What happens when technology makes life easier, and also starts to take something from us?

In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with designer, author and creativity activist Ben Rennie about technology, agency, adventure, family, systemic design and creating with technology.

Ben reflects on writing Be Kind, Rewind, leaving his phone behind, raising children through adventure and snow sports, building an independent creative studio, and why design needs to look beyond the immediate brief. This is a conversation about values, connection, creativity, and designing for the lives and the lives and communities we want to shape.

This episode explores

• Technology, agency and potential boundaries for digital tools
• AI, writing, critical thinking and trusting your own voice
• Adventure, family, skiing and building a life close to nature
• The pressure and possibility of growing a founder-led design business
• Systemic design, human-centred design and seven-generational thinking
• Values, connection, climate, community and designing for what comes next

Guest bio

Ben Rennie is a designer, author, speaker and creativity activist working across design, climate, sport and community. He leads Rennie Lab, chairs Design Declares Australia, and is the author of Lessons in Creativity. After 20 years building and leading Reny Studio, Ben’s work now explores systemic design, creativity, technology, and how we reshape the ways people live, connect and build.

Guest links

• Ben Rennie: https://benrennie.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrennie/
• Reny Studio: https://reny.studio/services/
• Ben's book: Lessons in Creativity: https://benrennie.com/pages/lessonsincreativity
• Ben’s writing: https://substack.com/@benrennie/posts
• Dear Luke & Ben podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/dear-luke-ben/id1598107677

Conversation references

• Miff Rennie: https://www.instagram.com/miffrennie/
• Zach Bush: https://www.instagram.com/zachbushmd/
• IDEO: https://www.ideo.com/
• frog: https://www.frog.co/
• Christian Duell’s Natural Genius episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1GdoioUsgMWdFLDOb5Motl

Chapters

01:33 Leaving the phone behind and Be Kind, Rewind
07:09 Boundaries, AI and agency
12:31 Adventure, writing and the last 10%
21:29 Systemic design, wayfinding, connection and seven-generational thinking
30:00 Snow, family and rebuilding life around nature
40:43 Values, separation and how we show up

Explore further

Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes.

About Natural Genius

Through conversations with leaders, thinkers, builders and practitioners across many fields, the podcast explores the signals that guide meaningful work and the choices that shape a life.

Credits

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Sydney and Kiama, 14 April, 2026
Produced at the Kiama office, 14 - 28 April, 2026
Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au

In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with Aprill Enright about moving through a sometimes murky transition from co-founder and operator to artist, creative partner, and a clearer new chapter.

Drawing on work across technology, customer operations, Knowledge Bird, startup investing, Tractor Ventures, and visual arts, Aprill shares how she has been reconnecting with art, rethinking what her skills are actually for, and bringing systems thinking and creative instinct back into one integrated identity.

They talk about personal rebranding, human design, career coaching, AI, art, and the practical value of many coffees when the future is still forming.

This episode explores:

• Growing up in a creative family and choosing science over art at school
• Building a career across technology, customer operations, knowledge management, and startup leadership
• Co-founding Tractor Ventures and the toll of extended ambiguity
• Career coaching, human design, and personal rebranding as tools for clarity
• Using AI to think more deeply, articulate intent, and support creative work

Guest bio:

Aprill Enright is a Melbourne-based artist and creative partner, NED, startup coach, and former co-founder of Tractor Ventures. Her background spans 13 years in technology and customer operations, 10 years as an independent knowledge management consultant through Knowledge Bird, and 13+ years as a startup investor. She is GAICD qualified, a Venture Catalyst alumna, and was recognised as Investor of the Year at the Governor of Victoria Startup Awards in 2023.

Guest links:

• Aprill Enright: https://aprillenright.com.au/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprillenright/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprill.enright/

Conversation references:

• Tractor Ventures: https://www.tractorventures.com/
• Knowledge Bird: https://knowledgebird.medium.com/
• National Gallery of Victoria: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/
• Jacqui Stockdale: https://www.jacquistockdale.com/
• Human Design: https://human.design/reports/free-report-3
• Claude: https://claude.com/product/overview

Chapters:

02:32 Art, science, and growing up in a creative family
04:38 Knowledge Bird, consulting, and building Tractor Ventures
08:19 Leaving the co-founder role and learning what her skills really are
15:50 Courage, ambiguity, and the shape of a new chapter
20:16 Family, vision, and creative lineage

Explore further:

• Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
• Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
• Subscribe to hear future episodes.

