A friend of mine once told me I was good at making hairpin turns. It’s possible I took that as a challenge. I certainly do get bored easily. I love new adventures and big gnarly challenges. And I generally trust my gut.

So here goes: I’m moving from Chicago to California. I’m hell-bent on making a marked shift into the impact space. Social innovation. Circularity. Regeneration. It’s time to use my powers for good.

As a design and innovation lead with over 20 years of experience from startups to Fortune 500s, my sweet spot is in the 0-1: deep listening, early-stage problem solving, aligning and energizing stakeholders, and leading researchers, designers, strategists and technologists to conceptualize, incubate, and bring powerful ideas to life.

I’m actively seeking partners, collaborators, and seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Interested? Me too.

sara@sarafrisk.com
773 343 5716

WHAT I DO

Lead innovation teams + initiatives: Leading multi-disciplinary teams through gnarly challenges with a bias toward action. Excel in Human-Centered Design practices: research, synthesis, design sprints, prototyping, user testing, etc.

Stakeholder management: Inspiring, managing, and aligning diverse stakeholders (clients / partners / design, technology, and development teams)

Workshops + executive facilitation: Leading workshops, design sprints, and multi-stakeholder initiatives

Invent, design + launch new products: Balancing deep expertise in user-centered design with strategic business direction and market success. From initial research through design, roadmap development, acquisition and launch.

WHO I AM

Strategic designer: Systems thinker with obsessive attention to detail

Brave communicator: Known for asking tough questions, giving thoughtful feedback, and articulating a crisp point of view

Empathic problem solver: Deep listener who thrives on connecting disparate themes, people, ideas, and solutions

Intuitive leader: Audacious risk-taker and growth-seeker with innate organizational logic

Generous collaborator: Innovation enthusiast, evangelist and super connector