Design Your Life with Vince Frost

Latest Episodes:

Designing homes for life with Andrew Piva Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

What makes a home feel timeless?

In this episode of Design Your Life, Vince Frost sits down with Andrew Piva, Director at B.E. Architecture, to discuss materiality, craftsmanship and the emotional impact of architecture.

From growing up in rural New South Wales to shaping some of Australia’s most refined contemporary homes, Andrew reflects on the experiences and philosophies that have defined his approach to design.

Listen as Vince and Andrew explore the importance of “honest materials”, designing spaces that feel calm and enduring, and why great architecture is about more than aesthetics; it’s about shaping places designed for all of the senses.

The conversation also touches on craftsmanship, sustainability through longevity, evolving client relationships, and the responsibility architects carry in creating homes that stand the test of time.

https://www.bearchitecture.com/

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Designing optimum health with Mark Britt Aug 04, 2026

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Content note: this episode includes a candid discussion of childhood sexual abuse and suicidal ideation. Listener discretion is advised.

What if the biggest health data set in human history still can't tell you how to feel better tomorrow? Mark Britt has spent his career inside moments of disruption, as an internet lawyer at 22, in the executive ranks of ninemsn and Microsoft, and building a streaming business that reached 25 million people across 17 markets before selling to Tencent. Every industry he touched, he watched the traditional rules flatten and the customer take control.

Then his own body forced the same reckoning. A health crisis that conventional medicine mislabelled for months left Mark asking a harder question: why does a system with more health data than ever still fail to tell any individual what to actually do about it? The answer became TMRW, a health company built on the idea that healthcare should be early, personal and continuous, not something you turn to only once you're sick.

In this conversation, Mark and Vince talk about epigenetic ageing, the difference between treating symptoms and understanding root cause, why social media has quietly replaced the GP as our most trusted health authority, and what "punk healthcare" actually means when you build a brand designed to make people uncomfortable before it makes them well.

Listen in for a conversation about biomarkers, beginner's mind, and what it really takes to design a brighter tomorrow, for yourself, and at scale.

https://www.startmytomorrow.com/

If you've been affected by anything discussed in this episode, support is available.

Australia: Lifeline, 13 11 14 (24/7). Blue Knot Foundation, blueknot.org.au, 1300 657 380.

UK: Samaritans, 116 123 (24/7). NAPAC, napac.org.uk, 0808 801 0331.

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Designing energy in place with Matt Mewburn Jul 21, 2026

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What happens when you take a Victorian era locomotive workshop, built in 1887, and turn it into a home for contemporary sculpture? Matt Mewburn has spent the last decade finding out.

Matt is a blacksmith and sculptor, and the founder of Eveleigh Works, a working forge inside one of the last remaining industrial blacksmithing workshops in the world, complete with machinery dating back to the 1850s. At 27, with no savings and a lease he couldn't afford, he took over the space anyway. What followed was a career built on physical prototyping over drawing, on letting materials push back against ideas, on making things the old way, and on the belief that nothing worth doing gets designed cleanly on paper.

Blacksmithing is one of the oldest crafts in existence, and full time careers in it are rare in 2026. Matt has built one anyway, developing an international commission list and a practice that sits closer to contemporary art than traditional trade, which raises the question at the heart of this episode: what does it take to keep a craft this old relevant now?

Tune in as Vince and Matt get into the discipline of working with heavy materials, the three metre tuning forks Matt made for a performance at the Sydney Opera House, what it takes to revive one of the world's oldest professions, and what it means to build a life with no long term plan at all.

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Designing the third space with Dr. Caroline Butler-Bowdon Jul 06, 2026

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What does an institution built in the 1820s have to teach us about designing for the future? Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon has spent two decades moving through museums, historic houses and public space, and now leads the State Library of NSW into its 200th year.

In this episode, Caroline talks with Vince about the library as one of the last true third spaces, somewhere people come to be alone together. She unpacks why trust and human connection sit at the heart of public institutions, what the data says about belonging and wellbeing, and why the resurgence of physical books and slow reading isn't nostalgia, it's a response to digital exhaustion.

The conversation also covers Caroline's own career, from a PhD written between naps with a newborn, to a Churchill Fellowship that changed how she thinks about public space, to a hard-won Instagram detox.

Listen now for a conversation about libraries, longevity, and what it means to design for connection.

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Designing lives, shaping lifestyles with Chad Oppenheim Apr 27, 2026

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What happens when architecture is driven by passion, adventure and the power of nature?

