• 36 minutes 46 seconds
    101: Leaders don't need more data, they need interpretation — Featuring Morgan Depenbusch

    Do you think your job is just to present the data? In this episode, we talk about why reporting numbers isn't enough and why your interpretation, context, and framing matter when communicating with leaders. Our guest, Morgan Depenbusch, is a data storytelling and data visualization expert who studies how insights influence people and decisions. Let's get to the show!

    Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/101

    17 March 2026, 4:26 pm
  • 30 minutes 15 seconds
    100!!! Pick your dataviz aggregation by asking: What's the decision? — Featuring Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic & Mike Cisneros

    When it comes to aggregating your data in your charts, it's hard to know what's overkill and what your reader actually needs. Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic and Mike Cisneros have an interesting approach where they want you to start with thinking about your audience and what decisions they need to make based on the chart, and anchor yourself there first. Then the design decisions become easier after that. It's a really practical chat, so I hope you enjoy it. Let's get to the show!

    Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/100

    18 December 2025, 4:06 pm
  • 21 minutes 54 seconds
    99: You Can Make Better BANs! — Featuring Steve Wexler

    Have you ever thrown a giant number at the top of your dashboard and hoped it did… something? Steve Wexler (yes, the guy who coined the term BAN, or Big Ass Number) joins me to teach you how to turn those big numbers into meaningful, context-rich moments that will make your user celebrate or panic (in a useful way!).

    Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/99

    20 November 2025, 9:25 pm
  • 31 minutes 9 seconds
    98: How to Hold Your Own in Stakeholder Discussions (even as a novice) — Featuring Bill Shander

    In this episode, I'm joined by Bill Shander to talk about how to hold your own in stakeholder discussions in dataviz projects, even if you're just starting out. He shares practical techniques from his new book Stakeholder Whispering, including how to build credibility, ask better questions, and stay grounded when opinions fly.

    If you've ever felt overwhelmed in a stakeholder meeting, this one's for you. Let's go!

    Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/98

    30 September 2025, 8:00 am
  • 37 minutes 38 seconds
    97: How to Land Your First Data Job with the SPN Method — Featuring Avery Smith

    In this episode, I'm joined by Avery Smith to talk about how to actually land a data job right now without getting ghosted by resume bots. He shares his SPN method: Skills, Portfolio, Networking. We get into how to build just enough skills, why personal projects matter way more than you think, and how to reach out without being weird. If you're job hunting (or might be soon), this one's for you.

    Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/97

    22 September 2025, 4:54 pm
  • 52 minutes 54 seconds
    96: NEXT QUESTION: A New Game to Hone Your Data Storytelling Expertise — Featuring Kat Greenbrook

    In this episode, I'm trying out a brand-new game called Next Question to help you sharpen your data storytelling skills by exploring the kinds of clarifying questions experts ask when facing challenges. I'm joined by Kat Greenbrook, author of The Data Storyteller's Handbook, and together we tackle real-world scenarios and share what questions we'd ask to steer data storytelling projects in the right direction.

    Show notes

    Grab a copy of my book Chart Spark

    3 December 2024, 7:00 am
  • 20 minutes 1 second
    95: You Need to Try Something New to Be Someone New

    In this episode, I share the introduction of my book, Chart Spark, to inspire you to take the first steps towards a more fulfilling career, whether you're trying to transition into dataviz or integrate more creativity into your work.

    I'll redefine what creativity means, share why you need it in your dataviz work, show you how to cultivate a powerful creative practice, and finally, I share my personal story of having a fractured career at age 30 and turning it all around — including what everyone's calling the oh-so-relatable "trash can story".

    29 May 2024, 1:32 pm
  • 46 minutes 36 seconds
    94: How to Give More Confident Data Presentations (even if you're an introvert) — Featuring Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

    There's no way around it: If you can speak confidently about your dataviz work to other people, you'll make a bigger impact. But you're shy, nervous, an introvert, and not a natural speaker! That's ok. You CAN learn this skill. Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, a data storytelling expert, best-selling author, and CEO of Storytelling with Data, joins us today to share how to identify and fix those pesky presentation nerves so you can finally have the impact you want.

    Let's go!

    Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/94

    Cole's best-selling books including Storytelling with You: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/books

    My book Chart Spark: https://www.chartsparkbook.com

    18 April 2024, 5:00 am
  • 34 minutes 7 seconds
    93: How to Leverage Sports Analytics for a Standout Dataviz Portfolio — Featuring Shri Khalpada

    Are you looking for ways to make your work stand out in a crowded industry, like sports? Or maybe looking for a topic with pretty clean data to create a portfolio project? In today's episode, we're chatting with Shri Khalpada, a D.C. area creative coder and Principal Software Engineer at Cleaning the Glass, which is an NBA analytics website founded by Ben Faulk that's available to the public and also has more robust tools for NBA teams. Shri shares how he increased his chances of landing a coveted sports analytics job, and a few lessons he's learned working with sports data that can be applied to any dataviz job.

    Let's go!

    Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/93

    Grab my book Chart Spark, which has NINE prompts to help you be more innovative in your data communication: https://www.chartsparkbook.com

    If you think the book deserves a review, I'd be so grateful if you shared your favorite part in an Amazon or Goodreads review 🙏🙏🙏

    Sponsor: Data Elixir newsletter! https://dataelixir.com

    29 March 2024, 7:45 pm
  • 1 hour 15 seconds
    BONUS: Insider Tips for Publishing Your First Dataviz Book

    Are you ready to write a book? Or maybe see it in your future down the road? Well, I spent hours and hours researching the book publishing process, spoke with tons of authors about their experience, and then lived through it myself.

    I want to save you some time and share what I learned. Recently I shared all about the process with the Elevate Dataviz Learning Community that I co-founded and I'm sharing that conversation here today…

    In this episode, I share what's included in a book proposal, how advances and royalties work, what was harder and easier than expected, and much more!!

    Grab my new book Chart Spark (available in paperback, kindle, PDF, or audioboook): https://www.chartsparkbook.com

    Hop on our sponsor Data Elixir's awesome newsletter: https://dataelixir.com

    28 February 2024, 9:50 pm
  • 22 minutes 34 seconds
    92: How to Navigate a Dataviz Career in Mozambique — Featuring Charama Sulemane

    Have you ever felt like you made a big career mistake? Like you completely chose the wrong college major or took the wrong job. Well, today we're chatting with Charama Sulemane, a data analyst at the United Nations Office for Project Services. But only a few years ago, he was a fresh graduate in Mozambique and found out that no one was hiring for data science jobs in his area. He was questioning his decision to get into this field. But not ready to give up, Charama made a few smart moves that landed him his first job in dataviz.

    Let's go!

    Sponsor: Subscribe to the Data Elixir newsletter!

    Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/92

    My book Chart Spark: https://www.chartsparkbook.com

    30 January 2024, 6:00 am
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