‘One woman with many, many irons in the fire’ Kat Gordon - Creative Entrepreneur in Residence
Nicole Yershon is a trailblazer in turning disruption into business advantage. Founder of The NY Collective and former leader of Ogilvy Labs, Nicole is known for forging boundary-breaking collaborations, empowering new voices, and making innovation practical for organisations. A super connector of people and ideas, she brings together creativity and technology to solve complex challenges—and is always ready to roll up her sleeves for the next wild idea.
The bio above just scratches the surface of the amazing Nicole Yershon (“NY” for short), who I had the pleasure of meeting many years ago at the Cannes Advertising Festival. We recently reconnected after I was intrigued by some of her recent LinkedIn updates. As I suspected, she’s up to lots of creative mischief.
See for yourself.
KG: Nicole, I’m so glad to be reconnected and to get to introduce my readers to you. After our phone chat, I put together some questions for you. Ready?
NY: Yes!
KG: Your father’s maxim—"unless you're moving forward, then you're going backward"—features in your book Rough Diamond. How is your willingness to embrace change shaping your life right now?
NY: Absolutely everything in my life turns on my relationship with change. I was raised to believe that comfort is the enemy of progress. That doesn’t mean chasing chaos for chaos’ sake, but cultivating enough curiosity and resilience to be excited about the unknown rather than threatened by it. I always start with asking Why? Or is there another way? Or maybe, just maybe, we could at least try another way?
Right now, "moving forward" means staying experimental, not just in business, but in every part of my experience.
Whether it’s building The NY Collective, or collaborating with open minded, open hearted thinkers across different industries, I naturally get excited out of constantly learning and unlearning. I revel in putting myself into situations where I have to adapt and rewire my approach. Most people think of change as upheaval; I see it as the ultimate cheat code for growth and opportunity. It’s about turning moments of disruption into powerful springboards, even if I have to go through a bit of turbulence to get there. My dad’s mantra is a daily nudge that if I’m not stretching myself, I risk going stale—so I lean into the discomfort and, honestly, that’s where the magic happens.
KG: Amen! As a coach, I find I’m often normalizing change for people, reminding them of your Dad’s wise stance about evolution.
Let’s move on to philanthropy and idea incubation — both of which weave through your journey from Ogilvy’s Idea Shop, to The Ideas College, to Creative Conscience Community. What drives your determination to empower more ideas and idea-makers?
NY: Ideas are the original renewable resource! My mission is about democratising creativity—making sure it isn’t the reserve of a “creative elite.” When you open doors for new idea-makers, especially people who might not fit into the traditional boxes, you get braver, messier, and unexpectedly brilliant solutions. It also reinforces that they are just as creative as anyone with ‘creative’ in their job title. I respect their thinking and let them know, which helps build their confidence.
Much of what I do, whether at The Ideas College or mentoring with Creative Conscience, or The University of Planning, comes from the belief that the world’s biggest challenges aren't going to be solved by lone geniuses or the usual suspects. Real breakthroughs happen on the edges—when you bring disrupters and quiet revolutionaries into the same room. I’ve seen it a hundred times over: unlock someone’s confidence to pitch a ‘weird’ idea, and, given the right support, they just might change the world (or at least the corner of it they care about).
So yes, I’m determined about creating platforms for new ideas and amplifying voices that don’t get heard in most boardrooms. This is what keeps me up at night and gets me out of bed in the morning. It plays into my strong feelings of ‘fairness’.
KG: Thank you for your ongoing dedication to diverse voices. I share your belief about the dynamism of ideas that come from a variety of perspectives.
On The NY Collective site, you write about “Humans as Tech” and a career spent critiquing the usefulness of new tech. How do you talk to clients about AI today? Are you hopeful?
NY: The more tech advances, the more I believe the most critical “operating system” is human. AI is a fascinating leap—but it’s only as good as the intention and wisdom of those who wield it. I always remind clients: “It’s not about the tech, it’s about the people who imagine, use, or misuse it.” We need to treat AI as our tool, not our boss.
I don’t buy into the doomsday headlines or the utopian hype. AI has the potential to amplify human creativity, accelerate discovery, and turbo-charge innovation, if we keep humans at the heart of the process. That means teaching teams to ask the right questions, set ethical guardrails, and design with real-world context in mind. I’m hopeful, absolutely, but only if we stay awake to the consequences of what we’re building. Curiosity, rigor, and a healthy dose of skepticism—these are the values I try to infuse into every AI conversation.
KG: Your clients are lucky to have you guiding them in this moment. Now that my readers have a sampling of who you are and what you’re up to, I suspect many of them will follow you on LinkedIn or via your website. Thanks for reconnecting with me, Nicole.
Until next time, remember that creativity knows no bounds.
https://katgordon.substack.com/p/meet-nicole-yershon?r=2qdjx&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
