PODCAST · arts
LytePod
by Lytei
Diving into the honest, creative, challenging, and fun human part of how design really happens - all with a little love for light along the way. Featuring creative minds who walk into their own story - from designers to manufacturers, innovators, and professors - unpack their vision, ideas, accomplishments, and habits that make it happen!
Episodes
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Why Some Rooms Just Feel Good — A Top Interior Designer on Lighting’s Secret Power | Sarah Kuchar
What happens when a top interior designer who's spent a decade crafting unforgettable spaces reveals why lighting isn't just another layer in the design—it's the secret weapon that makes or breaks whether a room feels right? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Sarah…
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Why Billionaires Hire a Lighting Designer as Insurance | Pete Romaniello, IALD [4K]
What happens when a lighting designer who's lit more than 2,000 homes explains why billionaires hire him as insurance—and why the most powerful design tool isn't complexity or technology, but simplicity, trust, and the courage to make people feel comfortable in spaces worth tens of millions of...
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Award-Winning Photographer: The 1 Hour That Decides How Your Project Is Remembered
What happens when an architectural photographer who's spent years translating design into visual stories sits down and reveals why the material you picked, the light you specified, and the space you created might never look right in a photograph—unless you understand the difference between taking…
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Why You Wake Up Randomly - The Problem Starts at 8 PM | Fix it for: $0
What happens when two lighting scientists who've spent decades studying how light impacts human health sit down and reveal why the lighting industry has all the science it needs to make a difference—but still isn't asking the right questions? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down...
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How a Home's Lighting Goes Up 10x — $5 Million Later | Luxury Living | Jim Sanfemio | Sarasota, FL
What happens when an integrator who's spent 30 years building luxury smart homes sits down and reveals why lighting—not AV, not home theater, not even video walls—has completely grasped his company, and why a lighting package that started at a few hundred thousand dollars ended up over $5 million...
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A PhD Decodes a Design Frustration - Why the Material You Pick Never Looks Right — It's Lighting
What happens when a PhD who studies color science sits down and reveals why the material you picked never looks right once it's installed—and why the answer has nothing to do with the material and everything to do with the light? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Tony...
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What Makes a Designer Actually Worth Paying For - Michele Rossi (Milan), Travis Dickey (Los Angeles)
What happens when an Italian architect and a Los Angeles lighting designer sit down in Frankfurt and reveal why the best design doesn't come from specialization—it comes from understanding culture, trust, and the courage to say no when you're not the right fit? In this episode of LytePOD, host…
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What Nobody Tells You About Hospitals — Light Matters More Than You Think | Ryan Conover
What happens when a healthcare lighting designer who's spent years navigating the most complex, code-heavy, human-centered design challenges sits down and reveals why the lighting industry still doesn't understand what hospitals really need—and why light matters more than anyone thinks? In this...
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The Man Who Lit Chicago's Riverwalk on Leading With Heart, Not Ego | Giulio Pedota
What happens when a lighting designer who lit one of Chicago's most iconic public spaces sits down and reveals why the most powerful design tool isn't technology or talent—it's leading with heart, not ego? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Giulio Pedota, the lighting...
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The Architect turned Lighting Designer's trap (And What Came Next) - Golsana Heshmati
What happens when a lighting designer who's built her life around betting on herself sits down and reveals why everything she once believed about success was completely wrong—and what came next changed everything? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Golsana Heshmati…
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Why This Lighting Designer Is Giving Away All His Secrets — So Anyone Can Light a Home Like a Pro
What happens when a lighting designer who's built a thriving practice around education sits down and reveals why he's giving away all his secrets—and why that terrifying decision might be the only way to change an industry that's been failing homeowners for decades? In this episode of LytePOD…
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What Design Gets Wrong About $$$ -After 40 Years- Charles Stone, Past President, IALD - FMS Founder
What happens when a lighting designer with four decades of experience sits down and reveals the uncomfortable truth about what creative professionals get wrong about money—and why that misunderstanding quietly undermines everything else they're trying to build? In this episode of LytePOD, host…
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The Shift That's Making Lighting a Real Business: Where Manufacturers team up with integrators...
