Everyday Better with Leah Smart

The Year for Irrational Hope: Debbie Millman on the 10-Year Plan

Everyday Better with Leah Smart

Show Notes

In the second episode of our January series, The Year for Irrational Hope, Leah Smart sits down with legendary designer, author, educator, and podcast host Debbie Millman to explore the power of the 10-year plan.

Originally taught to Debbie by her mentor Milton Glaser, this visioning exercise is about suspending limiting beliefs and imagining an ideal day ten years from now without worrying about how it will happen. Debbie shares how it shaped her career, creativity, and personal life, and why declaring hope can quietly set real change in motion.

This conversation invites you to think bigger, let go of outdated identities, and make room for who you’re becoming.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also love this one where Leah walks through exactly how you can do this visioning exercise: The 10-Year Plan: A Roadmap to Designing Your Dream Life

Follow Debbie Millman on LinkedIn.

For more from Leah Smart while Everyday Better goes on hiatus, follow her on Substack, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from Everyday Better with Leah Smart

Mar 2, 2026

Since 2019, Everyday Better has released nearly 300 episodes to guide you in creating positive change in how you think, feel and act in the important areas of your life: at home, at work, in relationships and beyond. LinkedIn's Senior Editor in self-improvement and certified coach, Leah Smart has explored how to make your life better through expert conversations and research-backed strategies, every week. Now, the show is pressing pause on new episodes of Everyday Better, while Leah refocuses her time on her growing family.

Feb 3, 2026

In this special curated episode, you’ll hear the most impactful conversations from eight years of Everyday Better. If you’re looking for a practical starting point for personal growth, this episode is your starter kit.

Jan 27, 2026

In the final episode of our January series, The Year for Irrational Hope, Leah Smart sits down with bestselling author and mindfulness teacher Dan Harris for a practical conversation about how to work with your mind when everything feels overwhelming.

Jan 20, 2026

In the third episode of our January series, The Year for Irrational Hope, Leah Smart sits down with spiritual teacher and bestselling author Gabby Bernstein for a conversation about fear, faith, and why changing your mindset and the energy you bring to the world is how to real change. From navigating uncertainty with irrational hope to making small daily choices that shift your energy, this episode offers a practical path to creating a life that feels aligned, meaningful, and resilient, even when the world feels anything but.

Jan 6, 2026

In the first episode of our January series, The Year for Irrational Hope, Leah Smart sits down with bestselling author Bruce Feiler about lifequakes – the major transitions that upend our lives, whether we choose them or not. From career changes and relationships to loss, parenthood, and global uncertainty, Bruce explains why expecting a linear life creates so much stress, and why most of us are actually in transition far more often than we realize.

See all episodes →