We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elayna Spratley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elayna, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At INFOLD Studios, we aim to empower individuals and organizations to cultivate resilience, create harmony, and spark sustainable transformation. This mission is deeply personal because it stems from my journey of navigating the highs and lows of corporate life and discovering a path toward balance, collaboration, and meaningful change.
In 2016, just one year into my role at IBM, I began experiencing debilitating migraines and anxiety. The long hours and relentless demands of the corporate world had taken a toll on my mental, emotional, and physical health. While important, I felt overwhelmed, and my work started to feel like it lacked focus and purpose. That fall, I turned to mindfulness to reclaim my energy and presence. At the same time, I leaned deeper into design thinking, a human-centered problem-solving approach I had been practicing professionally with teams at IBM.

I uncovered a powerful synergy between mindfulness and design thinking. Mindfulness is about being present and intentional with your energy, while design thinking focuses on understanding the humans behind the problems we aim to solve. Together, they create a sustainable engine for creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

This discovery was a turning point for me. I know firsthand what it feels like to be on a team where the work feels overwhelming or lacks clarity. I created INFOLD Studios to address these issues and teach others how to live and work in ways that are not only productive but also harmonious and sustainable.

This work matters to me because corporations set the tone for our broader culture. When individuals and teams learn to work more mindfully and collaboratively, the ripple effects extend to families and communities. And when our communities—whether in the workplace or our neighborhoods—are grounded in shared values and a desire for better, transformation becomes inevitable.

Our world desperately needs change. That change will come through people—resilient, connected, and compassionate individuals working together to create experiences that meet our true needs. At INFOLD Studios, we are proud to participate in this transformation, empowering others to spark the changes we all need to see.

Elayna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

About Me and INFOLD Studios

I’m Elayna Spratley, a Design Strategist, Evolution Coach, and founder of INFOLD Studios, a consultancy dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations to embrace challenges, spark transformation, and create more harmonious living and working. My journey into this work began with my struggle to find balance and purpose in the corporate world.
In 2016, while working at IBM, I experienced intense migraines and anxiety from the long hours and high-pressure environment. This period of burnout was a wake-up call. I realized I needed to take control of my well-being and rethink how I approached work and collaboration. That’s when I turned to mindfulness, an anchor that taught me to manage my energy and focus on the present, and design thinking, a human-centered problem-solving approach.
What began as personal survival tools evolved into a philosophy and practice I now teach through INFOLD Studios. I discovered that combining mindfulness with design thinking creates clarity and balance and fuels sustainable innovation and transformation.

My work is informed by my experience at IBM and Cisco Systems leading human-centered workshops to create solutions at scale, my 8 years of teaching meditation, and my 4 years of coaching individuals on how to navigate their lives with more grace and resilience.

What We Do at INFOLD Studios

At INFOLD Studios, we offer a variety of services designed to empower individuals and teams to thrive:
– Interactive Workshops: Helping teams effectively align, collaborate, and solve complex problems.
– Coaching: Personalized and group sessions to cultivate resilience, creativity, and intentional living.
– Facilitator Training: Equipping professionals with the skills to lead collaborative, human-centered sessions.
– Publications: Tools like the Relax & Remix Journal: A 4-Week Journal to Get Unstuck and Evolve Your Life, which guides readers to transform their relationship with time, shift their minds,t and remix their approach to life. Thus uncovering their formula for fulfillment.

We specialize in helping clients solve problems like:
– Understanding their customers and creating solutions that meet their needs.
– Feeling stuck or overwhelmed in work or life.
– Navigating team dynamics and fostering meaningful collaboration.
– Creating strategies that align with personal or organizational goals.

What Sets Us Apart

INFOLD Studios is unique because we blend creativity, mindfulness, and human-centered thinking to deliver solutions and transformative experiences. Our work is rooted in the belief that sustainable change starts with people. By helping individuals and teams embrace mindfulness and intentional problem-solving, we create ripple effects that transform families, organizations, and communities.
What truly sets us apart is our heart-centered approach. We prioritize the well-being of the people we work with, recognizing that resilience and connection are the foundations of success.

What I’m Most Proud Of

I’m most proud of the moments when clients tell me they feel lighter, more confident, and inspired to take action after working with me. Whether it’s seeing a team solve a challenge that once felt insurmountable or hearing that someone finally took the first step toward a personal dream, those transformations are why I do what I do.

