In this episode of The Experience Designers, I sit down with Dr. Paul Zak, the neuroscientist who literally wrote the book on trust and human connection. A TED speaker, best-selling author, and founder of Immersion Neuroscience, Paul has spent decades uncovering the brain’s hidden responses to experiences, brands, and relationships.

What if the magic behind your favourite experiences wasn't just a coincidence? In this second part two of this two-part series with Goc O'Callaghan, Co-owner of ArcTanGent Festival and Global Experience Lead at Buro Happold.

In this episode, we peel back the curtain on the often-overlooked and unknown 'dark side' of Disney's magic. From the hidden infrastructure at Disney parks to designing festivals that feel like second homes, Goc reveals how intentional design can transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary memories.

Get ready to explore behind the scenes of thoughtful details, and see how the environments around us are engineered to make us feel, move, and connect in profound ways.

00:00 Introduction to the Experience Designers Podcast

01:05 Guest Introduction: Goc O'Callaghan

02:06 The Dark Side of Disney

03:13 Disney's Design Secrets

07:07 Real-Time Feedback and Customer Experience

08:47 Designing for the Senses

10:48 Applying Disney's Principles to Business

15:36 Experience Design in Structural Engineering

18:55 Quantifying Experience

31:26 Personalizing Office Spaces

38:02 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

43:55 Conclusion and Farewell

We're taking you behind the scenes of an incredible journey, exploring the power of memorable experiences and the lessons we can learn from one of the major memory makers out there: music festivals. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Goc O'Callaghan, co-founder, owner, and festival director of the legendary ArcTanGent Festival in the UK.

This is a festival that started as a childhood dream in a bluebell forest and grew into a multi-award-winning independent festival. This is the first of a special two-part series in which Goc shares her story of building something extraordinary from the ground up. In this episode, we dive into those early days and the magic of creating memorable experiences.