DiscoverDesign Conscious
Design Conscious
Claim Ownership

Design Conscious

Author: Sarah Lawlor

Subscribed: 2Played: 262
Share
© 2025 Design Conscious

Description

Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment. Sarah Lawlor interviews sustainability leaders involved in the built environment, from a range of roles including contractors, architects, developers, consultants, strategists and educationalists. Design Conscious is part of the 2020 International Women's Day scholarship, supported by NAWIC.
19 Episodes
Reverse
Caroline Pidcock on the mindset of change, community led climate movements, and inverting and owning perceptions of softness in the sustainability industry.

Caroline Pidcock on the mindset of change, community led climate movements, and inverting and owning perceptions of softness in the sustainability industry.

2021-02-0748:25

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Caroline Pidcock, who is the Spokesperson for Australian Architects Declare, Chair of 1 Million Women, member of government design panels and lecturer at a number of architecture schools. Caroline shares her authentic interest and experience in regenerative approaches, developed over 30 years of involvement in professional, academic and community commitments, in a conversation about the power of community-led, bottom up movements, inverting and owning percep...
Ashleigh Gay on the sustainability 'chameleons' becoming the next generation of business leaders, the translation piece of sustainability communication, and on whether sustainability leadership just good leadership

Ashleigh Gay on the sustainability 'chameleons' becoming the next generation of business leaders, the translation piece of sustainability communication, and on whether sustainability leadership just good leadership

2021-02-0746:57

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Ashleigh Gay, Head of Sustainability Leadership & Communications at Edge Environment. Ash brings her expertise in sustainability communications to explore what she calls the translation piece of telling a compelling sustainability story, as well as sharing some thought provoking reflections on the sustainability chameleons leading the next generation of business leadership. Ash poses this question in the podcast, is sustainability leadership ...
Anne Kovachevich on transitioning from hypersonic aerospace to sustainability, gender norms in science and sustainability, and the critical role of foresight for our planet

Anne Kovachevich on transitioning from hypersonic aerospace to sustainability, gender norms in science and sustainability, and the critical role of foresight for our planet

2021-02-0740:09

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Anne Kovachevich, Foresight and Innovation Leader for Arup Australasia. Anne Kovachevich joins Sarah from Brisbane to discuss the transition from hypersonic aerospace to sustainability, gender norms in science and sustainability, and the critical role of foresight for our planet.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment, supported by NAWIC.
Lauren Kajewski on leveraging different pedagogies to improve the pipeline of skilled women in the construction sector, and being an advocate with a loud, sound, credible voice

Lauren Kajewski on leveraging different pedagogies to improve the pipeline of skilled women in the construction sector, and being an advocate with a loud, sound, credible voice

2021-02-0739:49

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Lauren Kajewski, Director Sustainability & Learning at Landcom and expert in corporate strategy. Lauren is an industry leader and advocate for strategic sustainable leadership, climate resilience, environmental protection, human health and human rights, and in this conversation she shares her advice on how to advocate with a loud, sound and credible voice. Lauren also shares her insights on leveraging different pedagogies to improve the pipeline o...
Clare Gallagher on leadership, designing for the end user, and looking at contractors as the middle link

Clare Gallagher on leadership, designing for the end user, and looking at contractors as the middle link

2021-02-0748:12

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Clare Gallagher, Sustainability Manager at Built. The conversation delves into leadership, designing for the end user, and looking at contractors as an enabling middle link in the chain, rather than a roadblock at the end.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment, supported by NAWIC.
Rebecca Miller on climate resilience, being and having an advocate, and the community cohesion integral to social sustainability

Rebecca Miller on climate resilience, being and having an advocate, and the community cohesion integral to social sustainability

2021-02-0753:10

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Rebecca Miller, a Director with AECOM’s Brisbane office. Rebecca leads AECOM’s Sustainability and Resilience Practice across Queensland and the Northern Territory, working with both private and public sector organisations to understand how they can build resilience to a broad and diverse range of shocks and stresses. Rebecca shares her experience on climate resilience, being and having an advocate, and the community cohesion integral to social sustainabilit...
Margot Black on changing the way money talks, social sustainability in times of crisis, and disruption as a driver for change