What happens when custom integrators stop dabbling in lighting and start building entire divisions around it—and why is this the fastest-growing category in luxury residential technology today? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Rob Doherty Listen now to discover why...
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Designers vs. Manufacturers: What Happens After the Spec Leaves the Desk - from Italy to Dubai
What happens when two lighting designers and two manufacturers sit down in the same room and get brutally honest about spec swaps, value engineering, custom details, and what really breaks when a project goes sideways on site? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel brings together voices…
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The World's Largest Women-Owned Lighting Design Firm, Built on Empathy & Cluture - Teal Brogden HLB
What does it take to build a career shaped by deep listening, quiet confidence, and the courage to lead without losing yourself in the process? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Teal Brogden, co-leader of HLB Lighting Design, one of the world's most influential...
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The Business of Building Culture & Scaling a Design Firm 10x — Carrie Hawley & Teal Brogden, HLB
What does it take to build a culture that outlives the people who shaped it? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Carrie Hawley and Teal Brogden, co-leaders of HLB Lighting Design — one of the world's most influential architectural lighting design firms — to unpack the...
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Luxury Living: Lighting Industry's Decades-Long Failure & Who's Reshaping + Fixing It - Tom Doherty
Tom Doherty has spent 40 years in consumer electronics and two decades arguing for one quietly subversive idea: that the lighting industry has spent decades failing homeowners — and the custom integration channel is finally the one fixing it. He's the Director of New Technology Initiatives at…
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AI vs. 200 humans - Better or worse Lighting Design? Controversy? Emad Hasan + Ketryna Fares
The IALD Enlighten America's conference filled up the keynote hall - 200+ lighting designers were on edge, as soon as the conversation was over, we recorded this podcast. Sam Koerbel sits down with Emad and Ketty, two lighting designers navigating the seismic shift that artificial intelligence is...
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Designing Billionaires' Homes: What Ultra Wealthy Expect | Aspen, CO - Sarah Broughton
What happens when you sit down with an architect who's spent decades designing the custom homes of billionaires in one of the world's most demanding environments—and ask her what it really takes to turn a house into a legacy? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Aspen…
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Desinging for VIP's - Rules for Hospitality, Interiors & Lighting - Edith Ponciano
What happens when you sit down with an interior designer who's spent years shaping the energy of some of the country's most ambitious sports venues—and ask her how light transforms hospitality into emotion? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego to...
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Top Luxury Stadium Designer's Rules for Hospitality, Interiors & Lighting - Edith Ponciano
What happens when you sit down with an interior designer who's spent years shaping the energy of some of the country's most ambitious sports venues—and ask her how light transforms hospitality into emotion? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego to...
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AI Specialist in Lighting Design, Save 90% of your time, Fast Renderings, Agent dev - Faraz Izhar
What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's saving 90% of his time using AI—and ask him to show you exactly how he does it? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with Faraz Izhar, a lighting designer who has transformed his entire workflow…
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AI Specialist in Lighting Design, Save 90% of your time, Fast Renderings, Agent dev - Faraz Izhar
What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's saving 90% of his time using AI—and ask him to show you exactly how he does it? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with Faraz Izhar, a lighting designer who has transformed his entire workflow…
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Worlds Biggest Lighting Design Firm: Building Dubai, People are Purpose, Start with Why - Paul Nulty
What happens when you sit down with someone who's built one of the world's most successful lighting design practices—and ask him what it really takes to turn creativity into a sustainable business without losing the soul of the work? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with…
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Worlds Biggest Lighting Design Firm: Building Dubai, People are Purpose, Start with Why - Paul Nulty
What happens when you sit down with someone who's built one of the world's most successful lighting design practices—and ask him what it really takes to turn creativity into a sustainable business without losing the soul of the work? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with…
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40 years as CEO: Evolving Design Firm Ownership - Chip Israel + Kelly Jones
In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Chip Israel and Kelly Jones, co-CEOs of Lighting Design Alliance (LDA), to unpack the philosophy, process, and people-first culture that transformed a small firm into one of the industry's most respected design teams—and what happened…
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40 years as CEO: Evolving Design Firm Ownership - Chip Israel + Kelly Jones
In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Chip Israel and Kelly Jones, co-CEOs of Lighting Design Alliance (LDA), to unpack the philosophy, process, and people-first culture that transformed a small firm into one of the industry's most respected design teams—and what happened…
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Designing Seven Star Luxury Hotels, Dubai, Singapore, Saudi Arabia - Paul Miles
What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's spent decades crafting immersive luxury experiences across the Middle East—and ask him what it really takes to turn a journey into an emotion? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with Paul Miles, a...
