Show Notes
“The quality of our relationships is the only factor linked to how long we live — and how well we live.”
Summary In this episode, Alla Weinberg and I explore psychological safety, workplace culture, and why the quality of our relationships shapes not just how we work, but how we live. Alla shares her 20-year journey through the design industry — from information architecture to coaching — and the lived experiences that led her to write A Culture of Safety. We talk about toxic and “too nice” cultures, the pressure to “crank out” design, how unsafe environments shut down our ability to think, and what leaders can do to model honesty with kindness. We also look ahead to the AI era and why Alla is building a social health organization to help people rebuild connection, community, and human-centered ways of working.
Guest Alla Weinberg Website - https://thisisharmonic.com/ Fourpercent - https://www.fourpercent.org/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/allaweinberg/
Host Danny Hearn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyhearn/ Website – www.dannyhearn.me Podcast – www.deeplyhumandesign.com
Chapters 00:00 Social health, relationships, and what the research suggests 00:40 Alla’s journey through design — and why she turned to coaching 04:35 Lived experiences of unsafe culture and “crank it out” design pressure 09:20 What toxic work really communicates about people vs. profit 12:34 Hope vs. reality: why design evangelism rarely shifts power 15:14 Building a social health organisation and what it’s for 20:16 What healthy relational culture looks like (skills, repair, honesty) 22:52 Transactional vs. relational culture — especially in remote work 34:53 Mental health, trauma, and how unsafe leadership shuts us down 47:03 AI, the erosion of humanity, and choosing a different future
More from the deeply human design podcast
“You cannot innovate if you don't have diverse thinking.” Summary In this episode, we explore the winding creative journey of Meg Porter, a designer turned product leader and founder, who shares how her artistic roots evolved into a passion for solving complex human problems. She candidly opens up about navigating corporate environments as a neurodivergent woman, facing systemic biases, and the exhaustion of trying to fit traditional workplace molds. Meg discusses her work with The Female Product Lead community, advocating for truly inclusive leadership and psychological safety across tech. She also details the creation of Unfold, her new app designed to help neurodivergent individuals manage executive dysfunction through nervous system and emotional regulation. Throughout the conversation, Meg highlights the immense value of radical self-knowledge over conventional career frameworks. Guest Meg Porter LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/megporter Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/_meg_porter/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@_meg_porter_ Unfold Website – https://getunfold.app Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/_unfoldapp_/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@_unfoldapp_ Female Product Lead Website – https://femaleproductlead.com Events – https://luma.com/femaleproductlead Host Danny Hearn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyhearn/ Website – https://www.dannyhearn.me Podcast – https://www.deeplyhumandesign.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:38 Meg's Origins in Physical Graphic Design 04:43 Navigating Subjectivity and Finding Structure in Design 08:23 Expressing Personal Empathy Through Art Projects 10:17 Transitioning into Corporate Tech and Healthcare Design 14:12 Clashing Values and Systemic Politics in Enterprise Roles 18:35 Fostering Psychological Safety and Diverse Perspectives 22:57 Empowering Underrepresented Voices with Female Product Lead 26:27 Experiencing the Glass Ceiling and Micro-Behaviors 32:25 Finding Core Purpose and Showing Up Authentically 37:14 Building Unfold for Neurodivergent Emotional Regulation 43:58 Developing the MVP and Co-Founding with Family 46:23 Tackling Executive Dysfunction and Rejection Sensitivity 51:21 Prioritising Self-Knowledge Over Skill Sets in Leadership
"People massively overestimate the amount of change that's going to happen in two years, and they underestimate the amount in five to 10 years."
"The pressure to move faster in the tech industry creates an environment where presence and mental well-being are often sacrificed for speed.”
Reclaiming the Heart in Design “There’s so much heart in some of these things that you’re putting in heart in that space and I find it very hard to detach some of those.”
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is just be the kindest person in the room.”