Max Young and I came to this conversation from the exact same spot. Two senior creatives, a decade-plus in, standing at the same crossroads and asking ourselves the same questions. What kind of work do we actually want to be doing now? What should we be focusing on? And is the path we're on still the right one?

That crossroads can feel isolating. You build something up, get excited about it, and then there's this voice that quietly tries to pull it back down. Turns out Max deals with it too.

We get into self-doubt, the leap from designer to creative strategist, coming up through punk and DIY culture, the pull toward physical objects in a digital world, and the slow work of untangling your identity from your job title.

Max is a designer and art director who spent years in the sports world, most recently at the Seattle Mariners. He runs Love Machine, a gravel cycling project rooted in Vancouver.

Follow Max:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmaxyoung/
Website: https://www.dmaxyoung.com/
Love Machine: https://www.lovemachinecycling.ca/
Love Machine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemachinecycling/

outside is Magic is hosted by Christopher San Agustin.
Produced by Broken and Coastal.
Follow us on Instagram @brokenandcoastal
Help spread the magic. Hit follow, drop a review, or share the episode with someone who gets it. You never know who it might inspire.

Laura Kinman spent 25+ years in the outdoor industry, and she didn't plan to start a brand. Then, in October 2024, she was laid off from Patagonia while flying home from Vietnam. She calls it the day she "won the lottery."

In this episode, Laura traces a winding path. Growing up hunting for sharks' teeth near Myrtle Beach. Meeting her husband on a 1990s bulletin board system talking about 90210. Living the "Rachel from Friends" life as a young buyer in New York. And finally landing a job at Patagonia she felt completely underqualified for, where she "went in a climber and became a surfer."

We talk about imposter syndrome, the quiet grief of a layoff, learning a sport as an adult, and the decision to build Coastal Range Collective: a women's swim and surf brand made for the "other 90 percent," the women still paddling out at 50, 60, 70, not just the elite 1 percent.

Honest, funny, and a little tender. A conversation about second acts and what you do with the time you're given.

outside is Magic is hosted by Christopher San Agustin.
Produced by Broken and Coastal.
Follow us on Instagram @brokenandcoastal
Help spread the magic. Hit follow, drop a review, or share the episode with someone who gets it. You never know who it might inspire.

In this episode of outside Is Magic, I sit down with Braydon Bringhurst, a professional mountain biker, filmmaker, public speaker, father, and the founder of the Hard MTB League. You may know him from his film 8,600 Feet, but this conversation goes well beyond the bike.

This one is about process. About what it actually takes to overcome something hard, and what the bike can teach you when you treat it as more than a sport. We talk about turning pain into action, building self-belief through repetition, and why the way you treat people who can do nothing for you might be the only thing that really matters.

We get into:

- The mindset behind attempting the impossible on a bike
- Why overcoming isn't one massive effort, it's information
- How pole vaulting shaped a hyper-detailed approach to riding
- Building community over competition with the Hard MTB League
- Finding the right people instead of convincing the wrong ones
- Treating everyone the same, regardless of what they can do for you

📬 Join the Coastal Letter
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outside is Magic is hosted by Christopher San Agustin.
Produced by Broken and Coastal.
Follow us on Instagram @brokenandcoastal
Help spread the magic. Hit follow, drop a review, or share the episode with someone who gets it. You never know who it might inspire.

In this episode of outside is Magic, I sit down with my longtime friend Jarrod Allen. We go way back to our BMX days, and over the years our paths have continued to cross through creativity, work, family, and life.

This conversation is about growing up without losing yourself. We talk about authenticity, gratitude, showing up for the people around you, and navigating change while staying true to who you are. It’s honest, reflective, and rooted in lived experience.

We get into:
• Growing up and evolving without letting go of your core values
• Lessons from BMX and DIY culture
• Family, responsibility, and perspective
• Gratitude as a grounding force
• What it means to keep showing up over time

outside is Magic is hosted by Christopher San Agustin.
Produced by Broken and Coastal.
Follow us on Instagram @brokenandcoastal
Help spread the magic. Hit follow, drop a review, or share the episode with someone who gets it. You never know who it might inspire.

In this episode of outside is Magic, I sit down with Kyle von Hoetzendorff — one of the first people I met when I moved to Portland, and someone I’ve respected for years across the outdoors, creative work, and community.

Kyle is a partner at Lucky Day, a storyteller, a cyclist, a traveler, and one of the most thoughtful humans I know. This conversation was a chance to slow down and go deeper — to talk about empathy, identity, leadership, adventure, and what it really means to find common ground with the people around us.

