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Living Your Design

Author: Kelsey Tortorice

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The LYD podcast is a free, audio-only release of the standard foundational Human Design curriculum as taught by IHDS Certified LYD Guide, Kelsey Rose Tortorice.


This transmission of Human Design fundamentals clarifies the basics, including core principles and mechanics, centers, aura type, strategy, authority, and profile. Kelsey demystifies these concepts so that listeners can understand how every piece is rooted in a clear, cosmic, mechanical system, as well as how they’re all synthesized together for practical, differentiated, embodied application.


Kelsey (5/2 emotional manifestor) is a lover of nuance, a challenger of the binary, an agent for upheaval, and a natural at finding ways to make the complex systems of Astrology & Human Design intuitive, organic, and accessible. People from all points on the novice to seasoned spectrum are drawn to Kelsey's teachings and transmissions on these languages of cosmos and consciousness - less because of what they already know or don’t know and more because they feel a resonance with Kelsey's voice and the potential for impact that their spirit craves.


The LYD podcast is a great place to begin your Human Design studies. It's also a fitting place to fill in the holes from self-study, to challenge the superficial understandings that are especially susceptible to mental distortion, or to revisit these foundations with the intent to integrate them in a more rooted, intuitive, personal, and radically honest way.
47 Episodes
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In this final episode on Profile, Kelsey steps back to contextualize what Profile actually is and how it’s meant to be used within the Living Your Design experiment. Rather than treating Profile as an identity label or personality type, this episode re-frames Profile as a role you play within the larger mechanical story of your design. It's a thematic costume your consciousness wears as it moves through life rather than something you “try to be." Profile naturally reveals itself over time as you decondition and align with your mechanics.What's Discussed in this Episode:Why Profile is not an identity but a role consciousness playsHow Profile fits into the larger mechanics of Type, Strategy, and AuthorityThe danger of mentally performing or imitating your ProfileWhy Profile reveals itself through time and lived experienceHow deconditioning allows your Profile to express naturallyThe relationship between the 6 lines, the 12 profiles, and life themesIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content.Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode we finally arrive at 6th line principle in Human Design, which is the line of role modeling, objectivity, and long-term perspective. The 6th line lives out a three-stage life process that moves from experimentation, to retreat and observation, to embodied wisdom and example. Kelsey unpacks what it truly means to be a role model-not as something you try to become, but as something you naturally emerge into over time.What's Discussed in this Episode:The three life phases of the 6th line: trial, retreat, and embodimentWhy early life often resembles a 3rd-line trial-and-error processWhat it means to be "on the roof"How true role modeling emerges naturally, not through effort or strivingThe relationship between disillusionment and wisdom in the 6th line processThe deep objectivity and perspective the 6th line brings to othersHow patience and timing are essential to living this line correctlyIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content.Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode we continue our exploration of Profile with the 5th line principle in Human Design. This is the line of projection, universalization, and practical solutions. The 5th line carries a powerful and complex role in the collective: it is here to offer fixes, guidance, and leadership, but also to navigate intense projection, expectation, and misunderstanding from others. As a 5/2 Emotional Manifestor, Kelsey illuminates the unique power, responsibility, and potential challenges of the 5th line Profile.What's Discussed in this Episode:The core theme of the 5th line as projection and universalizationWhy the 5th line is often seen as a problem-solver, leader, or saviorHow projections from others shape the 5th line’s life experienceThe “savior / heretic” dynamic and why 5th lines can be idealized or blamedThe importance of strategy and authority for avoiding burnout and backlashHow misunderstanding and scapegoating can arise when projections collapseThe potential for the 5th line to bring practical, impactful solutions to the worldIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content.Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode we continue our journey through the Profile Lines by exploring the 4th Line principle in Human Design often called The Opportunist or The Networker. The 4th line is about influence, relationships, and opportunity through connection. Unlike the more internally focused lines in the lower trigram, Line 4 is inherently transpersonal.This episode looks at the deeper mechanics behind why Line 4 beings need stable social foundations, how their opportunities actually arrive, and what happens when the 4th line tries to operate outside of its natural relational ecology.What's Discussed in this Episode:The core themes of Line 4The importance of stable foundations, community, and belongingThe role of friendship, trust, and resonance in Line 4 successThe shadow of Line 4: people-pleasing, social fear, or staying where you don’t belongHow Line 4 differs from Lines 1–3 in its orientation to life and securityHow Line 4 carries influence naturally, often without realizing it4th line in context with the 1/4, 2/4, 4/1 and 4/6 profilesIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content.Follow Kelsey on Instagram
43. Line 3: The Martyr

