PODCAST · business
Creative Confidence Podcast
by IDEO U
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.
Episodes
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[From IDEO Thinking] The Hidden Costs of Caregiving: Sierra Hillman
Medical bills written in codes patients can't read. Homes that don't fit a wheelchair. A specialized bed that can run up to $15,000 and isn't covered by insurance. For the 24 million caregivers in the US, these are everyday obstacles. And each one points to a design opportunity. This week, we’re...
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How to Tell a Problem From a Situation: Seth Godin
IDEO has built a business around solving difficult problems. But problems and situations are not the same thing, argues Seth Godin. And correctly telling them apart is critical. Get it wrong, and you'll spend months pushing on something that was never going to move. In this conversation, Seth and...
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Insight Is an Epiphany, Not a Framework: Jane Fulton Suri
Jane Fulton Suri spent nearly four decades defining the craft of design research. She says it’s less about collecting information and more about changing how you see something. In this episode, IDEO CEO Mike Peng talks with Jane about memorable moments from her lengthy career, what separates a…
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How to Use AI as an Editor, Not a Writer: Ed White
Ed White has a rule he's tested on his own writing: hold yourself as the writer, and let AI be your editor. Ed is a Senior Design Director at IDEO's London studio, where he co-leads the firm's AI portfolio across Europe. Before IDEO, he spent 12 years as a writer and editor at the Financial…
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Storytelling for Entrepreneurs: Tom Kelley (Replay)
Storytelling isn't a nice-to-have for entrepreneurs. It's often the only asset you have before you have a brand, a product, or proof. In this episode, we talk with Tom Kelley, IDEO partner and co-author with his brother David Kelley of the bestseller Creative Confidence, about the four stories...
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Building a Personal AI for the Messiness of Life: Sida Li
Most AI products today are built for work—a space with clear problems and established systems. One founder noticed a gap: personal life is messier, harder to systematize, and mostly left behind by the AI boom. So she built Cue, a personal AI that lives inside iMessage and group chats, to go where...
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Designing GenAI for the Emotional Side of Money: Johannes Seemann
Most personal financial tools are built to run the numbers and optimize towards a budget. While that works for some, most people experience money as a lived relationship that doesn’t neatly fit into a spreadsheet. Johannes Seemann spent years interviewing people about their personal finances and...
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The Curious Leader's Edge in Uncertainty: Scott Shigeoka
We talk a lot about curiosity as a mindset. Scott Shigeoka lives it as a practice. Right now he’s driving a 25-foot purple van across the country, finding and documenting the stories of ordinary people making their communities better. He's not just curious about what's possible. He's out there...
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How Constraints Make Us More Creative: David Epstein
We're told more is always better—more options, more resources, more freedom. But David Epstein spent years looking at the science, and what he found challenges that assumption. Constraints don't just force creativity. According to the research, they often generate it. In this episode, Mina...
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The Decisiveness Crisis in Senior Leadership Teams: Sam Conniff
Two thirds of leaders say they would rather be seen as decisive and get it wrong than appear uncertain and get it right. It may sound illogical, but it's actually the result of decades of organizational culture training leaders that decisiveness equals strength and that not knowing is a…
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How to Not Know: Simone Stolzoff
We have more information than any generation in history. And we're more anxious about the future than ever. So what's going wrong? In this episode, Mina Seetharaman talks with Simone Stolzoff, journalist, author, TED speaker, and former IDEO Design Lead, about why certainty is so seductive, how…
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AI Tools for Researchers, Patterns vs. Insights, and When to Trust AI Output: Q&A with Angela Kochoska
Angela Kochoska, Design Researcher and Data Scientist at IDEO and co-instructor in IDEO U's new course, Human-Centered Research with AI, joins Mina to answer your questions on how to responsibly and effectively use AI in the research process. After her co-instructor Hannah Rosenfeld’s episode on...
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How to Use AI For More Human-Centered Research: Hannah Rosenfeld
AI is changing what it means to be a researcher. But most teams are only using it one way—to go faster. In this episode, Hannah Rosenfeld, Executive Design Researcher at IDEO, shares a framework for using AI intentionally across your research process: not just to move faster, but to see more, ask...
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6 Patterns for Building Organizational Agility: Clay Parker Jones
Most organizations don’t fail because their ideas are wrong. They fail because the systems underneath those ideas aren’t designed to support them. In this episode, Mina Seetharaman speaks with Clay Parker Jones, Director of Organizational Design at Airbnb and author of Hidden Patterns, about six...
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How Great Teams Leverage Tension as a Source of Innovation: Daniel Coyle (Replay)
Tension on your team isn’t always a problem to solve. In fact, it’s often a signal you’re doing meaningful work. In this replay episode, bestselling author Daniel Coyle (The Culture Code) shares how the most successful teams channel friction into forward motion, instead of avoiding it. Drawing on...
