On this episode of Crafting Human™, I sit down with David Leventhal, founder of Playa Viva, a regenerative luxury destination resort, for a conversation about regeneration, adaptability, and what it means to design business as a living system.

What began as a conventional real estate development shifted course after the 2008 financial collapse. Instead of simply trying to repair a broken model, David and his team stepped back to ask a deeper question: What future are we actually trying to create?

Drawing from decades of work in conservation, hospitality, and systems thinking, David shares how Playa Viva evolved into a regenerative destination built on stewardship, community partnership, and whole-systems design. We explore how land, economy, culture, and environment are not separate concerns and why meaningful regeneration requires addressing social and economic realities alongside ecological ones.

Together, we reflect on creative adaptability and the courage to release a plan, to listen deeply to place, and to allow a paradigm shift to unfold.

Crafting Human™ is a space for conversations that go beyond design and business strategy to explore what it means to create, to lead, and to remain deeply human in a rapidly changing world.

In this episode:

– What regeneration really means beyond sustainability
– The paradigm shift from scarcity to abundance thinking
– Why you can’t regenerate land without addressing economic poverty
– How adaptability shapes both design and business
– Building toward a shared future instead of solving isolated problems

You can explore David’s work here:
Playa Viva: playaviva.com

New episodes of Crafting Human™ air every Wednesday. Subscribe to the channel and join our creative community to stay connected.

www.youtube.com/@CraftingHuman-Media

On this episode of Crafting Human™, I sit down with Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, authors of Your Brain on Art, for a conversation about how the arts and aesthetics shape us, emotionally, physically, and neurologically.

Drawing from neuroscience, lived experience, and the emerging field of neuroaesthetics, Susan and Ivy explore how engaging our senses through art, beauty, design, movement, and sound can rewire the brain, support well-being, and deepen our capacity for empathy and meaning.

Together, we reflect on what it means to live as embodied human beings in a world often oriented toward speed, efficiency, and constant production, and why the arts are not an extra, but essential to our humanity.

Crafting Human™ is a space for conversations that go beyond aesthetics to explore what it means to create, to lead, and to remain human in a world increasingly shaped by optimization and automation.

In this episode:

– How art and aesthetics influence the brain and body

– The science behind neuroplasticity and sensory engagement

– Why meaning, empathy, and creativity deepen through the arts

– What it means to cultivate an aesthetic mindset in everyday life

– Moving beyond survival toward a more flourishing way of living

You can explore Susan and Ivy’s work here:

Website: yourbrainonart.com

Instagram: @yourbrainonart

New episodes of Crafting Human™ air every Wednesday. Subscribe to the channel and join the Crafting Human creative community to stay connected.

Subscribe to the Crafting Human YouTube channel here:
www.youtube.com/@CraftingHuman-Media

Join our creative tribe for updates on future conversations:
craftinghuman.myflodesk.com/jointhecreativetribe

Thank you for helping keep these conversations and this community alive.

- Sharon

On this episode of Crafting Human™, I sit down with Thomas Lavin, Founder and CEO of Thomas Lavin Showroom, for a conversation about craft, stewardship, and the responsibility of building a business around makers.

Over nearly three decades, Thomas has championed artisans and designers by prioritizing long-term relationships, education, and storytelling over speed or trend. Together, we explore what it means to represent handmade work in an age shaped by mass production and why craft continues to matter as a commitment to our shared humanity.

Crafting Human™ is a space for conversations that go beyond aesthetics to explore what it means to create, and to remain human, in a world increasingly shaped by automation and optimization.

In this episode:
– Championing makers through long-term stewardship
– Craft in the age of mass production and technology
– Why handmade work creates emotional connection
– The role of showrooms as places of education and culture
– What it means to build a business with care and responsibility

You can explore Thomas Lavin’s work here:
Website: https://www.thomaslavin.com
Instagram: @the.real.thomas.lavin

New episodes of Crafting Human™ air every Wednesday. Subscribe to the channel and join the Crafting Human creative community to stay connected.