InsideOut Design Leader Community

Design Leaders are witnessing a rapid transformation—AI has effectively raised the floor of production, allowing anyone to generate work that is functional and profoundly average. While stakeholders chase the high of instant output, the resulting "sea of sameness" threatens to erode the very brand distinction and unique customer experiences that design leaders have spent years building. As the technical barriers to entry vanish, the strategic value of a Design Leader shifts from managing the process of making to the high-stakes curation of taste and experience. Protecting quality requires a pivot from generating assets and interfaces to defending the intentional, human-led nuances that drive actual customer resonance and long-term brand equity. Join us in Seattle on May 6th, as we explore ways to: ⭐ Define the non-negotiables of quality when stakeholders prioritize speed over substance ⭐ Transition teams from direct execution to high-level strategic curation and critical observation ⭐ Prove the commercial value of human intuition over statistically probable AI outputs If you are a senior Design, Creative, or Experience leader at a high-profile brand, bring your thoughts, ideas, and kindness for an interactive, facilitated roundtable over dinner. ✅ RSVP HERE: https://lnkd.in/gGeDZWy4 -- Angela Castelo Suzanne Alpizar Noelle McDonald Lauren Monroe Sarah-Tyler Moore Lisa Mitchell Kathleen Ellison Lori Schaub Kessler Kelly Collins Maggie Patterson Ryan Krivonick Amanda Malone Jeff Penner Lauren Friant Carole Smith Katie O'Donnell Jason Boyer Elizabeth Toenyes Maggie Moreno Keeton Cheryl King Berry Abbie Hatch (Thiebaut) Jody Mousseau Den M. Susie Hall Kate Gottfried Aquent Simon Lusty

As teams embrace AI, more work is flooding already taxed teams still reeling from the staff cuts that funded AI access. It’s a vicious cycle, and one that can BREAK the best of Creative teams. Overwhelm is just one of the problems. In this new world, traditional roles must shift to new skills and responsibilities–often stripping the very work from which writers, designers, and project managers have derived their value. That’s why the brilliant Creative Operations leaders in our InsideOut Design Leader Community gathered last week to find a balance of embracing AI, delivering great work, and building stronger, valued teams. Ways to avoid breaking your creative team: 🔨 Break silos between teams to reduce handoff friction ❓ Uncover obstacles, then earn trust through listening and building relationships 🔍 Highlight wins so they can see what success looks like and want to win, too 🎉 Shift what gets recognized–create space to celebrate those who embrace AI 🏎 Show the opportunity to be in the driver's seat for shaping an AI future 🔮 Help visualize what's possible in an AI-aided future (like personalization!) 📜 Rewrite job descriptions to reflect the skills needed for success and reset expectations 💎 Be sure they feel valued while their role is changing (they are more than just the skills that AI can take off their plates) One of the best ways to support teams is through community (yes, we’re biased). So we’d love to hear what YOUR team is doing to strike a healthy balance and deliver results. Share your ideas in the comments 👇 -- #aquentinsideout, #iolightbulbmomentsseries Angela Castelo Suzanne Alpizar Noelle McDonald Lauren Monroe Sarah-Tyler Moore Lisa Mitchell Kathleen Ellison Lori Schaub Kessler Kelly Collins Maggie Patterson Ryan Krivonick Amanda Malone Jeff Penner Lauren Friant Carole Smith Katie O'Donnell Jason Boyer Elizabeth Toenyes Maggie Moreno Keeton Cheryl King Berry Abbie Hatch (Thiebaut) Jody Mousseau Den M. Susie Hall Kate Gottfried Aquent Simon Lusty 📷 Photo by Theo Crazzolara on Unsplash (https://lnkd.in/gf8WntnA)

There is something so special about the energy of this community. Every time we gather, we’re reminded that the most powerful thing we offer isn’t a calendar of events or a list of topics—it’s the collective energy of the people in the room. As leaders, you spend your entire week pouring into others—your teams, your brands, your craft. We are so grateful to facilitate a space where you can finally stop pouring and start refilling your own tank. ❤️ It’s an infectious buzz. It’s that deep sigh of relief when you realize you’re in a room where you are fully understood, learning and growing alongside peers who speak your language. The value of InsideOut is in the beautiful, positive energy we all create together (IYKYK). 🫶 We want to bring that feeling to YOU. Over the next 5 weeks, we are taking this energy on the road to host intimate, small-format roundtables in: 📍 San Francisco | New York | Seattle | Los Angeles | Milwaukee | Chicago If you are a senior Design, Creative, or Experience leader at a high-profile brand and you’ve been craving a bit of positive energy, we would be honored to have you join us. 👀 See our upcoming sessions here: https://lnkd.in/gZbJ4Z9E ➡️ Swipe through to see why our members love this community as much as we do. Angela Castelo Suzanne Alpizar Noelle McDonald Lauren Monroe Sarah-Tyler Moore Lisa Mitchell Kathleen Ellison Lori Schaub Kessler Kelly Collins Maggie Patterson Ryan Krivonick Amanda Malone Jeff Penner Lauren Friant Carole Smith Katie O'Donnell Jason Boyer Elizabeth Toenyes Maggie Moreno Keeton Cheryl King Berry Abbie Hatch (Thiebaut) Jody Mousseau Den M. Susie Hall Kate Gottfried Aquent Simon Lusty

