What can our relationships to home, body, and environment teach us about becoming conscious creators of our lives? In this episode of Design Deep Dive, design psychologist Dr. Suzan Ahmed dives in with Desirée Gonzalez, a Social Psychologist and Designer specialized in Community, Liberation, Indigenous, and Ecological Psychologies, to discuss the importance of creating restorative environments that promote liberation and social justice, as well as the role of design psychology in fostering a sense of groundedness and embodiment – inside and out.

Desirée is a Social, Economic, and Environmental Design Accredited Professional, a Trauma-Informed Design Practitioner, and a Design Fellow at both the Centre for Conscious Design (the CCD), as well as Design Corps where she is also a Project Manager in Public Interest Design working with Indigenous Architects and Designers.

Desirée shares her unique journey as a designer and social psychologist, as she reflects on her personal connection to place and the significance of viewing the body as a sanctuary and symbol of the unconscious. The conversation explores the empowerment that comes from conscious creation and the responsibility to shape a future that honors both individual and collective identities.

In this episode:

• The importance of integrating restorative practices into the built environment.
• The symbolism of home, the unconscious, and the body through the lens of depth psychology.
• Empowerment in design as particularly significant for women of color.
• Conscious creation as a process of also dismantling harmful belief systems.

Connect with Desirée:

Centre for Conscious Design

Reimagining Worlds Without Whiteness Podcast

Indigenous Public Interest Design Institute

Hausense Consultancy

Connect with Dr. Za:

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/designwithdr.za/⁠⁠

Book a Design Psychology Consult Call

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Design and Psychology

03:14 Desirée's Journey into Design

06:07 The Importance of Design Psychology

09:39 Conscious Creation and Personal Reflection

12:38 The Body as Home and Sanctuary

15:41 Empowerment through Design and Identity

18:32 Future of Design Psychology

21:40 Legacy and Honoring the Past

A heartfelt thank you to listeners for a great first season of Design Deep Dive!

In this episode, I discuss what's ahead for the podcast, as well as announcing a brief pause before launching Season 2. Be sure to catch up on Season 1 episodes in the meantime, and stay tuned for more engaging, inspiring conversations!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Design Deep Dive

01:12 Understanding Design Psychology

02:36 Looking Ahead to Season Two

Connect with Dr. Za:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/designwithdr.za/⁠⁠⁠

Book a Design Psychology Consult Call: ⁠⁠⁠https://designwithdrza.com/place

Can our past experiences of place influence our present relationship to home? In this episode of Design Deep Dive, I offer a 15-minute guided visualization exercise to connect with a favorite place in childhood or another period of your life.

Through engaging in this reflective practice, you can reveal important aspects of home or place that can support you at your current stage of life. Dive into the magic of your imagination and lived experiences with this simple, yet powerful meditation to clarify your relationship to place.

In this episode:

• Guided meditation to connect with a favorite past place
• Suggested practices for integrating these insights into your understanding of relationship to place
• The reality of home carrying different emotional meanings for different people
• The potential for past memories of place to facilitate action towards aligning with a supportive home space

Chapters

00:00 Exploring Design Psychology and Its Importance

04:14 Guided Meditation: Journey to Your Favorite Place

19:41 Reflecting on Your Experience and Next Steps

Connect with Dr. Za:

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/designwithdr.za/⁠⁠

Book a Design Psychology Consult Call: ⁠⁠https://designwithdrza.com/place