Two of the biggest issues facing the textile industry are the wave of upcoming retirements and the need for next-generation education. Young professionals and students sit at this important intersection, and Lori and Dan wanted to talk with a student who plans to blend textile expertise in with his dental career ambitions. North Carolina State University Wilson College of Textiles undergraduate Bryson Proctor joins the Textile Nerd Podcast to discuss his journey.

We adore natural fiber fabrics for their imperfect perfection. The factors that get them from field to finished product are numerous. Lori and Dan wanted to hear more, so they brought TVF Apparel & Home Décor Program Director Brian Vieweg on to the Textile Nerd Podcast to give us a taste of what he's learned about cottons, lines, and more in his over 30-year career that includes dyeing, finishing, product development, and executive leadership experience.

There's more at stake for textile designers, makers, and manufacturers to execute the right fit than meets the eye. So much is on the line, an experienced and innovative pattern maven, Julia Watts of PatternRoom.com, has developed an entire business around perfecting the fit and helping others nail it the first time. Lori and Dan discuss the often overlooked world of pattern making on this edition of the Textile Nerd Podcast.

The spectre of so-called "forever chemicals," or PFAS, looms over a significant portion of the textile industry. Lori and Dan will take a closer look with our colleague, TVF Global Trade & Logistics Manager Laura Martin, who joins us for an overview of some challenges and considerations for everyone from mills to manufacturers.

Rachal McCarthy is a new-age leader in an old-school industry. On this edition of the Textile Nerd Podcast, the second-generation president of NTI Global in New York talks with Lori and Dan about the key place communications play in leadership in a world where the lines between on-site vs. off-site, high-tech vs. low-tech, and confidence vs. training are increasingly blurry.

Guest after guest on the Textile Nerd Podcast brings up sustainability as a primary industry concern and opportunity. It's such a pervasive topic of discussion, Lori and Dan captured three expert perspectives on this vast subject: pediatric hand surgeon and medical sustainability scholar Dr. Holly Morris, Gaston College Textile Technology Center Executive Director Jasmine Cox, and PatternRoom.com founder and CEO Julia Watts.

Let's face it, the textile printing process can be pretty bland. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, the cofounder of an innovative print studio believes more creativity could be injected into every facet of textile printing. Lori and Dan welcome back Western Sensibility CEO Kathryn Sanders to explore why and how creativity can be baked in every step of the way to elevate projects.

Access is everything for print media professionals. Third-generation textile printer Kathryn Sanders, founder and CEO of print studio Western Sensibility, hips us to a philosophy she calls the "Democratization of Design." This concept, as Lori and Dan find out, involves access by creatives to printers and technology to move thier designs from drawing board to substrate.