Margot Black on changing the way money talks, social sustainability in times of crisis, and disruption as a driver for change

2021-02-0735:54

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Margot Black, Head of Sustainability and Community at Charter Hall about changing the way money talks: social sustainability in times of crisis, and disruption as a driver for change. Margot also shares her thoughts on vulnerability, thought leadership, and the importance of finding your tribe.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment, supported by NAWIC.
Sophie Hutchinson on the policy and politics of climate change, wellbeing as the second wave of sustainability, and the environmental leaders that inspire her passion for the earth

Sophie Hutchinson on the policy and politics of climate change, wellbeing as the second wave of sustainability, and the environmental leaders that inspire her passion for the earth

2021-02-0737:02

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Sophie Hutchinson, Director of Sustainability at ADP consulting.Sophie is invested in delivering projects that are socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative, and in this conversation, she discusses the idea of wellbeing as the second wave of sustainability. Sophie also shares her perspective on policy-making and the politics around climate change, and the environmental leaders that inspire her passion for the earth.Design Conscious is a po...
Grace Foo on finding confidence as a young female engineer in a male dominated industry, learning to rely and grow from the support of colleagues, and her vision for a more diverse and balanced construction industry

Grace Foo on finding confidence as a young female engineer in a male dominated industry, learning to rely and grow from the support of colleagues, and her vision for a more diverse and balanced construction industry

2021-02-0737:42

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Grace Foo, Principal Consultant at DeltaQ. Grace called in from Canberra for a conversation about finding confidence as a young female engineer in a male dominated industry, learning to rely and grow from the support of colleagues, and her vision for a more diverse and balanced construction industry.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment, supported by NAWIC.
Jeff Elliot on being that greenie kid, and why he hates being called a leader

Jeff Elliot on being that greenie kid, and why he hates being called a leader

2021-02-0744:38

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Jeff Elliot, Environmental Sustainability Change Lead at ANZ, just as Melbourne lockdown 2.0 is lifting. The conversation begins with Jeff's roots as a greenie kid and wannabe parks ranger, and goes on to explore empathy, diversity of experience, and why he hates being called a leader.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment, supported by NAWIC.
Dr Komali Yenneti on knowledge exchange between academia and industry, the competitive edge of sustainability, and the rising voices of future leaders and actionmakers

Dr Komali Yenneti on knowledge exchange between academia and industry, the competitive edge of sustainability, and the rising voices of future leaders and actionmakers

2021-02-0749:23

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Dr Komali Yenneti, Lecturer in Geography, Urban Planning and Environment at the School of Architecture and Built Environment in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, at the University of Wolverhampton in the UK. Komali shares her thoughts on optimism and risk-taking, during a discussion on knowledge exchange between academia and industry, the competitive edge of sustainability, and the rising voices of future leaders and actionmakers.Design Conscious is a ...
Rebecca Davis-Jinks on being a cross-functional sustainability champion, and her pipe-dream for a coalition setting a benchmark for minimum best practice

Rebecca Davis-Jinks on being a cross-functional sustainability champion, and her pipe-dream for a coalition setting a benchmark for minimum best practice

2021-02-0735:08

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Rebecca Davis-Jinks, Head of Sustainability at Cushman and Wakefield.In the midst of Melbourne lockdown, Rebecca reflected on how to be a cross-functional sustainability champion who is commercially literate and can communicate the value of sustainability, as well shared her pipe dream of an Australian coalition of organisations, setting a benchmark for minimum best practice to operate in our society.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadershi...
Divinia Eather on diversity as a form of sustainability, contributing to the Indigenous circular economy, and a business model based on caring

Divinia Eather on diversity as a form of sustainability, contributing to the Indigenous circular economy, and a business model based on caring

