In this episode, I speak with community leaders, and all-around good neighbors, Judy Sullivan and Meg Moschetto of the Cochrane Heights Neighborhood Association in Dallas, Texas. They recently transformed an ‘eyesore’ alley into a place of connection, expanding their neighborhood, increasing safety, and paving the way for a butterfly garden, kids playing and many more dog walks with neighbors. Their journey and the beautiful results were first captured by the Dallas Morning News, and serve as an example to us all for how small community-led changes can have a big impact.

How do our workplaces and practices impact loneliness? How can you design for connection of all kinds? In 2019, 61% of U.S. working adults reported experiencing loneliness, which is tied to decreased productivity, work satisfaction and turn over. Yet, we rarely ask the question of how to design for connection in our workplaces as a priority. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Nigel Oseland who shares design strategies for fostering four types of connections in the work environment!

Dr. Oseland is an environmental psychologist, workplace strategist, change manager, researcher, author, and international speaker. He works with his clients to redefine their work styles, and create cost-effective, space efficient workplaces that enhance concentration, collaboration, and creativity. I was first introduced to his work through the Centre of Conscious Design. His lessons about loneliness and the workplace are exciting and important. We hope you enjoy this episode!

This holiday season is unlike any other for most of us. In this episode, I try something a little different, share a little more of myself, and share strategies for navigating loneliness through these holidays. I share stories from listeners who are trying something new this holiday season to stay connected and I share a advice from experts across the landscape of psychology, philosophy and wellbeing.

Have you ever walked into an office and seen a sea of cubicles and wondered - how is anyone supposed to get work done here? How can I have private conversation with colleagues, or collaborative brainstorming session? Or maybe walked into a café and thought, 'where in the world can I tuck out of the way with my toddler so I can still connect with others' (hint: I can relate to that one)? All of that is related to this concept of Choice and why it is so important in shaping opportunities for social connection. In this episode of Shared Space, Erin Peavey dives into this concept and shares real world architectural and interior design examples.

In Episode 11 of Shared Space, Kati Peditto, an award winning, environmental psychologist and professor. We discuss how social needs change throughout the life span, how to design for impromptu connections, what young adults really want and how to engage them, and what spatial justice has to do with the way we design and how to better listen and advocate for the people using the space

In Episode 10 of Shared Space, I talk with Julianne Holt-Lundstad, who studies social relationships, stress and our health. She is a renowned professor of psychology and neuroscience. Her seminal research identified social isolation and loneliness as risk factors for early death. We discuss how she came to see how the built environment can impact social connection in our everyday lives, and so much more.