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast and platform exploring how thoughtful people build meaningful lives, good work, and things that last. In conversation, ideas, qualities, and ways of being that help people access their natural genius come.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Melbourne, 27 March, 2026.

Produced at the Violet Town and Kiama offices, 27 March - 25 April, 2026.

Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au

In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with Peppie Simpson about the ocean as medicine, whale song, and what nature helps us remember.

A pioneer of women’s surfing in Australia, Peppie brings decades across surfing, swimming, teaching, ocean guiding, and whale and dolphin work in Noosa. This is a wide, heartfelt conversation about deep connection to water, nature as intelligence, and the ways whales, dolphins, and the ocean can open people back into feeling, steadiness, and wonder.

This episode explores:

• the ocean as medicine for the nervous system, body, and mind
• a life shaped by surfing, swimming, and deep relationship with water
• Hawaii, Joan Ocean, and extraordinary experiences with dolphins and whales
• whale song, dolphins, and animal communication
• nature as intelligence, subtle signals, and remembering who we are
• songlines, migration, and listening more closely to the natural world
• grandmothering, guidance, and simple ways of living well
• Noosa waterways, the Everglades, and connection to place

Guest bio:

Peppie Simpson is an ocean guide, surfer, swimmer, teacher, and lifelong water woman based in Noosa.

A pioneer of women’s surfing in Australia, she founded the Victorian Women’s Surfing Association, which later became the Australian Women’s Surfing Association. She is a 2x Australian surf champion, a multiple state surfing champion, a 4x world champion in surf life saving ironwoman and swim events, and was recently recognised with both an Australia Day Award for services to surfing and the Noosa Festival of Surfing, and the Spirit of Longboarding Award at the Australian Titles.

Through Whalesong Noosa, Peppie takes people onto the water to experience whales, dolphins, songs, and deep connection to nature. Her work also draws on decades of swimming, surf coaching, teaching babies and children in the water, time spent in Hawaii with spinner dolphins, and contributions to whale research.

Guest links:

• Peppie Simpson: https://www.instagram.com/peppiesimpson/

• Whalesong Noosa: https://whalesongsnoosa.com.au/

• Whalesong Noosa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whalesongsnoosa/

Conversation references:

• Peppie dives deep into dolphin research: https://noosatoday.com.au/news/13-01-2025/peppie-dives-deep-into-dolphin-research/

• Joan Ocean film: https://www.instagram.com/joanoceanfilm/

• Ocean Films: https://oceanfilms.vhx.tv/

• Pea Horsley: https://animalthoughts.com/

Books:

• Dolphin Connection - Joan Ocean

• Dolphins into the Future - Joan Ocean

• Whale Whisperer - Joan Ocean

• Heart to Heart - Pea Horsley

• Animal Communication Made Easy - Pea Horsley

Chapters:

00:54 Hawaii, Joan Ocean, and returning charged by the ocean

04:22 Dolphins, whales, and extraordinary moments

08:54 A life shaped by water, surfing, and Whalesong Noosa

11:44 The ocean as medicine

14:45 Dolphins, communication, and remembering who we are

20:50 Whale song, songlines, and nature’s intelligence

29:35 Grandmothering, guidance, and the Everglades

44:17 Love, focus, and being a dolphin in daily life

Explore further:

Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au

Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au

Subscribe to hear future episodes.

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast hosted by Samantha Bell. Through thoughtful conversations with grounded, capable people, it explores how people build, lead, create, heal, and live in ways that are true to who they are, with greater signal and less noise.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha Bell in Noosaville, 15 February, 2026 and Violet Town and Noosa, 1 April, 2026.

Produced at the Violet Town, Peregian Beach and Kiama offices, 15 February - 24 April, 2026.

Adam Tomas Pangelinan is a technologist and builder from Guam, currently at Network School (ns.com). In this conversation, he shares how curiosity, mischief, and courage opened a path from island life to a fast-moving global coding community, and why he is becoming more deliberate about attention, quality, and the kind of life he wants to build.

