We talk to design mogul Rebecca Finell of Finell about her unusual path from medicine to modern design, balancing business with babies, and standing out in a sea of sameness.

Rebecca talks about designing her first hit product while still in school, transitioning from pre-med to industrial design, and her love of Austin, Texas. We also learn how good partnerships were a key to her success.

“I don’t believe in balance, it doesn’t exist. Sometimes your business needs you and sometimes your family needs you. And so you try to balance the best you can. There are times where you have to give more to one or the other. What I try to do is just be very very present when I’m with one.”

— Rebecca Finell

We appreciate hearing the realities of how Rebecca is able to juggle motherhood with business and still have time to do the things she loves. Kids and family have always played a significant role in her life, and have had a big impact on her designs and career trajectory.

She also talks about how Boon, the company that started it all, was able to break into the already saturated kid product market by making waves. Life after Boon offered a sea of possibilities for Rebecca, who is now focused on her namesake brand, Finell, designing everything from decor to handbags. Listen to the episode to find out what else she's planning to design next.

For more on Rebecca Finell, visit Finell.co and follow Finell on instagram.

If you want more Clever, sign up for the newsletter to get notified of new episodes as they're released. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And most importantly, please spread the word to anyone who you think would dig it.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, SoundCloud, or subscribe using our feed:http://clever.libsyn.com/rss via your favorite podcast app. And please, if you like us, give us a rating!

Special thanks to Chris Modl of Yore Studio for editing this episode.
Music in this episode courtesy of El Ten Eleven—hear more on Bandcamp.
Shoutout to Jenny Rask for designing the Clever logo.

Keep Listening

Featured

Ep. 219: Federico Negro on Making Tools to Empower and Scale Sustainable Design

Founder and CEO of Canoa, Federico Negro, was born in Uruguay during a time of political turmoil and lived in four countries by age 14. As a teenager in Chicago, he used music as a means of learning English, and during college became fascinated by forensic architecture, which informed his fixation with “how we build with what we build.” An Architect, designer, toolmaker, and entrepreneur, his first company, CASE, was acquired by WeWork. From there he served as the Global Head of Design for Wework during the company’s rapid expansion, and witnessed first-hand the pain points and environmental challenges that could be mitigated with better tools. So in 2019, he founded Canoa, an AI-driven, collaborative software aimed at revolutionizing the interior design and furniture industries by addressing environmental issues and becoming a tool to help us build a better future.

Ep. 218: The Exquisite Love, Magic and Maximalism of Londubh Studio

Custom surface artists Lisa Donohoe and Brynn Gelbard met and fell in love in the queer underbelly scene of San Francisco in 2002, a time before bi-national same-sex marriage was legal. Self-proclaimed party animals, their diverse community was built on love, curiosity and celebrating each other's differences. In an evolution that was equal parts organic maturity and cosmic intervention, Brynn and Lisa moved to Los Angeles and founded Londubh Studio, specializing in elaborate and maximalist hand-applied surface designs. Now the duo, oft considered the design world’s secret weapon, are translating their wildness, love, magic, and the sacred, through exquisite artistry and pristine craft, into visual celebrations that vibrate with love and emanate joy. Turns out these former revelers are still going full-blast on life.

Ep. 217: Design Researcher Amanda Schneider on the Art of Contextualizing the Data

Founder and President of ThinkLab, Amanda Schneider, grew up outside of Chicago, inspired by a blend of engineering and design. Now a self-described “designer by degree, journalist by accident, and researcher by choice” at the helm of ThinkLab, she examines the ecosystem of the design world, unearthing and synthesizing the social and cultural shifts and drivers that impact the interiors industry. Together with her team, she offers insights and context that can empower better decision-making while also bridging the communication gap between creatives and the business sector. A keynote speaker (catch her recent TEDx talk) and the host of the podcast Design Nerds Anonymous, Amanda shares her wisdom on topics like communication strategies, storytelling, and the future of work.

Ep. 216: Clever Extra - Interior Designer Kerrie Kelly on Uniting Beauty and Function

Interior designer and lifestyle expert Kerrie Kelly is known for her distinctive California-inspired design philosophy. She got her start at Ralph Lauren Home and then moved to Del Webb Corporation where she was a boots-on-the-ground high-volume designer of homes, before founding her multi-faceted design studio, Kerrie Kelly Design Lab, in 1995. A graduate of both design and business school, she blends both of these skill sets in her work as an interior designer, trendspotter, and brand partner. She’s driven by a commitment to bringing thoughtful design into everyday life, which for Kerrie means blending beauty with functionality and translating that through a palette of luxurious and organic materiality.

Ep. 215: Kinfolk’s Idris Brewster Uses AR to Empower Collective Memory Building

Artist, creative technologist, and educator, Idris Brewster grew up in Brooklyn, being filmed for a documentary about his education as a black student at a prestigious, primarily white, school. His coming-of-age, only partially caught on camera, included a lot of basketball and hands-on artistic development. A grant awarded in college gave him early access to VR technology which opened a path to combining all of his talents and interests and expressing them through new media. Now, as co-founder and Executive Director of Kinfolk Foundation, he’s harnessing augmented reality, location-based technology, and community to engage in placing digital monuments in public spaces, memory building, and foregrounding the Black, Brown and Queer histories that have been intentionally silenced.

Ep. 5: Rebecca Finell

Keep Listening

Hear every episode with one click.

Resources

Listen

Ep. 5: Rebecca Finell

Keep Listening

Ep. 6: Jonathan Adler

Ep. 4: Brendan Ravenhill

Hear every episode with one click.

Resources

Listen