2021-02-0744:43

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Divinia Eather, the 19 year old marketing manager at Eather Group, an Indigenous owned and operated business supporting the civil, construction and waste-to-resource industries along the Eastern Seaboard. The conversation spanned themes of diversity as a form of sustainability, contributing to the Indigenous circular economy, and a business model based on caring.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability ...
Ian Van Eerdan on shifting the sustainability conversation from cost to value, why the purpose-driven nature of sustainability attracts diversity, and his ultimate aim to make his job obsolete

Ian Van Eerdan on shifting the sustainability conversation from cost to value, why the purpose-driven nature of sustainability attracts diversity, and his ultimate aim to make his job obsolete

2021-02-0744:26

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Ian Van Eerdan, Associate and Sustainability Group Manager at Northrop. Ian shares his strategies of team management and leadership development through an awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses, and the need to shift the sustainability conversation from cost to value. Ian discusses why the purpose-driven nature of the sustainability profession attracts diversity, as well as Ian’s ultimate aim to make his job obsolete.Design Conscious is a podca...
Ann Austin on engagement, collaboration, and the necessary discomfort of change

Ann Austin on engagement, collaboration, and the necessary discomfort of change

2021-02-0750:03

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Ann Austin, National Sustainability Manager for Lendlease Building Australia and head of Sustainability Engagement for Lendlease Group globally. The conversation spans themes of engagement, collaboration, and the necessary discomfort of change.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment, supported by NAWIC.
Jenny Edwards on attitudinal change, the criticality of educating the public to demand better buildings, and the no-brainer combination of architecture and science

Jenny Edwards on attitudinal change, the criticality of educating the public to demand better buildings, and the no-brainer combination of architecture and science

2021-02-0749:48

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Jenny Edwards, the sole owner and Director of Light House Architecture and Science, a multi-award-winning practice that integrates science into the design process to deliver highly efficient, climate resilient homes in the Canberra region.Jenny is very big on walking the talk and advocating for evidence-based home design, and in this conversation advocates for educating the public to demand better buildings, attitudinal change and using the technology and constru...
Dr Samantha Hall on overcoming imposter syndrome on a trip to Antartica, breaking the sustainability blame cycle, and how unconscious bias is a filter that requires greater diversity at leadership level

Dr Samantha Hall on overcoming imposter syndrome on a trip to Antartica, breaking the sustainability blame cycle, and how unconscious bias is a filter that requires greater diversity at leadership level

2021-02-0747:23

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Dr Samantha Hall, Principal Director at Campus Intuition, helping universities better understand the student experience by developing new methods to improve built environment design and planning.In this conversation, Sam shares her experience of overcoming imposter syndrome on a trip to Antartica, the need to break the sustainability blame cycle to become accountable, as well as unconscious bias as a filter requiring greater diversity at a leadership level.Design...
Karla Fox-Reynolds on the tools equipping sustainability leaders to be the leaders we need in uncertain times, navigating a career and balancing family life, and ‘keeping your fight’

Karla Fox-Reynolds on the tools equipping sustainability leaders to be the leaders we need in uncertain times, navigating a career and balancing family life, and ‘keeping your fight’

2021-02-0750:35

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Karla Fox-Reynolds, Senior Project Manager at Climate KIC, based in Western Australia. Karla shares the tools she believes are equipping sustainability leaders to be the leaders we need in uncertain times, navigating a career and balancing family life, as well as her advice to ‘keep your fight’.Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment, supported by NAWIC.
Laura Hamilton-O’Hara on creating ripples of change through impactful, action-oriented leadership, and making a choice to lead with kindness

Laura Hamilton-O’Hara on creating ripples of change through impactful, action-oriented leadership, and making a choice to lead with kindness

2021-02-0742:43

Sarah Lawlor (host) speaks to Laura Hamilton O’Hara, social Ecologist, educator, community builder and CEO of the Living Future Institute Australia. Laura talks about her choice to lead with kindness, the impact and motivation of millennial leaders, and creating ripples of change toward a Living Future. Design Conscious is a podcast exploring diversity and leadership in environmental sustainability in the built environment, supported by NAWIC.
Comments 
Google Play
Download from Google Play
Castbox
Download from App Store
usUnited States