Designing Tomorrow: Creative Strategies for Social Impact

Eric Ressler
  • 5.0 (15)
  • Non-Profit
  • Updated Weekly

Designing Tomorrow explores a new playbook for modern social impact leaders and brands to reach their true impact potential.    Why do some social impact brands thrive, while so many others fail to get traction, build support for their cause, and make meaningful progress? Imagine your impact with truly sustainable revenue and resources. With deeper community engagement and relationships. With more influence in your social impact category.   Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, each episode dives into the strategies, mindsets, and behaviors top social impact brands use to play and win in the attention economy. Go beyond high-level concepts to specific tools and tactics you can use today.   Watch on YouTube or listen to new episodes each Tuesday.  Let’s design a better tomorrow, together.Designing Tomorrow is a Cosmic Production. Learn more at https://designbycosmic.com/ Designing Tomorrow is a registered trademark of Design By Cosmic, Inc. 

  1. 1d ago

    Is It Burnout or Lost Motivation?

    Executive directors are expected to stay fired up all the time, and almost none of them do. Five years into leading the Seymour Center and fresh off a major milestone, Jonathan has hit a motivation slump. The conversation covers how to tell burnout from a slump, why success makes coasting tempting, and what helps leaders find the spark again. Episode Highlights:  [00:01:35] The success hangover after a major milestone  [00:04:40] A leader's mood sets the team's temperature  [00:06:35] The expectation that executive directors are always motivated  [00:08:00] Self-determination theory: autonomy, competence, and relatedness  [00:14:45] Pain as a motivator, and what happens when it's gone  [00:17:00] Seeking inspiration to break the rut  [00:18:15] Burnout vs. lost motivation  [00:19:40] When the slump is really disillusionment or jadedness Notable Quotes:  Eric Ressler [00:06:40]: "There's an expectation that the leader, especially of a social impact organization, should always and must always be fully motivated and committed to the cause. And I just don't think that's a realistic expectation because we're all human here."  Jonathan Hicken [00:14:40]: "It's almost like the fear of stagnating might be the thing that breaks me out."  Eric Ressler [00:18:20]: "I think the antidote to burnout is true deep rest, and I don't think true deep rest is going to solve your motivation issue." Resources & Links: The research behind the autonomy, competence, and relatedness model Eric referencesDesigning Tomorrow episode on motivating your team: mentioned at [00:01:20]Designing Tomorrow episode on not coasting on your momentum: mentioned at [00:14:45]Designing Tomorrow episode on building culture at work: mentioned at [00:22:30]AAM Museum Leadership Academy: Museum-focused leadership cohort/academy Jonathan joined: mentioned at [00:17:00] and [00:19:10]Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. → Subscribe: designingtomorrow.show → Work with Cosmic: designbycosmic.com Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link. *** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at podcast@designbycosmic.com Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  2. Oct 6

    Museums Can Be a Force for Social Change

    Plenty of people still picture a museum as a quiet building with art on the walls and a staff whose job is to guard what's inside. Victoria Munro, Executive Director of the Alice Austen House, sees an advantage in that assumption: because museums look harmless from the outside, they have room to do serious work on social change and safe space. She explains how she took the velvet ropes down at a nationally designated site of LGBTQ+ history and built programs that turn visitors into co-creators. Episode Highlights:  [00:07:20] Museums as sites for contemporary connection  [00:10:55] Why art lovers hesitate to call themselves creators  [00:11:25] "Sneaky" programming that turns visitors into co-creators  [00:12:40] A safe space that doesn't look like one: LGBTQ+ history in a historic house  [00:16:20] Taking down the velvet ropes at the Alice Austen House  [00:19:45] Alice Austen, one of the first women to take photography onto the street  [00:30:20] Budgets, strategy, and leadership as creative acts  [00:36:55] Staying motivated through professional community Notable Quotes:  Victoria Munro [00:07:20]: "We need to look at museums as being not just repositories of historical collections, but being spaces that are sites for contemporary connection."  Victoria Munro [00:13:05]: "Coming and participating in one of our programs isn't going to out you."  Victoria Munro [00:17:00]: "Really, what was that chair saying to that fourth grader? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."  Victoria Munro [00:30:20]: "Your yearly budget should be aspirational. It should be based in reality, but there should be things that you are aspiring to." Resources & Links: Alice Austen House: aliceausten.orgMuseums Council of New York City: museumscouncil.orgVictoria Munro on Instagram: instagram.com/munro.victoria/Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. → Subscribe: designingtomorrow.show → Work with Cosmic: designbycosmic.com Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link. *** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at podcast@designbycosmic.com Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  3. Sep 29