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Designing Seven Star Luxury Hotels, Dubai, Singapore, Saudi Arabia - Paul Miles
What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's spent decades crafting immersive luxury experiences across the Middle East—and ask him what it really takes to turn a journey into an emotion? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with Paul Miles, a...
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Culture vs. Trends - Siddharth Mathur
What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's spent two decades navigating one of the world's most dynamic, culturally complex markets—and ask him how culture, design, and architecture really intersect? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with...
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Culture vs. Trends - Siddharth Mathur
What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's spent two decades navigating one of the world's most dynamic, culturally complex markets—and ask him how culture, design, and architecture really intersect? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with...
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Lighting's Broken System - Geoff Marlow
What happens when someone who's spent decades inside the lighting industry's machinery gets straight to it? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Geoff Marlow, a veteran consultant and industry strategist who has witnessed firsthand the seismic shifts reshaping architectural...
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Lighting's Broken System - Geoff Marlow
What happens when someone who's spent decades inside the lighting industry's machinery gets straight to it? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Geoff Marlow, a veteran consultant and industry strategist who has witnessed firsthand the seismic shifts reshaping architectural...
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Inside Luminaire Design: Step 1 + 2 - Gary Trott (Acuity), Tom Howe (Kelvix)
What happens when you pull back the curtain on how architectural lighting actually gets made—from whiteboard sketch to installation—and discover the hidden complexity, creative tension, and human ingenuity behind every luminaire? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with two...
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Inside Luminaire Design: Step 1 + 2 - Gary Trott (Acuity), Tom Howe (Kelvix)
What happens when you pull back the curtain on how architectural lighting actually gets made—from whiteboard sketch to installation—and discover the hidden complexity, creative tension, and human ingenuity behind every luminaire? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with two...
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What's Changed, What Hasn't: Design in 2026 - Bruce Taylor, Nathalie Faubert, Martin Van Koolbergen
What happens when three of New York City's most accomplished lighting designers sit down to talk about the state of their profession, with the Empire State Building and JP Morgan Tower framed in the window behind them? In this special episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel brings together a...
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What's Changed, What Hasn't: Design in 2026 - Bruce Taylor, Nathalie Faubert, Martin Van Koolbergen
What happens when three of New York City's most accomplished lighting designers sit down to talk about the state of their profession, with the Empire State Building and JP Morgan Tower framed in the window behind them? In this special episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel brings together a...
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Luxury Living: Why Most Homes Get Lighting Wrong - Richard Millson
What happens when the people who control your home's technology realize most homes are getting lighting fundamentally wrong? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Richard Millson, a master integrator with nearly 30 years of experience creating seamless smart home experiences...
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Luxury Living: Why Most Homes Get Lighting Wrong - Richard Millson
What happens when the people who control your home's technology realize most homes are getting lighting fundamentally wrong? In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Richard Millson, a master integrator with nearly 30 years of experience creating seamless smart home experiences...
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What Developers Really Want (Not Lower Prices) - Jamil Lacourt | L&L Holding Company [IMMERSIVE]
What do billion-dollar developers really think about design — and where does lighting fit in? In this episode, LytePOD host Sam Koerbel sits down with the COO of a luxury real-estate developer in New York City responsible for billions of dollars in projects. Together they unpack the owner’s...
