David Whitbread has shaped how design is taught, shared, and understood in Australia. He’s the author and publisher of The Design Manual, now in its revised and encyclopaedic third edition. He’s also held senior roles across government, academia and publishing, including as Head of Graphic Design at the University of Canberra, and as Design Director at the Australian Government Publishing Service.

I first heard of David as a starry eyed undergraduate in 2004, as I purchased my first copy of The Design Manual for my degree. Since then it’s been a resource for best practise in my career, but also settled a few arguments around double spacesafter full stops, or how to indent bullet points. More recently, David and I served on the University of Canberra’s course advisory group, to make sure our students are graduating with industry-ready skills and expectations.

I wanted to speak with David not just because of his expertise, but because of the unique combination of places he’s worked — places known for structure, rules and process. And yet, David is deeply creative. He’s a book designer, a musician, a teacher, and someone who genuinely lights up when he talks about helping people understand design. So, I asked him: what does creativity look like when the rules are already written?

We speak about when to follow the rules and when to break them, why designers need to keep learning, and how creativity shows up not just in the art, but in the process — in problem-solving, in collaboration, and even in public service.

As always, I started by asking David what he’d do with his days if he suddenly had $100 million in the bank. Please enjoy my conversation with the ever-generous David Whitbread.

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What started as a few bonus episodes in between seasons turned into something bigger...Bonier. This season, I’ve turned the mic on a group of card-carrying designers to ask a surprisingly layered question: what’s it really like to be creative?

In this five episode collection, you’ll hear from people who live and breathe creativity, not just as a skill, but as a way of making sense of the world. From seasoned studio owners to fresh grads, educators to advocates, these conversations diginto the pressure, the practice, and the purpose of being creative for a living.

And if you don’t consider yourself a “creative” person, don’t worry, this season is still for you. Because whether it’s parenting, planning, teaching or leading, creative thinking touches all of it. These stories are about ideas, resilience,and what it means to carve out meaning in your work, no matter what you do.

So join me as I chat with David Whitbread from The Design Manual, Rach Viski from Minta Viski, graduate Chloe Wickham,Greg and Carol from Design Business Council, and Jess Kelly from The Design Dept.

This is a season about what it means to be creative, and to live like it matters.

Dr Hala El Khoury is a distinguished neuroscientist and counsellor dedicated to empowering individuals to reach their fullest potential through enhanced brain health and resilience.

With a Bachelor of medical science, neuroscience and immunobiology from the University of Sydney, Dr. Hala specializes in brain rewiring, neuroprotection, neuroplasticity, and holistic wellbeing.

She recently added to her degree by gaining a doctorate of philosophy - a PhD in Neuroscience looking at the relationship between red light therapy and neurodegenerative diseases.

Hala and her chiropractor husband Justin are a powerhouse duo, complementing each other in every project or business they take on. I met them both when I walked into their clinic in Canberra in 2022, and they’ve become great friends who remind me to keep tabs on my wellness, mindset, and alignment in all areas of my life.

As with most of the people who were ever meant to have come into my life, Hala is now a bouncy haired ray of sunshine staple in my life, and selfishly, because of her knowledge of the brain, a major target on my podcast hit list.

She’s the 13th person that I’ve spoken with, and I’ve deliberately left her until last so I can ask her all the questions that have come up throughout this season. Everyone I’ve spoken with so far has had such interesting individual takes on creativity.

Their lived experiences and their different professions have given us such a well rounded view of what it means to be creative to different people. But today we’re going to dive right into the grey matter. Into the neurones. Into the settings that were programmed by your ancestors before you were even born. And learn more about our brain’s capacity to rewire to be more or less creative. About how creativity helps us meet our hierarchy of needs, and survive.

Join me as we get into the cells of creativity with Hala.

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