Category: Speaker Interviews

Here at WordCamp Northeast Ohio, we are pretty big fans of the Lifehacker series “How I Work”. We asked our speakers to do a WordPress take on that idea, and thus was born “How I WordPress”- a series where some of the best minds in WordPress share a bit about their process with our readers/attendees.

---

Name

Nowell VanHoesen

Location

Dayton, OH

Current Gig

Transitioning out of a full-time PHP dev position into self employment.

 

Current Mobile Device/Why

Samsung S6 Edge – the Galaxy line has served me well

Current Computer/Why

Dell Inspiron 7548 – employee discount

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Chrome, Sublime Text, SourceTree, WinSCP, Slack, Tweetdeck

What’s your workspace setup like?

 

 

What do you listen to while working?

When the voices get too loud, 80’s hair bands, Disturbed, Prince, Nickelback, Creed

What do you do to stay inspired?

See what’s new on knowthecode.io, carlalexander.ca, wordcamp.tv. It also helps to get away from the screens.

What are you currently reading?

javascriptforwp.com

What sort of work are you up to now?

Developing custom plugins and themes, and helping a client transition from Helios calendar to The Events Calendar

What’s your sleep routine like?

9 – 5, though WordCamps seem to disrupt this

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t overthink it, just do it

Here at WordCamp Northeast Ohio, we are pretty big fans of the Lifehacker series “How I Work”. We asked our speakers to do a WordPress take on that idea, and thus was born “How I WordPress”- a series where some of the best minds in WordPress share a bit about their process with our readers/attendees.

---

Name

Stoney deGeyter

Location

Uniontown, Ohio

Current Gig

President, Pole Position Marketing

Career Summary

Started in web marketing in 1998. Surpassed Google in profits in 2010. Published a book, The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period! in 2014. Has a tendency to exaggerate one of those three things.

One word that best describes how you work?

Structured

Current Mobile Device/Why

iPhone. Because Google already controls enough of my life, they can’t have my phone too!

Current Computer/Why

Dell Latitude docked with 4 monitors. Because it gets the job done!

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Gmail, Google Calendars, Google Drive, Google Search (see… Google controls my life!) and Netflix.

What’s your workspace setup like?

Workspace? This is a command center! I have 4 adjustable height monitors to make standing or sitting worskpace. I usually stand. I typically have email on the left, tasks on the right, and everything else in the middle. Like I said, it gets the job done!

What’s your best time/effort-saving life hack?

Re-purposing content. If it was good once, it can be good again… just in a different way.

What’s your favorite to-do list method?

When I get something done, I check it off.

After your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without? Why?

That would be my iPad. That’s where I do all my reading.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?

Productivity. No offense, but I run circles around people at getting crap done.

What do you listen to while working?

My iTunes playlist. I have over 8,000 songs on shuffle. Of course I had to create dozens of playlists just to make the “perfect” playlist that I listen to.

What do you do to stay inspired?

I read about 50 books a year: Novels, political, personal development, business and classics.

What are you currently reading?

The First Hostage by Joel Rosenberg
15 Secrets Time Management by Kevin Kruse
Kingdom, Grace, Judgment, Part 1 by Robert Farrar Capon
Little House on Prairie (yes, that one!)
Hollywood Hypocrites by Jason Mattera

What sort of work are you up to now?

Well, answering these questions, but other than that… I’m always up to no good.

What’s your sleep routine like?

I don’t know, because I’m asleep. I guess I toss and turn a bit, though.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Never take life too seriously.

Any other tidbits you think might interest attendees?

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

Fill in the blank: I’d love to see ????? answer these same questions

All the marvel movies in chronological order in a single weekend.

Here at WordCamp Northeast Ohio, we are pretty big fans of the Lifehacker series “How I Work”. We asked our speakers to do a WordPress take on that idea, and thus was born “How I WordPress”- a series where some of the best minds in WordPress share a bit about their process with our readers/attendees.

---

Name

Kathy Drewien

Location

Atlanta, GA

Current Gig

I talk. And talk. All the time I am talking about WordPress, the Community, learning, and building your business. My team at Kathy Drewien & Company builds websites and keeps your site running smoothly.

I am the lead organizer for WordCamp Atlanta and organize the 5-year old monthly WordPress Hands On Learning Meetup, as well as co-organize the brand new Atlanta WooCommerce Meetup.

Career Summary

Family therapist. Real estate broker. WordPress developer. The common denominator? Sweet tea, cheese, connection, education, inspiration.

One word that best describes how you work?

Connection

Current Mobile Device/Why

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. It’s sleek, powerful, and not an iPhone.

Current Computer/Why

A Dell something or other with one 15″ monitor and a fiber optician connection. A fancy schmancy computer isn’t vital for talking.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Xero, Receipt Bank, banking apps, Square and PayPal card readers, Slack, Dropbox, Evernote, Gmail and all things Google, my phone, Kindle.

