Redesigning Work Around Human Needs
Alexandra Ostrow Alexandra Ostrow

Redesigning Work Around Human Needs

For most of us, work is where we spend the majority of our lives. Yet so often, the way we’ve designed work denies the very needs that make us human.

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Every Workplace Is Shaped by Trauma (Whether We Name It or Not)
Alexandra Ostrow Alexandra Ostrow

Every Workplace Is Shaped by Trauma (Whether We Name It or Not)

Research shows that most of us have experienced at least one traumatic event in our lifetimes, and many have experienced numerous or ongoing traumas. Trauma, whether tied to identity, life events, systemic inequities, or access to resources, doesn’t disappear when we go to work. At best, it shapes how we cope and show up. At worst, it can result in a serious mental health event. 

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The Safety Nets We All Need (Content Warning)
Alexandra Ostrow Alexandra Ostrow

The Safety Nets We All Need (Content Warning)

Our systems (like work and school) often prioritize compliance, urgency, and productivity over presence, belonging, and care. But people don’t leave their fears or grief at the door. They bring their whole selves with them. And when we pretend otherwise, we don’t protect them; we isolate them.

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What It Takes to Build with Care: The Process Behind Every Project
Alexandra Ostrow Alexandra Ostrow

What It Takes to Build with Care: The Process Behind Every Project

It’s not a rigid framework. It’s a flow, one that centers curiosity, relationship, collaboration, and care. One that’s rooted in the belief that those most impacted by a system must guide its redesign, to ensure our efforts heal rather than harm. One that reminds me (and my clients) that meaningful change happens when we slow down enough to listen, design with, not for, and stay open to what we learn along the way.

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