design thinking story
Nicole Dessain
Why Talent Tales?
Why Talent Tales?

Inviting Inclusion – A Conversation with Dr. Valerie Toney Parker & Steve Bynum

Inviting Inclusion – A Conversation with Dr. Valerie Toney Parker & Steve Bynum

In this Talent Tales episode, talent.imperative Founder Nicole Dessain had the honor to interview Dr. Valerie Toney Parker (Chief People Officer) and Steve Bynum (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager) at Chicago Public Media.

Valerie’s superpower is marked by her bi-vocational career as both, a social justice theologian and an HR leader, through the metaphor of wine. Wine brings people to the table, to be in conversation. The text of “not pouring old wine into new wine skins” reminds her of the fact that if we want to change systemic issues, we can’t continue to do so the way we have in the past.

Steve’s superpower is the ability to put people at ease by providing a safe space for shared humanity. He was raised by his grandparents in Memphis and his family had a tremendous influence on shaping who he is today. By moving to Chicago, Steve became part of a global community which he cherishes. Being part of this “diaspora of humanity” helps him, an African American man, to feel supported when faced with inequities.

Reinventing Rituals – A Conversation with Zalando’s Adam Cochrane

Reinventing Rituals – A Conversation with Zalando’s Adam Cochrane

In this Talent Tales episode, talent.imperative Founder Nicole Dessain had the honor to interview Adam Cochrane, a Senior Product Designer at Zalando in Berlin, Germany.

Adam’s superpower is “thinking in a service mindset” and bringing people together over the customer journey.

Adam’s interest in ritual design stems from his religious upbringing in Australia where he learned how powerful rituals can be in bringing people together and uniting them around a shared vision.

Humanizing Creativity – A Conversation with Pfizer’s Lee Kim

Humanizing Creativity – A Conversation with Pfizer’s Lee Kim

In this Talent Tales episode, talent.imperative Founder Nicole Dessain had the honor to interview Lee Kim, the Global Congress Lead PIH & Innovation at Pfizer.

Lee’s superpower is jumping off a cliff and not knowing what’s going to happen.

Lee is a mechanical engineer by training who pivoted to design thinking seven years ago. This transition came with a lot of self-reflection around how to interact with people differently and develop solutions in new ways.

Going Hybrid – A Conversation with Snyk’s Diana Marchese

Going Hybrid – A Conversation with Snyk’s Diana Marchese

In this Talent Tales episode, talent.imperative Founder Nicole Dessain had the honor to interview Diana Marchese, the Director of People Experience at Snyk.

Diana’s superpower is taking ambiguous ideas, clarify them, and then turn them into tangible results.

Diana shares that she entered the design thinking world as an art teacher. She feels as though she organically applied a design thinking mindset when collaborating with her students and thinking holistically about the experience of the student. In 2015, Diana pivoted her career and moved into the field of workplace experience. She realized that students and adults have the same needs and wants: to be heard, to feel safe, and to have an impact.

Diana joined her current company, Snyk, in January of 2020 - right before the pandemic hit. She spent her onboarding months helping to transition the company to a virtual organization.