On the latest episode of Design Your Life, Chad Oppenheim joins Vince Frost for a wide-ranging conversation on creativity, resilience and designing life beyond buildings.

From growing up in suburban New Jersey dreaming through films like Star Wars and James Bond and becoming fascinated by the dramatic architecture of movie villains’ lairs, to creating some of the world’s most extraordinary hospitality projects shaped by desert, sea and landscape, including Desert Rock Resort and Shibara Resort, Chad shares the experiences that formed his worldview.

Tune in as Vince and Chad explore travel as education, the realities of running a creative business, balancing ambition with family, and why great architecture should engage every sense; sound, scent, emotion, memory and our connection to the natural world.

A powerful conversation with one of architecture’s most passionate voices.

https://oppenoffice.com/

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Designing scenes in architecture with Ismael Soto Apr 13, 2026

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What does it take to design spaces that feel like a series of carefully crafted scenes?

In this episode, Vince sits down with architect Ismael Soto, founder of SOTO, whose global career spans some of the world’s most influential practices before launching his own studio in Los Angeles.

They discuss the role of research in design, the evolving impact of AI on architecture, and how new housing models must respond to climate, community and changing ways of living.

Listen as Vince and Ismael explore how architecture can be experienced like a sequence of scenes — shaping mood, emotion and the way we move through space.

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Designing site and place with Jeff Fearon & Tim Hay Mar 30, 2026

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What does it take to build not just a successful practice, but a lasting partnership?

In this episode, Vince sits down with Tim Hay and Jeff Fearon, founders of the critically acclaimed architecture and design practice Fearon Hay. Nearly 30 years into their journey, they reflect on how a shared vision, mutual respect and deep friendship have shaped both their work and their lives.

From early ambitions and formative influences, to growing a globally recognised studio across New Zealand, Australia and the United States, Tim and Jeff share how they’ve stayed intentionally small, focused and true to their values.

They discuss why New Zealand design consistently punches above its weight, their approach to creating architecture that is deeply connected to place, and what it means to design with longevity in mind.

Listen as Vince, Tim and Jeff explore partnership, purpose, and the idea of designing a life through architecture.

https://fearonhay.com/

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Designing life with nature with Michael Kovac and Karina Maher Mar 17, 2026

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What does it really mean to design for wellbeing?

For husband and wife team architect Michael Kovac and pediatrician Karina Maher, it begins with understanding the powerful relationship between nature, environment and health. While their work comes from two very different disciplines, both are guided by the same belief: the spaces we inhabit have a profound impact on how we live and feel.

Michael is the founder of Kovac, the Los Angeles-based architecture studio known for its warm, modern and environmentally sensitive homes. Karina brings a medical perspective through her work as a pediatrician, with a particular interest in children’s health and the environmental factors that shape long-term wellbeing.

Together, they offer a compelling view of wellness from both the physical and medical perspectives — from healthier homes and materials to cleaner air, better habits and a deeper connection to the natural world.

Listen as Vince, Michael and Karina explore designing homes with nature in mind, the hidden health impacts of our indoor environments, and how architecture centred around wellbeing can both help us live better lives.

https://www.kovac.studio/

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Designing performance with purpose with Claire Greaves Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

From launching P.E Nation onto the global stage to redefining how women move through their day, Claire Greaves has built brands that shape culture.

But success is only one part of the story.

In this episode, Claire shares how scaling fast, leading through pressure and navigating very public life changes ultimately led her to something more powerful than growth. Clarity.

Now back in the business she co founded and building BOOIE Beauty with Celeste Barber, Claire is creating from a different place. With boundaries. With perspective. With purpose.

This is a conversation about reinvention, resilience and what happens when you stop proving and start choosing.

Listen as Vince and Claire explore imposter syndrome, rapid global growth and the courage it takes to redesign your life on your own terms.

https://www.pe-nation.com/

https://booie.com/

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Designing with a steady hand with Will Lynes Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

What happens when you realise the world moves too fast for the things that matter most? For artist, sign writer and maker Will Lynes, the answer has always been craft — the kind built slowly, imperfectly and with both hands.

Will is the founder of Lynes & Co., known for their handcrafted lettering, gilding and detailed reverse-glass work that has shaped some of Australia’s most memorable shopfronts. Growing up in creative households, working in high-end decorative arts, and later building his own studio in Botany, his career has been anything but linear. But through every turn, the thread has been the same: a love for material, history and soul.

Listen in as Vince and Will explore the beauty of imperfection, the discipline and joy of true craftsmanship, and how struggle, family and curiosity have shaped the life he’s designed.

https://lynesandco.com/

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