Design the Future

Women are living, learning, and leading towards a sustainable future. Their stories can help us all accelerate toward that vision in the built environment. Design the Future is a podcast created to elevate and explore the voices of women driving sustainable practices in the built environment and related fields. Lindsay Baker, a sustainability and social impact leader, and Kira Gould, a writer and communications strategist, host these conversations.

Design the Future is a arts podcast hosted by Lindsay Baker & Kira Gould, with 128 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Lindsay Baker & Kira Gould hosts Design the Future, a arts show with 128 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Design the Future

  Pauline Souza on curiosity and always asking “why can’t we?”

  Aug 27, 202642 min

  Pauline Souza, FAIA, LEED Fellow, LFA, WELL AP, and LEED AP BD+C, is WRNS Studio’s Director of Sustainability and co-lead of the firm's K-12 and Civic Studio. Her curiosity is her superpower. Pauline has led numerous projects with a passion for health, inclusivity and beauty--and for advancing the role of design as a medium for building a more sustainable, resilient, equitable future. Many of her projects are considered important case studies, such as the Sonoma Academy Guild and Commons, a LEED Platinum, Living Building Challenge Petal and Net Zero Carbon project, and AIA COTE Top Ten winner. Pauline says that she was initially drawn to school design because it is a project type where equity and advocacy for healthy conditions are considered primary conversations--and these were the conversations that she wanted to have as part of the design dialogue. She brings a tenacious leadership approach rooted in the idea that good design and sustainable design are synonymous and can be achieved at any scale and any budget. She is a member of the Architecture 2030 Board of Directors. And she is a generous sharer and collaborator who has dedicated time and effort to many peer networks and other groups that have been essential to progress in the AEC space.

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  Design the Future

  Heidi Creighton on persistence, optimism, and building the case

  Aug 20, 202646 min

  Heidi Creighton is Principal Design and Planning Manager at the City of Santa Monica, California. She is spearheading circular economy initiatives, including the creation of Circular SoCal in coordination with AIA Los Angeles, CLF-LA, and USGBC California. Heidi is FAIA, a LEED Fellow, WELL AP, a Fitwel Ambassador, and creator of the Collective Impact speaker series. Heidi was intentional about her non-linear career. She has worked in architecture firms; in engineering, consulting, and construction organizations; in a nonprofit; and now she’s on the owner side with a municipality. She has a deep understanding of the industry and movement and insights about how to be effective. One tip is that we should “not get too comfortable in our roles, she says. And she has guidance about how we communicate: “Being a good listener, being inquisitive and curious about any project or any client that you're working with is always good to help you build your case. Talking about resiliency, health and well-being, and the circular economy are great gateways to broadening the conversation and getting buy-in. People want lower utility bills and to improve health and well-being. Communities want local job opportunities and economic growth.” Heidi works in the City of Santa Monica’s City Services Building (known as City Hall East) . It’s a Living Building project, of which she is justifiably proud. She invites us all to visit, and indeed, there is much to learn from the project. “We have an irresistible staircase with artwork and daylighting,” she says. “I love coming to work every day in this beautiful building. And achieving net zero water in a region that’s typically in drought nine months of the year, that was a big lift as well.”

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  Episode #126

  Lauren Alger on infrastructure as climate solution driver

  Jun 4, 202640 min

  Lauren Alger is vice president and national director of sustainable design at STV, a multinational company focused on the design, engineering, and planning of infrastructure at all scales. Lauren, a civil engineer by training, is dedicated to transforming how infrastructure is designed, built, and measured, so it becomes a driver of climate solutions for our communities. She leads ASCE Infrastructure 2050, an industry-wide initiative to reduce embodied carbon emissions of infrastructure assets. She has been a leader with the New York Embodied Carbon Working Group (an AIA New York State effort) focused on actionable recommendations for reducing embodied carbon across the built environment. The group is issuing a key report this month. “It has been incredible to see this group evolve,” Lauren says. “It has shown me how much is possible when we make a choice to collectively show up. We all had the same belief: that we could, together, shape better outcomes for future generations.”

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  Episode #125

  Lindsay Baker at Living Future 26

  May 25, 202624 min

  At Living Future 26 in Seattle, Lindsay Baker’s address was interrupted by a fire alarm. It was a false alarm, but it also persisted for a while, so the entire community got to witness Lindsay’s humor and grace as she continued her remarks. We decided to share them here. Lindsay re-recorded the talk for us without the aggressive interruption (such an on-the-nose metaphor for our times that it seemed surreal). Every year on this stage, Lindsay brings wisdom about the movement building that is under way. This year’s message is especially crucial. She talks about the signals in the world, what people in power do when they feel threatened, and what we can do right now to stay together, stay focused, and scale our progress.

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  Episode #124

  Jill Sherman on developing buildings for a thriving future

  Apr 30, 202632 min

  For developer Jill Sherman, buildings are not just assets, they are support systems for a thriving future. Jill leads Edlen & Co.’s public-private partnerships and build-to-suit projects. Jill sources new deals and manages all aspects of the development process, with a depth of expertise at integrating non-conventional sources of financing including low income housing tax credits, new market tax credits, historic tax credits, tax-exempt bonds and urban renewal funds. “We are focused on developing work that is community focused, impacts underserved communities, and pushes the boundaries of sustainability to try to bring that to scale,” she says. One such project, the PAE Living Building , was “the world’s first developer-led Living Building” and the approach (it was a conventional capital stack model) will be studied for some time. Jill shared about her path to becoming a developer, which germinated in noticing needs in the community and a desire to do positive things. The key attributes for development work, she says, are deep curiosity, comfort with math, and a high tolerance for unexpected challenges. We were at the Living Future conference, surrounded by the community, so our question about “being part of the movement” resonated. “When I'm able to meet with like-minded developers and architects and contractors and engineers,” she says, “I do feel like we are all trying to, yes, move our industry forward, but more importantly, create some positive change in the world.”

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