I design empathy experiences that use story, emotion, and the senses to help people connect across generations, cultures, and life transitions.
Julie Watson, PhD
Immersive Media Psychologist
& Experience Designer
IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU
Hi! I'm Julie,
I’m a media psychologist, social gerontologist, and immersive experience designer. For more than 25 years, I’ve worked at the intersection of aging, mental health, and cultural storytelling—focusing on transitional moments like grief, legacy, caregiving, and identity.
My early experiences shaped this path: my grandfather’s vivid tales, my grandmother’s ability to find meaning in small moments, and a teenage job in a funeral home that showed me how memory and emotion surface when life shifts. Those moments taught me to listen differently and to design with care.
Today, I design empathy experiences that bring generations together through storytelling, sensory engagement, and human-centered design.
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OFFERINGS
Featured Programs
Legacy Stories
A guided process for capturing and preserving life stories, values, and traditions. Using narrative prompts, conversation, and sensory cues, participants create personal archives that honor identity and meaning while strengthening family connection across generations. Learn more →
Empathy Experiences
Pop-up installations, grief salons, and sensory storytelling events that invite deeper connection across generations and cultures. Each experience is grounded in emotion, designed for participation, and shaped by lived experience. Learn more →
Speaking & Training
Keynotes, workshops, and immersive learning sessions for care teams, educators, creatives, and cultural leaders. Topics include emotional design in care and education, aging, sensory storytelling, and narrative tools for empathy, inclusion, and intergenerational connection. Learn more →
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Immersive Experience Psychology Lab
Research, training, and applied insights at the intersection of story, emotion, and design. Explore articles and resources that connect memory, empathy, and generational storytelling to practical applications in care, education, and culture. Learn more →
Let's explore what's possible.
I provide strategic guidance and coaching across aging, care, education, culture, and community development. My work centers on both organizations and individuals seeking deeper connection and meaning.
Focus areas include:
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Care & Aging: Experience design for dignity and adaptive environments, neuroaesthetics, and sensory-based care.
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Generational Connection: Intergenerational program development, empathy-centered learning, and cultural rituals.
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Narrative & Emotional Design: Frameworks for grief, legacy, and life transitions, and tools for memory, empathy, and belonging.
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Coaching & Facilitation: One-on-one or small group coaching to help individuals reshape inherited emotional patterns, preserve legacy, or navigate midlife and caregiving transitions with clarity and purpose.
“Julie helped us reframe the entire experience through the lens of emotional impact. What we created were moments of real connection.”
Complete the form below to share more about your project or coaching needs. I’ll be in touch within one business day.
(Your information will remain 100% confidential.)
Join me on Substack for stories and reflections that make you feel and connect.
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