    What to Take and Leave From Design Thinking and the Scientific Method

    Social impact teams are happy to experiment. Where they struggle is admitting when the experiment fails. Jonathan and I dig into what design thinking and the scientific method can teach the sector, and why our refusal to name failure may be the thing holding impact back. Episode Highlights:  [00:03:30] Defining design thinking and the scientific method, side by side  [00:08:00] The real failure point: we won't admit when things don't work  [00:11:00] How science learned to publish its failures  [00:18:00] A closed-door conference where funders aren't invited  [00:24:30] In defense of design thinking  [00:31:00] Knowing where failure is okay and where it isn't Notable Quotes:  Jonathan Hicken [00:08:25]: "Failure of an experiment is just as valuable as the success of an experiment."  Eric Ressler [00:09:45]: "You don't want to tell your donors you messed up and you failed. But that's the trap." Resources & Links: You Design Your Culture. Here's How : Designing Tomorrow Podcast Episode from August 18, 2026 — https://youtu.be/L9oi0lF4mIIStanford Social Innovation Review — https://ssir.org/articles/entry/when-evidence-isnt-enoughIDEO U — ideou.comStanford d.school — dschool.stanford.eduHosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. → Subscribe: designingtomorrow.show → Work with Cosmic: designbycosmic.com Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link. *** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at podcast@designbycosmic.com Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  4. Sep 22

    Learning Isn't What's Slowing Philanthropy Down

    Philanthropy takes heat for being slow to move money, and learning usually gets the blame.  Katherine Haugh, founder of the Convive Collective and a learning partner to some of the largest climate-focused philanthropies in the US and Europe, thinks that critique is fair but aimed at the wrong target.  She and Eric dig into what's actually slowing foundations down, why learning so often becomes a way to dodge a decision, and the two things a foundation needs to genuinely learn. Episode Highlights:  [00:14:15] The real reason money moves slowly: control and ego, not learning  [00:18:00] Why learning has such a good brand, and how that hides dysfunction  [00:19:45] Learning as a way to dodge a hard decision  [00:26:30] The two non-negotiables: leadership commitment and psychological safety  [00:32:35] Why foundations won't publish their failures  [00:44:30] The "healthy life" metaphor for becoming a learning organization Notable Quotes:  Katherine Haugh [00:15:50]: "I actually think that the reason why that is, is a function of control and ego."  Katherine Haugh [00:18:00]: "Learning has a great reputation. Learning is a great brand. No one ever says, 'We hate learning.'"  Katherine Haugh [00:28:15]: "You can have excellent evidence, but if your team doesn't feel safe to say what they really feel, it's all for nothing." Resources & Links: The Convive Collective — https://convivecollective.comThe Learning Philanthropy Framework Center for Evaluation Innovation — cited at [00:16:30] as the source tracking how much of foundation portfolios go to learning and evaluation.Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. → Subscribe: designingtomorrow.show  → Work with Cosmic: designbycosmic.com Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link. *** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at podcast@designbycosmic.com Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  5. Sep 15

    Your Difference Is the Superpower

    Sandy Gould has spent 36 years studying where people's "superpowers" come from, and his answer is simple: the thing that makes you different is the same thing that lets you create what no one else can. In this conversation with Eric Ressler, the longtime GLAAD advisor and author of the forthcoming book Interlightening explains why conformity feels safe and isn't, and how the same rules that grow an individual grow an entire organization. Episode Highlights:  [00:03:00] From tech recruiting to GLAAD: a career built on unleashing people  [00:05:30] Why the "why" leads to the what and the how  [00:08:30] How one word, "should," quietly holds people back  [00:15:30] Your organization is just one big person  [00:16:30] Why success is the scariest moment for a team  [00:27:00] Why your team should see you fight Notable Quotes:  Sandy Gould [00:19:25]: "The difference engine is what drives every human, every group of people, and our life and our world. If you and I were exactly the same, this conversation would be nothing."  Sandy Gould [00:24:15]: "'I don't know' is a very powerful, honest thing to say. But honesty is more important. First, establish trust, then invite them in to help you figure it out." Resources & Links: GLAAD — glaad.orgSandy Gould on LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/sandy-gould-077354Sandy Gould on Instagram — instagram.com/spidersandyInterlightening: Unleashing Your Superpowers — forthcoming on AmazonHosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. → Subscribe: designingtomorrow.show → Work with Cosmic: designbycosmic.com Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link. *** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at podcast@designbycosmic.com Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  6. Sep 8

