#91: Peter Rollins — Designing Experiences That Actually Change People

#91: Peter Rollins — Designing Experiences That Actually Change People

From Always Choose Orange by Alex Accornero

March 11, 2026 · 1h 33m

About this episode

In this episode, Peter Rollins discusses how to design transformative experiences and the importance of discomfort in personal change.

How do you design an experience or piece of art that transforms someone rather than simply giving them more information? In this thought-provoking episode of Always Choose Orange , author and philosopher Peter Rollins and I talk about how he's spent the last 20+ years of his life plumbing the depths of some of the deepest philosophical and theological questions. From his early days creating "transformance art" through his (in)famous Ikon gatherings to the powerful new communities he's building around a sense of shared lack, Peter has dedicated his life to helping people come face to face with the universal human experience of loss. The two of us explore a bunch of fascinating ideas, including: The role of discomfort in making space for transformation How he built his legendary Atheism for Lent practice How, in some ways, many great artists spend their whole career circling a single question Why reimagined forms of community are more important than ever Website: https://peterrollins.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCweF6BScvFnbsymouI-znDA Instagram: http://instagram.com/peter_rollins Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/orthodoxheretic Soundcloud…

People in this episode

Host: Alex Accornero

Guest: Peter Rollins

Topics covered

  • experience design
  • transformance art
  • philosophy
  • theology
  • community
  • loss

Keywords

  • transformation
  • art
  • philosophy
  • community
  • discomfort
  • loss
  • experience design

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ikon, Atheism for Lent

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