Uncommon Places Design
Gatherings for teams with real decisions to make and work to do
I work with leaders driving operational rigor to bring their people together around messy topics.
I take the heat down, create clarity without flattening nuance, and translate messy dynamics into pragmatic direction they can actually work with.
Core Offerings
Designing Pivotal Gatherings
Staying present and doing good work aren't givens when the stakes are high. I turn strategic intent into workable activities that produce decisions and action.
Learn moreHosting Challenging Conversations
The conversation your team needs to have isn't happening. I take the heat down so what's daunting becomes approachable and durable commitments take shape.
Learn moreMastering New Skills
Confusion and overwhelm are signals that the team is ready to learn. I direct this readiness into skills that improve how people address the challenges in front of them.
Learn moreMeet Ida
I began my career designing adventures and games. I learned that the fastest way to inspire creative thinking and courage was to put people in a situation with real stakes, clear choices, and a shared goal.
My research on the design of funerals, wilderness trips, and sex parties highlights lessons for navigating risk in fundamentally enriching ways. Since then I've worked with corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits at moments of public reckoning, leadership transition, and strategic redirection.
I mediate in court and train new mediators in handling conflict by supporting parties to make informed, empowered decisions in challenging situations.
I founded Uncommon Places Design to bring courageous pragmatism to leaders facing consequential moments for their organizations.
More on the About pageCandid Praise
Ida is special. She got us and the nuance of what the issue is. She can see us.
Your clarity of vision when things are ambiguous is a real gift.
I’ll tell it to you straight, that was one of the most impressive storytelling activities I’ve been a part of. People felt heard and there was real progress. It brought us to the next level.
I get better coaching from you all than I do from my manager. And I know that I can tell you juicy details, and you’ll keep a secret. When I become a private investigator, you’ll be my priest/therapist.
You brought creativity and fresh thinking when it came to designing client sessions. So many people comment on how you masterfully move a group forward or slow it down as need be.
I’m glad to have seen your calm under pressure. It’s the exposure to and learning from actual good leaders that I want more of.
That was one of the greatest moments of my career.