We get into:
• Growing up and the early experiences that shaped him
• Learning empathy and navigating conflict with curiosity
• Transitioning between careers and stepping into ownership
• Riding bikes as a way to explore, connect, and process life
• How to keep your heart open in a world that feels divided
• Why community is the thread that pulls everything together

It’s honest, grounding, and one of my favorite conversations — the kind that stays with you long after it’s over.

outside is Magic is hosted by Christopher San Agustin.
Produced by Broken and Coastal.
Follow us on Instagram @brokenandcoastal
Help spread the magic. Hit follow, drop a review, or share the episode with someone who gets it. You never know who it might inspire.

This episode dives deep into creativity, identity, and how to stay grounded when life keeps changing. Jake shares lessons from Instrument, Google, cycling, fatherhood, and co-founding Apogee Bikes.

EPISODE OVERVIEW
In this conversation, Christopher sits down with Jake — Creative Strategy Lead at Google Brand Studio, early strategist at Instrument, longtime cyclist, and co-founder of Apogee Bikes.

They talk about:
• Finding identity again after becoming a parent
• Staying grounded in a noisy digital world
• Building a strategy career at Instrument and Google
• Learning leadership and protecting people’s time
• Building Apogee Bikes and launching a small brand today
• Community, cycling culture, and what needs to evolve
• Why provenance matters and how brands build meaning
• The emotional weight of losing old versions of yourself
• How to keep showing up creatively even when life gets hard
• The one belief that keeps Jake centered: Assume good intent.
This one is full of wisdom, honesty, and perspective.

ABOUT JAKE
Jake is a Creative Strategy Lead at Google Brand Studio, former Strategy Director at Instrument, cyclist, dad, and co-founder of Apogee Bikes. His work spans brand strategy, product vision, community building, and the intersection of creativity and the outdoors.

Apogee Bikes: https://apogeebikes.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeszy/

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#outsideisMagic #Podcast #CreativeLife #BrandStrategy #GoogleBrandStudio #Instrument #CyclingLife #ApogeeBikes #CreativeProcess #ParenthoodJourney #DesignAndOutdoors #MountainBiking #CreativeCareer

outside is Magic is hosted by Christopher San Agustin.
Produced by Broken and Coastal.
Follow us on Instagram @brokenandcoastal
Help spread the magic. Hit follow, drop a review, or share the episode with someone who gets it. You never know who it might inspire.

In this episode of outside is Magic, I talk with illustrator and designer Brett Stenson about creativity, style, community, and the long, messy path of figuring out who you are as an artist.

We dive into everything from his early days in the Milwaukee BMX scene to discovering design through zines and catalogs, to eventually finding his way to Young Jerks — one of the most trusted studios in branding and illustration today. Brett shares how he builds rules for himself, how he breaks them, how he navigates identity through his work, and why surrounding yourself with the right people can change your life.

We also go deep on collaboration, intuition, pushing past fear, and allowing yourself to explore without losing who you are. And toward the end, the conversation shifts into something more personal — what it means to show up for your community, how the world is changing, and why speaking up matters.

🎧 If you’re a creative who’s ever struggled with style, confidence, or the pressure to stay in one lane, this one is for you.

outside is Magic is hosted by Christopher San Agustin.
Produced by Broken and Coastal.
Follow us on Instagram @brokenandcoastal
Help spread the magic. Hit follow, drop a review, or share the episode with someone who gets it. You never know who it might inspire.

In this episode of outside is Magic, I sit down with Sean, a creative working at Rapha, to explore how architecture, design, and sport all intersect through storytelling and process.

We talk about growing up in Switzerland, the value of reflection, and what it means to create work that feels intentional — work that comes from curiosity, not ego. Sean shares lessons from his time in architecture school at Cornell, transitioning into visual communication, and finding his place at the intersection of creativity and the outdoors.

We dive deep into what makes Rapha’s creative culture unique, the balance between craft and freedom, and how running and trail races have become his way of staying connected to the mountains and himself.

🎧 Listen if you’ve ever wondered how to keep growing, stay inspired, and build a creative life that actually feels like you.

outside is Magic is hosted by Christopher San Agustin.
Produced by Broken and Coastal.
Follow us on Instagram @brokenandcoastal
Help spread the magic. Hit follow, drop a review, or share the episode with someone who gets it. You never know who it might inspire.