<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" 
  xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" 
  xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" 
  xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
  xmlns:spotify="http://www.spotify.com/ns/rss">
  <channel>
    <title>The Feeling Designer Podcast</title>
    <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
    <description><![CDATA[Conversations with design thinking leaders and innovators. Join host Jess Watson as she explores the intersection of emotion, empathy, and human-centered design with practitioners from across Australia.]]></description>
    <language>en-au</language>
    <copyright>© 2026 The Feeling Designer</copyright>
    <lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:34:32 GMT</lastBuildDate>
    
    <!-- iTunes/Apple Podcasts tags -->
    <itunes:author>The Feeling Designer</itunes:author>
    <itunes:owner>
      <itunes:name>Jess Watson</itunes:name>
      <itunes:email>hello@thefeelingdesigner.com.au</itunes:email>
    </itunes:owner>
    <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/FeelingDesigner_TFD_BW.jpg" />
    <itunes:category text="Arts">
      <itunes:category text="Design" />
    </itunes:category>
    <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
    <itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type>
    
    <!-- Spotify tags -->
    <spotify:countryOfOrigin>au</spotify:countryOfOrigin>
    
    <!-- Channel cover image -->
    <image>
      <url>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/FeelingDesigner_TFD_BW.jpg</url>
      <title>The Feeling Designer Podcast</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/</link>
    </image>

    <item>
      <title>Mystery Guest — Coming Soon</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/mystery-guest-e14/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/mystery-guest-e14/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[The final episode of Series One is still taking shape. Stay tuned for a conversation with a mystery guest shaping the future of design in Australia.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[The final episode of Series One is still taking shape. Stay tuned for a conversation with a mystery guest shaping the future of design in Australia.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>TBC</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>14</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/Show_Cover_TheFeelingDesigner_Final.webp" />
      
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[The final episode of Series One is still taking shape. Stay tuned for a conversation with a mystery guest shaping the future of design in Australia.

[Subscribe on Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-feeling-designer/id1845645679) so you don't miss it.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Change Management with Eleanor Howe</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/eleanor-howe-change-management/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/eleanor-howe-change-management/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Eleanor Howe discusses how design thinking and change management practices can work together to drive organizational transformation.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Eleanor Howe discusses how design thinking and change management practices can work together to drive organizational transformation.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>43:10</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>13</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/13_EleanorHowe.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://example.com/podcast/episode-13.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Design thinking and change management driving organizational transformation.



- Change frameworks and design.
- Managing stakeholder alignment.
- Sustaining transformation.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Community-Centered Design with Simone Speet</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/simone-speet-community-design/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/simone-speet-community-design/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Simone Speet explores how to design with and for communities, creating meaningful impact through participatory design approaches.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Simone Speet explores how to design with and for communities, creating meaningful impact through participatory design approaches.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>41:30</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>12</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/12_SimoneSpeet.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://example.com/podcast/episode-11.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Designing with and for communities to create meaningful impact.



- Participatory design approaches.
- Co-creation and collaboration.
- Measuring social impact.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Mystery Guest — Coming Soon</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/mystery-guest-e10/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/mystery-guest-e10/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[A special episode is in the works. Stay tuned for a conversation with a mystery guest shaping the future of design in Australia.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[A special episode is in the works. Stay tuned for a conversation with a mystery guest shaping the future of design in Australia.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>TBC</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>10</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/Show_Cover_TheFeelingDesigner_Final.webp" />
      
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[A special episode is in the works. Stay tuned for a conversation with a mystery guest shaping the future of design in Australia.

[Subscribe on Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-feeling-designer/id1845645679) so you don't miss it.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Design Leadership with Finn Butler</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/finn-butler-design-leadership/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/finn-butler-design-leadership/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Finn Butler shares insights on design leadership, team building, and creating design cultures that thrive.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Finn Butler shares insights on design leadership, team building, and creating design cultures that thrive.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>44:55</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>11</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/11_FinnButler.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://example.com/podcast/episode-10.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Insights on leadership, team building, and creating design cultures that thrive.



