In the newest episode of The Epistemic Alchemy Podcast, I speak with Dani Chesson, organizational and behavioral scientist, adjunct professor at the University of Denver, and founder of the Design Thinker Institute.
Our discussion moves beyond design thinking as a process or toolkit and explores it as a way of being — a cultivated stance toward life, inquiry, and leadership. Dani shares insights from her research on the Design Thinker Profile, which identifies six core capabilities that define design-thinking maturity:
- Empathy — seeing through others’ eyes without projection.
- Solution optimism — believing better futures can be designed.
- Collaboration — valuing collective intelligence over individual genius.
- Ideation — generating possibilities through openness and play.
- Experimentation — embracing uncertainty and iterative learning.
- Visual expression — making ideas tangible and shareable.
Together, we unpack how these capabilities translate into leadership, research, and organizational transformation. Dani also shares powerful stories from her work in New Zealand, where indigenous and decolonizing approaches reframed empathy, storytelling, and co-design in public-health initiatives.
👉 Listen to the full episode here: https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-99v33-19acdf7