Recovery Experiences with Rikki West

I’m currently working on a book called Experience by Design, and by currently I mean the last three-plus years. You could say it is a work in progress. But as the saying goes, “progress, not perfection.” When all you see is the goal, it can be hard to see the progress you are making. So making progress I am, and hopefully I’ll have something to share about that soon. If you would be interested in checking out drafts of chapters for this book, drop me a message at feedback@experiencexdesign.com and I’ll put you on the list of feedback providers!

One part of this book deals with Design Ethics and Justice. That’s a pretty big topic to be sure. One theme that I was thinking about is the idea of “service”, and the service economy. When thinking about the service economy, the main definition of it is the implied and explicit obligations that are inherent in the transactional relationship between companies/workers and customers. Because you are a customer, or potential customer, I provide a service for you. My obligation to do so only extends so far that you are a customer (or potential customer). 

But that is not the only way to think about service. Service also can be something that is done for someone solely because I am in the position to do so and you are in need of it. The obligation of this kind of service rests in the idea that doing a service for someone is a noble act of selflessness. Doing a service can be thought of as a higher calling, but also a starting point. To do service is to rediscover that one has self-worth, something to offer, can make a difference no matter how small of an act of service one does.

This is why doing service is a foundational part of recovery from substance abuse and other kinds of unhealthy patterns and behaviors. Putting out coffee at a meeting, setting up chairs, cleaning afterward, there are no small acts or insignificant ones. Each act serves a purpose, and does a service. When we do services for others, we can contribute to a stronger community and even a better society. On the other hand, if all of our relationships are only based on transactions, there is nothing to say that I need to do anything for you, nor you to do anything for me.

This episode of Experience by Design dives into ideas of self-worth, trauma, recovery, service, and healing.  I welcome Rikki West to the show to talk about her book “The Empty Bowl: Pursuing Truth in a Messy World.”, which she describes as combining “the drama of a personal memoir with the philosophical and spiritual insights of a Zen student.”

Our conversation traverses a lot of different areas and aspects of her life. We talk about starting out with a degree in genetics, only to move to integrating art, dance, and philosophy together for a master’s degree. We talk about her early experiences in the tech industry in the beginning days of Silicon Valley. She tells of how getting laid off in 2001 led to a cycle of desperation that finally culminated in deciding that she needed a change from being stuck in self-pity as her identity. 

She describes her voyage of recovery through recovery programs, coming to know the value of herself, letting go of the results you want and accepting the results you get, and how to heal intergenerational trauma. The source of this is finding the inner strength we all have and that we can nurture to be more present in our lives. 

Finally we talk about how her work is about sharing lessons of experience, strength, and hope to receptive audiences to help them in their healing journeys. And through this we can experience the world in a more healthy way and form more connected relationships. 

Rikki West - https://www.rikkiwest.com/

"The Empty Bowl" - https://www.rikkiwest.com/the-empty-bowl