As 2026 begins, hosts Alex Norman and Jamie Blond slow things down to reflect on the conversations that mattered most in 2025 on The Real State Podcast. Rather than revisiting headlines or trends, this year-end episode focuses on the ideas, stories, and debates that stayed with them long after the microphones were turned off.

In this special Year in Review, Alex and Jamie revisit four standout episodes that capture the core themes of the show: Trading Suits for Stories, a deeply personal conversation about career pivots, creativity, and second acts; Tourism Revolt, an exploration of overtourism, housing pressure, and the balance between free markets and quality of life; Boundless, a discussion inspired by Alex’s book on accessibility, disability, aging, and inclusive design; and Fair Play, a forward-looking conversation on how schoolyards, parks, and public spaces shape confidence, behavior, and belonging from an early age.

Across these episodes, recurring questions emerge. How do systems designed for efficiency overlook human experience? What role should government play in protecting livability, inclusion, and access? And how can design, policy, and community engagement work together to create better outcomes for everyone?

This episode offers longtime listeners a chance to reconnect with the ideas that defined the year, and new listeners a clear entry point into the conversations that sit at the heart of The Real State. It’s a reflective, wide-ranging discussion about cities, culture, accessibility, and how thoughtful design can improve everyday life.

If you’re looking for a snapshot of where the show has been and where it’s headed next, this episode brings it all together.

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What do the spaces where we play as children teach us about belonging, confidence, and opportunity?

In this episode of The Real State, Alex Norman and Jamie Blond sit down with Honorata Gręczykowska, an urban designer living and working in Barcelona whose research focuses on how the design of everyday spaces influences behavior, mobility, and social dynamics. Drawing from years of work across Europe and deep, year-long studies inside Catalonian primary schools, Honorata explains why schoolyards are often the first true public spaces children navigate independently—and why they matter far more than we realize.

The conversation explores how culture, especially in a football-centric city like Barcelona, shapes public space design, and how participatory, intersectional research with children, parents, teachers, and municipalities can challenge long-standing norms. We dig into how small design decisions can dramatically change who feels welcome, who participates, and who is pushed to the margins, and why inclusive design doesn’t require big budgets—just better understanding.

We close by looking ahead. What could the future of schoolyards, parks, and public spaces look like if cities truly designed for how people live and play? And how might these early experiences shape healthier, more confident communities for generations to come?

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In From Success to Significance: The Second Mountain Mindset, Alex Norman and Jamie Blond unpack why the goals that drive us early in life often stop feeling satisfying and how that shift can open the door to purpose, community, and contribution.

Inspired by David Brooks’ The Second Mountain, they share personal stories of career peaks, loss, reinvention, and the moment when achievement gives way to meaning. From Miami to Mexico City, more people are rebuilding their lives in midlife and rethinking what fulfillment looks like.

This episode offers a candid, often funny take on second acts, the role of place in starting over, and why giving back can feel better than getting ahead.

Follow The Real State for more honest conversations about life, change, and the spaces we build.

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