Natalie Nixon

Strategy, Foresight, and Innovation Expert, Award-winning Author, Creativity Guru

Topics: Creativity, Future of Work, Innovation, Best Selling Author, Business, Business Leadership, Leadership, Professional Development, Strategy, Success, Thought Leadership, Women Leaders

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Biography

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Natalie Nixon, PhD is “the creativity whisperer to the C-Suite”. She is a creativity strategist who advises leaders on achieving transformative business results by applying wonder and rigor. She is a highly sought-after global keynote speaker, valued for her accessible expertise on creativity, the future of work, and innovation.

Natalie Nixon was selected for Thinkers 50 Radar Class of 2024; Real Leaders’ “Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World for 2022” list; and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company and INC. She is the author of the award-winning The Creativity Leap—an honoree in the creativity category of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards. Her firm, Figure 8 Thinking, was named among the top 20 women-led innovation firms in 2021 by Core 77. Clients have included Microsoft, Salesforce, Comcast, Citrix, Morrison & Foerster, Living Cities, VaynerMedia and Bloomberg.

A hybrid thinker, Natalie Nixon consistently applies her background in cultural anthropology, fashion, design thinking, and dance. She is an early-stage investor at two social impact ventures, valued for her ability to work at the intersection of commercial value and stakeholder equity. Natalie Nixon is a trustee of the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Design Museum; and a former trustee of Vassar College and Leadership+Design. She has lived in Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Israel, and Sri Lanka and is proficient in Portuguese and Spanish. She is certified as a Foresight Practitioner by the Institute for the Future. She received her BA (honors) from Vassar College, and her PhD from the University of Westminster in London.

When she’s not dancing up a storm in hip-hop class, Natalie Nixon is fine-tuning her salsa, foxtrot, and tango on the ballroom floor. She lives in her hometown of Philadelphia with her husband, John Nixon, and is the proud stepmother of Sydney.

Book Creativity Strategist Natalie Nixon through The Keynote Curators. Contact us for fees and availability.

Videos

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The New I in AI: Imagination, Inquiry and Intuition

Worried about how you’ll find your edge in AI? At its BEST, AI enhances human qualities at work. Natalie Nixon, a renowned creativity strategist, advocates for leveraging curiosity, imagination, and intuition to navigate this evolving landscape. Her keynote offers practical insights to redesign work and thrive in the changing paradigm.

L.E.A.P: The Extraordinary Method for Boosting Productivity and Navigating Uncertainty

When ambiguity arises, you can either flee, pause, or charge ahead blindly. Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist, presents the L.E.A.P Method™, a straightforward approach to confront uncertainty. By Leveraging, Envisioning, Asking, and Prototyping, attendees gain clarity and actionable strategies to move forward. Remember, progress only happens in one direction: forward!

Adapt and Disrupt: Build Creativity's Business ROI in The Imagination Era

In the age of AI dominance, creativity is not optional—it’s essential. Natalie Nixon, a creativity expert, reveals how imagination drives business success. Learn from pioneering leaders, adopt dynamic methods, and unleash creativity to secure your organization’s strategic edge. Embrace innovation, wield imagination, and thrive in disruption.

AI Is Your Co-Creator

Just as we have IQ and EQ, we also have a CQ- or a creativity quotient. This talk explores the links between creativity and leadership and how leaders with a high CQ behave, interact with stakeholders, and co-create a strategic vision.

The Future of Work is Jazz - Applying Improvisation, Collaboration and Foresight

Embrace business improvisation for success. Join creativity strategist Natalie Nixon for a keynote that envisions work as a jazz ensemble—dynamic and harmonious. Discover the parallels between jazz improvisation and agile collaboration, fostering innovation and team synergy. Gain strategic foresight tools for proactive planning. Let’s orchestrate a unified business future!

Curiosity is The Currency of the Future: Building a Culture of Inquiry

Do you know how to ask really, great, provocative questions? That matters not just for the increasingly basic ways we interact with AI technologies like ChatGPT, but also for executing on a compelling strategy. Natalie Nixon emphasizes the significance of questions in driving innovation and fostering dynamic cultures. Learn various question types, how to ask them effectively, and normalize a culture of inquiry.

Testimonials

As expected, Dr. Nixon’s presentation was one of the best at the university this year. A very thought provoking and inspiring kick-off to the Jefferson Creativity Core Curriculum.

– Matt Baker, Provost, Thomas Jefferson University

I was awe struck with your talk during our Mednax MDM opening session. Your expertise is vitally necessary. Thank you! (LinkedIn)

– Zawadi Bryant, President, Acute Care Pediatrics Mednax

Thank you for an incredible presentation today! You are deeply inspiring and your driven, can-do, no-limits, reach-beyond-the-stars attitude is impactful in more ways than you know. ...Thank you for sharing your knowledge and talent with us all. Thank you for your partnership; We know how valuable your time is and are so grateful to have had an opportunity to listen to you speak and teach your magic.

– Joy Garibay, Executive Assistant, BioGene

Natalie presented at our annual healthcare analytics conference of 1,000 people. She was energetic and gave great pragmatic ideas. On top of that, Natalie is thoughtful and kind.

– Tarah Neujahr Bryan, CMO & Chief Communications Officer, Health Catalyst

Natalie's positive energy, expertise, and practiced facilitation helped us zero in on priority areas and build trust by having honest conversations about tough challenges we need to tackle.

– Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO, Coursera

Natalie’s presentation on creativity was engaging, inspiring, and practical! Her framework and practical suggestions for creativity were incredibly valuable.

– Andrea Leszek, EVP & COO of Technology, Salesforce

Natalie is amazing! Her energy is absolutely infectious! She helped our team think differently about how to unlock creative energy in our team and organization. Her 3is framework resonates in a practical way, giving leaders straightforward suggestions on how to build their creativity competence and foster a culture of inquiry.

– Barry Ridgway, VP of American Enterprise Services, Microsoft

We are always looking for a rockstar keynote speaker to inspire and inform…Dr. Natalie Nixon had us all on the edge of our seats for her entire presentation! …My attendees absolutely loved her work across a multidisciplinary set of insights and anecdotes…punctuated with references to both her research and to hyper-relevant themes.

– Nigel Prentice, Global Head of Accessibility, IBM

Natalie delivered an incredibly uplifting and thought provoking keynote to our design team. We were blown away by how clearly she explained the value of design!

– Adam Weir, Director of Design, New Balance

Natalie spoke at our Growth Marketing Summit for CMO leaders in our portfolio of companies. She delivered both inspiration and practical advice about using creativity to deliver on business objectives during a critical time. We were referencing her ideas and recommendations throughout the duration of our Summit!

– Lisa Ames, CMO Norwest, Venture Partners