Meet John & Hyacinth

We're glad you've found your way here. Design A Great Life is a shared idea with a long history, and although we're giving it a more public home now, the questions behind it have been part of our conversations for years.

We first conceived Design A Great Life decades ago. Like many good ideas, it had to coexist with work, responsibilities, and the unpredictable turns of everyday life. Hyacinth kept developing it, while John remained a willing supporter. We're now exploring what it can become with both of us contributing more actively.

What hasn't changed is our interest in how people can live with greater freedom, purpose, meaning, and prosperity. We know a well-designed life won't look the same for everyone. We also know that intentions have to live alongside obligations, limited resources, and the things we cannot control.

That's the spirit in which we hope to write here: curious, practical, and still learning.

John is also a former teacher and has spent years writing reflections for his email readers. He is especially interested in planning, personal responsibility, self-development, and the importance of preparation.

His writing is direct and thoughtful. He likes to look at an everyday challenge, ask what we can learn from it, and consider what we might do differently next time. One of his first DAGL pieces draws on his own experience of feeling nervous about public speaking, even after years in the classroom.

We'll be sharing more of his work here as we develop the blog together.

Hyacinth is a former schoolteacher, writer, mentor, and the person who has done most of the recent work of bringing DAGL to life. Her writing often begins with a question: What have we accepted without examining it? What possibilities might deserve another look?

She's particularly interested in intentional choices, meaningful relationships, and the ways people can create more freedom and purpose without pretending life is simple.

We won't always approach a subject in quite the same way. We see that as an advantage. Our hope is that the different perspectives in our writing give you useful ideas to consider, whether you're making a practical decision or simply thinking about the kind of life you want to keep creating.

You don't have to agree with every thought we share. If an article helps you ask a better question, notice something important, or make a thoughtful choice of your own, the conversation will have been worthwhile.