Designed To Thrive with Colleen Tobey

About Designed To Thrive with Colleen Tobey

Welcome to Designed to Thrive — the podcast for the entrepreneurs, the mothers, the dreamers. Here, we explore what it means to design a life inside and out: from the spaces that hold us, to the dreams that drive us, to the ways we thrive in business, motherhood, and beyond. Think of this as us curled up on the sofa together, chit chatting about life, the little shifts, and the big dreams — all the things that help us thrive.

Publisher

Colleen Tobey

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Oct 2025

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Ep. 32: You Are Not a Fixer-Upper | Living From Your Original Blueprint

   What if the parts of yourself you've been trying to change are actually the things holding you up? When renovating a home, one of the first things you need to understand is which walls are load-bearing and which spaces are meant to stay open. And as it turns out, the same principle can apply to understanding ourselves. In this episode of Designed to Thrive, Colleen brings together her two worlds — Interior Design and Human Design — to explore what she calls the Interior of the Self. Using the nine energy centers in a Human Design chart as a metaphorical floor plan, Colleen explains how our defined centers act like the structural walls of a home, while our undefined and open centers are the flexible spaces where we absorb energy, learn, and develop wisdom. She explores what happens when we try to tear down the parts of ourselves that are naturally consistent, or build walls around the parts of us that were never meant to be rigid. From burnout and people-pleasing to identity and self-worth, Colleen invites us to consider where we've been trying to renovate ourselves into someone we're not. She also shares her own Human Design as a Splenic Projector, how her open G center influences her relationship with her environment, and why understanding her personal blueprint has changed the way she approaches her work, energy, and everyday life. In this episode, Colleen talks about: The connection between Interior Design and Human Design Understanding the nine energy centers as rooms in your personal floor plan The difference between defined, undefined, and open centers Why open centers aren't weaknesses, but opportunities for wisdom How each of the nine centers influences the way we think, communicate, work, feel, and relate to others The two biggest renovation mistakes we make with ourselves: tearing down our natural strengths and forcing structure where we need flexibility How conditioning can make us feel like we're living in someone else's house The difference between a perfectly staged home and one that feels authentically lived in What Colleen's own Human Design chart has taught her about her identity, energy, and environment A five-step Human Design walkthrough to help you better understand and honor your own blueprint A moment to take with you: You are not a fixer-upper. You don't need to gut yourself and start over. Some parts of you are designed to provide structure and consistency. Others are meant to remain open, adaptable, and full of possibility. The goal isn't to fix your floor plan. It's to understand it, honor it, and create a life that feels like home. Question to Consider: Where in your life have you been trying to change something about yourself that might actually be part of your natural design? And what might shift if you stopped trying to renovate yourself into someone else and finally moved into who you already are? Mentioned in this Episode Jenna Zoe (https://www.myhumandesign.com (https://www.myhumandesign.com/)) Connect Connect with Colleen on Instagram @the_homecraftdesign (https://instagram.com/the_homecraftdesign) or her website https://www.homecraftdesign.com/ (https://www.homecraftdesign.com/)

2. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Ep. 31: On the Other Side of Hard | What Hiking Mt. Katahdin Taught Me

   What happens when you willingly sign up for something that is really, really hard? For Colleen, it meant hiking Mt. Katahdin in Maine with her dad and sister — a 10.5-mile, 4,000-foot-elevation-gain adventure that took 12 hours, pushed her fear of heights to its limits, and became one of the most meaningful experiences of her life. In this episode, Colleen takes you along for the journey: from flying into Boston and reconnecting with family to choosing the perfect weather window, climbing massive granite boulders above the tree line, and finally reaching the iconic wooden Mt. Katahdin sign at the end of the Appalachian Trail. But this episode isn't really about hiking. It's about doing hard things. It's about what happens when you are scared and keep going anyway. About being completely present because there is no room to think about anything else. About the people who help you when the path gets difficult. And about how sometimes the hardest experiences become the ones you never forget. Colleen shares the emotional significance of reaching the summit with her dad and sister — including honoring her brother Sean, who died in a car accident at 16, by carrying his ashes to the top of the mountain and tying one of his shoelaces to the iconic summit sign. She also shares the unexpected moments that made the journey memorable: meeting inspiring hikers along the trail, including Samuel Tobin, who was hiking on crutches after surviving a motorcycle accident, getting a ride from a stranger at the end of a very long day, eating Maine lobster, and discovering just how much her body and mind could handle. In this episode, Colleen talks about: Hiking Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine The Appalachian Trail and what it means to reach its northern terminus Taking on a Class 3, extremely strenuous and technical hike Facing her fear of heights Why hard experiences can bring you completely into the present moment The power of having her dad and sister beside her How her sister Catherine's rock-climbing experience helped them navigate the most technical section Meeting inspiring people and hearing their stories along the trail Honoring her brother Sean by bringing his ashes to the summit The unexpected kindness of a stranger at the end of a 12-hour hiking day Why this became a trip Colleen knows she'll never forget And the reminder that we can do hard things A moment to take with you Sometimes we don't know what we're capable of until we're already in the middle of something hard. And sometimes the thing that makes an experience meaningful isn't that it was easy — it's that you were scared, exhausted, challenged, emotional, or unsure... and you kept going. We can do hard things. And when we do them with people we love, they can become part of the stories we carry with us for the rest of our lives. Question to consider: What is something hard you've done that you're proud of — and what did it teach you about yourself? Connect Connect with Colleen on Instagram @the_homecraftdesign (https://instagram.com/the_homecraftdesign) or her website https://www.homecraftdesign.com/ (https://www.homecraftdesign.com/)

3. 

   14 Sept 2026

   Ep. 30: When Your Worth Isn’t on a Pay Stub

   What makes a life feel like a dream? For Colleen, the answer started with an ordinary dog walk and a conversation with her business coach that completely reframed how she thinks about money, contribution, and her own worth. In this episode, Colleen shares a realization that has been sitting with her: her life doesn't feel extraordinary simply because her husband makes good money. It feels extraordinary because of what they are building together — and what she does with his contribution. Running a household. Raising kids. Managing schedules and appointments. Keeping food in the fridge. Creating a home that feels good to come back to. Building a business. Creating a life. Not all of those contributions come with a paycheck. But that doesn't make them less valuable. Colleen explores the process of deconditioning the belief that our value has to be monetary and what happens when we stop treating contribution like a competition or a scorecard. She also gets honest about her relationship with Home Craft Design — a business she's built over seven years — and why she can simultaneously feel stuck in parts of her business while knowing that she doesn't actually want to give it up. For her, the business is more than income. It's a creative outlet and a part of her identity that exists outside of motherhood. Most importantly, Colleen shares the realization she's still practicing: You can still be figuring out your worth and already be worthy. In this episode, she talks about: The unexpected realization that her life feels like a dream Why monetary contribution isn't the only measure of value The invisible work that turns income into a life Reframing household management as a form of contribution Letting go of the idea that one person's role is more valuable than another's The difference between want to and have to Why Home Craft Design still matters to Colleen, even when business feels hard How a business can be a creative outlet without being the foundation of your worth What Human Design has taught her about deconditioning Letting "I'm still figuring it out" and "I'm already worthy" exist at the same time A question to sit with What is your worth — and what brings value to your life — aside from monetary things? Your contribution doesn't have to be measurable on a spreadsheet to matter. It counts. You count. As you are, right now — even in the middle of figuring it out. Connect Connect with Colleen on Instagram @the_homecraftdesign (https://instagram.com/the_homecraftdesign) or her website https://www.homecraftdesign.com/ (https://www.homecraftdesign.com/)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

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