Hey, I’m Steph
My pronouns are (she/her). I am a design strategist and social innovation consultant who partners with like-minded consultancies to prioritize Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access and Social Impact (IDEAS) across the design of their client strategies and projects or as an integrated part of products and services. I hold a degree in Sociology from Western University and a Master of Design for Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University.
I want social, systemic, and environmental change to be collaborative, community-centered, and an integrated part of how we conduct business. IDEAS work does not need to be a standalone effort; it is more effective and sustainable when decentralized across an organization.
I started my business after a decade in corporate and non-profit spaces, trying to re-imagine how organizations prioritize sustainability and social impact. Here is what I learned:
1.
Prioritizing IDEAS can be exhausting, but it is not a cost-center when meaningfully integrated.
I focused on decentralizing accountability and action, leveraging strategic change management tools, business alignment, and community-centered interventions.
2.
Do not avoid the political and the personal; use it.
As the eldest daughter of immigrant parents, my identity and lived experiences shape my work and vice versa. I have been brought up to accept and embrace the whole person and trained to map, connect, and disrupt systems.
3.
The how is as crucial as the what.
I am a practiced facilitator focused on creating spaces where people feel comfortable sharing lived experiences, collaborating, and navigating complexity. I like to laugh, create informal and reflective spaces, and challenge people to think big.
What guides my work?
Building bridges
I believe in building bridges across perspectives, identities, ideals, and expertise. Doing so requires compassion and humour, but it is vital in our increasingly polarized world. We can work across difference; our collective future depends on it.
Constant Iteration & Learning
Our work together will not end in a static, perfect strategy or solution. We have to develop agile and flexible interventions that evolve as we evolve.
Creative & Courageous Dialogue
This is head and heart work. I make time for my clients to unpack and address our history, engage in meaningful reflection and discussion, and leverage play to generate new ideas. I create the container; you bring your experience and ideas.
Radical Collaboration
I bring the right people together to solve for the long term. I leverage co-design and futures-thinking frameworks to bring people together to re-imagine new ways of working, collaborating, and delivering value.
Let’s work together
Now, I move between integrated team lead, and organizational advisor depending on the project, industry and scope of impact. I create the container in which co-conspirators can come together to build strategies, programs and interventions for social and environmental change. I look forward to learning with you, and helping you grow your organization’s impact.
