The Power of Perseverance – Why I Called Disney 27 Times in 27 Days

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right.” – Henry Ford   Have you ever been told you couldn’t do something? That you were incapable of achieving a particular goal or dream? Unfortunately, by the time most of us reach adulthood, this has happened more times than we can count. And though deep down we know we shouldn’t pay attention to this negativity, it’s human nature to take it to heart. Meaning that over time, most of us tend to reduce [...]

2020-07-29T23:16:24+00:0020 May, 2020|Creativity, Think Different|
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Companies That Are Innovating for the Greater Good

The world is a different place than it was just a few weeks ago. Coronavirus has touched nearly every country on earth, and for most, has brought life and business to a screeching halt. Not surprisingly, this has created a perpetual state of uneasiness. People are tired. People are scared. And if you spend any time at all watching the news, it seems to be getting worse by the day. Sure, much of the spotlight remains on all the negative effects of the virus around [...]

2020-04-15T23:55:36+00:0015 April, 2020|Consumer Experience, Creativity, Design Thinking, Innovation, Think Different|
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A Box is Never Just a Box

Think back to your birthday morning as a child… That rush of anticipation as you leap out of bed and run towards the living room, your brain cycling through all the possibilities of what your Mom and Dad may have brought you.  And as you turn the corner and catch your first glimpse of the presents in all their glory, what’s the first thing you do? You take inventory: how big are the boxes and which ones should I open first?  As far as children are [...]

2020-04-08T15:46:43+00:0007 April, 2020|Creativity, Innovation, Think Different|
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From Senator To Stage – My Next Event with President Barack Obama

I'll never forget the first time we met. (Like any good Disney story, there always must be a great "Once upon a time" intro, right?) He was a young Senator at the time, and I was lucky enough to give him his first pair of custom Mickey Mouse ears. Little did I know that this interaction would be the first of many wonderful stunts that we would collaborate on. And now, again we are about to add another event to our list! President Barack Obama [...]

2020-04-08T17:41:42+00:0013 February, 2020|Creativity, Innovation, Re-Expression, Think Different|
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How to create a culture of innovation by leveraging diversity the right way!

Let’s be honest. Diversity quotas are the single most frustrating thing about workplaces today. The reasoning for having a quota is well-intentioned, but, ironically, it’s the quota itself that is getting in the way of diversity, every single day. Because of this, companies are wasting the talent they have hired and don’t even know it, because it’s never crossed their minds to do more than simply hire a candidate and check off the “diversity” box. Hear me out. The problem is that companies hire diverse [...]

2020-04-08T17:37:39+00:0010 February, 2020|Creativity, Design Thinking, Innovation|
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Delivering a Speech That Matters – 6 Lessons from a TEDx Veteran

Imagine yourself backstage at a theatre. The Production Assistant has just finished clipping on your microphone, and the Stage Manager has given you the one-minute warning. Beyond the curtain, you hear the muffled sounds of the audience taking their seats. Pacing back and forth, you review your opening line over and over in your head. But this rehearsal doesn’t last long. Before you know it, the house lights dim, the stage lights go bright, and you’re given the cue. You walk out, face the crowd, [...]

2020-04-08T17:36:05+00:0017 January, 2020|Creativity, Design Thinking, Innovation, Think Different|
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20 Creativity and Innovation Quotes To Kick Off 2020!

Need some inspirational creativity and innovation quotes to ignite your 2020?  Creativity and innovation have been at the heart of my career for as long as I can remember. From the Head of Creativity and Innovation at Disney to now being an innovation speaker, new ideas are integral to long term success of any organization. Creativity &  Innovation Quotes To Spark Innovation "No Fresh Stimulus In. No new Ideas out." - Duncan Wardle  "Innovation often comes from looking outside your own industry." - Duncan Wardle  [...]

2020-05-06T17:12:57+00:0008 January, 2020|Creativity|
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Creativity in Context – The Story of the Board Game Industry

If you’ve spent any time at all reading my blog, you certainly understand the importance of creativity, and some of the ways you can foster it in the workplace. But something I haven’t discussed much is the context of creativity. More specifically: do your employees’ creative ideas make sense given your industry and your position in the marketplace?  To explain how contextualized creativity works, let’s look at the board game industry.  The Advantages of Understanding Your Context When you think of the most popular board [...]

2020-04-08T17:25:27+00:0013 December, 2019|Creativity|
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How to Use the Nurturing Tool to Grow Your Ideas

If I were to approach you with two different seeds and ask you to show me which one is a weed and which one is a flower, how would you know which is which? Do you think you’d be able to tell simply by looking closely at each seed? Of course not! The only way to tell is by planting both seeds and allowing them to grow. Initially, both will break the surface with a tiny sprig of green, and likely look very much the [...]

2020-04-08T17:24:50+00:0013 November, 2019|Creativity, Design Thinking, Innovation, Think Different|
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Why Your Business Needs Creativity

As an ideation speaker, I talk a lot about creativity and idea generation, as these are some of the most important skills I learned during my time as Head of Creativity and Innovation at The Walt Disney Company. More specifically, I focus most of my efforts on showing people how to make their business creative and idea driven. What I don’t speak about as much is why your business needs to be creative. Quite honestly, I don’t broach this topic frequently because it feels so [...]

2020-04-08T17:24:15+00:0006 November, 2019|Creativity|
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