Why is it Like That?

What if the answers to our biggest human challenges, from loneliness, death and sustainability, were hidden in the soil? Artist and author Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodriguez explores how fungi-model communication, cooperation, and resilience reveal telling lessons for humans that stretch far beyond the forest floor or mushroom sauce. Yasmine is the founder of Futures Materials Bank and director of the Green Art Lab Alliance, whose mission is to foster relationships that contribute to social and environmental justice, akin to the interconnected nature of mycelium. She is a self-proclaimed "mycophile", interested in exploring the application of a mycological lens in defining fair models of collaboration and (self) organization. Her debut book, "Let's Become Fungal! Mycelium Teachings and the Arts," shares twelve teachings of the world of fungi.For more information, click here Yasmine’s WebsiteYasmine’s LinkedInFuture Materials BankLet's Become Fungal! Mycelium Teachings and the ArtsGreen Art Lab AllianceNature Research DepartmentUnSchoolsLand recognition

Please note: This episode contains discussions of depression and suicidal thoughts, which may be distressing to some listeners. If you need to reach out for support, you can contact Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13-11-14.After facing deep personal despair, Dr Paul Callaghan found healing and purpose through Aboriginal law, culture, and connection to Country. In this powerful conversation, Paul shares how Indigenous wisdom reframes life around care, unity, and responsibility rather than rights and competition. Through stories of self-discovery and cultural insight, he reveals that true wellbeing comes when all things (people, nature, and community) are well. Paul reminds us that leadership begins with love, healing begins with connection, and that to live the best story possible, we must first remember who we are and where we come from.Paul is an Aboriginal man belonging to the land of the Worimi people, now called Port Stephens. He occupies Professor roles at the University of Melbourne, RMIT University and Charles Sturt University. Paul’s best-selling book, The Dreaming Path, received the Australian Book Industry Award for ‘Small Publisher’s Adult Book of the Year’ in 2023, and his children’s book, Adventures on the Dreaming Path, was published on 1 July 2025.For more information, click here Paul’s WebsiteThe Dreaming PathAdventures on the Dreaming PathUnSchoolsLand recognition

Please note: This episode was recorded on the road, so the audio may sound a little different from our usual in-studio recordings.Clothes are worn by everyone, yet the fashion industry is built on systems of exploitation and exclusion. Co-founder of Fashion Revolution, Orsola de Castro, exposes the industry's dark history, from the chemical-laden disaster of distressed denim to the human misery hidden in the price tag of fast fashion. She argues that the system isn't broken, it was designed this way for profit. She shares anecdotes about anatomically ridiculous jeans and champions the simple, revolutionary act of mending and repairing to strengthen the bond with our clothes and keep them out of waste streams around the world.Orsola is a world-leading advocate for sustainable fashion. She is a designer, author, and lifelong mender. Her career started as a designer with the pioneering upcycling label From Somewhere, and has collaborated with Jigsaw, Topshop and Speedo. She co-founded Fashion Revolution and is the author of Loved Clothes Last. Orsola is an Associate Lecturer at UAL, and a Central Saint Martins Visiting Fellow.For more information, click here: https://leylaacaroglu.com/podcast-orsola-de-castro/ Orsola’s SubstackFashion Revolution Orsola’s Instagram UnSchools

Humans have a tendency to be stuck in their own perspective of the world, and when it comes to designing products and services, this means excluding all the other species that share the Earth with us. But what if we could design for all species and include all the more-than-humans? Damian Lutz is a multidisciplinary designer helping to pioneer a new approach to design called life-centric design that moves beyond human-centric perspectives to incorporate nature-inclusive approaches. A life-centered design pioneer, Damien Lutz is a multidisciplinary designer, author, teacher, and speaker based in Sydney, Australia. He develops nature-inclusive and future-thinking design tools and methods, teaching them to students, designers and innovators so that their work causes less planetary harm and more regenerative good.For more information, click here: https://leylaacaroglu.com/podcast-damien-lutz/ Damien's WebsiteLife-centred Design LabLife-centred Design AcademyLife-centred Design GuideUnSchoolsLand recognition

We are living our lives more and more online, outsourcing our thinking to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and being sucked into digital systems designed to keep us enthralled, but how are the hidden costs of these systems and why should we all be more considerate of the impacts that they are having on our lives, and the planet? In this episode, UX designer Thorston Jonas exposes many of the insidious ways digital technologies are affecting us.Thorsten is Sustainable UX and Responsible AI advocate, Keynote Speaker and Founder of the SUX Network and SUX Academy. He is guiding and teaching designers and product people, teams and companies in crafting sustainable, responsible and ethical digital products and using AI responsibly. Thorsten is co-author of the W3C Sustainable Web Design Guidelines and is the host of the SUX Podcast. His passion for the outdoors and mountaineering drives his commitment to making sustainability a fundamental aspect of design and digital product building and he believes that it is our first responsibility to create digital products and experiences that do not harm other beings or the planet. ---For more information, click here: https://leylaacaroglu.com/podcast-thorsten-jonas/ Thorsten’s WebsiteSustainable UX NetworkSUX AcademyUnSchoolsLand recognition

We live in a very human-centric world, which can become myopic at times. Philosopher Francesca Fernando helps us push through anthropocentrism into the macro world of the possibility of what posthumanism can offer us. Expect your mind to melt in this episode as we explore the world we are in, and the ways we can all envisage better modes of being within it. Dr. ​Francesca Ferrando is an Award-Winning Philosopher, Professor at NYU, founder of the Global Posthuman Network and a leading voice in the field of Posthuman Studies. Francesca was named "One of the 100 Top Creatives Making Change in the World" by ‘ORIGIN’ Magazine and is committed to existential well-being and mindfulness, ​justice and diversity for humans and non-humans alike. They are the author of several books, including The Art of Being Posthuman. ---For more information, click here: https://leylaacaroglu.com/podcast-francesca-ferrando/Francesca’s Website The Posthumanism Explainer Videos Global Posthumanism UnSchoolsLand recognition

Waste is a luxury for some that comes at the cost of others. For many people, waste is so externalised that they have very little knowledge of just how bad the global waste crisis is and where the things we discard end up. But Betty Adjei knows firsthand and is leading pivotal projects across Africa to change the way people relate to waste. Betty Adjei is a storyteller and leading voice in the circular economy movement. She is the Director of Operations and Programs at Green Africa Youth Organisation and founder of B.Inspired with Stories from Africa (B.ISA). Betty is committed to amplifying indigenous knowledge and solutions, empowering communities to contribute to a more diverse and enriching storytelling landscape for a positive planet. --For more information, click here: https://leylaacaroglu.com/podcast-betty-osei-bonsu-adjei/B. Inspired with Stories from Africa (B.ISA)Green Youth Africa Organisation Betty’s LinkedinUnSchoolsLand recognition

According to Marine conservationist Joe Roman, whale poop is like snowflakes—no two poops are the same, and they are all individually beautiful. In this episode, we explore the many ways whales are a keystone species for the oceans, helping to fight climate change, cycle nutrients and even helping humans smell better! Joe Roman is a conservation biologist and author of Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World and Listed: Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act, winner of the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award. He is a fellow at the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont, with his research focusing on endangered species conservation and marine ecology.For more information, click here: https://leylaacaroglu.com/podcast-joe-roman/ Joe's website UnSchoolsLand recognition

Welcome to Why Is It Like That? hosted by designer and social scientist Leyla Acaroglu. Join fascinating thinkers from science, design, and beyond as we explore quirky, counterintuitive questions about the world. Surprising insights, humour, and big ideas, all in one show that invites you to see life differently, one question at a time.