What I Want You to Know

INFOLD Studios exists because we all can evolve, no matter where we start. My goal is to help you tap into that potential—whether through an interactive workshop, a coaching session, or journal pages.
We’re living in a time that demands transformation. I believe it will come from people like you—individuals and teams working together to create more sustainable, compassionate ways of living and working. At INFOLD Studios, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to connect and help you take the next step in your evolution. Let’s create something extraordinary together.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Several books and resources have shaped my entrepreneurial philosophy, grounding me in a human-centered, intentional approach to leadership and problem-solving. Here are some that have had a profound impact on me:

Books:

1. “Emergent Strategy” by adrienne maree brownThis book transformed how I think about leadership and collaboration. It taught me to embrace adaptability and to see growth as an organic process. The focus on community, connection, and decentralizing control has deeply influenced how I structure my work with teams and organizations.
2. “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Kimmerer’s blend of Indigenous wisdom and environmental science inspired me to lead with reciprocity and gratitude. It reminds me to honor the interconnectedness of all things, a philosophy I bring into my coaching and facilitation to help people and teams thrive together.
3. “Designing Your Life” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans This book made design thinking personal for me. It showed me how to apply human-centered problem-solving to everyday challenges and life decisions, shaping my belief in the power of intentional experimentation and reframing obstacles as opportunities.

Essays & Ideas:

The concept of ubuntu (an African philosophy meaning “I am because we are”) resonates deeply with my approach to community and collaboration. It reminds me that our individual success is tied to the collective well-being of those around us.

Videos & Talks:

Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, “Start with Why,” affirmed my belief that people connect more deeply with purpose than products or processes. This belief is a driving force behind how I communicate the “why” of INFOLD Studios and its mission to inspire sustainable transformation.
– Brené Brown’s Work on Vulnerability:Her talks and books emphasize the power of courage and authenticity in leadership. They’ve encouraged me to show up fully in my work, creating spaces where clients feel safe to explore their challenges and growth opportunities.
– Myron Golden’s Business & Wealth-Building Insights:
Myron Golden’s teachings on entrepreneurship, value creation, and wealth-building have deeply influenced my perspective on business growth. His focus on serving others and providing transformational value aligns with my approach to designing offerings that truly meet the needs of individuals and organizations. His emphasis on mindset and leveraging skills for impact reminds me to continuously refine and scale my work with intention.

Impact on My Philosophy:

These resources collectively emphasize mindfulness, human connection, adaptability, and purpose-driven action—all pillars of my entrepreneurial philosophy. They remind me that meaningful change happens when we balance strategy with heart.
Myron Golden’s teachings have added a powerful dimension to this philosophy by reinforcing the importance of value creation, leveraging skills, and embracing an abundant mindset. His emphasis on transformational impact rather than transactional interactions has shaped how I design my offerings. This perspective inspires me to empower clients and teams to solve problems and create sustainable growth and meaningful change that ripples outward into their communities.
By blending mindfulness, human-centered design, and intentional value creation, I aim to foster environments where people feel empowered to unlock their potential, embrace collaboration, and transform their work and lives. Myron’s insights encourage me to approach my mission with both strategy and service at the forefront.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Certainly! Here’s a polished version of your answer:

Three years into my corporate design career, thanks to the exercises in Bill Burnett and Dave Evans’ “Designing Your Life,” I experienced a pivotal moment. The results were a wake-up call—it became clear that my role as a user experience designer no longer aligned with my passions or strengths.

While I enjoyed the research, collaboration, and initial brainstorming of solutions, I was drained by the detailed execution work. I’m a visionary at heart—big-picture thinking and generating innovative ideas energize me, but getting caught up in the minutiae of design felt misaligned.

This clarity prompted me to pivot my career, shifting my focus to the parts of the process I truly loved: research, collaboration, and ideation. These are the foundational activities of a Design Strategist, and stepping into this role allowed me to leverage my strengths and enthusiasm fully.

That pivot reinvigorated my career and laid the groundwork for my current work with INFOLD Studios, where I help others design solutions, cultivate resilience, and spark transformation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.infoldstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infoldstudios
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elayna/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@infoldstudios
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@infoldstudios