- Building and retaining great teams.
- Culture and collaboration.
- Pathways for growth.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Design Methods with Sarah Gross</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/sarah-gross-design-methods/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/sarah-gross-design-methods/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Sarah Gross takes us through strategic design methodologies and how to apply them in real-world scenarios.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Sarah Gross takes us through strategic design methodologies and how to apply them in real-world scenarios.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>37:20</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>9</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/09_SarahGross.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://example.com/podcast/episode-9.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Strategic design methodologies and how to apply them in real-world scenarios.



- Frameworks and methods.
- Research informing design.
- Practical application in projects.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Creative Process with Shirley Abbatovi</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/shirley-abbatovi-creative-process/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/shirley-abbatovi-creative-process/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Shirley Abbatovi discusses her creative process and how to maintain inspiration while solving complex design challenges.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Shirley Abbatovi discusses her creative process and how to maintain inspiration while solving complex design challenges.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>40:45</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>8</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/08_ShirleyAbbatovi.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://example.com/podcast/episode-8.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Maintaining inspiration while solving complex design challenges.



- Techniques to sustain creativity.
- Balancing constraints and exploration.
- Case studies and lessons.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Healthcare &amp; Systems Thinking with Danielle Moss</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/danielle-moss-healthcare-systems/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/danielle-moss-healthcare-systems/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Danielle Moss explores how systems thinking and design can transform healthcare experiences and outcomes.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Danielle Moss explores how systems thinking and design can transform healthcare experiences and outcomes.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>46:15</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>6</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/06_DanielleMoss_Image.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://example.com/podcast/episode-7.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[How systems thinking and design can transform healthcare experiences and outcomes.



- Understanding complex systems in healthcare.
- Designing for patient journeys.
- Collaboration across disciplines.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Inclusive Design with Dewani Shebubakar</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/dewani-shebubakar-inclusive-design/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/dewani-shebubakar-inclusive-design/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Dewani Shebubakar discusses how inclusive design thinking can transform business outcomes and create meaningful impact for all users.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Dewani Shebubakar discusses how inclusive design thinking can transform business outcomes and create meaningful impact for all users.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>39:30</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>7</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/07_DewaniShebubakar.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://example.com/podcast/episode-5.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[How inclusive design transforms business outcomes and creates meaningful impact for all users.



- Designing for accessibility and equity.
- Inclusion as an innovation driver.
- Practical approaches for teams.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Design Leadership with Tim Dow</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/tim-dow-design-leadership/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/tim-dow-design-leadership/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Tim Dow explores what it takes to lead design teams and drive innovation in today's rapidly changing landscape.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Tim Dow explores what it takes to lead design teams and drive innovation in today's rapidly changing landscape.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>41:10</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>5</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/05_TimDow_Image.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://example.com/podcast/episode-4.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Leading design teams and driving innovation in a fast-changing landscape.



- Building high-performing design teams.
- Leadership styles in design.
- Innovation rhythms and rituals.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Catherine Hills — Episode Coming Soon</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/catherine-hills-service-design/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/catherine-hills-service-design/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[An upcoming conversation with Catherine Hills on The Feeling Designer podcast. Full episode coming soon.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[An upcoming conversation with Catherine Hills on The Feeling Designer podcast. Full episode coming soon.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>TBC</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>4</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/04_CatherineHills_Image.webp" />
      
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[A conversation with Catherine Hills is in the works. Stay tuned — the full episode will land here shortly.

In the meantime, explore the rest of the series or [subscribe on Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-feeling-designer/id1845645679) so you don't miss it.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Trust Before Tactics for Co-Design That Sticks with Callan Rowe</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/callan-rowe-co-design/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/callan-rowe-co-design/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Callan Rowe — design consultant, educator, and researcher — unpacks why trust is the foundation of co-design that creates lasting impact. From co-defining the brief to prototyping preferred futures, Cal shares the craft, ethics, and relationship-first philosophy behind Village Collaborative's slower, deeper approach to participatory design.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Callan Rowe — design consultant, educator, and researcher — unpacks why trust is the foundation of co-design that creates lasting impact. From co-defining the brief to prototyping preferred futures, Cal shares the craft, ethics, and relationship-first philosophy behind Village Collaborative's slower, deeper approach to participatory design.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>65:06</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>3</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/03_CallanRowe_Image.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qg2tik6midgv68qe/EP03_CallanRowe_Final.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Jessica opens with a Country Acknowledgement and frames the podcast's mission: empathy-driven design for spaces, services, and experiences. She introduces guest Callan Rowe — design consultant, educator, and researcher — highlighting his focus on the "speed of trust," deep relationships, and co-design rooted in lived experience.
- **Notable quote:** *"The speed of trust."*


