The Beautiful Thinkers Project

Candy Tong is a dancer, model, and entrepreneur based in New York City. Having trained and worked in the world of ballet, Candy has a unique perspective on femininity and body politics, and she uses her platform to push the changing look of ballet further forward. She talked about the importance of her education as a dancer, the pressure of social media on dancers and non-dancers alike, and why sh...

Ray Roberts is a former NFL player who currently serves as the Director of Unified Champion Schools for Special Olympics North America. A naturally talented leader and speaker, Ray brings the same heart, work ethic, and communication skills to his career in the nonprofit world that he did to the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks. He talked about the realizations that brought him to retiring f...

Amy Conway-Hatcher is an attorney, author, advocate, and founding member of Chief (a network built to support and empower women in positions of executive leadership) in Washington DC. Her book “Infinitely More: Choosing Freedom, A Career Mom’s Turning Point” recounts her journey from equity partner at a prestigious law firm to dedicating more of her life and career to making the worlds of business...

Bryce and Jill Morrison are the co-founders of Mom Water. All-natural, non-carbonated, and available in flavors like the Julie (passionfruit) and the Karen (lemon-blueberry), Jill and Bryce created Mom Water for their group of parent friends before marketing it to the masses in four US states and counting. The beverage gained popularity through social media sites like TikTok, but also organically...

Martha Hoover is the founder of Patachou, Inc. One of the first restaurateurs to emphasize fresh farm-to-table ingredients back in 1989, Martha has transformed Patachou into an enterprise of multiple European-inspired restaurant concepts that have elevated the restaurant scene in Indianapolis and the Midwest as a whole.  She talked about how restaurants can shape a city, making the food she wanted...

Kourtney Morgan is a Senior Designer at Patagonia— and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People In Business in 2020. Kourtney, a nature lover herself, has taken up the company’s mantle to find unique solutions for minimizing waste in Patagonia’s clothing design, from championing the brand’s Worn Wear program for selling gently used out-of-season clothes to designing the ReCrafted collection from...

Susan Holmes McKagan, author, model, and influencer. Susan has defied the expectations of being a model and rock star wife (to Guns N Roses’ Duff McKagan) by taking on a host of other careers, from swimwear designer and businesswoman to journalist and novelist. She talked about stressing the importance of her entertainer kids’ education, co-hosting a Sirius XM show with her husband, and the reject...

Kevin Lynch. Creative Director at Oatly. World traveler. Story maker. Beautiful thinker. With a background at ad agencies in Chicago, Kevin first traveled the world to work in Shanghai, and later came to help the nondairy milk brand headquartered in Malmo, Sweden make creative messaging to further develop its quirky, highly individual tone. Kevin talked about educating consumers through laughter,...

Chris Davis, Chief Marketing Officer of New Balance, on forming authentic partnerships, calculated risk-taking, and making dad shoes cool.

Julie Browning Bova, designer/founder of Julie Bova Design, on story-centered interior design, putting intentional fear into your life and Midwest craftsmanship

David Napolitano, founder of Breadico, on baking out of a garage, the perks of growing a business in a smaller market, and why we all got so into bread in 2020.

Alessandro Manfredi, EVP, Dove at Unilever on why brand purpose is good business, the need for systemic change in the world of beauty, and partnering with Lizzo.

Justin Parnell, Senior Director of OREO at Mondelez International, on staying playful, building a doomsday vault in Norway, and being an “and” brand.

Beautiful Thinker: Alex Matisse, founder of East Fork Pottery, on bringing old-school manufacturing back, making community part of brand DNA, and finding success beyond his family’s legacy.

Alan Lightman, author, physicist, and educator, on living a creative life, challenging science’s view of the unexplainable, and bringing the humanities to MIT.

John Merris, President and CEO of Solo Stove, on cultivating a solid company culture, radical customer service transparency, and creating your own fire.

Giovanni Corazza, founder of the Marconi Institute for Creativity, on the dangers of expertise, balancing creative ideas with business principles, and how even non-living things can be creative. 

Beautiful Thinkers: Emily Granger, harpist, and Luke Tierney, founder of Tier 1 Arts, on discovering the harp, the modern playlist movement, and what happens when classical music meets social media. 

Wes Rozen, founder of Camber Studio, on the dynamic meaning of "camber," finding creativity in the spaces between, and building the perfect place to work from home. 

Beautiful Thinkers: Hugh Weber, Managing Editor and CCO of The Great Discontent, and Marshall “Mr. P” Pollard, Founder of the Creative School, on creating equity through networks, intergenerational education, and an unlikely friendship that began on a bus in Switzerland.

Beautiful Thinker: Lindsay Adler, fashion photographer, on starting a business at 15, redefining femininity and the symbolism of the color red. 

Beautiful Thinker: Mark Graham, Culinary Director at the Kellogg Company, on the role of ritual in food, global palates, and owning breakfast. 

Beautiful Thinker: Joshua Ramus, Designer and Founding Principal at REX, on evaluating conventions in architecture, the utility of aesthetic, and COVID's impact on gathering spaces.

Beautiful Thinker: Adam Lisagor, founder of Sandwich, on representing digital concepts in physical space, embracing your niche, and making mistakes only you can make. 

Beautiful Thinker: Bill Neff, VP Consumer Marketing at YETI, on expanding from hook and bullet, befriending communities, and the invisible work that cements a brand.