The Unmistakable Creative Podcast Courtney Harding: Building the Future of Human Connection Through XR, Education, and Digital Agency
Oct 6, 2025
Courtney Harding, founder of Friends with Holograms and a leader in spatial computing, shares her insights on the transformative power of VR and AR. She discusses how immersive tech can reshape education and facilitate social connections, particularly for marginalized communities. Challenging dystopian fears, she advocates for inclusive design and thoughtful regulation. Courtney explores VR's potential to enhance empathy, improve learning outcomes, and create new job opportunities in the metaverse, emphasizing the need for community-driven innovation.
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Teaching Roots And Practical Stability
- Courtney Harding grew up with both parents as public school educators which shaped her value for sharing information and teaching.
- She balanced a desire for meaningful work with a pragmatic awareness of stability from her parents' backgrounds.
The Hollow Side Of Achievement Culture
- An achievement mindset drives skill-building but often leaves people perpetually unsatisfied because "it's never enough."
- Burnout often happens when people work hard without achieving the outcomes they truly want.
Generational Promise Versus Economic Reality
- Generational context shapes expectations: many late Gen X/early millennials were promised fulfilling careers but faced an unstable economy.
- Younger generations respond with anti-work attitudes after seeing the payoff for following traditional rules fail.
