Podcast – N.D. austin

99 percent invisible re-broadcasts a SLATE production. In conversation with ND austin, an experience designer located in NY city.

This week, we’re featuring a story from Death, Sex & Money about N.D. Austin, a man who makes a living creating experiences that are supposed to change you. His projects have included secret sewer speakeasies, coming-of-age rituals on deserted islands, funeral board games, and, for Tony Hawk, a homemade train ride through the desert designed to mend a few frayed relationships.

Host Anna Sale talks with Tony about what it’s like to step into one of N.D.’s carefully constructed worlds, and with N.D. about how growing up in a doomsday cult in Alaska shaped the way he thinks about ritual, generosity, and the possibility of designing a little more magic into everyday life.