Kirby Ferguson

Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross

Recorded live at the ROI of Creativity Summit, this conversation with Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, co-authors of Your Brain on Art, explores the science and inner life of creative expression. Drawing from neuroscience, design, and lived experience, they reveal how artistic practice reshapes the brain, builds resilience, and reconnects us to one another, reframing art as a biological necessity for health, leadership, and culture. Ivy Ross is the Chief Design Officer for Consumer Devices at Google. Since 2017, her team has launched a family of award-winning hardware products and helped define a tactile, emotional design language for consumer technology. She has held executive roles at Calvin Klein, Swatch, Coach, Mattel, Art.com, Bausch & Lomb, and Gap. A New York Times bestselling co-author of Your Brain on Art, she has been named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business and is also a celebrated artist whose jewelry is in the permanent collections of 12 international museums. Susan Magsamen is the founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint with the Aspen Institute. Her work focuses on how arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the brain, body, and behavior and how this science can be applied across health, education, and public health. A successful entrepreneur and author of multiple books, she developed the Impact Thinking model to translate research into real-world outcomes. Links https://www.yourbrainonart.com/ [https://www.yourbrainonart.com/] https://www.instagram.com/yourbrainonartbook/ [https://www.instagram.com/yourbrainonartbook/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-brain-on-art/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-brain-on-art/] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089357061217&mibextid=LQQJ4d [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089357061217&mibextid=LQQJ4d] Where to buy the book: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593449231 [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593449231] Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/your-brain-on-art-susan-magsamen/1141679683;jsessionid=5DB94841E6FAE5CCDB883F431DAEF297.prodny_store01-atgap10?ean=9780593449233 [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/your-brain-on-art-susan-magsamen/1141679683;jsessionid=5DB94841E6FAE5CCDB883F431DAEF297.prodny_store01-atgap10?ean=9780593449233] IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593449233 [https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593449233]

Kirby Ferguson

Recorded live at the ROI of Creativity Summit, this episode features filmmaker, writer, and speaker Kirby Ferguson, best known for his influential series Everything Is a Remix. Kirby sees creativity as an iterative, human process built through copying, transforming, and combining ideas, not chasing originality in isolation. From remix culture and community-driven innovation to a grounded take on generative AI, this conversation explores why creativity remains our most powerful differentiator. Kirby Ferguson is a filmmaker, writer, speaker, educator, and consultant working with clients like Google, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Participant Media, The Discovery Channel, CNN, Generation Genius, and The Electric Frontier Foundation. He is best known for the video series Everything is a Remix. He is an established speaker who's presented at TED, SXSW, The Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Hulu, YouTube, Google, Netflix, Genentech, Columbia University, NYU, and many more. http://www.everythingisaremix.info [http://www.everythingisaremix.info/] https://www.youtube.com/kirbyferguson [https://www.youtube.com/kirbyferguson]

Tania Katan

Recorded live at the 2025 ROI of Creativity Summit, this episode features Tania Katan, author of Creative Trespassing and the creator of the viral It Was Never a Dress campaign. Tania challenges the idea that creativity needs permission, showing how breaking unspoken rules and questioning false ideas of productivity can unlock connection, imagination, and real impact. A lively, perspective shifting discussion on creative courage, and the return we get when we choose imagination over compliance. Tania Katan is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author, and visionary mind behind the viral social impact campaign #ItWasNeverADress; a movement that has inspired over 100 million people to see, hear, and celebrate creativity and belonging.   Her visionary way of formulating ideas led to her award-winning book, Creative Trespassing: How to Put the Spark and Joy Back into Your Work and Life (Penguin Random House), winner of the “Best Business Book in Creativity + Innovation.”   As an inspirational speaker, Katan is highly sought after by everyone from Fortune 500 companies to global summits, to teach individuals, leaders and teams how to tap into their innate superpower—creativity—and drive innovation, discover unlimited possibilities, and build cultures where people don’t just belong but long to contribute. Some of the organizations and major conferences impacted by her talks include: University of California Irvine, CiscoLive!, Humana, Uber, Etsy, TJX, TED Talks, Expedia, HubSpot, Business of Software, Amazon, American Express, Talks at Google, Massachusetts Conference for Women, INBOUND, Comedy Central Stage, and more.   Katan’s innovative work on creativity has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, HuffPost, Time, CNN, GLAMOUR, Adweek, Forbes, and more. Whether on stage or on the page, Tania makes creativity and storytelling accessible, unforgettable, and—most importantly—immediately useful. For more: www.taniakatan.com [http://www.taniakatan.com/] https://taniakatan.com/ [https://taniakatan.com/] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/566682/creative-trespassing-by-tania-katan/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/566682/creative-trespassing-by-tania-katan/] https://vimeo.com/1059369067 [https://vimeo.com/1059369067]

Michael Tennant

Recorded live at the 2025 ROI of Creativity Summit, this episode features Michael Tennant, founder and CEO of Curiosity Lab and author of The Power of Empathy and Abundance. Michael reframes empathy as a learnable skill essential to innovation and resilience, drawing from his personal journey through grief, his background in storytelling and brand leadership, and his work designing tools that help people build deeper connection and understanding. We examine the relationship between empathy and creative risk, why competition can erode curiosity, and how emotional awareness supports innovation at both the individual and organizational level, especially in moments of change, uncertainty, and AI adoption. Michael Tennant is the Founder and CEO of Curiosity Lab, a purpose-driven studio and consultancy that builds products and experiences that teach empathy; creator of the empathy card game Actually Curious™; and author of The Power of Empathy and Abundance: A Guided Journal for Living a Full Life. Michael and his work have been featured by the New York Times, Beyoncé, the Today show, Good Morning America, and received an investment from Pharrell’s Black Ambition Prize in 2022. In his role as CEO, Michael creates businesses to help values-aligned individuals and organizations use empathy to live happier, healthier lives and to nurture inclusive, innovative environments. Curiosity Lab website: www.curiositylab.io [http://www.curiositylab.io/] Actually Curious website: www.actuallycurious.com [http://www.actuallycurious.com/] Michael Tennant (@michaeltennantnyc) Actually Curious (@actuallyc_rious) Curiosity Lab (@c_riositylab)

Anne Jacoby

Recorded live at the 2025 ROI of Creativity Summit, this episode features Anne Jacoby, founder of Spring Street and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book Born to Create. Anne positions creativity as a practical, learnable discipline that builds connection, innovation, and belonging at work. Drawing from her background in theater and business leadership, she explores how collaboration and feedback translates directly into creative leadership, and why psychological safety and vulnerability are essential for teams to take risks and generate new ideas. An actionable discussion on the ROI of creativity, and what it looks like when organizations truly invest in it. Anne Jacoby is founder of the culture consultancy Spring Street, dedicated to cultivating creativity at work. Through culture assessments, workplace strategy, leadership programs, and coaching, Anne partners with leaders who crave more connection and innovation across their teams. By combining her early career experience as a performer, an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and 20+ years in corporate life, Anne sparks creativity in teams to find more joy and drive business results. Anne is an advocate for early arts education and proudly served on the board of her alma mater, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Her bestselling book, Born to Create, features artists, business leaders, and entrepreneurs, and was a #1 new release on Amazon. She is a repeat guest lecturer at leading universities around the globe. More at springstreetco.com [http://springstreetco.com/]. http://springstreetco.com/ [http://springstreetco.com/] http://annejacoby.substack.com/ [http://annejacoby.substack.com/] http://linkedin.com/in/annejacoby [http://linkedin.com/in/annejacoby]