Some people walk a straight line into design. Teresa Ferreira dug her way in, through archaeology. She was born in Lisbon, spent part of her childhood in Macau, has lived in London for nineteen years, ran design at the Financial Times, and now runs her own studio, Ferrgood. When I said she felt like the whole world in one person, I wasn't exaggerating.

What I didn't expect was how much of this conversation would be about slowing down and letting go. Teresa was talked out of art as a kid, found her way back through archaeological illustration, burned out twice, and eventually learned to release the idea of a perfect day that had been quietly setting her up to fail every single evening.

In this episode:

• Growing up between Lisbon, Macau and London
• Being talked out of art, and finding design through archaeology
• From museum graphics to head of design at the Financial Times
• Building brands that last, and why she thinks in centuries
• Leaving the safety of a big brand, and the self-doubt that came with it
• Burning out twice, and what finally made her leave
• The "perfect day" she chased that set her up to fail
• Choosing a slower life, and getting good at saying no
• The one drawing she'd keep if she had to delete everything else

Timestamps: 00:00 Meeting Teresa Ferreira 01:25 Growing up between Lisbon, Macau and London 04:04 The unlikely path from archaeology to design 10:35 Moving into graphic design and the Financial Times 13:00 Building brands that last 16:50 Self-doubt, and leaving the safety of big brands 19:28 Burning out, twice 25:03 The perfect balanced day 29:48 Letting go of perfectionism 33:43 Choosing a slower life 40:24 Journaling and daily practice 46:13 The drawing she'd keep, and advice to young Teresa

Find Teresa here:

• Website: https://www.ferrgoodstudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teresaferrgoodstudio/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferreirateresa/

Find me here:

• Website: https://captnoffscript.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captnoffscript

This week's Friday bonus: Teresa and I go deep on imposter syndrome, why it never goes away, how to catch it by asking "whose voice is that?", and why the numbers have nothing to do with your worth. It goes to newsletter subscribers first, a week before it's public. Subscribe at https://captn.myflodesk.com/newsletter.

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If you liked this episode, listen to: Kristof Devos (S02/E31) — another conversation about slowing down, resisting the hustle, and building a calmer creative life.