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Brackish (formerly Making Design Circular with Katie Treggiden)For women, walkers and wonder-seekers Author: Katie Treggiden
Welcome to this new iteration of my podcast, which was called Making Design Circular and now has the same name as my Substack, Brackish. Brackish is a term used to describe water that is a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, for example, where a river meets the sea. I first encountered it sitting in a boat in just such water and it immediately became one of my favourite words. I am fascinated by intersections, liminal and littoral spaces, overlaps and interconnections, and I want to use this space to explore all of those things the ideas that dont fit into neat boxes. So, Ill be exploring those things here the places where craft meets nature, where the rules dont apply and shoulds start to fall away. Which brings me to the second meaning of the word brackish. As well as meaning somewhat salty in very neutral terms, it has also come to mean unpalatable or repulsive. I didnt know this until after I decided upon it as a name, but as a woman in her middle years, who is relearning how to take up space, I am so here for that alternative definition! From occasional salty language to refusing to adhere to feminine standards of beauty or behaviour, I am leaning into my brackish era and Im doing it here with some brilliant women and non-binary folks who are doing the same. brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com Language: en Genres: Arts, Business, Design, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Brackish - S6 E16 Bernadette Russell & Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing
Episode 16
Tuesday, 28 October, 2025
In this episode, Katie speaks with Bernadette Russell, a storyteller, author and passionate tree planter whose work invites us to pay closer attention to the quiet magic of everyday life. Bernadette weaves together stories, community action and environmental care into a body of work that is both deeply hopeful and fiercely grounded.“Hope isn’t passive – it requires action. It’s a practice.” - Bernadette RussellWe cover:- What inspired her to do a daily act of kindness for 366 days – and how it changed everything- The role of hope in dark times, and how it coexists with grief, rage and despair- Why kindness is more powerful than we think – and often quietly everywhere- Stories from her tree planting, storytelling, and community projects- The media response to the 2011 London riots – and why it fuelled her mission- The difference between performative and meaningful action – and why small matters- The tension between anger and hope, and how we hold both- What it means to notice goodness, and how it can change how we feel in the world“It provided me with an opportunity to look at the same garden, but from a different window.” - Bernadette RussellThis conversation is a gentle, powerful reminder that hope doesn’t require perfect circumstances, and kindness doesn’t need to be grand to be meaningful.More from Bernadette:Website: www.bernadetterussell.comInstagram: @bernadetterussellBooks: Conversations of Kindness & How to Be Hopeful (these are affiliate links)More from Katie:Instagram: @katietreggiden.1Website: https://katietreggiden.com/Nature-inspired poetry: https://brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com/t/poetryResources mentioned:BBC Ideas Documentary on 366 Days of KindnessTrees for Cities and Street Trees for LivingThe Spiritual Poems of Rumi (this is an affiliate link)Check out my full Bookshop.org podcast reading list to find links to all the books mentioned throughout Season 6 of Brackish.What next?If all this talk of defiant hope has got you wondering where you can find some, I have something for you. Cultivating Hope is my three-part mini-course and it’s the three steps I move through whenever I start to feel despair tugging at my edges.You will move out of ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mode and into a calm and connected state, reconnect with nature, and find aligned actions that you can take now to keep you to remind you that you can make a difference.In the current climate, hope is an act of defiance, and it’s one I hope you’ll take with me.Click here to find out more here This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com/subscribe