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What Gets In the Way of Trust on Teams: Q&A with Ben Swire
There are many hidden barriers to building trust on teams, and sometimes we don’t see them until something breaks down. In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, Mina Seetharaman sits down again with Ben Swire—co-founder of Make Believe Works and author of Safe Danger—for a practical…
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Building Risk-Taking Teams: Ben Swire
Team building often feels like a necessary evil. Leaders know it matters, but too often it feels awkward, forced, or disconnected from real work. In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, Mina Seetharaman speaks with Ben Swire, co-founder of Make Believe Works and author of Safe Danger,...
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Playful Thinking Under Pressure: Q&A with Cas Holman & Michelle Lee
How do leaders apply playful thinking at work when time is short and the stakes are high? In this Q&A episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, host Mina Seetharaman is joined by play designer and author Cas Holman and IDEO Partner Michelle Lee to explore how a playful mindset holds up under...
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How a Playful Mindset Leads to Better Work: Cas Holman & Michelle Lee
For teams and leaders striving to unlock better collaboration and outcomes, play isn’t just a break from work—it’s a powerful leadership mindset. Embracing play fosters curiosity, creativity, and resilience, helping teams innovate and thrive even under pressure. In this episode of the Creative...
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Leadership Philosophies in Practice & Building Creative Teams: Q&A with Mike Peng
IDEO CEO Mike Peng returns to the Creative Confidence Podcast with an insightful, listener-driven conversation tailored for leaders, managers, and team leads who are navigating change and striving to build high-trust, creative teams. In this episode, Mike delves deeper into the core principles of...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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Adopting AI with Purpose and Confidence: Q&A with Justin Massa
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...
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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,...
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Bringing Futuring into Your Organization: Q&A with Jennifer Lo
In this Asked & Answered episode, Jennifer Lo, IDEO's Senior Director of Design Futures, responds to community questions about how leaders can bring futuring into their organizations. From making the case for ROI, to balancing visionary leadership with grounded operators, to practical ways to get...
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How to Think Like a Futurist: Jennifer Lo
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...
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Storytelling for Leaders and the Future of Narrative: Q&A with Catherine Connors
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…
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Creative Collaboration with IDEO CEO Mike Peng (Replay)
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....
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Storytelling for Change with a Former Disney Exec: Catherine Connors
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...
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AI as Creative Collaborator: Q&A with Matthieu Lorrain & Savannah Kunovsky
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...
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AI x Creativity: Matthieu Lorrain & Savannah Kunovsky
Google DeepMind’s Matthieu Lorrain and IDEO’s Savannah Kunovsky on how AI is reshaping creative work. __________ 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,...
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Staying Human-Centered in a Tech-First World: Grace Hwang
As technology accelerates, the challenge and opportunity is to stay anchored in what really matters: people. Host Mina Seetharaman talks with Grace Hwang, former GM of Design and UX Research for Mixed Reality at Microsoft, about how leaders can use human-centered design to navigate this shifting...
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Introducing Mina Seetharaman: Your New Creative Confidence Podcast Host
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,...
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What Leaders Should Know About Leading Through Change: Melanie Bell-Mayeda
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. __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your…
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How to Improve Your Leadership Mindset for Greater Growth: Bonnie Wan
Explore how overcoming limiting beliefs and enhancing your leadership mindset, with guidance from Bonnie Wan, can propel your growth as a leader. __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's...
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How to Take Action and Shape Your Future Today: Frederik Pferdt
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. __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your creative...
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Unlock the Power of Systems Thinking: Deirdre Cerminaro
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. __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your…
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The Role of Human-Centered Leadership in the Age of AI: Tim Brown
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. __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast. Build your...
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Humanistic AI: Tom Gruber, Co-Creator of Siri
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…
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Creating Impactful Products: YC Sun
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…
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Manager Mentorship Strategies: David Yeager
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...
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Why Curiosity is a Business Imperative: Scott Shigeoka
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...
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How Great Leaders Use Friction: Bob Sutton
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...
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The Power of Play: Michelle Lee
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. __________ Get episode recaps and register...
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Insights in Action: Arianna McClain
What makes a good insight? Learn about how to make customer research impactful with Arianna McClain, Head of Research & Insights at Cruise. __________ 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...
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Why Strategic Planning Feels like a Waste of Time: Roger Martin
Learn about what makes a good strategy with Roger Martin, strategy advisor and bestselling author.https://ideo.in/roger __________ 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...
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How to Test Value Propositions: Angel Annunciacao
Learn design tools for testing value propositions, how to understand willingness to pay, and how to uncover insights to help finetune your value proposition.View the full recap at: ideo.in/angel-annunciacao __________ Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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.
HOSTED BY
IDEO U
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Creative Confidence Podcast have?
Creative Confidence Podcast currently has 185 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Creative Confidence Podcast 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...
How often does Creative Confidence Podcast release new episodes?
Creative Confidence Podcast publishes regularly with 185 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Creative Confidence Podcast?
You can listen to Creative Confidence Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Creative Confidence Podcast?
Creative Confidence Podcast is created and hosted by IDEO U.
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