Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I sat down with designer and entrepreneur Matthew Matsuzaki — better known online as Whale — fully expecting to talk about design.
We barely did. 😅
Instead, we ended up having one of the most personal conversations I've had on the podcast.
Matthew opens up about neurodivergence, ADHD and OCD, learning how his brain works, nearly 10 years of sobriety, meditation, parenting, relationships, vulnerability, recovery and the process of tearing down what you thought you knew about yourself.
Eventually, we even talk a little design — including how those experiences influence Matthew's work as Head of Brand at Ghost, the origins of his career, and why he's building Wimp Decaf as an intentionally different kind of business.
This one went absolutely nowhere I expected it to go — and I'm really glad it did.
0:00 We Were Supposed to Talk About Design
0:51 Learning Japanese With a Neurodivergent Brain
5:00 ADHD, OCD & the Thoughts That Won't Turn Off
6:50 Nearly 10 Years Sober
7:29 Rebuilding Everything You Thought You Knew
15:51 "I've Already Been on This Podcast 115 Times"
17:06 Why Adversity Matters
21:57 Meditation, Morality & Finding Your Own Compass
29:37 Five Weeks in Japan
36:04 The Importance of Having Range
40:05 Where Matthew's Creative Career Really Started
46:16 Why Ghost Fits His Values
52:42 Building Whimp Decaf
55:41 Doing Business Like an Outsider
60:06 Why Does Everything Have to "Destroy" Everything Else?
67:07 Living With a Brain That Never Stops
68:31 What a Silent Retreat Actually Feels Like
72:06 The Simple "M" Meditation Habit
75:00 Therapy & Talking About Mental Health
82:04 Why Men Struggle to Talk About Emotions
88:49 Being Open About Recovery
91:43 What Male Vulnerability Actually Looks Like
94:02 Advice for Someone Struggling With Addiction
98:25 Where to Find Matthew
I sat down with designer and entrepreneur Matthew Matsuzaki — better known online as Whale — fully expecting to talk about design.
We barely did. 😅
Instead, we ended up having one of the most personal conversations I've had on the podcast.
Matthew opens up about neurodivergence, ADHD and OCD, learning how his brain works, nearly 10 years of sobriety, meditation, parenting, relationships, vulnerability, recovery and the process of tearing down what you thought you knew about yourself.
Eventually, we even talk a little design — including how those experiences influence Matthew's work as Head of Brand at Ghost, the origins of his career, and why he's building Wimp Decaf as an intentionally different kind of business.
This one went absolutely nowhere I expected it to go — and I'm really glad it did.
0:00 We Were Supposed to Talk About Design
0:51 Learning Japanese With a Neurodivergent Brain
5:00 ADHD, OCD & the Thoughts That Won't Turn Off
6:50 Nearly 10 Years Sober
7:29 Rebuilding Everything You Thought You Knew
15:51 "I've Already Been on This Podcast 115 Times"
17:06 Why Adversity Matters
21:57 Meditation, Morality & Finding Your Own Compass
29:37 Five Weeks in Japan
36:04 The Importance of Having Range
40:05 Where Matthew's Creative Career Really Started
46:16 Why Ghost Fits His Values
52:42 Building Whimp Decaf
55:41 Doing Business Like an Outsider
60:06 Why Does Everything Have to "Destroy" Everything Else?
67:07 Living With a Brain That Never Stops
68:31 What a Silent Retreat Actually Feels Like
72:06 The Simple "M" Meditation Habit
75:00 Therapy & Talking About Mental Health
82:04 Why Men Struggle to Talk About Emotions
88:49 Being Open About Recovery
91:43 What Male Vulnerability Actually Looks Like
94:02 Advice for Someone Struggling With Addiction
98:25 Where to Find Matthew