Cal traces a non-linear path: from the creative camaraderie of film school to freelancing, then pivoting into motion graphics and a grad dip in communication design at RMIT. At a digital ad agency he co-created an R&D lab exploring early AI and voice tech — creatively fulfilling but ultimately misaligned with his desire for meaningful impact, leading to burnout.
- **Notable quote:** *"Why am I doing this? Who is this for?"*
- **Actionable takeaway:** When creative work stops feeling purposeful, interrogate who benefits — not just what's being made.


Moving to a smaller strategic design agency, Cal broadens into service design and co-design across health and education. He reframes "strategy" from selling shiny ideas to making the useful compelling, exemplified by steering a client from an AR app to targeted emails and two-way communication.
- **Notable quote:** *"Moving away from the shiny solution to the useful solution."*


Frustrated by fast, transactional co-design in agencies, Cal tries a client-side year-long project — valuing the time but feeling buried in bureaucracy. He founds Village Collaborative to work slower and cheaper, build capability, and stay through delivery — offering a spectrum from co-facilitated delivery to "project mentorship."
- **Notable quote:** *"There's got to be a different way of doing this."* and *"I call it project mentorship."*


Cal outlines maturity stages in co-design: early reliance on toolkits vs. later-stage flexibility and in-the-moment facilitation. He cautions against assuming anyone can lead co-design — experience matters to avoid harm and superficiality. He critiques surveys and "Voice of…" projects as often extractive research rather than co-design, and stresses reciprocity and clarity on decision rights.
- **Notable quote:** *"You can't just follow a process like it's a prescriptive thing. I think that's really dangerous."*


Cal insists on co-planning upfront — "co-define" — so communities shape the brief, not just the solutions. He builds in a reframing stage post-discovery, especially vital in grant-funded work where deliverables can rigidly pre-define outcomes. He names two common failure modes: projects that are research-only but labelled co-design, and participatory ideas that die due to opaque decision-making.
- **Notable quote:** *"There's no co-design without co-define."* and *"Be transparent about what the decision-making mechanism actually is."*


Beyond being participatory, Cal unpacks the "design" in co-design: a material, iterative practice where problems and solutions co-evolve through making (abductive reasoning). Using a graphic design analogy, he shows how sketching and prototyping help validate and refine both the brief and responses.
- **Notable quote:** *"What differentiates participatory design… is the design part of it."*


Cal contrasts HCD's "user input" with co-design's shared creation, noting how prototyping shifts groups from venting to envisioning. Prompting, "Imagine if it worked — what would that look like?" changes energy, aligns stakeholders, and generates momentum.
- **Notable quote:** *"Imagine if it worked — what would that look like?"*
- **Actionable takeaway:** When groups are stuck in critique, shift to generative prototyping — the act of making changes the conversation.


Cal references classic definitions of design as moving from current to preferred states, asking, "Whose preferred state?" He reframes "solutions" as "responses" for complex systems, and advocates strengths-based, asset-based community development. Citing Ivan Illich's convivial tools, he questions over-servicing and imagines services becoming redundant as communities regain capacity.
- **Notable quote:** *"Services have removed our ability to do a lot of the stuff we used to do for ourselves."*


Asked about wellbeing amid the emotional labour of co-design, Cal shares that he prioritises nourishing, non-transactional relationships on projects. His tongue-in-cheek KPI: it's a successful project if a hug would feel appropriate among collaborators — because deep trust reduces the cost of coordination and replenishes energy.
- **Notable quote:** *"My aim is… that a hug would be okay."*



