About
Human
by Design
The Story So Far
Ryan Roghaar is an American designer, entrepreneur, author, and podcast host whose work rests on one conviction: the human things are the things that last. He started out designing concert posters for friends’ bands and went on to build R2, a brand relationship consultancy he ran for twenty years, fueled by the idea that companies don’t win by selling to people but by earning their trust. Today he leads RŌG Health, helping medtech CEOs judge whether they’re ready for the biggest bets their companies will make. His book, The Lid: The Invisible Barrier Between Here and What’s Next, turns the same attention to individuals. It looks at why capable people stall when their growth outpaces who they believe they are, and how to move anyway.
Since 2017, Ryan has hosted Eggs! The Podcast, nearly 500 long-form conversations with entrepreneurs, artists, executives, and builders. He also writes The Path, a weekly newsletter on creativity and business with more than 11,000 readers, and speaks and advises on the idea those conversations keep proving: creativity belongs to everyone, and it goes furthest in the hands of people willing to act on it.
Principles
People
Almost every good thing I’ve worked on came through a relationship. Trust is still how work finds people, and it’s still built the old way: by showing up and doing what you said you’d do.
Perspective
Everyone is creative. What makes the work yours is your own life: the things you’ve seen, lived, and pieced together. That point of view is the one thing nobody else can copy.
Application
An idea is worth nothing until someone acts on it. Most of the breaks in my life came from doing a little more than anyone expected, before I felt ready to.
