Bear Academy

Bear Academy is a series of candid conversations with founders, designers, and builders about the decisions behind what actually ships.

Bear Academy is a arts podcast hosted by Bear Liu, with 56 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Bear Liu hosts Bear Academy, a arts show with 56 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #55

  #55 The Golden Cage: Former Xero Design Director Lee Young on Leaving Tech for Art Therapy

  Jun 14, 202658 minS0

  <p>Bear Academy Season 4. Lee Young spent nearly 20 years as a designer, most recently as Product Design Director at Xero in Auckland, where he and Bear were colleagues. Then he left, retrained, and became a creative arts therapist.</p><p><br></p><p>He now works at two ends of life: neurodivergent children at Rainbow House, and hospice patients nearing the end at Dove Hospice, while running his own private therapy practice.</p><p><br></p><p>In this conversation we discuss why his 20-year detour through web design, e-commerce, product design, and design leadership was not wasted but necessary...

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  Episode #56

  #56 He Handed In His Notice at 9:50pm: Xinran Ma on Side Hustles, Privilege, and the Safety Net You Build Before You Leave

  Jun 14, 202654 minS0

  <p>Most designers spend their careers shipping other people's products. Xinran Ma decided to build one of his own. He trained as an architect at Columbia, moved into product design, and spent four years in a stable remote role at Redfin before walking away to run Design with AI full time. The newsletter now reaches more than 40,000 designers, alongside a Maven course and three books.</p><p><br></p><p>This conversation is about the thinking behind that move. Xinran talks about the exact night he resigned, the moment his wife showed him a finance app where his side income...

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  Bear Academy

  #54 Felix Lee(ADPList): Free Is Expensive

  Jun 7, 20261h 1mS0

  <p>Felix Lee from ADPList on vibe coding, why 30% of Figma might disappear, and how founders become translators between design and business.</p>

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  Bear Academy

  #53 Luca Richards(Scarlo): Why Selling Design Keeps Designers Stuck

  Jun 6, 20261h 3mS0

  <p>Luca runs Skarlo, a London-based product studio now taking equity in YC and Antler companies. We unpack how he went from selling $1,000 websites to sharing cap tables with venture-backed startups, and why the game has shifted from "why design" to "why you."</p>

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  Episode #52

  #52 Artificial Intelligence Glossary

  Nov 7, 202410 minS2

  <p>This episode unpacks essential AI terms using insights from the AI-powered NotebookLM, designed to make understanding artificial intelligence accessible for everyone. With trusted insights from the Nielsen Norman Group, we clarify complex terms like algorithms, machine learning, and deep learning. Whether you’re on the go or taking a break, tune in to explore AI jargon in an easy-to-follow, conversational format. Ideal for design and tech enthusiasts looking to deepen their knowledge of AI concepts!</p><p>Source: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/artificial-intelligence-glossary/</p>

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