Helena Masat on motherhood, flexibility & designing for true accessibility

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In this episode, Guy sits down with Helena, Creative Director and Founder of Studio Masat, to discuss navigating the design industry as a new mother while launching her own studio.

Helena shares her background in design & build, what it was like managing pregnancy in a client-facing role, and why transparency, planning, and trust are essential when balancing projects and maternity leave. The conversation explores outdated industry norms around flexibility, the loss of talented mothers due to rigid systems, and why outcomes matter more than hours at a desk.

They also dive into how motherhood reshaped Helena’s perspective on accessibility in the built environment — and why inclusive design should never be a retrofit or afterthought.

This is an episode about leadership, flexibility, and designing better systems — both in our workplaces and in the spaces we create.

They also explore:
How parenthood exposed everyday access barriers (and why it changed Helena’s design lens)

Why physical accessibility is being left behind in wider inclusion conversations

The difference between inclusive design and “retrofit” afterthought solutions

Announcing pregnancy on client projects: what works, what doesn’t, and when to share it

The “buddy system” approach that protects the client experience and grows junior talent

Why the “mothers are less ambitious” narrative is wrong — and what’s actually true

The outdated 9–5 model in a two-income world (and why flexibility is already happening elsewhere)

Trust + communication as the real foundation of flexible work

Examples of accessibility done well — and what most buildings still get wrong

Episode Resources

Helena Masat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helena-masat-671522104/?originalSubdomain=uk
Guy Stanley on LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/guystanley

Learn more about Stansons Group Ltd. here: https://stansons.co.uk

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