What do people say about Tracy?

Susan Sheffield

Design Director, Target

Tracy is someone who shares her energy, joy, empathy, creative talents (and a little wit!) to bring out the best in her students. With her encouragement and guidance, I evolved from a design-thinking novice to a confident practitioner of guest-centered design. What I appreciated most about working with Tracy is that she challenged the expected, didn’t allow for complacency and inspired people to think about new solutions and possibilities.

Lee Kim

Global congress lead, PIH & innovation, Pfizer

Going through a design thinking journey with Tracy is an experience that no one can forget. From the first day I met her, Tracy showed me the way to have humility, how to stay curious, to be open to surprises, and to have fun all the while in this wild journey of constant discovery. She doesn't just teach you the skills, she guides you to "live" your life with courage and purpose. If you are lucky enough to be on this journey with Tracy, take advantage of it. Because you will be a different person at the end of the journey. When I shared my experience of going through her Design Thinking workshop with my friend, he said..."it sounds like you had a religious experience." And in many ways, it was! Because... I was given a new life after taking my first design thinking workshop with Tracy.

Emily Ma

Lead, Food Systems, X (formerly Google[x]). Lecturer, Stanford University School of Engineering

Tracy is a phenomenal design thinker, creative facilitator, storyteller and user researcher who has tackled with her colleagues and students some of the gnarliest problems of our time. I've had the joy of working with Tracy for almost a decade - whether coaching executive education at the Stanford d.school, facilitating interdisciplinary student groups from Cornell, or workshopping with non-profits in Hong Kong. I highly recommend Tracy as a partner for all creative problems.

Sean Corriel

senior product manager, Autodesk

Tracy sharpened my design mind to focus on people problems and empathy. As a product manager and designer, this is the first and most important thing I need to do - solve the right problem. Tracy taught me a language - the ‘how’ to connect with people. Working as a product manager at Autodesk, I immediately had the tools and confidence to lead my teams to spend more time focusing on the problem. The first thing I love about working with Tracy is her bountiful, generous energy. I’ve never come across any professor (insert profession here!) so unique, fun, and motivating. The fourteenth thing I love about working with Tracy is how she encourages not being done, and always improving to finding the root problems and aim for amazing solutions. Tracy is an original unicorn.  

Anders Tse

User Experience Researcher at Ticketmaster

Tracy Brandenburg is an innovation guru. She has an innate ability to help people unlock their creative confidence through her hands-on methodologies that challenge people to build empathy, make things, and embrace failure. As a mentor, she is generous with her time and words of wisdom. Tracy's enthusiasm and unwavering commitment to design thinking ultimately inspired me to switch career paths. Without her support and guidance, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Karen Lithgow

Interim CMO and Brand Strategist at Chameleon Collective

Tracy’s workshop was perfect timing as I was in a transition with my career when I took her class. I loved all the activities in the Designing Your Life class - they helped me think about the possible. Tracy made sure to take the time to really listen to me and to guide me toward thinking about what might bring me joy and fulfill a sense of purpose.  I recommend this workshop to anyone who is ready to design a new future. 

Dakotah Vayle Eddy

Brand Operations Manager, L Brands

Tracy is amazing at what she does and working with her to learn Design Thinking changed the course of my career. Since my DT work with Tracy, I have used Design Thinking to help change the culture at Veritas Prep and at a Tiffany & Company store and to better ideate with leaders at L Brands. What an important set of tools to use in work and in life. Thanks, Tracy!

Bill Pacheco 

CEO & Founder, Open until 8

Former Director of Engineering & Product Design, Cybex International

Former Sr. Director of Consumer Design, Keurig Dr. Pepper

Tracy 's a master facilitator for challenging the status quo.  I love how effective Tracy is at facilitating teams to stretch them out of their comfort zone to solve really complex challenges. I've seen participants routinely transformed and continue to make impact even years after an engagement with Tracy.

Gabrielle Santa-Donato

Lecturer, Fellow, and Manager of the Life Design Studio at Stanford University

Tracy is an incredible connector of people, a generative coach, and deeply knowledgeable in the field of design thinking, personal change and growth and organizational development. She's an expert in the field of design thinking. She has also been a great mentor to me as I've grown my life as a designer and educator. Tracy is a bundle of energy!

Rachel Happen

Insights Director for Digital Product Creation at Nike

Tracy was one my first design thinking coaches and kindled a love of human centered design in me that blossomed into a dream career. What I loved most about studying with Tracy was the passion she brought to every session, and the playfulness that kept us in touch with what really matters— the humanness in each of us that allows us to connect with the humanness in others.