Empathy By Design

integratenetwork

Empathy by Design is a podcast that dives into the heart of what it means to design for our shared humanity. Across the worlds of technology, wellness, and community, we explore how thoughtful, empathetic design can bridge divides, foster connection, and spark meaningful change. Each episode features conversations with innovators, creators, and change-makers who are reimagining the way we approach our world. From building tech that prioritizes people to cultivating wellness practices that truly heal, to shaping communities grounded in inclusivity, we deeply explore the process of designing with intention and care. Whether you’re a designer, a dreamer, or someone who simply believes in creating a more compassionate world, Empathy by Design is an invitation to imagine what’s possible when we lead with empathy.

  1. Nov 1

    Listening Before Responding: A Somatic UX Case Study in Trust

    What if building trust begins not with how quickly we respond, but with how well we listen? In this episode of Empathy by Design, Julie Johnson explores listening as an essential part of designing more responsive, human-centered systems. Through the lens of Somatic UX, we examine how listening, orientation, and nervous-system capacity influence the ways people experience services, technology, and relationships. Drawing connections to trust-centered design and social impact, this episode considers what happens when we shift from responding to immediate behaviors toward understanding the signals underneath them. What might change if we designed systems to listen before asking people to act? For healthcare innovators, social-impact leaders, experience designers, and organizations seeking to build trust, this reflection offers a different way to think about engagement, accessibility, and human connection. Explore Somatic UX: Capacity-aware design grounded in orientation, choice, and trust.

  2. Oct 17

    Can I Try It Once? — Designing the First Experience

    What happens when someone is curious about your service but wants to try it once before committing? In this episode, Julie Johnson walks through a real-time case study of designing a guided introductory session for the Integrated Listening System (ILS). Through a somatic UX lens, she explores what it means to give someone enough experience to make an informed choice — from the moment before the headphones go on, through the session itself, to the conversation afterward. Along the way, she unpacks the philosophy of "caring without carrying": creating a clear invitation and support system while leaving room for the other person's preferences, questions, and decisions. If you offer any kind of service, this episode will have you reconsidering what you ask people to commit to before they've had a chance to feel it for themselves. Interested in exploring the Integrate Listening System?  Schedule a free 20 minute nervous system consulting session: https://form.jotform.com/262696259957075

  3. Oct 7

    When Trust Breaks: SomaticUX and TrustWorks

    What happens when a healthcare process technically works—but the person inside of it can’t? In this episode of Empathy by Design, I’m joined by Katie Kurtz, creator of the TRUST framework, to break down a real-world healthcare case study through two lenses: Somatic UX and trauma-informed systems design. Pasted text The case centers on a 14-year-old autistic, Spanish-speaking patient who was expected to complete a standard mental-health wellness assessment. The process assumed language comprehension, emotional identification, cognitive capacity, and a particular way of communicating. When those assumptions didn’t match the person in front of the system, the assessment broke down—and so did access to care. Pasted text Katie and I walk through the case step by step, looking at orientation, trust, nervous-system capacity, communication, accessibility, choice, agency, and the hidden demands created by seemingly ordinary healthcare processes. We also explore what could have changed the outcome: interpretation support, visual communication, simplified language, caregiver choice, adaptable assessments, and better preparation for the actual range of humans who enter healthcare systems. Pasted text Pasted text Because this isn’t just about making patients more comfortable. When design fails the human, everybody loses: the patient may not receive care, staff inherit additional stress, the organization loses meaningful data, and trust in the healthcare system can rupture. Small design changes can alter that entire trajectory. Pasted text The question at the center of this case study: What changes when we stop asking why a person couldn’t complete the process—and start asking what their response tells us about the process itself?

  4. Oct 2

    Designing for Trust, Before Care Begins,

    What if the intake process isn’t just something that happens before the real work begins? In this episode of Empathy by Design, Julie explores intake and evaluation through the lens of Somatic UX—and what changes when we design for the nervous system from the very first interaction. You’ll learn how to: recognize where uncertainty and cognitive load show up in an intake experience use orientation before pressure to support engagement and participation look at behavior as information about the interaction between the person and the system distinguish nervous-system-informed design from simply making an experience feel “calm” build trust through clearer expectations, meaningful choice, and accessible design identify small changes you can make to intake, onboarding, and evaluation processes without redesigning the entire system Whether you work in healthcare, digital health, UX, education, or another human-centered field, this episode offers a practical way to start asking a different question: Not just, “How do we get people through the system?” but “What does the system make possible for the person moving through it?”   Want to go deeper? → Follow Empathy by Design for more conversations on Somatic UX, nervous-system-informed design, and human-centered systems. → Explore the Somatic UX framework and learn how it can be applied to healthcare, digital health, and organizational experiences. → Connect with Julie on LinkedIn for weekly Somatic UX insights and practical applications. → Share this episode with someone designing healthcare, UX, education, or other human-centered systems.

