Creative Confidence Podcast

IDEO U
  • 4.6 (128)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

IDEO’s Creative Confidence Podcast shares candid conversations with creative leaders, changemakers, and innovators navigating today’s most pressing challenges. Through real-world stories and insights, we explore how to lead with creativity, build resilient teams, and drive innovation. Grounded in IDEO’s 40 years of expertise in design thinking and innovation, each episode offers inspiration and practical tools for audacious leaders at every stage of their careers. Hosted by Mina Seetharaman, Head of New Ventures at IDEO, the podcast brings a human-centered lens to the complexities of making more courageous futures. Discover more at IDEOU.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Leadership Philosophies in Practice & Building Creative Teams: Q&A with Mike Peng

    JAN 21

    Leadership Philosophies in Practice & Building Creative Teams: Q&A with Mike Peng

    IDEO CEO Mike Peng returns to the Creative Confidence Podcast to answer questions from listeners about modern creative leadership. Building on his previous episode, Mike goes deeper on how to lead creative teams when organizations resist change, how to reduce fear and build trust, what failure has taught him about leadership, and how to stay inspired in a fast-moving world. If you’re a leader trying to foster creativity, guide teams through complexity, or rethink what creative excellence looks like today, this listener-driven episode offers grounded advice, real stories, and clear perspective you can apply right away. __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min
  2. Part 2: Honest, Realistic, and Optimistic Leadership Advice from Friends of IDEO

    JAN 7

    Part 2: Honest, Realistic, and Optimistic Leadership Advice from Friends of IDEO

    The creative leadership advice continues. In Part 2, creative leaders including IDEO partners, alumni, and IDEO U instructors share hard-won lessons on relationships, reflection, and staying human as we move into 2026. Host Mina Seetharaman and IDEO Partner Ilya Prokopoff share reactions and builds on each leader's advice. Many of the leaders featured on this episode have been guests on the podcast. Find links to their episodes at ideou.com/blogs/inspiration. Guests on this episode: Grace Hwang — Design Leader; Former IDEO Associate Partner; Co-Founder, Upturn Health Michelle Lee — Partner and Executive Managing Director, IDEO; IDEO U Instructor: Creative Thinking for Complex Problem Solving Sara Kalick — Founder, The Possible: IDEO U Instructor: From Superpowers to Great Teams Jenn Maer — Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Knitted; IDEO U Instructor: Storytelling for Influence Jennifer Riel — Adjunct Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto; Former Head of Global Strategy, IDEO; IDEO U Instructor: Designing Strategy & Activating Strategy Susie Wise — Designer, Design for Emergence; Author, Design for Belonging Takashi Wickes — Founding Designer, Open Studio; IDEO U Instructor: Prototyping for AI YC Sun — Senior Design Director, Healthcare and Wellbeing, IDEO Dabney Hailey — Founder and Principal, Hailey Group; Lecturer, MIT Sloan Amy Bonsall — Founder, Light Actions at Collective; IDEO U Instructor: Designing a Business Frederik Pferdt — Former Chief Innovation Evangelist, Google; author of What’s Next is Now __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min
  3. Key Abilities of Creative Problem-Solvers: David Kelley (Replay)

    12/30/2025

    Key Abilities of Creative Problem-Solvers: David Kelley (Replay)

    This episode is a Creative Confidence Podcast replay. In celebration of 20 years of the Stanford d.school, we’re revisiting our conversation with David Kelley, founder of IDEO and the Stanford d.school, on the core abilities of the most successful creative problem-solvers. David also shares personal stories and learnings from his friendships with several of today’s most innovative CEOs and leaders. At a moment when creativity is increasingly essential to leadership, this episode offers a chance to revisit the fundamentals of creative problem-solving and hear them directly from one of the people who helped define the field. Many of the ideas David shares in this episode align with his Creative Essentials, a roundup of the best advice he's collected across his long career. Read about David Kelley’s Creative Essentials here: https://stanfordmag.org/contents/how-to-be-creative __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min
  4. Part 1: Honest, Realistic, and Optimistic Leadership Advice from Friends of IDEO

