Inside the Design Studio with David Peck

This week I'm thinking about three things in pop culture that have an unexpected through-line: Catherine O'Hara's comedy, a new book about mattering, and the Roseberry siblings' creative partnership.

What connects them is the difference between performance and being performative. When art comes from genuine care and alignment—not external validation—that's when it sticks with us. That's when we feel truth.

I talk about Catherine O'Hara's uniquely empathetic approach to comedy (from Waiting for Guffman to Moira Rose), Jennifer Breheny Wallace's book "Mattering" and what happens when our intrinsic and extrinsic values are misaligned, and why Daniel Roseberry's Schiaparelli and his sister Liz's jewelry work have reignited something for me after years of feeling uninspired by fashion.

This is what's getting me through the week.

00:00 The Impact of Catherine O'Hara's Comedy 03:14 The Search for Meaning and Connection 05:25 The Joy of Authenticity in Art and Fashion

This week felt especially heavy.

In this Voice Notes mini-episode, I'm sharing a few reflections and pieces of pop culture that helped me stay present and grounded—not to escape what's happening, but to remember why art and thoughtful platforms still matter.

I talk about Michelle Obama on Call Her Daddy, what it means to use influence with intention, and why even familiar comfort shows like Emily in Paris don't always land the same way depending on the moment.

These Voice Notes are informal, short reflections—shared when something feels worth the pause.

Last year, my Word of the Year episode was my most-listened-to show, bar none. So we're doing it again for 2026—but this time, I'm pulling back the curtain on how I actually choose that one word and use it to design my year on purpose.

I've never really connected with New Year's resolutions. They've always felt like a chore list wrapped in good intentions. Instead, for almost a decade, I've picked a single Word of the Year to act as a design principle for my life and work: Abundance, Expansion, Possibility, Consistency, Effortless, Determined… and now, Amplify.

In this episode, I walk you through the simple method I use to get there—something I now call ART: Assemble, Refine, Try:

• Assemble the words, ideas, and themes that keep circling my life,

• Refine them down to the ones that actually feel like mine

• Try them on with my future self before I commit.

I share how last year's word, Determined, showed up in some very real ways, how these words stack and evolve over time, and why Amplify is the word I chose to guide 2026—not as an excuse to do more for the sake of it, but as an invitation to turn up the volume on what's already working and aligned.

If you're over resolutions but still want your year to feel intentional, this one's for you.

• 00:00 – Resolutions Were Never My Thing

• 01:42 – Discovering Word of the Year

• 02:29 – A Decade of Words & Why They Matter

• 03:01 – The ART Method: Assemble, Refine, Try

• 05:22 – Using AI as a Mirror

• 09:07 – Past Words: Abundance to Effortless to Determined

• 12:34 – Determined, the Book, and Big Dreams

• 15:49 – My Word for 2026: Amplify

• 18:23 – Your Turn: Choose Your Word

Connect & Subscribe

• Watch the video version on YouTube → youtube.com/@itsdavidpeck

• Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

• Follow me @itsdavidpeck TikTok and Instagram

What do Houston's most legendary art patrons and fashion's most famous ponytail have in common? In this episode, Paris-based journalist and biographer William Middleton—author of Double Vision: The Unerring Eye of Art World Avatars Dominique and John de Menil and Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld—joins me to connect the dots between the Menils' quiet power in Houston and Karl's global influence at Chanel, Fendi, and beyond. We talk about fashion, money, art, and how he's designed a life between Kansas, New York, Houston, and Paris.

Connect & Subscribe

• Watch the video version on YouTube → youtube.com/@itsdavidpeck

• Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

• Follow me @itsdavidpeck TikTok and Instagram

• Follow William @wfmiddletonauthor

Let's be honest: Glinda's bubble was cute until it wasn't. And "good" was working for her… until it really, really wasn't.

In this episode, I break down Wicked: For Good the same way Glinda breaks down emotionally in Act II: publicly, dramatically, and with a surprising amount of self-awareness. We talk about why Elphaba shows up morally certain while Glinda shows up morally… adjacent. We also unpack how "Wonderful" is basically the Wizard's propaganda TED Talk, why mirrors are everywhere in this movie, and how "Girl in the Bubble" reframes Glinda's entire character through complicity and awakening.

I also get into Elphaba's new song "There's No Place Like Home," how it quietly echoes The Wiz and the Black experience of Oz, and why that matters for her story as the ultimate outsider.

If you've ever performed "goodness," got the dream job/partner/life, and then thought, "Oh. This still didn't fix me," congratulations—you're Glinda. And this episode is for you.

Connect & Subscribe

• Watch the video version on YouTube → youtube.com/@itsdavidpeck

• Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

• Follow me @itsdavidpeck TikTok and Instagram

What happens when your biggest career high collides with your hometown's worst nightmare?