    Run Your Nonprofit Like a Scientist

    Every leader in the social impact space has failures. But we rarely talk about them. We brush over them, reframe them, paper over them. Michelle Moog-Koussa thinks that's a mistake. She built the Bob Moog Foundation from $15,000 and a stack of Bob's crossed-out notebooks into a 20-year institution, and she runs it like a scientist: write down the idea, test it, and record an honest "didn't work" before turning the page. Episode Highlights:  [00:00:00] Why the social impact sector refuses to talk about failure  [00:04:00] How 60,000 CaringBridge messages gave birth to a foundation  [00:17:00] "You're swinging a miniature bat" and the reframe that changed everything  [00:23:00] Running a nonprofit like a scientist: hypothesis, test, iterate  [00:25:30] The sector embraces the scientific method, except the failure step  [00:31:30] Why fear of failure keeps organizations frozen in planning Notable Quotes:  Michelle Moog-Koussa [00:27:15]: "Mistakes are the portals to discovery."  Eric Ressler [00:25:30]: "The sector at large does not accept failure with grace."  Michelle Moog-Koussa [00:18:05]: "I don't have a miniature bat. My bat is so big, I just needed more people to help me swing it." Resources & Links: The Bob Moog Foundation — moogfoundation.orgThe Moogseum — moogseum.orgSpectrasonics Bob Moog Tribute Library — spectrasonics.net/products/tribute/Native Instruments Modular Icons — native-instruments.com/en/pricing/modular-icons/Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. → Subscribe: designingtomorrow.show → Work with Cosmic: designbycosmic.com Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link. *** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at podcast@designbycosmic.com Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  7. Sep 1

    If Only They Got Us, They'd Fund Us

    Every nonprofit leader has told themselves the same story: if funders just understood us, they'd fund us. Eric and Jonathan make the uncomfortable case that misunderstood impact is usually a you problem, and that what looks like a storytelling gap is almost always an identity gap. Close it, and funding, talent, and trust all get easier. Episode Highlights:  [00:01:15] The identity impact gap, defined  [00:04:05] Why the gap quietly starves your funding  [00:08:20] Why a widening gap can be a sign of growth  [00:12:50] The three pillars: identity, expression, perception  [00:30:00] "That's a you problem"  [00:38:40] Why trust isn't built on your 990s  Notable Quotes:  Eric Ressler [00:04:20]: "I would urge orgs to figure out: if there was only one thing that everyone could know us for, what might that one thing be? And do a really good job beating that drum." Jonathan Hicken [00:25:20]: "It has to start with a deep understanding of self. Before you can get to expression, before you can get to perception, you have to know yourself." Resources & Links: Seymour Marine Discovery Center — seymourcenter.ucsc.edu Cosmic — designbycosmic.comWho are you Becoming? https://designbycosmic.com/podcast/who-are-you-becoming/ Who Are You Becoming — designbycosmic.com/podcast/who-are-you-becoming/ Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. → Subscribe: designingtomorrow.show → Work with Cosmic: designbycosmic.com Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link. *** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at podcast@designbycosmic.com Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  8. Aug 25

    Don't Coast on Your Momentum

    Most leaders know how to fight through a crisis. Almost nobody's ready for the moment things start working. That's where Jonathan finds himself. Five years into running the Seymour Center, the survival years behind him. Funding's solid. The team's humming. He walks the halls, thinks "we're good," and tells me that stability feels strange. Almost uncomfortable. Like a problem he doesn't have the muscle for yet. What I keep seeing after 15 years is that that's exactly how good organizations stall out. The bold, experimental swings that built the momentum are the first thing leaders quietly retire the moment things feel stable. So the real discipline is refusing to coast, and building from a place of stability instead of scarcity while you still have the calm to think clearly. Episode Highlights:  [00:01:35] Momentum is a different kind of problem  [00:10:45] Three viable paths, one hard choice  [00:19:05] Build from stability, not scarcity  [00:20:10] The trap of business as usual  [00:23:05] Owning your wins in front of funders  [00:29:10] What got you here won't get you there Notable Quotes:  Jonathan Hicken [00:28:55]: "Keep the foot on the gas, and lean into what I know has worked — which has been big, creative, different, bold swings." Eric Ressler [00:20:35]: "The trap would be, okay, it's working now, we just move into business-as-usual mode. That's how orgs stall out a lot of times." Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. → Subscribe: designingtomorrow.show → Work with Cosmic: designbycosmic.com Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link. *** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at podcast@designbycosmic.com Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

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Designing Tomorrow explores a new playbook for modern social impact leaders and brands to reach their true impact potential.    Why do some social impact brands thrive, while so many others fail to get traction, build support for their cause, and make meaningful progress? Imagine your impact with truly sustainable revenue and resources. With deeper community engagement and relationships. With more influence in your social impact category.   Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, each episode dives into the strategies, mindsets, and behaviors top social impact brands use to play and win in the attention economy. Go beyond high-level concepts to specific tools and tactics you can use today.   Watch on YouTube or listen to new episodes each Tuesday.  Let’s design a better tomorrow, together.Designing Tomorrow is a Cosmic Production. Learn more at https://designbycosmic.com/ Designing Tomorrow is a registered trademark of Design By Cosmic, Inc. 

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