Ellen Petry Leanse: "Imagine"
This Week's Guest: Ellen Petry Leanse
![“[At Apple], I saw the direct applicability of technology that I never thought possible.”](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a342b91e5dd5b6cf4dc5122/1533314481632-42EXOR97VHFN091MEWX0/Ellen+larger.jpg)
“[At Apple], I saw the direct applicability of technology that I never thought possible.”
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The word that keeps coming up in this episode with Ellen Petry Leanse about her time at Apple in the ‘80s is “audacity.” In a culture of audacious curiosity and historic innovation, Ellen was Apple’s first User Evangelist. This self-prescribed “nerd queen” led the company’s first online debut with Apple’s BBS (Bulletin Board System).
Ellen touches on how she views art as an integral part of product design, science, and business, and raises the question of whether today's atmosphere of innovation is truly letting curiosity reign.
Her life is a parable of what happens when you are willing to take risks, work hard, and don’t worry about looking back. Greatly respected throughout Silicon Valley for her achievements, Ellen has been featured on CNN, CNBC, and NBC and in the pages of Time, Forbes, Vogue, and Business Insider. Currently she teaches “Unleashing Creative Innovation and Building Great Products” for Stanford University Continuing Studies.
Show Notes
ARTICLES AND QUOTES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Ellen’s essay on the word “just”: "Google and Apple alum says using this word can damage your credibility"
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”― Albert Einstein
Ellen's Apple ID Badge from 1981
MORE FROM ELLEN
More About Ellen Leanse
Author, Neuroscience Educator, Coach, and Tech Pioneer
Author, Stanford instructor, and digital pioneer Ellen Petry Leanse harnesses 35 years of impact in Silicon Valley as she works with founders, leaders, and innovators. An alum of Apple, Google, and entrepreneurship, she balances her deep understanding of innovation with work in neuroscience, design thinking, and mindfulness practice.
Ellen has been featured on CNN, the BBC, the Today Show, and in publications including Time Magazine, Vogue, Forbes, Inc., and Business Insider. She’s the author of the bestselling book The Happiness Hack, articles on leadership and gender equality, She’s been featured on CNN, the BBC, and in publications including Inc. Magazine, Time, The New York Times, Vogue.com, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and Business Insider, where her essay on the world “Just” has received nearly five million views.and a groundbreaking essay on language and empowerment that has received more than 10 million views.