    12/18/2025

    Part 1: Honest, Realistic, and Optimistic Leadership Advice from Friends of IDEO

    As the year winds down, we asked 20 friends of IDEO including IDEO U instructors, Creative Confidence Podcast guests, and partners of IDEO to share honest leadership advice for leaders heading into 2026. In part one, hear reflections on uncertainty, creativity, and momentum. Host Mina Seetharaman and IDEO Partner Ilya Prokopoff share reactions and builds on each leader's advice. Find more episodes of the Creative Confidence Podcast at ideou.com/podcast. Take online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Many of the leaders featured on this episode have been guests on the podcast. Find links to their episodes at ideou.com/blogs/inspiration. Guests on this episode: Michael Hendrix - Managing Director, Invisible Notes; former IDEO Partner Kate Schnippering - Polar Expedition Crew Member, IDEO U Instructor: Creative Thinking for Complex Problem Solving Catherine Connors - Co-founder, StoryQuo Jennifer Lo - Futurist in Residence and Senior Director of Organizational Design, IDEO Suzanne Gibbs Howard - Founder, IDEO U; Leadership and Learning Advisor; IDEO U Instructor: Unlocking Creativity Wardah Malik - CEO, BEworks Kim Scott - Author & Founder, Radical Candor Mollie West Duffy - Co-author, No Hard Feelings; Big Feelings Bonnie Wan - Author & Founder, The Life Brief __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min
  5. 3 Leadership Philosophies to Inspire Creative Excellence: Mike Peng

    12/04/2025

    3 Leadership Philosophies to Inspire Creative Excellence: Mike Peng

    Host Mina Seetharaman chats with IDEO CEO Mike Peng about what creative excellence means today and how leaders can cultivate it on their teams. Mike shares three favorite leadership philosophies, stories from his global career, and practical ways to spark creativity, build healthy friction, and stay inspired. Sign up for invitations to live podcast recordings at ideou.com/podcast. __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    58 min
  6. How to Prototype with AI: Takashi Wickes

    11/19/2025

    How to Prototype with AI: Takashi Wickes

    Learn how interaction designer Takashi Wickes uses AI to prototype ideas with more creativity, intention, and humanity. In this conversation with host Mina Seetharaman, Takashi shares mindsets, stories, and practical methods from IDEO U’s Prototyping with AI online course to help you stay curious, embrace friction, and keep humans at the center of AI-powered design. Sign up for invitations to live podcast recordings at ideou.com/podcast. __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min
  7. Asked & Answered: Justin Massa on Adopting AI with Purpose and Confidence

    11/07/2025

    Asked & Answered: Justin Massa on Adopting AI with Purpose and Confidence

    How can leaders bring AI into their organizations thoughtfully, without losing what makes them human? In this Asked & Answered episode, AI strategist and IDEO alum Justin Massa joins host Mina Seetharaman to answer listener questions and share a grounded, practical view of AI adoption. Justin explains why so many companies struggle to move from experimentation to impact, how to foster a culture of safe exploration, and why empathy and trust remain at the heart of leadership in the age of AI. Read the recap of this conversation on the IDEO U blog at ideou.com.__________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
  8. How to Invest in AI for Your Business: Justin Massa

    10/09/2025

    How to Invest in AI for Your Business: Justin Massa

    AI strategist and former IDEO partner Justin Massa joins host Mina Seetharaman to help leaders cut through the hype and focus on where artificial intelligence can create the most value. He shares practical frameworks for identifying strategic opportunities, balancing automation with augmentation, and bringing AI into your organization in a way that’s both human-centered and high-impact.Learn how to use Justin’s AI Opportunity Matrix, discover four universal entry points for AI innovation in businesses, and hear why reframing ROI beyond efficiency is key to sustainable growth.Read the recap of this discussion on the IDEO U blog at ideou.com. Want to learn more? Build your own AI adoption plan and learn tools for creativity, strategy, and responsible innovation in IDEO U's AI x Design Thinking Certificate, an 8-week online program. Learn more at ideo.in/aicert.__________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    50 min
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4.6
out of 5
128 Ratings

About

IDEO’s Creative Confidence Podcast shares candid conversations with creative leaders, changemakers, and innovators navigating today’s most pressing challenges. Through real-world stories and insights, we explore how to lead with creativity, build resilient teams, and drive innovation. Grounded in IDEO’s 40 years of expertise in design thinking and innovation, each episode offers inspiration and practical tools for audacious leaders at every stage of their careers. Hosted by Mina Seetharaman, Head of New Ventures at IDEO, the podcast brings a human-centered lens to the complexities of making more courageous futures. Discover more at IDEOU.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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