The Next Creative Leaders of 2025 are here. 34 winners. 36 creatives. All leaders to look up to. Their stories are incredible, empowering, and will leave you feeling inspired to take the next step in your career. We are thrilled to be honoring these powerhouse individuals and so excited to see what their next chapter will bring.
Share these women and non binary creatives with your friends and family, your LinkedIn network, and take this new class of Next Creative Leaders as a reminder that when we build each other up we can accomplish it all.
What made you apply for Next Creative Leaders?
With everything that’s been happening in America, the way women are being treated and portrayed, it’s become all too easy to give in to hopelessness. I’ve felt it, and I’m tired of feeling it. Applying to this has been my way of refusing to be passive. I don’t want the young creatives entering this business to buy into the lie that they are somehow less than.
How did your upbringing, family, or culture shape you as a creative?
I was born in a tiny Eastern European country and have two immigrant parents. English was my third language. We moved around a lot. I went to nine different schools, so I spent most of my childhood adjusting. That, in itself, requires a fair amount of creativity. Finding ways to relate with people, even when you’re from (what feels like) different planets. And I think all of that has made me more empathetic to new points of view, maybe even a little resistant to tradition.
“Finding ways to relate with people, even when you’re from (what feels like) different planets, requires a fair amount of creativity.”
What does success look like for you five years from now?
It looks like fulfillment. Like waking up every morning and feeling that the work I do matters. It’s a hard thing to achieve in this industry, when a lot of the job involves convincing people to buy things you don’t always believe in. When I can tell stories people want to hear and solve problems that need solving daily, that is success for me.
“Success looks like waking up every morning and feeling that the work I do matters.”
Who is inspiring you right now and why?
The list is long, but I have to mention Camille Summer Valli. There’s this textured, nuanced realness about her work that I think is hard to find among all the polish these days. Everything she does feels unapologetically feminine, in a way that’s both refreshing and brave.
Who would you thank in your Next Creative Leaders acceptance speech?
Lauren Ferreira. I owe a lot to her and her mentorship. She helped me overcome my imposter syndrome and realize I was good enough to apply for this award. And my mom, of course.
What’s your best hack for overcoming a creative block?
Get as far away from your laptop as possible. Travel. Put yourself in nature. Go for a walk, give your eyeballs something new to look at. I don’t believe you’ll get to the idea faster by staring at your screen harder.
“I don’t believe you’ll get to the idea faster by staring at your screen harder.”
Check out The Next Creative Leaders of 2025
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