#18 Reclaiming the heart in design | Fionn Tynan O'Mahony

Reclaiming the Heart in Design“There’s so much heart in some of these things that you’re putting in heart in that space and I find it very hard to detach some of those.”Summary In this episode, we explore the creative journey of Fionn, a partner at the design futures studio Andthen . We trace his evolution from the tactile world of furniture making to leading large-scale design teams within the corporate banking sector . Fionn reflects on the emotional friction of maintaining personal values in transactional environments and the toll of multiple burnouts. We discuss his shift toward "slow decisions" and how design can be used to influence long-term policy and societal change . This conversation is a deep dive into reclaiming professional purpose and the human heart within a technical industry .GuestFionn Tynan O'MahonyLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionntynan/Website – https://www.studioandthen.com/HostDanny Hearn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyhearn/Website – www.dannyhearn.mePodcast – www.deeplyhumandesign.comChapters00:00 Reconnecting and the Purpose of Human Conversations02:08 Designing the Intangible: Introducing Andthen05:05 From DIY to Craft College: Early Practical Creativity06:50 The Modernist Influence and the Limits of the Ego08:32 Refocusing Life and the Discovery of Curiosity11:49 Design as Intervention: Breaking the Routine14:58 Reality Hits: Transitioning into Corporate Banking16:54 The Shift from Questions to Answers19:18 Techno-Optimism and the Moonshot Era21:57 The Cost of Delivery Culture and Shrinking Experimentation24:42 Navigating Burnout and Value Misalignment29:50 The Struggle of Scaling Teams in Risk-Averse Systems34:41 The Gift of Voluntary Redundancy38:44 Returning to Exploration and Strategic Influencing43:49 Pace Layering: Designing for Long-Term Impact50:40 Redefining Success Beyond the Bottom Line