InsideOut Leadership Community
A space to connect, collaborate, and generate new ideas.
Leading in-house design, experience, and creative operations teams today is more challenging than ever. That's why we created InsideOut, a community custom-built for senior leaders at high-profile brands. Small format roundtables provide space to connect, collaborate and generate new ways to move business forward, faster.
400+
sessions held to date
57%
members attend 5+ sessions
9.5/10
as rated by members
Why InsideOut?
Trusted community
A like-minded group of senior in-house design and operations leaders.
“It's nice to have a community of leaders who you can rely on to help you through shared and unique issues as well as having a forum where you realize you aren't alone.”
Attendee-driven
Session topics are determined by the group.
“…crackerjack curation and moderation across all forums, meaningful and relevant topics and themes that I can leverage or apply in my day-to-day.”
Small groups
Up to 12 leaders gather for an interactive discussion.
“The immediate feedback obtained from other industry professionals at my equivalent level is refreshing. It's candid and refreshingly honest.”
Facilitated
Conversations are managed to keep them moving forward.
“I enjoy the conversations and perspectives very much as well as the learnable moments from others. Susie does a great job moderating and providing structure while keeping the sessions light and fun.”
Actionable
Discussion conclusions are captured and distributed.
“I get a lot out of having meaningful discussions with leaders from other companies and business areas. There are always a ton of links, articles, or topics that I leave each session with.”
Lasting connections
Participants are local, consistent, and want to network.
“This has been a great community for networking, learning – and collaborating with other leaders. Susie does an amazing job keeping everyone engaged, and making sessions fun.”
Example Topics
- Boosting Business Acumen for Creatives
- Bringing the WHY to AI
- Building Career Paths to Adapt for Emerging Tech
- Building Resilient Teams
- Demonstrating Team Value
- Driving Change with Empathy
- Finding a Balance of Craft and Business in Design
- Getting Alignment to Move Past “Better, Faster, Cheaper”
- Moving Partners from Problems to Solutions
- Supporting Teams in Constant Change
- The AI Revolution: Reshaping Design for a New Era
- Unlocking More with Less Through Planning
All the ways to join in.
Roundtables
Facilitated discussions on real-time, real-world challenges identified by members. Sessions are held online with in-person events twice a year in major cities across the U.S. Limited to 12 attendees.
Workshops
Expert-led virtual sessions on leadership topics such as inspiring your team, workplace wellness, and coaching creatives. Sharpen your skills or develop a few more through our communitywide program.
Panels
Moderated conversations with InsideOut members at the vanguard of the design and experience industry. In this virtual series, leaders share their valued insights on business-critical topics and trends.
Women of InsideOut
A series of workshops and roundtables for female members who level the playing field by empowering and uplifting one another. These sessions focus on issues specific to women in leadership.
Lightning Sessions
Share a problem, help a leader. These 60-minute sessions feature two leaders who each share a challenge and get a facilitated crowdsourcing of ideas from peers. Fast, fruitful, and fun!
Inside Connections
Meet senior leaders from around the community in an informal setting. You opt in, and we pair you with a new leader every six weeks for a 30-minute chat to expand your network and learn.
Upcoming Sessions
| Date | Group | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| 05/21 5:30 pm PT | Seattle (IN-PERSON) – Design Leaders | AI is Just a Tool. Let's Design the Rest. |
| 05/22 9:00 am PT | Seattle (IN-PERSON) – Operations Leaders | Resetting Culture through Operations |
| 05/29 4:00 pm ET | ALL GROUPS | Tech Talk: Exploring Uptempo for Creative Teams |
| 06/03 4:00 pm ET | ALL GROUPS | Lightning Session! Explore Leader Challenges |
| 06/05 11:00 am ET | East Coast + Central Operations Leaders | Topic TBD: Selected by Members |
| 06/05 5:30 pm ET | East Coast + Central (virtual) – Design Leaders | Topic TBD: Selected by Members |
| 06/10 3:00 pm ET | Operations Leaders | PRO TIPS. Creative Operations Capability Model: Round Two |
| 06/12 12:00 pm EST | West Coast Operations Leaders | Topic TBD: Selected by Members |
| 06/12 4:00 pm PT | West Coast (virtual) – Design Leaders | Topic TBD: Selected by Members |
| 06/13 12:00 pm ET | Creative Leaders | Educating Partners on Working with Creatives |
| 07/09 6:00 pm ET | ALL GROUPS | Virtual Summer Party! |
Insights from InsideOut
Training is dead. Here's how to create a learning culture.
Design leaders are strapped for time, but creating a learning culture can help increase employee engagement and champion new discovery.
Insights from InsideOut • Innovation & Emerging Tech
Is your Design Team proving its value in 2025?
Leading Design Teams in 2025 means turning 2024's challenges into opportunities, linking the value of design to business priorities.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion • Insights from InsideOut • Leadership & Management • Retention Strategies
Beyond survival: design leaders focus on strategy in 2025.
In 2025, design leaders are prioritizing AI integration to streamline and enhance their agile workflows.
Insights from InsideOut
Manage Creative Operations in 2025: focus on the priorities.
Learn what Creative Ops leaders are prioritizing this year to align with and achieve creative department goals in times of flux.
Insights from InsideOut • Leadership & Management
4 powerful trends impacting the future of design.
The future of design is here. Learn how leaders navigate business pressures, use AI, and prove design's value in driving success.
Insights from InsideOut • Retention Strategies
How to build your business case and secure future growth.
Learn to craft a strong business case to help you get what you want with these tips and insights from creative leaders.
Insights from InsideOut • Leadership & Management
How creative leaders can transform AI hype into high value.
A disconnect remains between what the business thinks AI can do, and what creative teams know is possible right now.
Insights from InsideOut • Leadership & Management
Why ghosting is devastating to authentic leadership.
How ghosting impacts workplace culture and strategies for leaders to promote respect, honesty, and integrity in teams.
Career Advice • Insights from InsideOut • Leadership & Management
How to deepen relationships and build social capital that sticks.
Discover the intangible yet invaluable benefits of workplace social capital, including trust, shared norms, and enhanced collaboration.
Insights from InsideOut • Leadership & Management
Advice on developing business acumen for your design team.
Understanding business strategy is critical to creative team success—and leaders have to up-level that knowledge for all.
Insights from InsideOut • Leadership & Management
Interested in our community?
InsideOut members are:
- Senior in-house leaders in creative, design, experience, or operations.
- Working at a high-profile, well-recognized brand in any industry.
- Responsible for staff and budget.
- Seeking a collaborative space to learn from experienced peers.
- Located in the U.S.