  5. Sep 25

    Designing For Capacity, Not Just Task

    What if a system technically works—but quietly exhausts the people using it? In this episode of Empathy by Design, Julie Johnson explores a healthcare case study through the lens of Somatic UX, looking at how something as ordinary as scheduling joint visits can create hidden cognitive and capacity load. We’ll explore why usability isn’t only about whether someone can complete a task, how repeated communication loops and reorientation create invisible workload, and why adding more technology isn’t always the answer. Because good design doesn’t just help people get things done. It considers what the system asks people to carry in order to get there. This episode explores: Capacity as part of usability Hidden cognitive load in everyday workflows Why fewer decisions can create better experiences Trust as infrastructure Designing systems that give capacity back If you work in healthcare, learning, employee experience, service design, or organizational systems, this is an invitation to look beyond whether your workflow works—and start asking what it costs the humans inside it. Learn more about Somatic UX and my work with organizations:  www.letsintegrate.live Experience the work through the Let’s Integrate app: www.letsintegrate.live/app Connect with me on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/juile-johnson101/

  6. Mar 28

    Practicing Relational Health In Real Time

    What does it actually look like to practice relationships in real time, especially when your nervous system is activated and your patterns are already in motion? In this episode of Empathy by Design, I sit down with Candice Cox, LCSW, founder of the KHAOS Kommunity, a healing space for people who are ready to move beyond survival and begin practicing growth within the context of real relationships. Candice’s work centers on emotional regulation, accountability, and creating structure for the moments that often feel the hardest to navigate. We explore how her KHAOS framework—RAW (Realize, Admit, Work through), RESET (Remember Every Situation Encourages Thought), FREE (Forgive, Release, Embrace, Elevate), and PATIENT (Pause And Think, Inhale, Exhale, Now Talk or Tap Out)—offers practical ways to stay engaged with yourself and others, even when things feel messy or overwhelming. Throughout our conversation, we talk about what it means to build capacity for connection, how to recognize when patterns are shaping our responses, and why practicing relationship in community can be a powerful part of healing. We also explore how accountability can exist without shame, and how learning to pause, notice, and choose differently can begin to shift long-standing relational dynamics. This episode is for anyone navigating grief, trauma, relationship wounds, parenting, or generational patterns, and who is curious about what it means to relate with more awareness, more steadiness, and more choice. Candice’s work reminds us that healing is not something we perfect on our own. It is something we practice, together, over time, in relationship. If you are ready to explore what it looks like to stay with yourself while also staying connected to others, this conversation offers a grounded and honest place to begin. Check out the KHAOS Kommunity Download our app

  7. Mar 21

    Burnout As Adaptation: What the Nervous System Is Trying to Tell Us

    In this episode of Empathy By Design, host Julie sits down with Courtney from Align Integral Coaching to unpack burnout — not as a failure, but as a signal from your nervous system that something needs to change. They explore what burnout feels like from the inside, how it shows up in individuals and organizations, and what practices can help restore capacity and resilience. Timestamps: 0:00 – Welcome & grounding practice 5:35 – Courtney's burnout story: ADHD, masking & hitting rock bottom 17:55 – From corporate burnout to integral coaching 22:02 – Early warning signals (and why we miss them) 26:07 – How burnout spreads through teams & organizations 38:09 – What healthy capacity actually looks like 46:07 – Practices that restore: breath work, yoga, silence & nature 53:15 – Where to find Courtney Read the Transcript at the link below

  8. Feb 15

    When Systems Fail with Clay Gill

    What if feeling “zapped” isn’t a personal failure—but a signal that our systems are misaligned with how we actually function? In this live Empathy by Design conversation, I’m joined by Clay Gill—FLOW-certified coach, AuDHD advocate, and creator of the POWER Assessment™—to explore how energy, capacity, and design intersect for neurodivergent minds. Clay’s work helps people understand what’s fueling their energy and what’s quietly draining it, especially in environments that weren’t built with neurodivergent nervous systems in mind. Rather than pushing motivation or productivity hacks, he focuses on practical, compassionate shifts that work with your wiring. Together, we’ll talk about: Why energy depletion is often a design problem, not a mindset issue How neurodivergent experience offers early feedback about misaligned systems What it looks like to design lives, workflows, and habits around real capacity How small, honest adjustments can restore clarity, agency, and momentum This conversation is for anyone who’s tired of overriding their nervous system just to keep up—and curious about what becomes possible when empathy becomes a design principle, not an afterthought.

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About

Empathy by Design is a podcast that dives into the heart of what it means to design for our shared humanity. Across the worlds of technology, wellness, and community, we explore how thoughtful, empathetic design can bridge divides, foster connection, and spark meaningful change. Each episode features conversations with innovators, creators, and change-makers who are reimagining the way we approach our world. From building tech that prioritizes people to cultivating wellness practices that truly heal, to shaping communities grounded in inclusivity, we deeply explore the process of designing with intention and care. Whether you’re a designer, a dreamer, or someone who simply believes in creating a more compassionate world, Empathy by Design is an invitation to imagine what’s possible when we lead with empathy.

Information

  • Creator
    integratenetwork
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Empathy By Design