Sam and Adam explore Guam, robotics, internet curation, courage, improv, belonging, and how acting on what matters have shaped his path. A conversation about choosing fun quests, acting on what matters, and utilising potential.

This episode explores:

• finding Network School through curiosity, mischief, and acting fast

• learning to code, automate, and solve problems early

• Guam, island culture, belonging, and the feeling of home

• living in a fast-changing community and protecting your social battery

• internet curation, trust, quality, and protecting your attention

• improv, games, and flow as ways to grow

• prioritising and acting, and why career success is not the same as life success

Guest bio:

Adam Tomas Pangelinan is a focused technologist and builder from Guam with a strong interest in code, media, entrepreneurship, and the kinds of environments that help people learn fast and build well.

He brings curiosity, depth, and a playful seriousness to the way he thinks about life and work, and in this conversation reflects on growing up on an island, joining Network School, and becoming more intentional about quality, attention, and the life he wants to create.

Guest links:

• Adam Tomas Pangelinan: https://adampang.com/ and X: https://x.com/adamtpang

Conversation references:

• Network School: https://ns.com

• Tim Ferriss: https://tim.blog/

• Founders podcast / David Senra: https://www.founderspodcast.com/

• Song Exploder: https://songexploder.net/

• Book: The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome and Adam intro
01:24 How Adam found Network School
06:56 School, coding, and early automation
09:09 Island living and life inside Network School
14:28 Guam, culture, and the feeling of home
18:46 Code, curation, and protecting your attention
23:30 Improv, games, and flow
27:57 Quality, prioritising, and success in life

Explore further:

Explore Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast and platform exploring how thoughtful people build meaningful lives, good work, and things that last. Through grounded conversations, Sam brings forward the ideas, qualities, and ways of being that help people access their natural genius.

The show is for people who care about clarity, usefulness, growth, and building with heart, intelligence, and intent.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Network School, 27 January, 2026.

Produced at the Violet Town, Peregian Beach and Kiama offices, 27 January - 23 April, 2026.

Raised in a small town in the south of France, Stephane Laurent Villedieu grew up with deep trust in people and a strong pull towards the wider world. That openness took him into conflict resolution work in the Middle East, through an MBA, into senior business roles across Asia, and into venture building in crypto and frontier technology.

Sam and Stephane talk about sweetness and naivety, the Himalayas, betrayal in business, the Satoshi myth, and why AI may sharpen our relationship with consciousness, identity, and choice.

Content note: this conversation includes discussion of severe depression, suicidal thoughts, betrayal, legal conflict, and mental health challenges. In Australia, Lifeline is 13 11 14. In an emergency call 000.

This episode explores:

• a small-town upbringing, Tintin, and the instinct to explore.
• conflict resolution work, an MBA, and business leadership across Asia.
• severe depression, breath, and rebuilding a life.
• brotherhood, success, betrayal, and painful learning.
• plant medicine, self-honesty, and deeper learning through pain.
• the Satoshi mystery, myth, and collective stories.
• AI, agency, and choosing our destiny.

Guest bio:

Stephane Laurent Villedieu is a serial entrepreneur and investor working across business, blockchain, and emerging technology. Based at Network School near Singapore, he is Co-Founder of Viber and has previously co-founded MANTRA DAO and Rio DeFi while building ventures and holding senior roles across China, Hong Kong, and Europe.

His path spans law and political science, UNESCO conflict resolution work, an MBA, and leadership roles across digital marketing, business development, and venture building.

Guest links:

• Stephane Laurent Villedieu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephane-laurent-villedieu-1b6ab769/
• Stephane Laurent Villedieu on X: https://x.com/Stephane_LV
• Satoshi project - the Byzantine General: https://thebyzantinegeneral.org
• Network School: https://ns.com

Conversation references:

• Barbara Schacht Randall on Natural Genius: Kanyini, Belonging, and the Wisdom of Uncle Bob Randall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww08BIyQEGg&utm_source=chatgpt.com
• Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:13 Small-town France
04:14 The Himalayas
10:45 Trust and business
24:50 Betrayal and pain
32:29 Satoshi and myth
01:01:55 AI and destiny

Explore further:

Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast about thoughtful people, meaningful lives, and the ideas that help us live and work with more clarity. Sam Bell speaks with people who carry practical intelligence, care deeply, and make things happen in ways others can learn from.