43. Line 3: The Martyr

2026-01-1520:17

In this episode Kelsey dives into the 3rd line principle in Human Design, which is often called the Martyr or Experimenter. Line 3 is here to learn through direct experience, trial and error, and constant mutation. This is the line of resilience, adaptation, and embodied wisdom that can only be earned by living, bumping into things, and discovering what actually works. This episode is an invitation to reframe “failure” as data, to soften self-judgment, and to recognize the profound intelligence of a life lived through honest experimentation.What's Discussed in this Episode: The evolutionary role of Line 3 in discovering what actually worksWhy Line 3 is designed to make and break bonds with people, paths, identities, and systemsThe emotional impact of repeated “failures” and why they’re not actually failureHow Line 3 wisdom becomes deeply embodied and practicalThe shadow expressions of Line 3: shame, cynicism, or fear of trying againIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content.Follow Kelsey on Instagram
42. Line 2: The Hermit

42. Line 2: The Hermit

2026-01-1325:11

In this episode, we're diving into the 2nd Line in Human Design, known as the Hermit. Kelsey explores the paradox of Line 2: the tension between being innately gifted and wanting to be left alone, and how true recognition and correct calling are essential for these gifts to emerge in a healthy, aligned way. This episode unpacks how Line 2 beings are here to acquire skills and knowledge in a unique way through nurturing and be called out for what is already innate within them.What's Discussed in this Episode:Core themes of the 2nd line: natural talent, giftedness, and innate abilityWhy Line 2 is called The Hermit and their deep need for withdrawal, privacy, and alone timeThe paradox of Line 2: being born to be seen, but needing to hideHow Line 2 gifts are not built through effort, but emerge naturallyThe importance of being correctly called out rather than forced into actionThe not-self patterns of Line 2: hiding, resisting visibility, or being pulled out incorrectlyHow projection plays a role in how others perceive Line 2 beingsWhy Line 2 is not here to “prove” anything, only to be recognizedIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content.Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode we begin our deep dive into the Profile lines by exploring the 1st Line, which is the foundation builder, the investigator, and the archetype concerned with security, stability, and understanding how things actually work.The 1st line represents the foundation of lower trigram of the 64 hexagrams and carries a deep, existential need to feel grounded, prepared, and resourced. Kelsey explores how this drive for certainty and solid footing shapes the lived experience of 1st lines and how this pattern shows up both as wisdom and as not-self distortion.What's Discussed in this Episode:The 1st line as the foundation of the hexagramThe core existential theme of insecurity and the need for solid groundWhy 1st lines are driven to research, study, and investigateHow fear and insecurity distort into over-preparing, hoarding knowledge, or never feeling readyThe 1st line’s relationship to competence, depth, and authorityHow the 1st line builds structures others rely onThe gift of the 1st line: creating reliable, stable, and trustworthy foundationsWhat happens when the 1st line is living correctly vs. from not-selfIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content.Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode, Kelsey introduces the concept of Profile in Human Design and the evolutionary process they represent. While Type, Strategy, and Authority describe how your energy moves, Profile reveals the archetypal character, the costume, through which your purpose is lived.This episode offers a conceptual foundation for understanding where profile comes from and why profile adds nuance and texture to your lived experience without being something you need to “do” or optimize.What's Discussed in this Episode:What Profile is and why it’s described as “the costume of our purpose”How profile differs from (and complements) Type, Strategy, and AuthorityWhere profile comes from in the chartThe relationship between profile lines and the I-Ching hexagramsThe six profile lines as stages in an evolutionary learning processThe distinction between lower trigram (personal) and upper trigram (transpersonal)An introduction to the archetypal themes of Lines 1–6Why we can all relate to every line, even if it’s not in our profileIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content.Follow Kelsey on Instagram