- [Village Collaborative](https://www.villagecollaborative.com.au/)
- [The Feeling Designer](https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au)
- Ivan Illich — *Tools for Conviviality*
- Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Designing for Dignity, Safety and Belonging with Diletta Legowo</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/diletta-legowo-strategic-design/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/diletta-legowo-strategic-design/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Diletta Legowo shares her wiggly path from fine art to social innovation, exploring how the concept of 'home' became the lens through which she designs culturally competent collaborative processes. We dig into facilitation tactics, power literacy, joy, suffering, and why creation is the antithesis of consumption.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Diletta Legowo shares her wiggly path from fine art to social innovation, exploring how the concept of 'home' became the lens through which she designs culturally competent collaborative processes. We dig into facilitation tactics, power literacy, joy, suffering, and why creation is the antithesis of consumption.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>51:36</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>2</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/02_Diletta-Legowo_Image.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2zcih5yw2jfrgbcd/EP02_DilettaLegowo_Final.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Jessica opens with an acknowledgment of Country and frames the show's three-part structure before introducing guest Diletta Legowo — designer, yoga teacher, and creative director focused on culturally competent collaboration. The conversation sets up a journey through Diletta's career, a deep dive into one pillar of her practice, and how she cares for her own feelings.


Diletta traces a nonlinear path from fine art to graphic design and brand, entrepreneurship, and ultimately social innovation at the Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI). Using a "tree" analogy, she describes discovering authentic branches of self while seeking meaningful impact beyond "snack packaging," influenced by global upbringing and questions of privilege.
- **Notable quote:** *"I've had such a wiggly path"* — and finding TACSI's *"social design… sounded a lot like me."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Embrace the nonlinear career path — each branch illuminates what's authentically you.


Having moved frequently, "Where is home?" became a core inquiry that now informs both process and outcomes in her work. Drawing on Amartya Sen's *Development as Freedom*, Diletta frames home as conditions that enable safety, dignity, and participation — and brings that into projects by broadening what success looks like and how people feel in the work together.
- **Actionable takeaway:** Use the question "Does this feel like home?" as a design criterion for both process and outcomes.


Diletta shares two facilitation lenses: prepare to meet people where they are (including who's not in the room), and "facilitate thyself first" by attending to energy, presence, and power dynamics. She emphasises power literacy — naming roles, history, and decision rationales transparently — to reduce unspoken tension and foster trust.
- **Notable quote:** *"Listen as if you are wrong but prototype as if you are right."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Before any workshop, map your stakeholders — including who isn't in the room — and be transparent about why.


Centering lived experience, joy, and pleasure requires acknowledging suffering and expanding our capacity to sit with it, supported by mentors, psychotherapy, yoga, and somatic practices. Referencing Martha Nussbaum's capabilities approach and Adrienne Maree Brown's *Pleasure Activism*, Diletta explains how change scales from "me" to teams to systems — echoed in her studio name, Small and Scale.
- **Notable quote:** *"It's less about removing suffering but expanding our ability to sit with it."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Start systemic change in the "me zone" — personal awareness and capacity ripples outward.


Diletta critiques design's hustle culture and overreliance on Western, often white and male, modalities — admitting she once tried to fit that archetype. A powerful moment: in Aboriginal cultural safety training at TACSI, an activity only for white colleagues surfaced her own internalised narratives and clarified the need to "own where we're rooted."
- **Notable quote:** *"I thought… I had to fit into the archetype of the strong, outspoken white man — until one day I looked in the mirror and… that's not me."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Reflect on whose methods and modalities you're privileging in your practice — and why.


Within real constraints, Diletta suggests mapping stakeholders (including who isn't in the room) and opening sessions with brief shares on what the project means to each person. Allowing plans to flex — "sitting in the gray" — creates the conditions for real problem-solving and collective creativity, while aiming for systemic outcomes (policies, resource flows, mental models) beyond deliverables.
- **Actionable takeaway:** Create space in workshops for emergence — the best outcomes often come when you let go of the rigid run sheet.


Reflecting on projects, Diletta notes that success correlates with having time to deeply understand the problem and where people are coming from.
- **Actionable takeaway:** Invest early in context and relationships to enable everything else.