It is part of the Natural Genius platform designed to help people hear what matters, think clearly, and move good work forward with more signal and less noise.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Network School, 24 March, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town office, 24 March - 9 April, 2026.

In this conversation, Jack Growden shares why digital inequality and other community challenges are being overthought and under-solved, and simple actions that work: get the laptop into a child’s hands, build the classroom, add the toilet, and keep going.

From donating one laptop in Papua New Guinea at 20 to leading LiteHaus International across 13 countries, Jack talks with Sam about resilience, practical philanthropy, community-led work, founder dependence, and why the basics still matter if we want real opportunity to reach more people.

This episode explores:

• how LiteHaus International started with one donated laptop in Papua New Guinea.
• digital inequality in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific.
• what communities in PNG and Cambodia taught Jack about doing the work that matters.
• laptops, classrooms, toilets, water tanks, and electrification as practical foundations.
• staying on the tools while building something that lasts beyond the founder.
• resilience, kindness, and Jack’s call for more net producers than net consumers.

Guest bio:

Jack Growden is the founder and CEO of LiteHaus International, a Townsville-based social entrepreneur tackling digital inequality across the Asia-Pacific. He started by donating his own laptop to a school in Papua New Guinea at 20 and turned that instinct into a fast-moving organisation grounded in practical action.

Today LiteHaus International works across 13 countries, has supported 630 schools, and has put more than 30,000 laptops and desktops back into use. Jack has been recognised on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, was a Young Australian of the Year finalist, and continues to build practical, community-led solutions through LiteHaus and wider social impact work.

Guest links:

• Jack Growden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-growden-355542161/
• LiteHaus: https://litehausinternational.org/
• “The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better” by Kate Pickett & Richard Wilkinson: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-spirit-level-9780241954294

Conversation references:

• Geraldine Cox: https://www.sunrisecambodia.org.au/
• Pete Williams' Natural Genius episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX2G0g4asXc

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome and the last fortnight
03:05 LiteHaus, donated devices, and action over words
05:47 Why Jack loves the work
09:36 Opportunity, PNG, and simple, fixable solutions
14:28 How Jack prioritises and why the basics come first
17:03 Resilience, founder dependence, and building to last
27:28 Who inspires Jack
42:20 Kindness, contribution, and a better society

Explore further:

Support LiteHaus International: https://litehausinternational.org/
Learn more about Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast for thoughtful people building useful lives, organisations, communities, and ideas. Sam Bell speaks with people who carry practical intelligence, care deeply, and make things happen in ways others can learn from.

It is part of the Natural Genius platform designed to help people hear what matters, think clearly, and move good work forward with more signal and less noise.

Credits:
Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Townsville, 1 April, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town office, 1 - 8 April,

Say yes, solve the real problem, and ship the work. In this conversation, Chris Hocking shares how a childhood around backyard films, touring, live production, and generous mentors led to nearly two decades building LateNite across film, post-production, and software.

Sam and Chris talk about impossible briefs, collaborative crews, underwater bars, burning beds, Final Cut Pro tools, CommandPost, Blackmagic RAW, and the kind of practical creative problem-solving that gets useful work over the line. A fun, generous conversation about staying useful, keeping things moving, and building with people who have your back.

This episode explores:

• nearly 20 years of LateNite and why Chris still says yes
• family, grandparents, and early access to film, live production, and backstage work
• Tweenies, animatronics, and growing up fast in touring
• why collaboration and mentorship matter so much in film and TV
• impossible projects, small budgets, and making the brief work anyway
• CommandPost, BRAW Toolbox, and solving workflow problems for real editors
• how software became both a business line and a creative pressure point
• AI, product thinking, and why Chris cares more about shipping than perfection

Guest bio:

Chris Hocking is the co-founder of LateNite, a Melbourne production studio he has helped build since 2007. His path has spanned animatronics on the BBC Tweenies, lighting design for live productions, post-production supervision, filmmaking, workflow design, and software development.