In this episode, I sit down with jewelry designer Jill Reno, whose path to Paris Haute Couture Week started with plastic Michael's beads on a not-so-glamorous layover in Milwaukee. From ballet and business school to flight attendant life at Continental, sculpting with her grandfather, and reinvesting every dollar of profit back into better stones, Jill's story is one long exercise in "throw it all at the wall and see what sparkles."

Jill shares how her whimsical lanyards evolved into fine jewelry worn by celebrities and featured in major fashion media, from W Trend (Women's Wear Daily) to The New York Times, Elle, and Harper's, how she built a thriving wholesale business, and why she ultimately walked away from the regimented collection cycle to focus on couture, one-of-a-kind pieces, and deeply personal client relationships.

Then we go deeper. While Jill was debuting her work on the Haute Couture runway in Paris, catastrophic flooding devastated her hometown of Kerrville and the Guadalupe River community she loves. We talk about what it's like to hold those two realities at once—runway fittings and river rescue texts, career dreams and communal grief—and how faith, friendship, and an almost stubborn commitment to beauty have carried her through.

If you've ever wondered how to keep creating when life falls apart, this one's for you.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How a "boring" flight attendant lanyard turned into the origin story of a jewelry brand

• The leap from business major and ballet kid to art school in San Miguel de Allende

• Reinventing over and over: from plastic beads to carnelian, silver, gold, and diamonds

• Getting pieces on celebrities and into major magazines while living on ramen and toast

• The realities of wholesale—and why Jill ultimately chose couture and appointment-only

• The power of Kerrville: community, roots, and women who relentlessly show up for each other

• Experiencing a career-defining Paris couture debut while her hometown faced tragedy

• First responder fatigue, burnout, and how communities actually rebuild

• Travel, the ranch, and tiny daily practices that keep Jill's creativity alive

• Faith, forgiveness, and her recent mantra to "hold space for God's beauty"

Connect & Subscribe

• Watch the video version on YouTube → youtube.com/@itsdavidpeck

• Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

• Follow me @itsdavidpeck TikTok and Instagram

• Follow Jill @jillrenocollection

Chapter List

00:00 Introduction and Background 04:52 Transitioning from Flight Attendant to Artist 10:15 Creative Process and Inspirations 16:03 Navigating Personal and Professional Challenges 21:49 Rapid Fire Questions and Reflections

In today's episode, recorded LIVE!, I'm joined by my longtime friend, Australian hairdresser, and salon owner David Bamford—a man who once rocked twin blue mohawks, won international awards by surprise, and opened a gorgeous River Oaks salon… five weeks before the world shut down. We trace his wild path from architecture student to behind-the-basketball-court barber, London and Aberdeen detours, a green-card saga complete with Farrah Fawcett's endorsement, and building Therapy—the salon—brick by brick.

We talk about grief and grit: losing his father, a beloved 18-year-old pup, and a marriage to his business partner—then deciding not to be the victim. David shares the very practical ways he kept the lights on during COVID (hello, color curbside and Zoom-hair tutorials), what real luxury looks like (hint: not Crocs), and how positive affirmations and parenting re-wired his priorities. Plus: an Hermes caper, the Inside the Actors Studio–style lightning round (I had 22 questions; we are big Swifties), and yes… the Westheimer ghost story that still gives me chills.

If you're in a season of detours, this one's a masterclass in designing a life you love, even when the blueprint gets ripped up. Perfect is good, but done is better.

Chapters

• 00:00 – Meet David Bamford (and why I skipped the formal bio)

• 04:30 – From architecture to blue mohawks

• 13:55 – London → Aberdeen → Europe (hostels are a no)

• 22:10 – Houston, Jose Eber, and the green card (Farrah Fawcett, WorldFest)

• 30:45 – Building therapy and curating real luxury

• 37:25 – Opening the River Oaks space… then COVID

• 43:10 – Pivoting: color kits, Zoom hair, partitions, outdoors

• 49:05 – Divorce, loss, and choosing not to be the victim

• 56:00 – Parenting, affirmations, and dating after 20 years

• 1:02:30 – Hermès adventures and the Westheimer ghost

• 1:09:00 – 22-question lightning round

• 1:13:30 – One 5-minute action to move forward (affirmations)

Ever worn a label that felt perfect—until it started itching like a bargain-bin T-shirt? Same.

In this episode, I unwrap the identities I've collected (and returned) over the years:

• The week I was German, Lebanese, Egyptian, and Irish—no layovers required.

• How we manage to keep othering one immigrant group after another—same script, new accent.

