Topher DeRosia is speaking on Giving and Getting in the Open Source Community at WordCamp Minneapolis.

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

My experience giving back to open source has been very enriching in my life, and I’d love for others to experience the same.

How do you “create intention” in your job, career, or life?

It requires lots of deliberate introspection. I look at everything I do, and try to come up with a reason. Sometimes the reasons are awesome, sometimes they’re selfish, but I always try to have a reason.

If you were a WordPress Plugin, what Plugin would you be and why?

Something I built myself because I always want to fully understand what’s under the hood, and the best way to do that is to build your own.

If you were not doing your current job, what profession would you be in and why?

Probably cabinet maker because I love being close to the wood, making beautiful things, and being totally off the grid.

What professional and/or research resource(s) can’t you live without?

The Web as a whole. I don’t have a single go-to site for knowledge, I glean the best from everywhere.

Drew Gorton is speaking on WordPress at Scale at WordCamp Minneapolis.

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

WordPress now powers about 1 in every 4 websites and continues to grow. Many of these sites have massive audiences and traffic and that trend is accelerating. In order to serve this growing market, we need more of our developers to understand how to build WordPress sites that scale.

How do you “create intention” in your job, career, or life?

Follow interests, care for others, embrace new experiences and keep learning new things. That’s what works for me.

If you were a WordPress Plugin, what Plugin would you be and why?

WordPress CFM—because Version Control All The Things!

If you were not doing your current job, what profession would you be in and why?

I have a pretty awesome role so I’m not looking to change. I love to cook for others, however, so if forced to chose something else completely different, it might be a Chef.

What professional and/or research resource(s) can’t you live without?

My new favorite is Post Status. 🙂

Mendel Kurland is speaking on One step at a time: creating incremental value that lasts a lifetime at WordCamp Minneapolis.

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

Life can be overwhelming, and so can competing with those who are more established. I’m passionate about giving people hope that they can do it!

How do you “create intention” in your job, career, or life?

Giving time to activities and people that matter the most is the best ‘intention’ I can ever put into my daily working life.

If you were a WordPress Plugin, what Plugin would you be and why?

Hello Dolly. I would watch more cinematic classics to expand my knowledge.

If you were not doing your current job, what profession would you be in and why?

Trail guide. Love hiking.

What professional and/or research resource(s) can’t you live without?

Wiki what?! Oh, and smart friends and colleagues.

Caro Griffin is speaking on The Other User’s Experience at WordCamp Minneapolis.

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

I found that most of my clients had the same questions—and I was spending a lot of time answering the same things. I initially accepted that as part of the process, until I started teaching an online course about WordPress development. We’re constantly improving our curriculum by identifying frequently asked questions and then re-writing lessons or creating new ones to address those questions. I realized I could do the same thing with clients and, over time, have iterated on both my design process and client education workflow to better serve my clients. As a result, they’re happier with their websites and I’m happier spending slightly less time in my inbox. 🙂

If you were a WordPress Plugin, what Plugin would you be and why?

Definitely a super sweet editorial calendar plugin. I color code, label, and otherwise organize anything and everything I come across.

What professional and/or research resource(s) can’t you live without?

I love Post Status because it’s a great resource for passive learning. I don’t have to go looking for the latest news, it’s just delivered to my inbox in a really easy to read format. It’s turned my inbox into a great resource that I often search when I’ve hit a roadblock.

Mykl Roventine is speaking on More Than Words: The Power of Type at WordCamp Minneapolis.

What inspired or motivated you to give this talk at WordCamp?

I’m obsessed with typography. Bad type can literally ruin my day. I’m on a mission to help people learn more about the power of type and how it can be used for good.

How do you “create intention” in your job, career, or life?

I always try to remember that there will be a person on the other end of whatever I’m designing. That drives everything I do.

If you were a WordPress Plugin, what Plugin would you be and why?

Ninja Forms. Because simple and stealthy is a deadly combination. Plus, I look good in the outfit.

If you were not doing your current job, what profession would you be in and why?

An architect. Because Seinfeld.

What professional and/or research resource(s) can’t you live without?

Google. Very little lives in my head.