I’m a bestselling nonfiction writer and multi-disciplinary creative. I made a Webby-winning website about pussies called Pussypedia. I mostly write at the science-culture axis. My projects span from official emojis for Mexico City to a data narrative about drones. I also work as a copywriter and strategist for clients like Airbnb, Meta, Apple, Pinterest, and PepsiCo.
I love to make clear, compelling narratives out of complex topics like the Federal Reserve or bridge engineering or the vaginal microbiome. I bring analytical rigor and a bold, accessible human voice to every project. My work bridges information and emotion.
I frequently tell people that I am working on developing a martial arts curriculum for dogs. What I actually do:
Strategy (brand/social/content)
Writing (copy/nonfiction)
Research (market/consumer/journalistic)
Clients
I've helped clients like Airbnb, FREE THE WORK, DoorDash, RollingStone.com, the Mexico City Government's Laboratorio para la Ciudad, the Art Institute of Chicago, the AARP / Association of Young Americans, Spherical Studio, and many others organize, package, and present information.
I've worked with many agencies as a creative director, strategist, and copywriter. I've also conducted consumer and market research, jammed on earned media strategies, conducted workshops, and crafted social campaigns. Client highlights include: Google (B-Reel), Anthropic, Facebook, Pinterest, 23andMe, Atlassian (Strike Anywhere), Apple TV+, The Honest Company, Beauty Pie (Hyphenated), Frito-Lay (Vocabulary), Netflix, Airbnb, Skype, Samsung (Cash Studios), MetLife, Pepsi (Sparks & Honey), Kuaishou (72andSunny).
Writing
My book Pussypedia: A Comprehensive Guide has sold over 24K copies. It received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and praise from Roxane Gay, reached #1 in its category on Amazon, and was translated into 5 languages. My Substack, How to Have Fun in the Apocalypse is a Substack Bestseller. My writing has appeared in Los Angeles Review of Books, The Washington Post, Slate, WIRED, Print Magazine, Next City, Hyperallergic, Fast Company, the LA Times, in the essay collection, You are Here: Mapping the Soul of the City, and elsewhere. My research has appeared in the New York Times, This American Life, and Quartz.
Press
My projects have been covered by The Cut, The New York Times en Español, El Pais, The Washington Post's The Lily, New York Magazine Approval Matrix, Glam, Cosmopolitan, The Today Show, Dame, Buzzfeed, CityLab, Next City, PBS, Vice-ID, Digg, Curbed, eleven major publications in France, fourteen in Spain, Shots, Fast Company (here, here, and here), The New Yorker, and almost 200 other international publications.
Honors and Awards
My projects have won a Webby in Education, a 1st place at the Mexican National Design Biennale, and a Bronze Kantar Information is Beautiful Award. In 2021, Quién Magazine included María Conejo and I on a list of 50 People Changing Mexico for our work on Pussypedia. Served on the Sparks and Honey, Influencer Advisory Board from 2014-2024.
Talks and Workshops
I've spoken and given workshops at conferences, festivals, corporate headquarters, and universities in English and in Spanish on topics from the word "vagina," to the similarities between cities and emojis, to potential uses of data visualization to facilitate community collaboration. Here’s a live interview with Radiolab’s Molly Webster at Pioneerworks, which I kicked off by inviting the audience to unbutton their pants with me. Here’s a keynote talk at What Design Can Do, Amsterdam, 2022 where I talked about humping door frames as a child and using design thinking as a(n adult) writer. Here’s my TEDx talk in Spanish about shame.
More
You can learn more about me on my Instagram Account or in this Design Matters with Debbie Millman interview.
Education:
Barnard College of Columbia University, NYC, B.A. in Urban Studies 2012