No surprise here: all the brilliant people who inspire us live with dogs.

So we’re starting The Lead, a new Q&A series where we ask one question and get two answers. One from a human we admire, one from the dog they share their life with.

We’re kicking things off with Lydia Pang and her miniature pinscher Betty, a duo that proves instinct is a creative tool, whether you’re building brands or chasing sheep.

Lydia is a creative director, entrepreneur, and founder of the strategy studio MØRNING. After senior roles at Refinery29 and Nike, she stepped away from city life and moved back to the raw, unfiltered nature of Wales, where she grew up.

“Wales really has a feral nature to it. It’s not refined, it’s not chic, and I kind of love that. It just doesn’t give a fuck.”

Betty is much the same. She’s small, sure but with punk energy in the best way. She also left the city behind, following Lydia from New York to the Welsh countryside.

“We adopted Betty when we lived in New York — she came from the streets of Miami. Her name was originally Valentina… I think she’s deeply underwhelmed by how wholesome Wales is.”

Mornings for this pair look less like a founder’s to-do list, more like ritual: forest walks, coffee in the garden, and trips to the paddock where Lydia’s husband grows vegetables.

Sounds like a dream to us.