Alongside production work, Chris created CommandPost, BRAW Toolbox, and other tools used by editors and filmmakers, and runs FCP Cafe. His credits include The Wizards of Aus, The Legend of Burnout Barry, Lambs of God, and music videos for artists including Peking Duk, Cosmo’s Midnight, Rufus du Sol, Casey Donovan, and Guy Pearce.

Guest links:

• Chris Hocking - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisatlatenite/
• LateNite - https://latenitefilms.com
• LateNite Apps - http://fcp.cafe/latenite/
• Childhood Films - https://www.youtube.com/hockingstudios

Chapters:

• 00:00 Chris introduction
• 01:29 Nineteen years of LateNite and saying yes
• 07:14 Backyard films, family influence, and early making
• 12:11 Tweenies, animatronics, and growing up in touring
• 18:18 Collaboration, impossible projects, and making things happen
• 30:09 From tinkering to CommandPost
• 37:02 BRAW Toolbox, software pressure, and AI
• 49:35 Mentors, communities, and a rolodex of geniuses

Explore further:

Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast by Samantha Bell exploring how thoughtful people build, lead, create, heal, and live in ways that are true to who they are.

Across conversations with guests from many walks of life, Natural Genius looks for the live signal beneath the noise, and offers insight, encouragement, and practical wisdom for hearing what matters.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Melbourne, 17 March, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town office, 17 March - 3 April, 2026.

Practical intelligence and intuitive intelligence belong together. In this conversation, Serana Hunt-Hughes, also known as Whitefeather, shares the thread running through a life that has included camels, horses, photography, emergency towing, community building, regeneration, and healing work.

Sam and Serana explore listening to land, ancestral alignment, relanguaging, peace with Earth, and what it means to restore forms of intelligence many people were taught to dismiss. This is a generous conversation about courage, perception, and building a more relational way of being.

This episode explores:

• growing up where practical intelligence was everything
• spirituality, land, and being guided in the outback
• learning to listen to the wind
• Eagleheart, apprenticeship, and the name Whitefeather
• ancestral alignment and healing across past, present, and future
• practical, rational, relational, and intuitive intelligence
• relanguaging and peace with Earth
• community-led cultural work

Guest bio:

Serana Hunt-Hughes, also known as Whitefeather, is a medicine woman, healing practitioner, visual artist, photographer, and regenerative land practitioner based near Violet Town, Victoria. Her path has included work as a cameleer, horse trainer, tow truck driver, first responder, artist, and founder of Whitefeather Healing Centre.

Through healing work, photography, community cultural projects, and land-based restoration, Serana supports people to reconnect with inner strength, ancestral support, and a more relational way of living. Her work is grounded, intuitive, and deeply shaped by place.

Guest links:

• Serana Hunt-Hughes (Whitefeather): https://www.linkedin.com/in/serana-whitefeather/
• Serana's services writing: https://seranawhitefeather.substack.com/about
• Ancestral Alignment: https://seranawhitefeather.substack.com/p/services
• Eagleheart: https://www.eagleheart.com.au/
• Rose B Simpson: https://www.rosebsimpson.com/works
• Dookie Earthed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=3E_WWLmS_Pc
• Shepparton Art Museum (SAM): https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/collection/about-the-collection/
• Tiokasin Ghosthorse's work: https://firstvoicesindigenousradio.org/programs

Chapters:

00:00 Serana introduction
03:33 Practical intelligence and spiritual longing
07:22 Horses, land, and listening to the wind
11:46 Eagleheart, Whitefeather, and early sensing
17:31 Cancer, ancestral healing, and intuitive intelligence
29:58 Relanguaging, peace with Earth, and regeneration
41:26 Dookie Earthed, art, and community

Explore further:

Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast by Samantha Bell exploring how thoughtful people build, lead, create, heal, and live in ways that are true to who they are.

Across conversations with guests from many walks of life, Natural Genius looks for the live signal beneath the noise, and offers insight, encouragement, and practical wisdom for hearing what matters.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town, 26 March, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town office, 26 March - 2 April, 2026