In this episode, we sit down with product designer and creative thinker Ayse Birsel. She is the co-founder of Birsel + Seck, the award-winning design and innovation studio and is known for her work with manufacturers like Herman Miller as well as her bestselling book Design the Life You Love. Ayse has spent her career helping people design with intention: whether it’s a chair, a company, or their own life. We explore her tools to help people tap their creativity and she even guides Jon live on air through her Heroes Exercise that prompts reflection on those who inspire us most. Ayse shares her latest project: The Deck of Women Heroes. This is a creative tool to help us rethink who we honor, who we remember, and who we look to as role models for the future. Together, we unpack why it’s so difficult, and so necessary to name women heroes.

This season of Break Some Dishes is presented by Humanscale.

Referenced Work:

New York Times article on women in leadership: Picture a Leader. Is She a Woman? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/health/women-leadership-workplace.html

Books by Ayse Birsel:

Design the Life You Love (2015)

Design the Long Life You Love (2022)

Ayse’s website: aysebirsel.com

Subscribe to Ayse’s newsletter: https://www.aysebirsel.com/newsletter

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Rethinking the Hero: A Creative Conversation with Ayse Birsel