Episode 63: Design, death & dignity: Zara King on grief, identity and being fearlessly herself

In one of the most moving episodes of the PRsonal Podcast to date, host Charlotte Nichols sits down with Zara King — a product designer, storyteller, and founder of Zara King Designs, the first female-owned product design company in Teesside. But Zara’s story goes far beyond products and patents. This is an unforgettable conversation about grief, identity, love, and the human drive to create meaning from pain.

At just 16, Zara lost her father — and with little support or preparation, found herself navigating the trauma, logistics, and legacy of death alone. It was a defining moment that shaped her perspective on life, purpose, and how we care for others when they’re gone. That deeply personal experience later inspired her passion project: The Lovely Life of Bean, an interactive children’s book designed to gently introduce the concepts of death, euthanasia, and legacy through the life of a fictional dog named Bean — from birth to planting his memory in a garden.

Zara doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable. Whether it’s advocating for better end-of-life education, redesigning the overlooked bedpan, or challenging assumptions in a male-dominated design world, she’s on a mission to “fix the forgotten” — using empathy and innovation to bring dignity back to the details most people ignore.

She also opens up about her experience of coming out in the early 2000s, how attitudes have evolved since, and the quiet prejudices she and her wife still face today. Through it all, Zara remains grounded, funny, and deeply self-aware — a woman driven not by ego, but by impact.

This isn’t just a podcast episode — it’s a reminder that even the heaviest experiences can be turned into something healing. That design isn’t always about the next shiny object — sometimes, it’s about a better bedpan, a child’s understanding of loss, or a dignified end.

Listen now to discover how Zara King is redesigning the narrative — one act of compassion, one story, and one brave step at a time

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