This episode is a real-time check-in and logistical update about what’s coming next for the Living Your Design podcast as we close out Season One and move into the void space at the end of 2025. After releasing the core LYD curriculum, we're taking a short break from releasing new episodes to honor the holiday season, rest, and allow space for what wants to emerge next in 2026.This episode covers what is and is not coming in the near future, where you can find more of Kelsey's work while the podcast is on pause, and how to stay connected and be in reciprocity if this transmission has been meaningful for you.What's Discussed in this Episode:Why the LYD podcast is taking a short break after this episode“Considerations & Summations” episode as the completion of the core LYD curriculumWhat’s coming next and early musings about a potential Season Two Listen to Kelsey's other podcasts during the pause: The Maia Games, Lab Partners, and Quality TimeWays to support the podcast and this body of work moving forwardIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this final episode of 2025, we zoom out from the individual lessons and explore the deeper orientation, mindset, and ongoing practice required to genuinely live your design. Rather than treating Human Design as a rule-book, this episode re-frames it as a living experiment, one that unfolds uniquely through your body, your timing, and your awareness.Kelsey offers five core considerations for your ongoing deconditioning journey: reclaiming your power, holding the system lightly, understanding the real role of the mind, embracing the spiralic nature of deconditioning, and committing to awareness as a lifelong practice. This conversation brings nuance, grounding, and compassion to what it truly means to walk this path long-term.What's Discussed in this Episode:Why you shouldn’t give your power away to the system, teachers, or your own mindHow to hold Human Design lightly and avoid rigidity or dogmaThe true role of the mind as a narrator, not a decision-makerWhy deconditioning is a non-linear, spiralic processAwareness as an ongoing, moment-to-moment practiceHow binary thinking (good/bad, right/wrong) signals the mind taking overThe importance of experimenting rather than forcing strategy or authorityIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode, Kelsey introduces the deconditioning tool, the Not-Self Hierarchy, which is a framework for understanding the many ways the mind attempts to take over our lives and pull us away from our true authority. Rather than seeing the “not-self” as something bad or wrong, this episode reframes it as an inevitable mental process that becomes deeply informative when observed with awareness. The hierarchy isn’t about severity or comparison, but rather acts as a map for understanding how your conditioning operates and how different centers interact to create your personal not-self patterns.For the step by step process to determine your personal Not-Self Hierarchy, the video of this lecture (unit 8.1) is available on Patreon, in which Kelsey walks you through this process. What's Discussed in this Episode:Not-Self Hierarchy as a map and not a linear processThe undefined center conditioning that show up on the surface that are more accepted by society Where more "existential" types of conditioning are rooted How Strategy and Authority act as the “solutions” to these patterns, helping the mind return to its correct role as the passenger rather than the decision-makerInvitation to identify your own not-self hierarchy and write a narrative describing how your undefined centers influence one another and show up in your lifeIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
36. Lunar Authority

