Where anything goes – as long as it’s good
Project: TOPIA Magazine
Format: Digital magazine, videos and podcasts
Creator/Editor-in-chief: Lisa Goldapple
Launched in March 2022, TOPIA Magazine was created by Lisa Goldapple as a place where anything goes, as long as it’s good. The kaleidoscopic positive impact magazine explores culture, nature, travel and design, and how they intertwine.
In TOPIA, beavers can talk, psychedelic jellyfish pulse through the deep, and a Rabbit Hole transports you through inspiring interviews.
You might meet an aquanaut diving through icebergs, a Michelin-starred chef saving the rainforest, a polar explorer studying silence, or a conservationist reversing extinction. Another click could take you to a Drag Race star freeing us from the binary, or the legendary Godfather of sustainability. You may even stumble upon a podcast about Darwin’s obsession with the barnacle penis.
The mission? To support social initiatives by spotlighting the remarkable people keeping the planet cool. Every feature includes a ‘What’s so good about this?’ box to prompt fresh, quizzical thinking.
Like nature, TOPIA shifts with the seasons, each one a romp through tales that tap into the thrill of being alive. Season 01 kicked off with a Big Bang and Season 02, The Egg, continued cracking life’s mysteries.
Once described as “Lewis Carroll meets Tina Fey in the canteen at National Geographic”, TOPIA brings fearless voices from the world’s wildest edges together with stunning visuals and unwavering editorial integrity, supported by popular animated newsletters.
The Surreal Series
TOPIA is a great place to get lost. The magic is in the mashup. Vibrant series swirl like constellations, connecting ideas in unexpected ways.
The titles speak for themselves.
- Three Minute Noodles asks three VIPs one big question
- Cosmic Chats are candid conversations with planetary defenders
- The Sound of Revolution spotlights revolting artists
- Artopia explores the power of human creativity
- Beyond the Stale profiles indie storytellers reshaping food media
- My World of Good invites revolutionaries to share their ideal worlds
- Call of the Wild gives nature a voice
- Action! introduces filmmakers cutting deep
- The Papercut features tales that sting, just a little bit
- And more (yes, Lisa Goldapple’s brain is like popcorn without a lid)
A world, not just a magazine
TOPIA features unusual home-baked videos and animations, made with love.
One animation was selected by music visionary Beatie Wolfe for her Denver takeover, shown alongside works by Aardman Animations and the director of My Octopus Teacher at the Denver Digerati Supernova Digital Animation Festival.
Quirky podcasts hosted by The Futurenauts – a duo of leading futurists, bestselling authors and ‘recovering sustainability guys’ – hit the top of the iTunes Science chart. Guests included comedian Jon Richardson on humour in dark times, and zoologist Lucy Cooke discussing her book, Bitch!
‘Cosmic Chats From the Jungle’ with MTV icon Simone Angel was broadcast from Belize, complete with monkey interruptions during an interview with Jurassic Park dinosaur consultant Steve Brusatte, aka The Real Ross.
The rare brain behind TOPIA
Lisa Goldapple is the creative force behind this maximalist wonderland. As Founder and Editor-in-Chief she conceived, designed and led every aspect of the project, from visual identity to editorial direction. Commissioning a sparkling array of 50+ writers from Argentina to Zimbabwe, securing high-profile partnerships, and collaborating with everyone from the Godfather of modern sustainability, John Elkington, to the Willy Wonka of Design, Nelly Ben Hayoun.
TOPIA was made possible thanks to a patient developer and initial funding of a conservation communications agency, now sadly extinct. In 2026, Goldapple Studio began hosting the magazine.
Before TOPIA, Lisa spent decades in storytelling and production, creating and directing shows for major media outlets including MTV, BBC, VICE, TVNZ and National Geographic. She also founded Atlas of the Future, a platform mapping impactful projects around the world. Her editorial visions always balance rigour with unexpected, joyful twists.
Lisa’s desk faces the trippy side of Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, which might explain why TOPIA is so psychedelic. A mind-blowing brainstorm inspired its childlike wonder.
Enter TOPIA
In the spirit of its purpose – positive impact – Goldapple Studio hosts this portfolio archive as a tribute to the diverse voices who were part of this magical wonderland. This portal serves as a good-faith preservation of what we created together. No content is used for commercial gain.
Lisa Goldapple remains dedicated to spotlighting the people creating a better planet.
