Design Better Podcast: Bill Burnett – How to Live a Meaningful Life

Host: The Curiosity Department (Eli Woolery & Aarron Walter), sponsored by Wix Studio
Guest: Bill Burnett
Date: February 4, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Bill Burnett, co-author of Designing Your Life and the new book How to Live a Meaningful Life, joins hosts Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter to explore the deeper question of how we can create, recognize, and design meaning in our lives—well beyond work and productivity. The conversation addresses the epidemic of loneliness (especially for Gen Z), why work is wrongly expected to provide meaning, and introduces a research-backed framework with four components: wonder, coherence, flow, and community. Burnett shares design-thinking strategies for “moment design,” reframing our pursuit of purpose, and cultivating a rich, fulfilling life across all ages.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Genesis of How to Live a Meaningful Life

• Design Thinking for Life: Burnett and co-author Dave Evans saw that even people “checking all the boxes” still felt something was missing: real meaning.
• Emergence of a Meaning Gap: Loneliness, lack of community, and the hunger for purpose—combined with feedback from Gen Z and those navigating retirement—showed that people needed more than advice on careers; they needed guidance on meaning (04:30).
• Reframing the Big Question: Instead of asking, “What is the meaning of life?”, Bill suggests, “How can I find meaning in life?”—turning a philosophical debate into a design challenge (04:30-07:33).

“How do you get more meaning out of your life? Not cram more into it, but get more out of it...that can be a design problem.”
— Bill Burnett (06:20)

2. Meaning at Work & Thinking Beyond Transactions

• The Transaction World vs. The Flow World: Work is largely transactional—about getting things done—but “right underneath that, like an aquifer,” is the world of flow, where meaning and purpose can be tapped (08:04–09:50).
• Moments of Meaning: Burnett argues work isn’t set up to provide meaning, but meaning can be designed into moments of human connection and flow within the workday.
• Advice to Professionals: Don’t expect your company to deliver meaning—bring moments of curiosity, connection, and flow into your professional life (08:04).

“You have to bring the moments. You have to design the moments of connection with your colleagues and design the moments of impact in the transactional world…”
— Bill Burnett (10:38)

3. The Science & Practice of Flow and Wonder

• Expanding Flow Beyond Productivity: Flow isn’t just for “working on something”; it can be found while relaxing with a loved one or appreciating a quiet moment (11:01–11:38).
• Designing for Wonder: Burnett links curiosity, mystery, and wonder—suggesting that cultivating these mindsets (through practices as simple as mindful walks) reliably produces states of awe shown in neuroscience to be vital for meaning (13:51–15:24).

“Curiosity plus mystery equals wonder. One of the big exercises in the book is to put on your wonder glasses and go for a walk…
— Bill Burnett (14:12)

• The Infinite in the Particular: Connecting philosophy and neuroscience, he discusses the “scandal of particularity”: “The infinite is found in the finite…in moments.” (12:45–13:51)

4. Rediscovering Curiosity and Creativity

• Design Mindsets: Designers excel at entering curious, creative states. These mindsets are transferable beyond professional design and can be “reawakened” in everyone (15:24–16:26).
• Curiosity as a Superpower: Burnett notes how design education reawakens buried curiosity, which is critical for designing a meaningful life (15:31).

“It feels great to realize, oh, wait a minute, I am a curious, creative person. I was just putting that aside because you didn’t get into an elite university because you got eight hundreds on your creativity SAT.”
— Bill Burnett (15:37)

5. The Four Components of Meaning

Burnett and Evans identify:

• Wonder
• Flow
• Coherence
• Community

The discussion focuses in-depth on Community as a pillar of meaning, referencing the 100-year Harvard longitudinal study showing community is the most important factor in happiness and longevity (16:47–21:17).

• Types of Communities:
  • Social/Fun: Parties, dinners, gaming.
  • Task-Oriented: Volunteer groups, project teams.
  • Formative: Where people gather to help each other grow.
• Formative Communities: Central to the DCI program at Stanford, the most transformative and valued by high achievers (17:22–21:17).
• Combatting Loneliness: With loneliness now recognized as a health crisis, Burnett provides a practical roadmap for building meaningful, mutual-growth communities.

“A formative community is a group of people who get together to help each other become better people. It’s so powerful, people keep wanting to do it.”
— Bill Burnett (18:14)

6. Meaning at Different Life Stages

• Young Professionals: Often seek meaning primarily at work, but should be taught to value relationships and growth over pure accomplishment (21:57–23:34).
• Mid-Career: Family and child-rearing become increasingly central to a sense of purpose (21:17–21:57).
• Elder Years: Clarity emerges on what truly mattered—relationships, community, wisdom—not career accomplishments. Wisdom and reflection gain value (23:34–25:33).
• The Reunion Test: Looking back, people rarely remember work tasks; they remember connections and formative experiences.

“What people in the Harvard study report as being transformational were the relationships…when you come back for a reunion, you talk about your friends and social moments. That’s where the really good stuff happened.”
— Bill Burnett (24:30)

7. Rethinking Happiness vs. Meaning

• The Happiness Trap: The pursuit of “happiness” as a constant state is a fool’s errand; happiness is an emotion like anger that comes and goes (25:49–26:36).
• Meaning Over Happiness: The real quest, influenced by positive psychology, is for meaning and fulfillment, not a static state of happiness.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

1. On Designing Meaning:
   "How to find things that are meaningful and that have impact, that can be a design problem."
   — Bill Burnett (06:20)

2. Work & Meaning:
   “Don’t look for meaning in the transactions. They’re not set up for that. You have to bring the moments.”
   — Bill Burnett (10:38)

3. Curiosity and Wonder:
   “Curiosity plus mystery equals wonder.”
   — Bill Burnett (14:12)

4. Formative Community:
   “A formative community is a group of people who get together to help each other become better people.”
   — Bill Burnett (18:14)

5. The Infinite in Moments:
   “The infinite is found in the finite, the infinite is found in moments…”
   — Bill Burnett (13:25)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:30] – Burnett’s insights on the meaning gap and the genesis of the new book
• [08:04] – Explaining meaning at work: transactions vs. flow
• [11:01] – Redefining flow and designing moments of meaning in work and life
• [13:51] – The science of awe/wonder, and why designers excel at creating meaning
• [16:47] – Community and its critical role in longevity and meaning
• [21:17] – The shifting nature of meaning across life stages
• [25:49] – The difference between happiness and meaning

Conclusion

This episode of Design Better provides a research-backed yet practical roadmap for living a life rich in meaning—using curiosity, intentional design of moments, and the power of community at every stage of life. Listeners are urged to view meaning not as a mystical, abstract answer, but as a tangible, designable aspect of daily living.

For a deeper dive into the frameworks, practice exercises, and additional insights, check out Bill Burnett’s new book, How to Live a Meaningful Life, and visit designbetterpodcast.com for premium content and resources.