36. Lunar Authority

2025-12-0415:32

In this episode, Kesley completes the exploration of Inner Authority with Lunar Authority, which is the unique decision making process for Reflectors. Because Reflectors have no consistent inner life force, their authority comes from a profound relationship with the lunar cycle, the 28-day movement of the moon through all 64 gates in the Bodygraph. This episode unpacks how Reflectors gain clarity through the repeated pattern of definition created by the moon, how dormant potentials are activated throughout the cycle, and why their strategy and authority are one and the same. We explore the patience, neutrality, and detachment required for Reflectors to discern their truth, and how soundboarding, environment, and cosmic timing influence their process.What's Discussed in this Episode:The moon as the Reflector’s anchorStrategy = Authority: For Reflectors, waiting a lunar cycle is their decision-makingWhy patience, neutrality, and detachment are key to the Reflector's decision making processHow the lunar cycle creates temporary definition for the Reflector Importance of trusted allies and soundboarding If you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode Kelsey explores Environmental Authority, also known as Mental Authority, which is the unique decision making process for Mental Projectors, who have no defined centers below the Throat. Environmental Authority is not about inner sensations, emotional waves, gut responses, or instinct. Instead, it is a relational, sensory, and environmental process. These individuals gain clarity by observing how they experience themselves in different environments and in the presence of different people.This episode demystifies how Mental Projectors arrive at clarity, how they filter conditioning through their awareness, and why their defined mind is part of the process, but never the decision maker. We explore the alchemy between mind and environment that reveals what is correct for them, and how soundboarding, trusted allies, and the right places amplify their innate ability to perceive truth.What's Discussed in this Episode:What defines Environmental (Mental) AuthorityWhy some call it “no inner authority” and why that’s misleadingThe rarity and unique role of Mental ProjectorsHow clarity arises through environmental interactionUnique challenges for Mental Projectors Why the mind is an outer authority, not decision makerThe alchemy between environment + mind in coming to clarity Role of soundboarding and trusted allies The 6 potential channels for Mental Projectors If you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode Kelsey dives into Self-Projected Authority, the inner authority rooted in the G Center, the home of identity, direction, love, and the Magnetic Monopole. This rare authority belongs exclusively to Projectors who have a defined G-Center connected to the Throat (and no definition below the G-center) allowing their true self to be expressed directly through their voice and life direction. Self-Projected Authority is all about resonance: hearing the truth of who you are and where you’re going in the sound of your own voice, before the mind interferes. This episode unpacks how these beings find clarity through authentic expression, how open centers can drown out their natural direction, and how listening to the tone and quality of their voice reveals the path that is correct for them.What's Discussed in this Episode:The G Center as the seat of identity, direction and loveSelf-Projected Authority as the connection between the G-Center and the ThroatTruth expressed through the voice: resonance, tone, and the natural frequency of “self”The process of speaking and then hearing yourself to discover clarityHow open centers create mental narratives that compete with inner truthThe role of trusted “soundboarding” not for advice, but for listening to the frequency of your expression Exploring variations of G-to-Throat channelsIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
33. Ego Authority

33. Ego Authority

2025-11-2534:56

In this episode Kelsey dives into Ego Authority, which is an inner authority rooted in the Heart/Ego center. The Ego is motor that fuels willpower, commitment, value, and material world engagement. Ego Authority is rare and deeply misunderstood, because it is not mental, emotional, or intuitive but rather the raw energy of the will itself.For ego beings, truth lies in whether the heart is genuinely in something and nothing can override that inner reality. Kelsey explores the two expressions of Ego Authority: Ego Manifested and Ego Projected and explore how their truth comes through the voice and the body, not the mind. This episode offers practical insight for Ego beings learning to trust their will and for non-ego beings to understand how this rare authority operates.What's Discussed in this Episode:Ego Authority as truth rooted in the willThe Ego as a motor without awareness The two forms of Ego Authority: Manifested vs. Projected The Ego as spokesperson for definition and filter for conditioningHow undefined centers below the Ego can distort its expression, especially for ProjectorsCommon misconceptions about the defined Ego and Ego Authority How honoring your willpower protects the ego being If you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
32. Splenic Authority

32. Splenic Authority

2025-11-2030:15

In this episode Kelsey does a deep dive into Splenic Authority, the oldest and most primal form of awareness in the Human Design system. The Spleen governs instinct, intuition, survival, health, and wellbeing, and speaks in quiet, instantaneous hits that arise and disappear in the present moment.Unlike Emotional or Sacral Authority, Splenic Authority is not about fuel, because the Spleen is not a motor center. Instead, Splenic Authority is a subtle, somatic knowing that often makes no sense to the mind, yet consistently aligns you to your truth when honored. This episode examines how Splenic beings learn to trust the quiet voice of instinct amid the much louder conditioning of emotional and sacral energy, and how surrendering to this spontaneous intelligence leads to alignment, peace, and success.What's Discussed in this Episode: The Spleen as the center of instinctive, in-the-now awarenessThe biological correspondence of the Spleen: lymphatic and immune systemWhy the mind will never be able to rationalize a Splenic hit in the moment it arrivesHow the center(s) that connection to the Spleen shape the flavor of Splenic awareness you experienceHow amplifying emotional and sacral energy makes splenic cues harder to hearWhy honoring splenic instinct may feel like a leap of faithThe difference in Splenic Authority for Projectors and Manifestors If you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
31. Sacral Authority

