Creative Confidence Series

What does it mean to think like a futurist—and why should every leader learn how? In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, Jennifer Lo, Senior Director of Design Futures at IDEO, shares how futuring can help leaders navigate uncertainty, build resilient strategies, and shape the future they want to see. Learn how to spot signals, expand your strategic horizon, and use storytelling and artifacts to make long-term thinking feel actionable today. Read the recap of this conversation and see the futures cone framework mentioned on the IDEO U blog at ideou.com. Follow Jennifer Lo on LinkedIn for more futuring inspiration: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-lo-28654b3/

In this bonus episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, storyteller and strategist Catherine Connors returns to answer top questions from our IDEO U community. We explore what it really means to lead with story—beyond frameworks and formats—and how storytelling can be used to build culture, scale ideas, and drive meaningful change. Catherine shares her take on how to build storytelling capacity inside teams, how AI is reshaping the narrative landscape, and why co-authorship is the future of leadership storytelling. Whether you're looking to grow your storytelling skills, scale your influence, or help your team connect more deeply to their work, this episode offers practical insight for how to be a better storyteller and lead with narrative intention. Want to go deeper? Explore our Communicating for Impact Certificate—a 3-course program designed to help you speak and lead with clarity, empathy, and influence: https://www.ideou.com/products/communication-certificate Read the recap of this podcast episode

In this conversation, IDEO CEO Mike Peng shares what it really takes to foster creative collaboration on teams. From designing for trust and tension to navigating ambiguity and divergent thinking, Mike offers a clear-eyed look at how leaders can create the conditions for breakthrough ideas. Originally aired on August 8, 2019, this episode is full of timeless guidance for today’s fast-moving, complex world.

What makes a story powerful enough to shift culture? In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, Catherine Connors—former Head of Content at Disney Interactive and founder of storytelling consultancy StoryQuo—shares five key shifts that can help leaders use story as a tool for transformation. From rethinking traditional formats to embracing play and shared authorship, Catherine challenges conventional ideas about storytelling and invites us to create stories that people want to carry forward. Whether you're trying to connect more deeply with your team, design more inclusive narratives, or spark culture change, this conversation offers actionable insights for leaders in every industry.

How are creative professionals actually using AI today? In this Asked and Answered follow-up episode, Google DeepMind’s Matthieu Lorrain and IDEO’s Savannah Kunovsky respond to questions from the IDEO U community. They cover real-world examples of AI-powered co-design, how to maintain creative control with liquid content, designing for neurodivergence, and what it means to make nature a creative collaborator.

Google DeepMind’s Matthieu Lorrain and IDEO’s Savannah Kunovsky on how AI is reshaping creative work.

Explore how to lead with human-centered design in a tech-driven world. Insights from Grace Hwang on ethical innovation, safety, and designing for impact.

The Creative Confidence Podcast has been going strong for eight years, with more than 120 leaders sharing their advice, tips, and stories with the IDEO U community. Longtime podcast listeners might recognize the voices of IDEO U Founder Suzanne Gibbs Howard and Design Director Coe Leta Stafford, our original hosts who masterfully surfaced insights and lessons from our expert guests. Now, we’re excited to introduce you to the new voice of the Creative Confidence Podcast – IDEO’s Head of New Ventures, Mina Seetharaman. In a special episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, IDEO CEO Derek Robson sat down with Mina to learn more about her journey to creative confidence – what it means to her, lessons she’s learned, and advice she has for leaders. Plus, some very important facts, like her animal alter ego.

Learn how to lead through change and uncertainty with a human-centered approach. Discover three key leadership levers to help your team navigate uncertainty with clarity and confidence.

Explore how overcoming limiting beliefs and enhancing your leadership mindset, with guidance from Bonnie Wan, can propel your growth as a leader.

Discover how small actions today can shape the future you want. Learn key strategies for taking control of your future with empathy, experimentation, and your unique superpower.

Learn the core mindsets of systems thinking to tackle complex problems. Our beginner's guide helps you zoom in and out, shift perspectives, and reframe challenges for lasting solutions.

Discover the importance of human-centered leadership and AI. Learn how to balance technological advancements with empathy and ethics to drive sustainable success with Chair of IDEO, Tim Brown.

What skills can help us get the most out of AI? When we approach AI in a human way, with people at the center, it can be a powerful tool that augments how we work. As AI becomes more and more widespread across industries, it’s critical to learn the skills to harness and collaborate with AI in a way that is humanistic, ethical, and impactful. In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, we speak with Tom Gruber—product designer, entrepreneur, and co-creator of Siri. He shares critical skills to get the most out of AI, why AI needs human-centered design, and the ethics of using AI tools. https://ideo.in/3MiQGVn

Great products and services are driven by great product strategy. But too often we get stuck in the strategy part of product strategy, failing to get tangible enough to make insight-driven decisions about our roadmaps. In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, we speak with YC Sun, Design Director at IDEO. He shares common challenges for leaders when it comes to product strategy, the keys to building great product strategy, tips and tools for getting tangible with your product strategy, and how to navigate decision trade offs.

We all want to be great managers. But when it comes to actually working with and leading young people, there’s no clear strategy or playbook for success. Too often it feels like we’re having to decide between two extremes: enforce high standards and risk pushing our mentees away, or take a more gentle approach and withhold criticism, therefore missing out on critical learning moments. Often the end result can be intergenerational misunderstanding. How do we interact with young people so that they feel inspired, enthusiastic, and energized rather than disengaged, outraged, or overwhelmed? In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, we speak with David Yeager, author of The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation for Managers, Parents, and Educators. He shares how to cultivate a mentor mindset, the science and research on mentoring young people, applying a growth mindset to cultivate young talent, and key tools and strategies to employ for better me

Most of us recognize why curiosity is important. Few of us know how to practice and unleash its full potential. But when leaders embrace curiosity, it becomes a catalyst for transformation, helping leaders challenge their assumptions, connect with people, and build cultures where everyone feels like they matter. Learn why curiosity is one of the most important skills for leaders today, plus tangible tips and activities that we can practice to build our curiosity muscles, from Scott Shigeoka, curiosity expert and author of the new book, SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World. https://ideo.in/scott

At its worst, friction can be a destructive force in an organization. Friction can undermine productivity and innovation, create inefficiency, and even chip away at our energy and enthusiasm for work. But what if friction could be reframed as something positive—something that makes the right things, like joy, productivity, and creative thinking, easier? Learn how great leaders use friction to make the right things easier and the wrong things harder with Bob Sutton, organizational psychologist and New York Times best selling author.

Learn about how play gives us permission to dream and diverge, think outside the box, and discover solutions to unprecedented problems with Michelle Lee, Managing Director at IDEO and Instructor of our newest Creative Thinking for Complex Solving course.

What makes a good insight? Learn about how to make customer research impactful with Arianna McClain, Head of Research & Insights at Cruise.