The Experience Designers

In this rare and deeply personal conversation, Colin Nightingale, Associate Artist at Punchdrunk and Co-founder of Right/Left Project, takes us on an immersive journey through his creative evolution. From his early days immersed in London’s underground music and DIY culture to co-shaping some of the most iconic immersive theatre productions of the 21st century, Colin shares the moments that shaped his path.

We explore the o...

In this episode of The Experience Designers, Steve is joined by James Warren, expert storyteller, experience strategist, and founder of Share More Stories to explore how storytelling unlocks deep human connection and business insight.

Together, they unpack the true power of stories: as tools for building trust, designing immersive experiences, and revealing hidden emotional truths that traditional surveys and metrics often ...

Join us as we talk with Laura Hess, who attended 500 experiences in 5 years, about building a 25-point “Remarkable” rubric for scoring immersive theatre, fine-art installations, XR activations, brand activations, and more....

Learn how intentionality, multi-sensory design, and post-show reflection can help creators craft moments that truly resonate, transport audiences into flow states, and leave a lasting impact. Tune in f...

What makes a workplace worth the commute? In this episode, we sit down with workplace experience explorer and content creator Tom Hitch to uncover how the best office environments are co-created, not commanded.

From sensory design to return-to-office (RTO) policies, Tom shares powerful insights from his travels into global workplaces, highlighting where companies get it right (hello, Miro and Santander) and where they fall...

Steve sits down with experience-design pioneer Pigalle Tavakoli to explore what she calls "StoryFeeling". The shift from telling stories at people to orchestrating the feelings they live through. 

Building on her recent keynote at the London Experience Week and forthcoming book - The Building Blocks of Experience Design. She explains how emotion-first design unlocks deeper narrative power. Starting with detective-grade ...

In this episode, we explore Stefan's career journey, sparked by an epiphany during a friend's 50th birthday in Italy.

This experience led him to prioritize quality over quantity in his work. Stefan shares his approach to restructuring his workload by focusing on fewer projects, which fosters creativity and personal growth.

The discussion explores how AI can transform work dynamics, emphasizing the importance of intentional...

What if life, work, and transformation were just better versions of play? In this episode, you’ll meet Claus Raasted, Experience Designer, Viking impersonator, and founder of The College of Extraordinary Experiences. From a childhood spent LARPing to advising McKinsey, Klaus shares how designing intentional, immersive worlds can lead to real-world change. Whether you're building onboarding for a sales team or a castle-base...

Dive into a captivating discussion on experience design with Mat Duerden, Department Chair of Experience Design and Management in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University and Co-Author of the book Experience Design. Reveals how intentional design can transform everyday moments into powerful experiences. Mat shares his journey from adventurous childhood whitewater rafting to pioneering leadership in exper...

In this episode of The Experience Designers, I sit down with Dr. Paul Zak, the neuroscientist who wrote the book on trust and human connection. A TED speaker, best-selling author, and founder of Immersion Neuroscience, Paul has spent decades uncovering the brain’s hidden responses to experiences, brands, and relationships.

Link to Six App - https://your6.com/
Connect with Paul - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-j-zak-911...

What if the magic behind your favourite experiences wasn't just a coincidence? In this second part two of this two-part series with Goc O'Callaghan, Co-owner of ArcTanGent Festival and Global Experience Lead at Buro Happold. 

In this episode, we peel back the curtain on the often-overlooked and unknown 'dark side' of Disney's magic. From the hidden infrastructure at Disney parks to designing festivals that feel like second ...

We're taking you behind the scenes of an incredible journey, exploring the power of memorable experiences and the lessons we can learn from one of the major memory makers out there: music festivals. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Goc O'Callaghan, co-founder, owner, and festival director of the legendary ArcTanGent Festival in the UK.

This is a festival that started as a childhood dream in a bluebell forest and grew...

In this episode of The Experience Designers, we dive deep into the world of neurodiversity with Tina Squire, an expert in fostering neuro-inclusive environments. Tina shares her personal journey with ADHD and how it has fueled her passion for creating workspaces where neurodiverse individuals are not just accommodated, but truly celebrated. This episode explores the importance of designing work experiences that embrace eve...

In this episode, we’re joined by John Sills, managing partner at The Foundation and author of The Human Experience. John shares an incredible story of how a broken train in Switzerland became one of the most memorable customer experiences he’s ever had—and not because it went wrong, but because of how it was handled.

Together, we dive into the heart of what makes customer experiences truly remarkable: human connection, owne...

In this episode, Elena Aylott shares her unique journey from executive assistant to Vice President of Global Communications and Employee Experience at Oriflame Cosmetics to founding her own company, The Aylott Group. 

She emphasizes the importance of trust, adaptability, and community-building within organizations. Key takeaways include the impact of personal and corporate trust, the role of HR as a mega facilitator, and le...

We often talk about growth as some race to the top. A climb of the ladder, an improvement of our skills, but that narrative actually misses a core aspect of our evolution. Developing our ability to hold and make use of our new capacities. 

Nele is an organisational psychologist and coach who specialises in vertical development. We dive into what vertical development even is. Why do we need it? And what you can do to mak...