In this episode, we bring in Linnea’s good friend and former art school classmate, John. In addition to being a talented painter and ceramicist, John is also a passionate mental health advocate and a student in Carleton University’s Industrial Design program. He and Linnea have had countless conversations about how designers today are invited to engage with topics like sustainability and longevity.

The intention behind this episode was to highlight the positive changes happening in the design world and lay some hopeful groundwork for our next episode, where we explore climate anxiety, grief, and other big feelings. But as often happens, the conversation took an unexpected turn — a little doom and gloom slipped in. Who would have guessed that talking about the environment could actually leave us feeling hopeful?

In true Josiah (our other John) fashion, he swoops in with some uplifting thoughts, reminding us to do our best — and to trust that others are doing their best, too. How fun.