31. Sacral Authority

2025-11-1824:51

In this episode, Kelsey dives into Sacral Authority, which is the pure, non-negotiable life force of the Pure Generator being. As the most powerful motor in the Human Design system, the Sacral center provides sustainable energy, creative vitality, and a built-in guidance system that speaks through the body. This episode clarifies what it means to be a non-emotional Generator and how the Sacral communicates through sound and sensation. We’ll also look at how the Sacral filters conditioning, provides direction without analysis, and reveals what is correct through satisfaction, frustration, and an in the moment gut response.What's Discussed in this Episode:The Sacral Center as the body’s power source and the defining feature of GeneratorsWhy Sacral Authority is pure energy, not awareness and why that mattersWhat it means to be a non-emotional Generator (undefined Solar Plexus)How the Sacral filters conditioning and acts as the spokesperson for all other defined centersThe unique flavor of Sacral responses depending on the channel(s) that define itThe risk of abandoning the Sacral to manage emotional energy around youSatisfaction and frustration as the Generator’s internal compassWhy aligning with Sacral energy is the greatest contribution a Generator can make to the worldIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
30. Emotional Authority

30. Emotional Authority

2025-11-1301:15:22

In this episode Kelsey dives into exploring Emotional Authority, the most common of all Inner Authorities in Human Design. Governed by the Emotional Solar Plexus, which is both a motor and awareness center, Emotional Authority is the energetic and experiential process through which emotional beings arrive at clarity over time.Kelsey examines how the emotional wave functions as a natural cycle of highs, lows, and neutrality and why there is “no truth in the now.” Emotional Authority teaches us patience, detachment, and self-responsibility, showing that clarity is not about certainty, but about witnessing the unfolding of truth through experience.This episode offers guidance on working with different emotional wave patterns, honoring the timing of your process, and understanding how emotional authority expresses uniquely through each Type.What's Discussed in this Episode:Review of the Solar Plexus as both an awareness and motor center“No truth in the now”: why emotional clarity requires time and experienceThe difference between clarity and certainty: emotional truth vs. mental rationaleEmotional awareness as a somatic process, not thought or logicWorking with your wave: balance between detachment and allowanceRespecting your emotional process without rationalizing or blaming self or othersHow emotional authority functions by TypeIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode, we begin exploring Inner Authority, which is the foundation of decision making in Human Design. Authority is the anchor and filter through which we experience life’s conditions and conditioning. It’s not something we develop or have to "figure out." It’s the inherent intelligence of the body, always operating beneath the mind’s commentary.Kelsey examines the difference between conditioning and authority, how authority arises from our defined centers, and why the mind is never the place from which to make personal decisions. This episode invites you to begin recognizing the voice of your authority- the steady pulse of inner knowing that guides you back to alignment, over and over again.What's Discussed in this Episode:What Inner Authority is and how it functions as your anchor amidst conditioningHow the defined centers act as filters for life’s experiencesAuthority as a somatic process, not a mental oneThe hierarchy of authoritiesWhy pressure and the mind are never sources for our authority The distinction between Inner Authority and Outer Authority How conditioning pulls us away from our authority and how awareness brings us backRecognizing the paradox: your authority is both the simplest truth and the hardest thing for the mind to surrender toIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
In this episode, we bring the Aura Type series to completion with a reflective synthesis on the four Types in Human Design. This conversation revisits the mechanics and lived experience of each Type, exploring how their distinct aura patterns, strategies, and signatures weave together to form the larger tapestry of human interaction and consciousness.We’ll look at the broader dynamics of energy vs. non-energy beings, personal vs. impersonal auras, and the universal lessons embedded in each Type. This episode invites us to move beyond comparison, aka the “grass is greener” illusion, and instead honor the unique purpose and dilemma inherent to each design.What's Discussed in this Episode:A summary of the four Aura Types and how they operate togetherThe personal / impersonal spectrum of aura mechanics“Grass Is Greener” complex and why each Type is conditioned to imitate the other TypesHow each Type "creates" reality The existential dilemmas of each Type and the necessity of grieving the life the mind projectedHow each Type's Signatures represent both a promise and a universal ideal available to allThe shared human potential within each Type’s wisdomIf you would like full access to the course, including the videos and slides, make sure to join the Patreon, where you will find the full LYD course and exclusive Human Design and Astrology content. Follow Kelsey on Instagram
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