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

Actually Curious website: www.actuallycurious.com

Michael Tennant (@michaeltennantnyc)

Actually Curious (@actuallyc_rious)

Curiosity Lab (@c_riositylab)

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://annejacoby.substack.com/

http://linkedin.com/in/annejacoby

Recorded live at the 2025 ROI of Creativity Summit, this episode features Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, senior research scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of The Creativity Choice. Zorana breaks down the science of how emotion, uncertainty, and self-regulation shape the creative process, revealing why discomfort is natural and that constraints can actually spark originality.

She shares research-backed examples from artists, workplaces, and organizations, illustrating how noticing emotion, embracing exploration, and asking better questions lead to more innovative outcomes. Zorana also offers a clear, grounded perspective on generative AI, where it complements human creativity and where human insight and critical thinking still lead the way.

An inspiring, practical conversation about what drives creative breakthroughs and the real return on investing in creativity.

Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Education Week, Big Think, US News, Forbes, El Pais, and others, and she is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and Creativity Post. Zorana received research awards from the Mensa Education and Research Foundation and the American Psychological Association, and she speaks at and works with organizations such as Pinterest, Lego, Oglivy, Facebook, and others. 

https://www.zorana-ivcevic-pringle.com/

https://creativitydecision.substack.com/

https://tinyurl.com/thecreativitychoicebook

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zorana-ivcevic-pringle/

https://bsky.app/profile/z-i-pringle.bsky.social

https://www.instagram.com/dr.z.i.pringle/