About Natalie Nixon

Natalie Nixon, PhD

Creativity strategist Natalie Nixon is “the creativity whisperer for the C-Suite”. She is a highly sought after keynote speaker, valued for her accessible expertise on creativity, the future of work and innovation.

Natalie advises leaders on transformation- by applying wonder and rigor to amplify growth and business value. She brings an innovative and unique perspective to every keynote, strategic advisory engagement, and leadership coaching session. Her experience living in 5 countries combined with her background in anthropology, fashion, academia, and dance distinguish her as a one-of-a-kind creativity expert.

Natalie has been named among the top women keynote speakers by Real Leaders and BigSpeak; and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company and INC. She’s the author of the award-winning The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation and Intuition at Work and her firm Figure 8 Thinking, was named among the top women-led innovation firms by Core 77. Marketing guru Seth Godin has said that Natalie “helps you get unstuck and unlock the work you were born to do!”; and Jessi Hempel, host of LinkedIn’s “Hello Monday” podcast called Natalie “a personal trainer for your creativity muscle”.

Natalie is a trustee of the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Design Museum; Vassar College; and Leadership+Design. Natalie received her BA (honors) from Vassar College, and her PhD from the University of Westminster in London. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Follow her @natwnixon.

In a World…

…where we now know we can work from anywhere, those organizations working at the intersection of productivity, technology and meaningful human experience will be the ones that flourish.
Creativity makes all 3 possible.

Creativity by the Numbers

#3…

…is where the World Economic Forum ranks creativity as an essential job skill for 2020 & beyond

19%...

…of people point to a lack of guidance or permission to be creative. (Steelcase Research, 2019)

58%...

…of millennials rank quality of work environment over financial benefits when evaluating a job offer. (Fidelity Investments)

55%...

…of people want to be more creative in their role. (Steelcase Research, 2019)

60%…

…of Gen Y (millennials) and Gen Z (centennials) showed more creative ambition than older workers. (Steelcase Research, 2019)

46%...

…of people report that they are more likely to leave their employer if they don’t see a commitment to upskilling and reskilling- this adversely affects productivity. (Degreed Research, 2020)

Work With Me

Your organizational culture consists of the stories that you tell—internally, and externally— about people, process, and place.
Figure 8 Thinking guides you through two phases to adapt and disrupt.

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Book Natalie to Speak

Inspire your team and equip them with practical techniques they can implement immediately If you’re asking yourself:

  • How might we innovate better and more consistently?
  • How might we look ahead with fresh eyes & a rejuvenated attitude
  • What’s something we haven’t heard before about the future of work?

We’ll work with you to create a unique, inspirational keynote that answers these questions and refocuses creativity at the core of the future of work and innovation, with tactics you can apply immediately.

Advisory Customized for your Business

Work with Figure 8 Thinking to reveal your business’ purpose by exploring multiple, possible future options to pursue, grounded in a tactical roadmap.

With our Foresight Studios you and your team will engage in energizing strategy sessions where you’ll explore the fuzzy front end of a challenge with both wonder and rigor to creatively disrupt yourselves. Our strategic advisory sessions can be a single or limited engagement, depending on your business needs.

Gain One-on-One Expertise

Are you tackling a shift in how you do business? Procrastinating on a project? Or do you need practical advice about the next steps to get unstuck?

Take part in a deep dive conversation with a globally recognized creativity expert, compassionate entrepreneur and award-winning author who listens intently, asks provocative questions and leaves you with tactical next steps and a confidence boost.

You get this when you schedule a Pick My Brain session- all in less time than it takes to plan for, cook and eat dinner!

Potential Natalie

Make a Transformative Shift

Take part in the self-paced WonderRigor™ Lab Full Course where you will develop the skills to optimize your current capabilities and prototype future opportunities resulting in increased brand awareness. Take part in over a dozen video lessons, as well as gain access to:

  • Templates
  • Worksheets
  • Scripts
  • An Actionable Creativity
  • Roadmap

Learn the mindset and gain the tools you need to unlock your creativity.

Book Natalie Today

Gain tactical solutions that will help your team tap into innovation and creativity to move your business forward.

Certifications

Technology of Participation (ToP)
Institute for the Future- Foresight Practitioner
National Charrette Institute- Charrette Facilitator

Transform Your Innovation Leadership in 2025

Join Dr. Natalie Nixon for a FREE 30-minute webinar introducing the WonderRigor™ Ideas Lab Bootcamp!

Thursday, february 6 at 12PM ET

Here You can Reserve Your Spot – “Why Creativity is the Key to Innovation” – A Second Webinar

Learn how successful leaders:

  • Drive 17% higher revenue growth through creativity
  • Build innovation-ready teams
  • Lead with confidence in complexity