Diletta shares grounding rituals — a "proxy commute" with her dog, coffee, yoga, meditation — and the wake-up of realising she was "plugged into the matrix" post-COVID. Regular silent retreats help her build capacity for stress rather than trying to erase it.
- **Notable quote:** *"I exist in a body"* and *"It's not about getting rid of stress, but opening up my capacity to experience stress."*


The hosts discuss boundaries and bringing multifaceted identities into professional life. Diletta names dance as part of her wellness and links a felt sense of privilege and safety to social justice, alongside practical room elements (temperature, furnishings, cultural signals) that must be backed by real inner work to avoid tokenism.
- **Notable quote:** *"Use that sense of safety… to create safety for others."*


Diletta challenges the "industrialisation complex" and calls out design's role in attention-shaping (e.g., the inventor of infinite scroll "doesn't sleep at night"). She suggests reclaiming agency through creation over consumption — cooking, mending, movement — and closes by inviting listeners to a gentle self check-in: be critical and compassionate, practising "calling in" rather than calling out.
- **Notable quote:** *"Creation is the antithesis of consumption."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Make space for creation in your own life — beyond your job — as an antidote to the attention economy.



- [Small and Scale](https://www.smallandscale.com/)
- [TACSI — The Australian Centre for Social Innovation](https://www.tacsi.org.au/)
- Amartya Sen — *Development as Freedom*
- Martha Nussbaum — *The Capabilities Approach*
- Adrienne Maree Brown — *Pleasure Activism*
- Priya Parker — *The Art of Gathering*]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Somatic Connection Practices for Designers with Celine Waters</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/celine-waters-design-thinking/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/celine-waters-design-thinking/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Celine Waters — somatic embodiment coach, body psychotherapy student, and service/strategic designer — explores how reconnecting to our bodies can transform design practice. From the Window of Tolerance to trauma-informed facilitation, we unpack why slowing down is the fastest way to create meaningful change.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Celine Waters — somatic embodiment coach, body psychotherapy student, and service/strategic designer — explores how reconnecting to our bodies can transform design practice. From the Window of Tolerance to trauma-informed facilitation, we unpack why slowing down is the fastest way to create meaningful change.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>65:00</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>1</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/01_Celine-Waters_Image.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/u2wv5tjescsj2d8f/EP01_CelineWaters_Final_V2.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Host Jessica Watson opens with a land acknowledgement and introduces guest Celine Waters — somatic embodiment coach, student of body psychotherapy, and service/strategic designer. Celine traces her non-linear journey from biochemistry to computer science and consulting, then into service design after "falling in love" with the service blueprint at Telstra for its holistic alignment of customer and business needs.
- **Notable quote:** *"It was the first time I'd ever seen the customer needs and the business needs aligned."*


Celine describes adult development coaching (Keegan, Garvey Berger) and a personal tipping point during COVID when she googled "I'm falling apart," discovering somatics as a life-changing pathway. She defines somatics as a holistic mind–body–spirit approach shaped by social and historical context, citing "soma" as wholeness and sharing Eduardo Galeano's line: "The body says I'm a fiesta."
- **Notable quote:** *"I couldn't feel anything except stress… I couldn't feel joy… and the word somatics came up."*


Jessica and Celine examine design's commercialisation and adrenaline-fuelled timelines that reward speed but risk disconnection and harm. Celine argues for "go slow to go fast," especially amid social and climate crises, urging designers to sit with complexity and "hold hope and despair at the same time."
- **Notable quote:** *"We can't rush our way through complexity… we have to be able to sit with and be in complexity."*


They unpack the "expert" trap as a legacy of colonisation, replacing it with co-leadership and collective intelligence. Jessica shares her anxiety about being "right" as a designer and how co-design and iterative testing freed her from ego; Celine reframes designers as containers that enable community voice rather than translators speaking for others.
- **Notable quote:** *"Everyone has the ability to lead."* and *"Our job really is to be the container."*