• Growing up Independent Fundamental Baptist (picture Footloose, minus Kevin Bacon), and why I'm now spiritually "between addresses."

• A Post-it-note challenge to see which of your own labels actually deserve closet space.

Because we're all handed identities; the real work is deciding which ones get to stay.

Hit play for stories, questions, and just enough self deprication to keep everyone honest.

Finished listening?

1. Forward this episode to a friend who's outgrown their box.

2. Rate, review, and share if it made you laugh, think, or text your bestie an apology.

Connect & Subscribe

• Watch the video version on YouTube → youtube.com/@itsdavidpeck

• Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

• Follow me @itsdavidpeck

Chapters

00:00 The Complexity of Identity 06:59 Cultural Identities and Belonging 12:56 Inherited Identities and Personal Growth 18:33 Navigating Political and Personal Identities 21:58 The Fluidity of Self and Identity 25:59 Embracing Change in Identity

What do fashion tariffs, Blake Lively's alleged text-message nuclear codes, and Instagram's sneaky Discover feed have in common? They all escalated—fast.

Welcome to the inaugural "Well, That Escalated…"—the once-a-month segment where I drag my favorite opinion-sharpshooter Laura Max Rose out of our group-chat bunker and into the studio. It's basically the audio version of us texting "WAIT, DID YOU SEE THIS?" at 1 a.m.

This round we unpack:

• Why my "Made in America" dream factory sometimes feels like DIY textile purgatory.

• The Blake-vs-Baldoni legal soap opera and Taylor Swift's strategic sphinx routine (recorded before any surprise masters-deal plot twists—guess we'll need another debrief).

• The single rogue tap that turned Laura's IG into a pyramid-scheme carnival—and the one-button fix.

• My love affair with long-form YouTube (because dopamine-scroll fatigue is real).

Connect & Subscribe

• Watch the video version on YouTube → youtube.com/@itsdavidpeck

• Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

• Follow Laura on IG @lauramaxrose and me @itsdavidpeck

• #WellThatEscalated #InsideTheDesignStudio #DesignYourLife

00:00 Why we're launching a monthly pop-culture accountability chat 04:50 David's naïve plunge into U.S. manufacturing—and the hidden cost of "ethical" labels 14:45 Do voters really want Made-in-USA, or is it political cosplay? 26:30 Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, and the affidavit that launched a thousand TikToks 40:10 Instagram's algorithm, confirmation bias, and the "Not Interested" lifesaver 47:55 YouTube as the antidote to doom-scrolling (plus map-nerd confessionals) 53:30 Where to find Laura, where to find me, and a standing invite to drop your hot takes

I'm joined once again by my friend, writer, podcaster, and self-proclaimed Colleen Hoover expert Laura Max Rose for a conversation that's part literary therapy session, part red carpet roast, and part adaptation wish list. We dig into the controversies, casting choices, and unexpected emotions that came with the It Ends With Us adaptation—Laura's seen it six times, so she's got notes—and talk about what works (and what doesn't) when a beloved book becomes a movie.

We also dive into the upcoming adaptations of Verity, Regretting You, and Reminders of Him, plus buzzy projects like Wuthering Heights (yes, with Margot Robbie and a gold-toothed Jacob Elordi), Forever by Judy Blume, and The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. If you've got feelings about casting choices, this one's for you.

One of my favorite lines from this episode:

"I don't think Lily was cast correctly... but I still saw the movie six times." – Laura Max Rose

Let us know what you think—especially if you have strong opinions about Anne Hathaway playing Verity.

Follow Us:

• Instagram: @itsdavidpeck and @shopdavidpeck
• Website: davidpeck.co
• Laura: @lauramaxrose
• Laura's Website: maxwellaspen.com
• Laura's Podcast: I Just Have to Say

00:00 Astrological Beginnings and New Year Reflections 03:10 Colleen Hoover: Adaptations and Emotional Connections 06:18 The Essence of Adaptations: Book vs. Movie 09:20 Upcoming Adaptations: Verity and Casting Choices 12:22 Exploring Regretting You and Reminders of Him 18:03 The Anticipation of Book Adaptations 21:09 Colleen Hoover's Involvement in Film Adaptations 24:12 The Fallout from 'It Ends With Us' 26:58 Exploring Wuthering Heights Remake 29:57 Judy Blume's Impact and Modern Adaptations 33:04 The Housemaid: A Thrilling Adaptation 36:00 Emily Henry's Cinematic Universe 38:52 Carly Fortune's Every Summer After 43:23 The Golden Age of Book Adaptations 47:18 Beloved Adaptations: A Deep Dive 51:42 Timeless Classics and Their Modern Takes 55:40 Books That Should Be Adapted 58:13 Controversial Adaptations and Their Impact