I help people understand how memory, emotion, and story shape identity and how we carry meaning across a lifetime.
Julie Watson, PhD
Media Psychologist
& Social Gerontologist
Meaning Architecture | Storyfeeling | Memory Experience Design
IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU
Hi! I'm Julie,
For 25 years, I’ve worked with people through life’s transitions. That experience taught me how to listen deeply and pay attention to what people carry — memory, emotion, story, meaning.
I was shaped early by my grandparents’ stories, family rituals, and a college job in a funeral home. Those moments sparked a lifelong interest in how we remember and how we stay connected to what matters.
Today, I study how memory, emotion, and sensory experience shape identity and belonging, and I turn that research into tools and experiences that help people connect across generations and life stages.
I also share weekly reflections on my Substack, SenStoria, which is devoted to memory, connection, and the psychology of belonging.
OFFERINGS
Ways to Work Together
I design research and experiences that help people and organizations connect across generations and through life’s transitions. My work sits at the intersection of psychology, design, and aging culture.
For Individuals & Communities
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The Storyfeeling Series
A four-part journey into how we feel, shape, share, and keep our stories.
From sensing emotion in the body to re-authoring meaning, building empathy, and creating legacy, each phase helps transform lived experience into insight and connection. → Learn More -
A Space to Remember
Simple practices, sensory rituals, and reflective environments that support emotional memory in daily life. This digital companion helps keep what matters close.
→ Learn More -
Coaching & Facilitation
Individual sessions and small-group dialogues focused on transition, legacy, grief, identity shifts, or midlife reframing.
Together, we turn lived experience into shared meaning. → Reach Out
For Organizations
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Age-Inclusive Experience Audits
A qualitative evaluation of your product, program, or service through the lens of memory, cognition, emotional accessibility, and intergenerational design.
Includes clear recommendations shaped by sensory design, attention patterns, and aging psychology. -
Rapid Research Studies
Short, focused studies exploring digital loneliness, emotional memory, identity, attention, or belonging within your environment. You’ll receive patterns, stories, sensory cues, and emotional drivers to guide communication or design. -
Memory, Story & Connection Labs
Half- or full-day experiences for leaders and teams. These labs explore how memory, emotion, and story influence connection, trust, and belonging — and offer immediate tools to support your people.
Thought Leadership
Speaking & Training
I speak and teach at the intersection of psychology, design, aging, and lived experience.
My work connects research with human stories offering practical ways to strengthen memory, empathy, and connection. Topics include:
- Storyfeeling: The Psychology of How We Remember
- The Inheritance of Meaning: How Meaning Travels Across Generations
- Remembering Together: The Emotional Life of Dementia
- Designing for Emotional Legacy: How values, rituals, sensory cues, and emotional experiences shape what endures
- Neuroaesthetics: The Art and Science of How We Feel
- Empathy by Design: Psychology for Stronger Connection
Every project begins with a conversation.
If you’re interested in a collaboration, workshop, or research partnership, complete the form below. I’ll follow up within one business day.
Subscribe to Senstoria on Substack for weekly reflections on memory, connection, identity, and the psychology of belonging.
Subscribe to SenStoria
