Undesign: A Social Change Podcast

Following their public recognition, the studio is no longer a secret — and neither are its growing pains. This episode explores the ambitions and sacrifices behind DrawHistory’s expansion, from growing the business during the pandemic to expanding into APAC: the wins, the cultural tightropes, and the reckoning that comes when purpose starts to feel stretched. Jeff and Angel speak openly about leadership fatigue, transparency, and k...

Jeff and Angel trace the origin story of DrawHistory, a leap of faith away from the legal profession and into the unknown. They reflect on the early convictions that fueled their mission, the decisions that set the tone for the studio’s emerging culture, and the naivety that helped them persist in the early days of imposter syndrome. However, as word about the studio begins to spread, the stage is quietly set for a new kind of pres...

With world leaders responding to climate emergencies, and unprecedented threats such as the pandemic and global conflict, we seem to be running headlong into a future where our learnings from the past are both too slow and too small. Have we been too attentive and attached to the wrong things, are we suffering from problems of our own unenlightened making? 

We speak with Four Arrows and Darcia Narvaez, who introduce us to the ...

In a world of rapidly evolving expectations on citizens due to COVID, environmental pressures, and the very public role playing of morality and ethics on social media, people face a dizzying space in which to set and attune their own moral compass. 

Unpicking this challenge, Dr Tim Dean, Senior Philosopher at The Ethics Centre, discusses how morality and ethics came to exist for humans and what roles they play in our modern li...

In 2022, as public institutions continue to grapple with implementing more inclusive structures to curb historical marginalization of people, experts such as Dr Benjamin Hanckel (Senior Research Fellow, Digital Health and Youth) and Dr Shiva Chandra (Research Officer) are exploring ways to make social media platforms safer for marginalized youth—both of whom are researchers from Western Sydney University's Institute for Culture ...

The expectations and variety of roles that social media influencers play have increased exponentially, mirrored by increasing scrutiny and policing of how their behaviour plays out amongst their communities and followers. The shifting expectations of followers on influencers has prompted a reappraisal of the status quo by those such as Lillian Ahenkan, also known as FlexMami. FlexMami is a DJ, TV presenter on MTV, model, and multid...

The world of gaming has long been highlighted as a hotbed of cultivation of extremist actors and activities, but more recently it's also started to be recognised as a platform where early intervention of extremism and encouragement of democracy and tolerance can be fostered. 

Our host, Kosta Lucas speaks with Dr Katie Attwell, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at The University of Western Australia (UWA). Dr Attwell leads the large interdisciplinary research project “Coronavax: Preparing Community and Government” with colleagues from UWA and Telethon Kids Institute.

How does the person who admits to hating the concept of marriage proposals see the future of online dating? In this episode, we speak to Lucille McCart, APAC Communications Director of Bumble, who candidly speaks with us about how and why online dating has grown and evolved on apps such as Bumble since the first COVID lockdowns began. She steps us through her take on how technology and dating apps are being used and adapted in plac...

What does the Boston Symphony Orchestra installing curtains for auditions back in 1952 have to do with gender justice in 2022? And why could the rigour of data capture and analysis hold the key to undoing unconscious bias in the community, and specifically in the workplace? Anisha Asundi, Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, talks to us about how she has been working on how gender gaps in the technology sector can be addr...

If you’ve seen shows such as the Tinder Swindler, Inventing Anna or The One, it would be easy to believe that technology enabled romance is rife with danger and subterfuge. Yet despite popular culture’s fixation with the risks of online dating, it has been the bread and butter of current personal relationships for years. So why is it still often hidden, demonized or stigmatized? In this episode speaking with Dr Lauren Rosewarne fro...

Joining Undesign on this special surprise episode to discuss inclusive technology is Garen Checkley, Product Manager at Google's Next Billion Users initiative. Garen shares plenty of insightful stories on Google’s mission to make technology helpful for everyone, everywhere, from their new research on building voice-first products, to an important report on gender equity online.

Joining us on Undesign’s Season One finale to talk racial justice, online activism, and active allyship is our guest, Fadzi Whande. Fadzi is currently the Senior Programme Officer (Diversity and Inclusion Adviser) at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). She is also the Founding Director of the Whande Group, a consultancy and program development organisation extending this work.

We drop by with two quick announcements we're excited to share. While we originally planned for 8 interviews this season, we have a special bonus episode with Google next week to talk about their Next Billion Users initiative on making technology inclusive for everyone, everywhere! Also, Undesign is up for the 2021 People's Choice Podcast Awards.

On this episode of Undesign, we dive deeper into nationalism and its impacts on our identity with Dr Farida Fozdar. Farida is a distinguished sociologist with The University of Western Australia who has published over a hundred journal articles, chapters, books and reports on these fundamental questions of how diverse communities (and people) form relationships with one another.