Celine critiques corporate wellness shortcuts (e.g., 4-minute app breaks) for stripping cultural lineage and reinforcing busyness, advocating intentional daily practice. Jessica shares her shift to restorative/yin yoga as a daily boundary between work and evening to re-regulate her system.
- **Notable quote:** *"We're always practicing something."* and *"I'm going to put time aside to practice on purpose, and with intent."*


Celine explains Dan Siegel's Window of Tolerance — balanced arousal where we can stay centred in change — versus hyper/hypo states that flood us with cortisol. She notes our biology hasn't kept pace with rapid societal change, emphasising centering (safety, belonging, dignity), breathwork, and repetition — "3,000 times" — to embody new patterns.
- **Notable quote:** *"We weren't built for [stress] to be there for long periods of time."* and *"We need to repeat something 3,000 times in order for it to become embodied."*


Applying embodiment to teams, Celine argues studios often fail to foster safety, belonging, and dignity — core needs that, if met, could reduce trauma dramatically. True safety is complex, so facilitators can intentionally cultivate belonging and dignity, minimise hierarchy, and create spaces of mutuality and equality.
- **Notable quote:** *"We can never really create a safe space… but we can foster belonging."*


Celine defines trauma as stuck survival energy when mobilisation was impossible, emphasising its prevalence and unpredictability. She advises slowing down, letting go of control, using invitational language, and resourcing participants through centering and visioning.
- **Notable quote:** *"In humans, we don't discharge the experience; it becomes locked in the body… and a trigger can cause that response to show up."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Use invitational language ("you're welcome to…" rather than "you must…") and always resource participants with grounding before diving into content.


Celine always begins with visioning and the prompt "For the sake of what?" — often devoting up to 30 minutes to grounding before "making." She teaches embodied boundary work (yes/no/maybe) to counter pressure-driven misalignment. Jessica shares her facilitation rituals (movement, protein breakfast, no emails, 1:1 welcomes) to set a stable group energy.
- **Notable quote:** *"The grounding is the actual work."* and *"I always start with vision — what are you longing for?"*


They call for more vision-led work in Australia, guided by First Nations knowledge and true collaboration beyond consultation. In closing, Celine describes "thawing" from numbness, heart-centred coherence, gratitude, nature, and being in right relationship with self, others, and planet.
- **Notable quote:** *"No one on their deathbed says, 'I really want my car keys.'"* and *"Warriors of the human spirit."*



- [Celine Waters](https://www.celinewaters.com/)
- [The Feeling Designer](https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au)
- Dan Siegel — *Window of Tolerance*
- Adrienne Maree Brown — *Emergent Strategy*
- Robert Keegan & Jennifer Garvey Berger — Adult Development Theory
- Eduardo Galeano — *"The body says I'm a fiesta"*]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A New Design Story for Australia with Jessica Watson</title>
      <link>https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/jessica-watson-introduction/</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/jessica-watson-introduction/</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[Meet your host Jessica Watson as she introduces The Feeling Designer Podcast — tracing her journey from communication design in Melbourne to brand strategy in London and Shanghai, through to co-design and social innovation at TACSI. She defines what it means to be a 'Feeling Designer' and shares the traits she's observed across 15 Melbourne-based participatory designers.]]></description>
      <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Meet your host Jessica Watson as she introduces The Feeling Designer Podcast — tracing her journey from communication design in Melbourne to brand strategy in London and Shanghai, through to co-design and social innovation at TACSI. She defines what it means to be a 'Feeling Designer' and shares the traits she's observed across 15 Melbourne-based participatory designers.]]></itunes:summary>
      <itunes:duration>29:00</itunes:duration>
      <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
      <itunes:episode>0</itunes:episode>
      <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
      <itunes:image href="https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au/podcast/covers/00_JessicaWatson_Image.webp" />
      <enclosure url="https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/akindnynrxk7gq8g/EP00_JessicaWatson_Final.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" length="0" />
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Jessica opens with an Acknowledgement of Country to the Wurundjeri people and frames the show as a space to explore empathy, collaboration, and people-led design in Australia. She sets the tone for a reflective, honest first episode focused on her journey and the decision points that shaped her as "the Feeling Designer."
- **Notable quote:** *"A space where we explore how empathy, collaboration and working with people can transform the way we design."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Start every project by acknowledging place and people — let that context guide your design intent.


