In this first part of a multi-episode conversation, designer Matthew Congdon speaks with raw humor and sharp wit about navigating life with metastatic prostate cancer. He reflects on growing up in the Midwest, his lifelong relationship with control, and the haunting parallels between his own diagnosis and his father’s cancer. With disarming honesty, Matthew shares what it’s like to inherit a sinking ship—and why he’s choosing to chart a very different course.