 

What’s your best time/effort-saving life hack?

Getting my nails done.

What’s your favorite to-do list method?

Pen and paper by my desk and a orange spiral notebook in my computer bag.

 

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?

Actively listening and connecting with people.

What do you listen to while working?

My spa music playlist.

What do you do to stay inspired?

Talk.

What are you currently reading?

TED Talks: The Official Guide to Public Speaking, The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do, Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan novels.

 

What’s your sleep routine like?

I am a night owl, asleep at 1:00 AM and generally awake naturally with the morning light before my 8:30 AM alarm sounds.

Here at WordCamp Northeast Ohio, we are pretty big fans of the Lifehacker series “How I Work”. We asked our speakers to do a WordPress take on that idea, and thus was born “How I WordPress”- a series where some of the best minds in WordPress share a bit about their process with our readers/attendees.

---

Name

Brad Colbow

Location

Cleveland Area (Mentor to be exact)

Current Gig

Independent UX/UI designer

Career Summary

Lets see. I started out as a web designer, slowly became more of a UX designer and on the side I’ve dabbled in illustration and cartooning.

One word that best describes how you work?

Iteratively

Current Mobile Device/Why

iPhone. *shrug* I like it 🙂

Current Computer/Why 

I have a Macbook for most of my work but I’m also rocking a Surface Pro for most of my illustration work.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

I really like Sketch for interface design.

What’s your workspace setup like?

I have a little office in my house. I connect my laptop to an external monitor (it’s an old Dell 21″). I also have a standing desk off to my side where I can work and watch my crazy neighbor fight with his lawn mower/snow blower depending on the time of year.

What’s your best time/effort-saving life hack?

When I lose focus on a task I physically move to another location in my office or the house and keep working.

 

After your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without? Why?

I’m rather partial to my Logitech M705 mouse. I’m on my 3rd one.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?

I can cook amazing meals over a camp fire. Last summer I made donuts and lasagna on our camping trip. I’m not sure I’m better than everyone else but I’m pretty darn good if I do say so.

What do you listen to while working?

Depends. If I have to think usually nothing. When I have to churn through tasks I’m a big NPR listener and I have an audible subscription so I’m usually listening to history books.

What do you do to stay inspired?

Running/walking. There are so many distractions inside. It’s good to unplug and have time with your own thoughts.

What are you currently reading?

Andrew Jackson by H.W Brands

What sort of work are you up to now?

Working with some local startups and learning a bit about video production.

What’s your sleep routine like?

Pretty standard. I have a daughter so I go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t be afraid to say no.

Here at WordCamp Northeast Ohio, we are pretty big fans of the Lifehacker series “How I Work”. We asked our speakers to do a WordPress take on that idea, and thus was born “How I WordPress”- a series where some of the best minds in WordPress share a bit about their process with our readers/attendees.

---

Name

Eric Meyer

Location

Cleveland Heights, OH

Current Gig

Co-founder, An Event Apart

Career Summary

I started on the web in 1993, became a webmaster in 1994, worked for Netscape 2001-2003, went indie, and co-founded An Event Apart. Along the way, I wrote some CSS books for various publishers, and created a bunch of tools and techniques that got tossed onto the web for anyone to use. The ones I thought would be niche went viral, and the ones I thought could go viral stayed niche. Recently shifting into UX and the philosophy of design, but staying involved in the technical side.

One word that best describes how you work?

Randomly.

Current Mobile Device/Why

iPhone SE. I had an iPhone 4S, and the SE came along just as I needed a new phone (the battery on the 4S was wearing out), and the SE was the right size for me.

Current Computer/Why

2013 MacBook Pro. It just works for me, and being able to drop into the Unix shell or fire up a Windows VM mean I effectively have three platforms on one machine. Yes, despite my awareness of the technical realities, I still consider OS X and Unix as being distinct, mostly because users do.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

MailMate, Terminal, BBEdit, Transmit, all the browsers. Photoshop a close runner-up.

What do you listen to while working?

Usually a playlist of instrumental music, since writing gets disrupted by music with works. If I’m doing something a little more repetitive (like data analysis) or writing code, I mix it up with mood-appropriate playlists. If I’m doing something really basic but lengthy, like translating data from one format to another, NPR podcasts.

What sort of work are you up to now?

I’m part of the team running An Event Apart; writing the fourth edition of “CSS: The Definitive Guide”; creating CSS tests and participating in the discussions about CSS Grid Layout; and writing and thinking about how to promote more a more humane and respectful approach in design.

What’s your sleep routine like?

Sub-optimal.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

It’s worth enduring some temporary discomfort to get to do something remarkable.