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This series is a starting point. Liminal Coaching works with individuals and organizations using guided relaxations, short-format coaching, and high-impact interventions to help people return to clarity and direction fast.

Explore more at: https://liminalcoaching.com
Try the free reset moment: https://bit.ly/limhawk
Get in touch: [email protected]

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Key takeaways:

✅ Hustle culture without intention leads to burnout and emptiness

✅ Productivity is about outcomes, not hours under fluorescent lights

✅ Well-being practices like yoga and flow states are survival tools, not luxuries

Links
https://www.thesukha.co/
Get 20% off with the code 'GETFOCUSED'
Note: I use The Sukha daily, so if you DO join, come and look for me inside :-)

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In this episode, Gerry Scullion speaks with Sara Fortier, CEO and founder of Outwitly, about her journey from being a hands-on designer to leading a 20+ person team and connecting contractors with organisations across North America.

Sara shares lessons on contracting, client relationships, hiring, leadership growth, and how AI is reshaping the design industry. If you’re a designer considering contracting, or a leader thinking about scaling your practice, this conversation is full of insights.

Preorder Design Research Mastery:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Research-Mastery-Buy-Products/dp/9063699549

Learn more about Outwitly - Your Trusted UX Partners ™ for building high-impact teams.
http://outwitly.com/

Connect with Sara Fortier on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarafortier/

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Liminal Breaks is a three-part podcast mini-series offering practical, immersive audio experiences designed to reset your nervous system, sharpen your focus, and restore your inner clarity in just a few minutes a day.

Developed by Liminal Coaching, these episodes are more than ideas, they’re doorways. Each episode includes a short talk and a guided experience known as a Moment, helping you shift from overload to presence without needing willpower or meditation skills.

Whether you're overwhelmed, distracted, burned out, or just craving space to think clearly, this series is a gentle but powerful starting point.

Who is this for?

- Professionals carrying too much, too fast
- Creatives and knowledge workers struggling to focus
- Leaders who can’t afford burnout but don’t know how to stop
- Anyone seeking grounded, non-performative help

No spiritual fluff. No jargon. Just felt relief and a path back to yourself.

What You’ll Experience in Each Episode

Each episode includes:
- A short, focused introduction to a common psychological or emotional challenge (overload, overwhelm, stuckness)
- A 6-minute guided Moment you can repeat daily
- Integration guidance to help you understand what just shifted and how to use it

What you’ll need:
- Headphones
- A quiet place where you can lie or sit comfortably
- Ideally, close your eyes and allow the Moment to do the work no effort needed

How to Use This Series

- These Moments are most effective when used daily, even for just a week
- You don’t need to understand or try hard, simply listen and let go
- The guidance starts fresh each time, but if returning, feel free to skip ahead using the timestamps in the episode notes

What Issues Does This Help With?

The series and the wider Liminal Coaching approach addresses:
- Overload, overwhelm, and burnout
- Loss of focus or creativity
- Emotional shutdown or dysregulation
- Decision fatigue and life-direction fog

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In an extraordinary twist, Judge Gillian Hussey once sentenced three of the women at the table to the Dóchas Centre, Ireland’s women’s prison. Now, years later, they sit side by side, reflecting on that journey, the systemic barriers still in place, and the possibilities for real change.

This is a conversation about resilience, compassion, and the power of lived experience to shape a more humane justice system.

https://www.tiglin.ie/
ie.linkedin.com/in/senatoraubreymccarthy

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

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Episode overview
In this deeply human episode, Gerry Scullion speaks with Wellington-based design researcher Rachel Knight about the emotional realities of working in social impact. From navigating trauma-informed projects to setting boundaries as a freelancer, Rachel shares powerful insights on staying grounded while doing meaningful work.

This conversation is essential listening for anyone working in design research, especially those engaging with vulnerable communities or emotionally charged topics.

🔑 Three Key Takeaways

• Researcher well-being is non-negotiable: plan for self-care like you plan for scope.
• Freelancers carry unique risks—build your own emotional safety nets.
• Lived experience is valuable but can carry hidden costs if not properly supported.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

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Key Learnings:

• Lived experience in leadership ensures services truly meet people’s needs.

• Designing for dignity builds trust, safety, and belonging in vulnerable communities.

• Long-term, community-centred support is crucial for breaking cycles of homelessness and addiction.

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/allen-bobinac-ma-1188241a5/
• https://www.tiglin.ie/

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

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In this short update episode, Gerry Scullion shares an exciting behind-the-scenes change: the Global Human-Centered Design Directory has now moved to the main This is HCD website. What started as a quiet initiative has turned into a valuable resource for connecting values-aligned practitioners across the globe.

Discover how this small but intentional update improves access, strengthens the community, and could help you find your next collaborator, mentor, or team member. It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to building a more connected human-centered design ecosystem—together.

3 Key Takeaways:

• The HCD Directory is now live at thisishcd.com/directory
• It’s free, community-driven, and built for peer connection
• Designers can use it to find collaborators globally for work, mentoring, or support

Creators & Guests

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In this episode, I speak with Irish garden designer and tv personality - Diarmuid Gavin. He has presented gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show on nine occasions from 1995 to 2016 - He has also authored or co-authored at least ten gardening-related books.

For regular listeners, you will be familiar with a recent episode I did with 16-time Grammy award-winning producer, Rafa Sardina - well this episode is continuing on that trend. I am really keen to explore other disciplines to see how they work to solve complex problems and also approach their work. I see gardening and working with nature as a direct parallel to working within organisations. Thinking like this, I was excited to speak with Diarmuid to see how he explores designing for the future and chat at length about external factors that could hinder the designer's vision. 

Diarmuid was a great guest - and wanted to give a big shout out to his wonderful Instagram page where he answers questions regularly through his Live events. So if you are interested and getting started with anything garden related - Diarmuids yer man!

Creators & Guests

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What started as a flower farm has evolved into a thriving community experience with pizza, peonies, and pick-your-own eggs. Together, they explore the deep thinking, sustainable practices, and collaborative mindset driving the farm’s remarkable transformation.

Learn how Darragh blends farming tradition with human-centred principles, and discover how change-makers in any industry can be inspired by the resilience, creativity, and adaptability found in modern Irish agriculture.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• How to diversify without losing focus: a masterclass in iterative business building
• Why collaboration (not control) is essential for modern rural enterprises
• The power of customer experience in reshaping farming's role in local communities

Creators & Guests

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