Ayofemi Kirby

Foundational with Ayofemi Kirby

Society EN ↓ 6 episodes

Culture is not peripheral. It is foundational, to how we build, how we lead, and how we choose to live a creative life on our own terms. Hosted by cultural strategist and founder Ayofemi Kirby, Foundational looks beneath the surface of the work and into the ideas and the person inside it. Each conversation draws on the four intelligences that Ayofemi has spent twenty years practicing across culture, communications, and institutional life — cultural, aesthetic, artificial, and personal. Some episodes are conversations with the people shaping our shared creative and cultural life. Others are a d...

Author

Ayofemi Kirby

Episodes

Slow Culture, Sharp Design with Creative Director Laura Alston 04.11.2025 42:16

In this first video recorded episode of the E36 Podcast (now available on YouTube ), Ayofemi Kirby sits down with Caribbean-American creative director and multimedia artist Laura Alston—a longtime E36 collaborator whose work consistently lands with clarity, beauty, and cultural precision. Together, they explore what it means to practice slow culture in a world obsessed with speed, sameness, and th...

Perspective: What I Said Then, What I Know Now 16.09.2025 10:46

It’s been a while since the last episode, and a lot has happened. This summer, I opened Galerie36 , a contemporary art gallery and creative space in Dakar, Senegal. But today’s episode isn’t about that—it’s about a rediscovery. While searching for the syllabus to one of my favorite graduate school classes—Communications Theory with Dr. Rhonda Zaharna at American University—I came across an old ema...

Holding Space for the Cultural Shift: A Conversation with Kemi Ilesanmi 10.05.2025 58:20

In this episode, Ayofemi sits down with cultural strategist and leader Kemi Ilesanmi , founder of KGI Projects , for a timely and layered conversation on creative leadership, transformation, and the power of African diasporic futures. Originally recorded in February 2025, but even more resonant today, this dialogue explores what it means to hold space for artists, communities, and institutions in...

Perspective: Creativity (Not Change) is the Only Constant 02.02.2025 8:53

In this episode of The E36 Podcast , host Ayofemi Kirby, Chief Strategist of ElevenThirtySix Strategies , dives into the concept that creativity, rather than change, is life’s true constant. Ayofemi shares how she's navigated an overwhelming influx of information by returning to a personal commitment to creativity. Consider how you can harness your creative thinking to reshape the future, ev...

Perspective: The Silver Lining of Trump's DEI Crackdown 25.01.2025 7:55

In this episode, we tackle Trump’s proposed crackdown on DEI programs—a move that’s sparking heated debate for its impact on workplace culture and marginalized communities. We discuss the pitfalls of superficial “box-checking” approaches to diversity, explore how organizations might respond if forced to rethink their commitments, and examine whether this brash policy could unintentionally trigger...

E36 TrendWatch 2025 19.01.2025 45:12

In our debut episode of The E36 Podcast , we’re diving into TrendWatch 2025 —our flagship report highlighting the key trends shaping cultural institutions, nonprofits, and creative businesses this year. From AI-driven personalization and cashless societies to experiential experiences and the rise of small treats culture , these trends are redefining how we connect with audiences, inspire communit...