Does it feel like the “AI Experiment Phase” is dragging on forever? If you’re struggling to help move your organization past “just trying stuff” toward actual problem-solving, you’re in good company. In our recent InsideOut Design Leader Community roundtable, we went deeper on why all the AI experiments are failing to become integrated AI solutions. Even for the most resourceful leaders, the bottlenecks are real: 🛠️ The "How" vs. the "Why and Who For": Stakeholders are obsessed with the tool rather than the user experience or benefit 🧪 The Experiment Loop: A "science experiment" mentality that prioritizes one-off novelties over sustainable return 🔒 Inertia via Risk: Security concerns and tech silos are keeping the most critical and useful data out of reach 🏅 Misaligned Metrics: Leadership is rewarding vanity metrics like tool usage rather than measurable business impact 📉 The Maturity Gap: AI functionality isn’t "there" yet, leading to subpar results and team frustrations It’s a tough spot for Design Leaders—trained problem solvers who are often tasked with innovation while their teams and craft are under more pressure than ever. We didn't just list the problems; we brainstormed how to break through them. We’ll be sharing some of those strategies in our next post. ❓ Question for you: What is the #1 bottleneck preventing you from moving AI from "fascinating possibility" to "measurable impact"? 🤔 Interested in joining these conversations? Check out the InsideOut community: https://lnkd.in/g87HyCty Angela Castelo Suzanne Alpizar Noelle McDonald Lauren Monroe Sarah-Tyler Moore Lisa Mitchell Kathleen Ellison Lori Schaub Kessler Kelly Collins Maggie Patterson Ryan Krivonick Amanda Malone Jeff Penner Lauren Friant Carole Smith Katie O'Donnell Jason Boyer Elizabeth Toenyes Maggie Moreno Keeton Cheryl King Berry Abbie Hatch (Thiebaut) Jody Mousseau Den M. Susie Hall Kate Gottfried Aquent Simon Lusty #aquentinsideout, #iolightbulbmomentsseries 📷 Photo by Theo Crazzolara on Unsplash (https://lnkd.in/gf8WntnA)

Grab your headphones and check out this week's #ListentoLead for inspiration from our very smart InsideOut leaders.  🎧 We'll provide a little context from our conversations, but encourage you to click through to find the best resources for YOUR challenges: 🎙️ Launch by NTT DATA's #CatalystPodcast with Jod Kaftan (https://lnkd.in/gW7YtcN9) If you're looking for strategies for keeping customer insights top of mind, and why design has an ethical role to play as organizations build more intelligent systems. 🎙️Jesse Krinsky's #CreativeOpsCompassPodcast with Shannon Duncan (https://lnkd.in/gwBnYwyE) If you’re looking for a strategy to lead high-performing teams, and how to build trust and protect creative capacity while aligning with broader business goals. 🎙️Aspire with Emma Grede (https://lnkd.in/gcg6P-j5) If you want insights into high performance and a masterclass in the habits and strategies used by today’s most successful visionaries. Kick-off your weekend with this inspiring list and check back each week for more recommendations from our amazing InsideOut Design Leader Community members. --- Angela Castelo Suzanne Alpizar Noelle McDonald Lauren Monroe Sarah-Tyler Moore Lisa Mitchell Kathleen Ellison Lori Schaub Kessler Kelly Collins Maggie Patterson Ryan Krivonick Amanda Malone Jeff Penner Lauren Friant Carole Smith Katie O'Donnell Jason Boyer Elizabeth Toenyes Maggie Moreno Keeton Cheryl King Berry Abbie Hatch (Thiebaut) Jody Mousseau Den M. Susie Hall Kate Gottfried Aquent Simon Lusty #aquentinsideout, #ioreadtoleadseries, 📷 Photo by C D-X on Unsplash