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What Developers Really Want (Not Lower Prices) - Jamil Lacourt | L&L Holding Company [IMMERSIVE]
What do billion-dollar developers really think about design — and where does lighting fit in? In this episode, LytePOD host Sam Koerbel sits down with the COO of a luxury real-estate developer in New York City responsible for billions of dollars in projects. Together they unpack the owner’s...
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Luxury Living: Designing Lighting That Sells Itself - Pete Romaniello
In this episode of the LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with master lighting designer and educator Pete Romaniello live at Lightapalooza, the premier event for custom home integrators learning to adopt lighting as a new design category. With over 30 years of experience, Pete breaks down the...
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Luxury Living: Designing Lighting That Sells Itself - Pete Romaniello
In this episode of the LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with master lighting designer and educator Pete Romaniello live at Lightapalooza, the premier event for custom home integrators learning to adopt lighting as a new design category. With over 30 years of experience, Pete breaks down the...
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Details + Design's Identity Crisis - Dan Weissman, Srushti Totadri
Do details still serve design, or have they taken over? In this episode, Dan and Srushti of Lam Partners trace the history of lighting details — from Versailles to tape lights — and reveal how we arrived at today’s identity crisis in design. They cover: Why don’t more products mean better work…
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Luxury Living: A Designers Playbook for Integrators - Garrett Neal
What makes a space feel truly luxurious? It’s not more fixtures or bigger budgets — it’s intentional lighting design. In this episode of the LytePOD, host Sam sits down with Garrett Neal of NEAL Lighting to unpack why good lighting doesn’t have to be expensive, how to plan with furniture and...
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Lighting's Next Big Problem - Andrea Wilkerson + Rachel Fitzgerald
LEDs were supposed to last forever. But what happens when they don’t? Host Sam Koerbel talks with Rachel Fitzgerald (Stantec) and Andrea Wilkerson (PNNL) about a growing crisis: the lack of replaceable components in LED systems. From failing fixtures in schools and offices to flickering tubular...
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Luxury Living: The State of Lighting + AV Dealers - Trent Mulligan
Lighting is the biggest opportunity most integrators aren’t taking full advantage of. In this episode, Trent Mulligan shares how reps and dealers can unlock real revenue, why luxury homes are often underlit, and why education and early involvement are the keys to making lighting work. 🎧 Listen…
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Luxury Living: Lighting's Ultimate Business Frontier - Alex Lelchuk, Brian Anderson, Rocky Settecasi
Lighting is the fastest-growing frontier in home tech—and Brian Anderson, Rocky Settacassi, and Alex Lelch share exactly how they’re making it pay off. From building immersive showrooms to mastering LED challenges and collaborating with designers, this episode is packed with insights for...
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The Truth About Lighting Pricing - Justin Streeb
The hardest part of buying lighting isn’t the check - it's making sure you get what you ordered. In one of the most eye-opening conversations we’ve had, Justin Streeb, Co-Founder and CSO of 1 LUX, breaks down the behind-the-scenes chaos of actually buying lights. With over 20 years in the…
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AI Changes Design - Paul Boken
AI is changing design—not by replacing creativity, but by clearing space for it. In this episode, we explore how designers can use AI to save time, improve documentation, and focus more on what matters: ideas. From writing proposals to generating marketing assets, we talk through the real ways AI...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Diving into the honest, creative, challenging, and fun human part of how design really happens - all with a little love for light along the way. Featuring creative minds who walk into their own story - from designers to manufacturers, innovators, and professors - unpack their vision, ideas, accomplishments, and habits that make it happen!
HOSTED BY
Lytei
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does LytePod have?
LytePod currently has 137 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is LytePod about?
Diving into the honest, creative, challenging, and fun human part of how design really happens - all with a little love for light along the way. Featuring creative minds who walk into their own story - from designers to manufacturers, innovators, and professors - unpack their vision, ideas,...
How often does LytePod release new episodes?
LytePod publishes regularly with 137 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to LytePod?
You can listen to LytePod on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts LytePod?
LytePod is created and hosted by Lytei.
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