown (he’s got a YouTube video for that), but with a deeper dive into the real conversation: how AI is shaking the…
Ep 140 Keynote: 'Bet on Yourself" BeMore Festival 2025
In this episode of The Crazy One, Stephen Gates shares the lessons learned from his journey of leaving corporate America to start his own agency. With over 20 years of experience across industries,…
Ep 139 Career: The Hard Truth About Creativity’s Role in Business Today (and Yesterday)
This one’s part wake-up call, part battle cry. After too many sleepless nights and too many same-old conversations, Stephen Gates climbs up on the soapbox to call out the hard truth: if you’re…
Ep 138 Creativity: AI Isn’t the Enemy. Complacency Is.
The AI hype train is moving fast—and it’s already crashing into our creative industry. In this episode, Stephen finally wades into the AI conversation, not to break down tools or workflows (you’ll…
Ep 137 Career: The Pros and Cons of Going Out on Your Own
After decades inside the system—agencies, in-house, and everything in between—Stephen Gates made the leap. No roadmap. No safety net. Just a decision to bet on himself. Three years later, he’s…
Ep 136 Career: Overcoming Fear and Insecurity: Why You Need a Plan, Not the Answers
You’re stuck. Spinning in circles. Overthinking every move. Sound familiar? In this episode, Stephen breaks down the single most powerful piece of advice he gives to creatives, leaders, and anyone…
Ep 135 Career: The Hidden Problem of ‘Experience-ism’ in Creative Careers
When the stakes are high—new job, big idea, career leap—most of us freeze. We stall, waiting for the “right” moment, the perfect answer, the foolproof plan. But in this episode, Stephen shares the…
Ep 134 Career: Tough Love for Your Portfolio: Stand Out or Stay Stuck
Most portfolios don’t get rejected for lack of talent. They get rejected because they’re saying the wrong things — or nothing at all. In this episode, Stephen pulls back the curtain on how hiring…
Ep 133 Career: How to get laid off
Let’s be real — layoffs suck. Whether you saw it coming or it hit you out of nowhere, it’s personal, painful, and way too common in today’s industry. In this episode, Stephen breaks down everything…
Ep 132 Career: Navigating the Mess: Insights into the 2024 Job Market
Let’s be honest—this industry is a mess right now. Layoffs are everywhere, leadership roles are disappearing, and even the best of the best are struggling to get a callback. In this episode, Stephen…
Ep 130: Ending the hiatus. Is this thing still on?
After a year-long silence, The Crazy One is back — but not the same. In this raw return, Stephen opens up about the real reasons behind the show’s hiatus, the toll of being laid off (again), and how…
Ep 131 Career: What's stopping you from going out on your own?!?
After 13 months away, the mic is back on—and we’re starting exactly where too many of us are stuck. In this raw and real return, Stephen unpacks the one conversation that’s been rising to the surface…
Ep 129 Keynote: BeMore Festival 2023 - How to build a breakthrough career
In this powerful episode of The Crazy One podcast, Stephen Gates shares his standout keynote from the 2023 BeMore Festival, the ultimate 24-hour global super conference featuring over 100 top voices…
Ep 128 Career: How to start your studio or freelance business
After a long break, Stephen Gates is back with a powerful episode unpacking what it really takes to go out on your own—whether that means freelancing, consulting, or launching your own studio.…
Ep 127 Career: How to navigate and succeed in the era of defensive employment
In today’s career landscape, achieving success means taking on more responsibilities and adopting a proactive mindset—a shift Stephen Gates calls the “new era of defensive employment.” In this…
Frequently Asked Questions
The Crazy One has published 152 episodes since July 2016, covering topics in Arts, Business.
The Crazy One is currently active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 39m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for The Crazy One, including email and social media links.
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