Kara Lindstrom

Chief Reframing Officer at Kara Lindstrom Consulting

Professional Training and Coaching

Education: University of Pennsylvania - Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA, USA
INVITE TO SPEAK

Biography

Kara Lindstrom is an advisor, designer, and public speaker focused on connecting creative people with the mindsets, tools, and systems that make their work more effective and enjoyable. Her education in sociology and interior design refined (and gave language for) Kara’s natural curiosity about the systems and intentions that shape our experiences. She co-founded and managed the transdisciplinary research center (EXCITE) at Drexel University, and developed strategic planning and design thinking workshops to advance the Center’s and partners’ missions and collaboration practices. In January 2020, Kara launched her consultancy, just in time to support a variety of leaders and their organizations navigate the mass-reimagining of work that the global COVID-19 crisis brought about.

Passion

Encouraging and inspiring a broad range of people to self-identify as leaders. Navigating neuro-spiciness (neurodiversity) at work, and becoming more effective through tools and systems that work with our natural tendencies.

Best Story

Having spent many years working at the intersection of technology, research, non-profits, education, and design - I have a breadth of stories that I can tell about the shared struggles and unique insights and incentives that are experienced across and within these domains. From the mindsets and how they are reflected in/on our physical work space, the power of metaphors in leadership development, to the intersections of contemporary research and heritage practices (like meditation, prayer, tarot, even astrology).

Origin Story

I completed my master's degree at the peak of an economic crisis, and recognized that I was more interested in how I could best improve the way work is done in whatever work I found, than having a specific type of role in a specific industry. This became my super power. I created effective tools and systems in each role and that impact led to new roles and increased scales of change - from individual students and staff, to whole divisions/departments - helping them to be more effective in supporting the innovative work in and across multiple domains (engineering, design, retail, healthcare).

Example talks

Refining Leadership Intuition

This session unpacks the problematic shorthand of ‘traditional’ leadership advice, and brings insights and actionable lessons by connecting contemporary research findings to heritage practices (too often dismissed because they were women-lead). Attendees will also be introduced to a reframing exercise for understanding their own leadership approach that they can bring into practice with their teams.

Featured Video

I am willing to travel

More than 100 miles

When it comes to payments

I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions

Topics

the future of leadership neurodiversity entrepreneurship future of work design thinking research nonprofit technology design workshop productivity drexel university university of pennsylvania upenn womens leadership adhd adhd at work interior design leadership mindset systems thinking education authentic leadership culture change corporate culture astrology intuition the power of intuition in the workplace

Best Story

Having spent many years working at the intersection of technology, research, non-profits, education, and design - I have a breadth of stories that I can tell about the shared struggles and unique insights and incentives that are experienced across and within these domains. From the mindsets and how they are reflected in/on our physical work space, the power of metaphors in leadership development, to the intersections of contemporary research and heritage practices (like meditation, prayer, tarot, even astrology).

Origin Story

I completed my master's degree at the peak of an economic crisis, and recognized that I was more interested in how I could best improve the way work is done in whatever work I found, than having a specific type of role in a specific industry. This became my super power. I created effective tools and systems in each role and that impact led to new roles and increased scales of change - from individual students and staff, to whole divisions/departments - helping them to be more effective in supporting the innovative work in and across multiple domains (engineering, design, retail, healthcare).

Example talks

Refining Leadership Intuition

This session unpacks the problematic shorthand of ‘traditional’ leadership advice, and brings insights and actionable lessons by connecting contemporary research findings to heritage practices (too often dismissed because they were women-lead). Attendees will also be introduced to a reframing exercise for understanding their own leadership approach that they can bring into practice with their teams.