Better World With Design

About Better World With Design

The Better World With Design (BWWD) podcast is where I, Gary Crossey, explore the intersection of design and music, creativity, and personal growth. In each episode, I combine my web design expertise with authentic storytelling, featuring deep dives into music discoveries, photography, writing, and the arts. Drawing from a rich visual aesthetic of deep blues, forest greens, and warm grays, the show feels like opening a well-worn leather notebook filled with creative insights and artistic discoveries. From curated playlists to in-depth music reviews, I share personal anecdotes, lessons learned, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the creative process. The podcast is crafted for thoughtful professionals who appreciate both technical expertise and artistic expression, delivering content that's authentic, crafted, and professional. Whether you're a designer, developer, musician, photographer, or creative professional, each episode offers valuable insights while maintaining a genuine, conversational tone that resonates with my audience.

Publisher

Gary Crossey

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Jun 2025

Latest episode

30 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Apr 2026

   Thinking, Fast and Slow: The Two Systems Running Your Life

   In this episode of Better World with Design, we unpack Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow through the lens of two competing systems in your mind: System 1 (fast, automatic, story-driven) and System 2 (slow, effortful, easily depleted). We walk through the book’s most memorable demonstrations—base rates versus stereotypes, the availability heuristic, the “Invisible Gorilla,” and decision fatigue—and connect them to real-world choices in work, media, and everyday life. The takeaway isn’t “try harder.” It’s learning how attention, defaults, and conditions shape what we call moral judgment—and how to design better decisions when the stakes are high.

2. 

   19 Apr 2026

   The Wax Child: The Witch Trial That Started With a Rumor (Olga Ravn)

   In this episode of Better World With Design, we dive into Olga Ravn’s The Wax Child—a haunting historical novel narrated by a beeswax figure created in 1615 Denmark amid witch-trial paranoia. We unpack the book’s structure, themes, and “rumor-as-machinery” storytelling, including how grief, misogyny, and institutional power turn gossip into evidence. You’ll also hear a clear breakdown of the key characters (Costanza/Christenza, Anna, Usa, Eiler) and the church-and-court system that drives the accusations, plus how the Wax Child’s long, centuries-spanning perspective connects early modern persecution to modern systems of control. Perfect for readers who love literary fiction, feminist historical fiction, and books about witch trials, this conversation offers context, interpretation, and a guided way into the novel—whether you’re reading for the first time or returning for a deeper understanding.

3. 

   15 Apr 2026

   Tom Lake Review: Why Ann Patchett’s Novel Feels Shallow (and Overpraised)

   In this episode of Better World With Design, I give a clear-eyed review of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I break down why the novel reads to me as a polished but shallow comfort-read: how the framing device makes the listener feel managed, how withholding gets mistaken for depth, and how nostalgia and unmarked whiteness are treated as the default “universal” setting. We also look at why Peter Duke’s celebrity pull becomes the book’s narrative gravity, even as the story claims to critique that hunger. If you’re searching for a Tom Lake summary, themes, and an honest critique of the praise, this is for you.

Podcast Authority Score: 14 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

28

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Better World With Design

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.