Designing a Life That Supports You: Presence, Beauty, and the Power of Environment with Nate Berkus

The One You Feed

Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed

Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Religion & Spirituality, Buddhism, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Nate Berkus explores what it really means to design a life that supports you—not through perfection, but through presence, beauty, and the power of environment. Drawing from decades of work and his own personal journey, Nate reflects on how our surroundings quietly shape our habits, emotions, and sense of self. He shares how moving through profound loss changed the way he understands home, meaning, and the moments that matter most. Through deeply human stories—including a transformative Oprah makeover—Nate reveals how small, intentional changes and genuine listening can create spaces that support healing, authenticity, and connection. Help us make the podcast better—share your input in a short survey:: ⁠⁠oneyoufeed.net/survey. ⁠⁠Thank You! Exciting News!!!Coming in March 2026, my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life is now available for pre-orders!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Key Takeaways The influence of environment and design on personal growth and habits. The parable of the two wolves and its relevance to personal choices and mindset. The significance of “the moments in between” in fostering genuine connections. The impact of parenting on awareness and presence in daily life. The importance of meaningful design that reflects personal stories and aspirations. The relationship between emotional well-being and physical spaces. The transformative power of small, intentional changes in one’s environment. The role of gratitude in overcoming past hardships and shaping identity. The necessity of human connection and understanding in design and life. The balance between personal taste and collaboration in shared living spaces. For full show notes,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠ Connect with the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TheOneYouFeedPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this conversation with Nate Berkus, check out these other episodes: Failure as Fertilizer: Learning to Bloom Again with Debbie Millman Creative Thinking and Action Through Designs with Sarah Stein Greenberg By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed, and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you! This episode is sponsored by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Aura Frames⁠⁠⁠⁠: For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠AuraFrames.com /FEED ⁠⁠⁠⁠to get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames – named #1 by Wirecutter – by using promo code FEED at checkout. This deal is exclusive to listeners, and frames sell out fast, so order yours now to get it in time for the holidays! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Uncommon Goods ⁠⁠⁠⁠has something for everyone – you’ll find thousands of new gift ideas that you won’t find anywhere else, and you’ll be supporting artists and small, independent businesses. To get 15% off your next gift, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠UNCOMMONGOODS.com/FEED⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Post your job for free at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/oneyoufeed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you want to really live well from everything that I've learned in the last 30 years,
0:05.8	you have to slow down. You have to shut the noise out. You have to start making decisions that
0:10.9	are more meaningful, more thoughtful, more strategic.
0:24.3	Welcome to the one you feed.
0:29.0	Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts we have.
0:34.4	Quotes like, garbage in, garbage out, or you are what you think, ring true.
0:39.3	And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us. We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear.
0:43.3	We see what we don't have instead of what we do.
0:46.3	We think things that hold us back and dampen our spirit.
0:50.3	But it's not just about thinking.
0:52.3	Our actions matter.
0:53.3	It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living.
0:58.6	This podcast is about how other people keep themselves moving in the right direction, how they feed their good wolf.
1:07.2	Willpower gets a lot of credit, but environment does most of the work. In this conversation,
1:13.3	designer Nate Berkus makes the case that our environment is never neutral. It's either helping us
1:18.8	become who we're trying to be or quietly pulling us back into default mode. And I think that's
1:24.8	one of the most overlooked truths about change. We put so much focus on
1:29.4	discipline and self-control when the space around us, our environment is a really big factor
1:35.4	in determining whether a new habit has any chance of sticking. If your surroundings keep
1:40.7	queuing the old behavior, it's an unfair fight. We talk about how small shifts,
1:46.1	light, layout, and what you see when you walk in the door can change how you feel in your own life.
1:51.9	And we talk about his new book, Foundations, and why the goal isn't a perfect home, it's a home
	...

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