Rafael Smith proves that being curious and being open to new experiences can take you pretty far in life. As the current design lead at IDEO.org, he uses his skills in product design and industrial design to improve the lives of people in poor and vulnerable communities worldwide.

We talked about how Rafael almost became a horse trainer instead of a designer, and the one experience that set him on his current path. He also shared a really good piece of advice that has stayed with him over the years, spoke about his new focus on approaching design and bias, and also talked about the importance of carving out time to be creative. Thank you Rafael for sharing your knowledge with all of us!