"Just automate it." 🤖 Every Creative Ops Leader has heard this over the last few years. But you can't automate a process that doesn't exist, and you shouldn't automate one that's broken. When you rush to implement AI without fixing operational gaps, you don't solve problems you just expose them at scale. It’s time to stop chasing speed and start Automating Effectiveness. 🎯 Join us for a lively discussion and networking breakfast as we explore ways to: ✔️ Utilize the desire for automation to expose and address long-standing gaps in creative operations ✔️ Secure shared agreements on the foundational data and strategic inputs required before scaling output ✔️ Shift the conversation from "just automate" to the co-design of systems that actually drive business outcomes We're touring San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles to help Creative Ops leaders fix the foundations that have held them back for years. See the link in the comments for when we'll be in your city & RSVP TODAY! Space is limited. 🥳 -- Angela Castelo Suzanne Alpizar Noelle McDonald Lauren Monroe Sarah-Tyler Moore Lisa Mitchell Kathleen Ellison Lori Schaub Kessler Kelly Collins Maggie Patterson Ryan Krivonick Amanda Malone Jeff Penner Lauren Friant Carole Smith Katie O'Donnell Jason Boyer Elizabeth Toenyes Maggie Moreno Keeton Cheryl King Berry Abbie Hatch (Thiebaut) Jody Mousseau Den M. Susie Hall Kate Gottfried Aquent Simon Lusty

Learn how design leaders are balancing AI, reclaiming strategic value, and combating team burnout to prove design's value this year in our latest article with insights from our InsideOut Design Leader Community, written by Susie Hall.

In 2025, we saw over 1 million workers displaced and a 'wild west' approach to AI. As we look at 2026, which is the bigger priority for your team: fixing the alignment between your people and tech, or rebuilding your operational model to prove ROI? Leaders in our InsideOut Design Leader Community shared their top priorities in this article written by Susie Hall.

AI is setting the pace. What are design leaders doing to turn disruption into a strategic advantage and reclaim design’s irreplaceable value? Read our full article for insights from our InsideOut Design Leader Community (link in comments). If you're a senior design leader of an in-house team at a high-profile brand and want to connect with others who share your unique challenges, let's talk. 👋 Our InsideOut Design Leader Community hosts small-format roundtables to support the learning and growth of our members, and we’re honored to facilitate those discussions. Check out our upcoming sessions and join the conversation! (https://lnkd.in/gZbJ4Z9E) -- Angela Castelo Suzanne Alpizar Noelle McDonald Lauren Monroe Sarah-Tyler Moore Lisa Mitchell Kathleen Ellison Lori Schaub Kessler Kelly Collins Maggie Patterson Ryan Krivonick Amanda Malone Jeff Penner Lauren Friant Carole Smith Katie O'Donnell Jason Boyer Elizabeth Toenyes Maggie Moreno Keeton Cheryl King Berry Abbie Hatch (Thiebaut) Jody Mousseau Den M. Susie Hall Kate Gottfried Aquent Simon Lusty

In our latest 'Read to Lead' series, discover the books that have inspired our senior leaders. Together, let's explore new ideas through resources shared by really amazing and smart leaders. 📚 We'll provide a little context from our conversations, but encourage you to click through to find the best resources for YOUR challenges: 📗 Powered by Projects by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez (https://a.co/d/0fuJbx04) If you want insights into the "project economy," this guide reveals how to center your organization around high-value transformation. 📘 Energy Rising by Dr. Julia DiGangi (https://a.co/d/0dTwz4eC) If you want insights into your emotional power, these neuropsychological codes reveal how to harness the brain's energy for impact. 📙 The Art of Laziness by Library Mindset (https://a.co/d/0gdK6dZL) If you want insights into reclaiming your time, this guide reveals how to overcome laziness and finally start building your dream life. Kick-off your weekend with this inspiring list and check back each week for more recommendations from our amazing InsideOut members. -- #aquentinsideout, #ioreadtoleadseries Angela Castelo Suzanne Alpizar Noelle McDonald Lauren Monroe Sarah-Tyler Moore Lisa Mitchell Kathleen Ellison Lori Schaub Kessler Kelly Collins Maggie Patterson Ryan Krivonick Amanda Malone Jeff Penner Lauren Friant Carole Smith Katie O'Donnell Jason Boyer Elizabeth Toenyes Maggie Moreno Keeton Cheryl King Berry Abbie Hatch (Thiebaut) Jody Mousseau Den M. Susie Hall Kate Gottfried Aquent Simon Lusty Photo by Edoardo Botez on Unsplash (https://lnkd.in/dyZZ_MXR)