Jessica shares her pivot from fine art to communication design at Swinburne, influenced by her aunt and the promise of an honours year. Two cornerstones emerge: a strategy course with Bridgette Engler ("a futurist") and a research-led honours symposium with Wurundjeri Traditional Owners that mixed learning with making in multidisciplinary teams.
- **Notable quote:** *"Those two things have driven me and have been the cornerstones of my whole experience."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Seek environments that pair learning with making — symposium, then sprints — to anchor strategy in real-world collaboration.


In London at JWDK, Jessica's first mentor, Kirsten Johnston, helps her see she's drawn to research, mood-boarding, and narrative. She realises she can't move forward on design until the story and strategy are clear — discovering a strength in brand strategy.
- **Notable quote:** *"I couldn't move on to another project unless I'd figured out the strategy… if it had a great story to it."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Before you design, write the story — clarify the promise, audience insight, and strategic throughline.


Returning to Melbourne, she joins a property marketing agency that lets her flex strategy in brand and placemaking. She helps shape studio practice so strategy shows up in presentations and outcomes.
- **Notable quote:** *"They could see strategy was an important part of my work… and their place strategy offering."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Make strategy visible — embed it in client artefacts, not just internal thinking.


Kirsten calls again — this time to Shanghai — where brand merges with property development. Jessica learns to weave story across tenancies, events, interiors, wayfinding, and spatial expression — truly multidisciplinary place work at speed and scale.
- **Notable quote:** *"Everything was multidisciplinary and we really wove that story together through brand expression, interior wall designs, wayfinding… and events."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Map the ecosystem of a place and align all touchpoints — brand, space, programming — around one positioning.


After reflective time in Australia, Jessica seeks teams that start with human insights and align architecture, interiors, and brand to one strategy. At Freestate (within an architecture practice), she learns how large precincts, airports, and campuses are speculated, briefed, funded, and delivered.
- **Notable quote:** *"People led, experience led, multidisciplinary."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Work upstream — co-create the north star strategy that architecture, brand, and operations can align to.


Jessica launches her own consultancy to bring research and human-centered methods to collaborators in wayfinding, experience design, and activation. She quickly learns the business side — proposals, pricing options, articulating value.
- **Notable quote:** *"How to sell this thing called experience design… and what value it could bring."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Productise your value — name the outcomes, show the methods, and offer tiered pathways to engage.


A postgraduate certificate in Aboriginal Studies, including time on Country in Broome, is "absolutely transformative," sharpening her desire to work closer with communities. Joining TACSI, she practices participatory co-design and articulates "the feeling designer" as both noun and verb: designing with and for feelings toward more just futures.
- **Notable quote:** *"The feeling designer is a person who feels deeply… and [is] designing for feelings and with people's feelings."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Build cultural capability — invest in learning and relationships that help you design with, not for.


Jessica critiques the pace and global-referential default of the industry and argues for starting with local stories and contexts. She outlines co-creation across the ecosystem, trauma-informed safeguards in research, and bridging silos between brand, space, and events.
- **Notable quote:** *"Work with the communities we seek to serve, instead of designing for them."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Audit your process: Where are lived-experience voices shaping decisions? Where are your trauma-informed guardrails?


From 15 Melbourne-based participatory designers, she distils shared traits: communication design roots; not "fitting in" to traditional studios; deep empathy and self-care; multidisciplinary collaboration; systems thinking and social impact; inclusive, experiential outcomes; reflective practice; and balanced global–local perspectives.
- **Notable quote:** *"You can't pour from an empty cup."* and *"Every great movement starts with a feeling."*
- **Actionable takeaway:** Choose one trait to grow this month — e.g., add a reflective practice, invite a new discipline into your process, or localise your next mood board with place-based stories.



- [Jessica Watson](https://jessicaclairewatson.com/)
- [The Feeling Designer](https://www.thefeelingdesigner.com.au)
- [TACSI — The Australian Centre for Social Innovation](https://www.tacsi.org.au/)]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>