Real people, practical ideas
Sourced profiles of founders, practitioners, researchers, creators and change-makers. Explore the questions they tackled, how they worked, important turning points and what learners can take away. Want to go deeper? Explore the Decisions, Money & Entrepreneurship curriculum.
Start with stories that already have strong learning signals: takeaways, key moments, and links back into the curriculum.
Chosen from the richest story profiles in the library.
Founder & builder
Turning a small streetwear start into FUBU, then using the same cash discipline as an investor.
Focus: Fashion • Retail
Archetype blend: Hustler + Builder
3 takeaways • 3 key moments • 3 skill links
Founder & builder
Turning cartoons into a bigger world of stories, characters, and experiences.
Focus: Entertainment • Animation
Archetype blend: Visionary + Builder
3 takeaways • 4 key moments • 3 skill links
Founder & builder
Designing a smarter feeding system to support breastfeeding mothers around the world.
Focus: Consumer Products • Health
Archetype blend: Specialist + Builder
3 takeaways • 3 key moments • 3 skill links
What question, need or opportunity did they focus on, and why did it matter?
Look at how they investigated, created, tested or led, and what evidence shaped the work.
Look for evidence, changes of direction and what the person learned from setbacks.
Use each story as a jumping-off point into our curriculum: modules, lesson previews, projects, and simulations that teach the same real-world skills these people used.
Search by person, organisation, field, theme, region, or profile type.
Showing 12 of 171 matches
Founder & builder
The Body Shop • United Kingdom • 1970s-2000s
She argued that business decisions affect communities and causes far beyond the checkout.
Focus: Retail • Beauty
3 takeaways • 1 skill link
Founder & builder
Starling Bank • United Kingdom • 1980s-present
She used long banking experience to build a different kind of bank from the technology upward.
Focus: Banking • Financial Technology
3 takeaways • 1 moments • 1 skill link
Founder & builder
Thrive Global • Greece, United Kingdom and United States • 1980s-present
Her experience shows that performance without recovery can carry a serious personal cost.
Focus: Media • Digital Publishing
Archetype blend: Builder
3 takeaways • 2 moments • 1 skill link • 2 facts
Founder & builder
Gates Foundation • United States • 1970s-present
He has used sustained reading and note-taking to explore difficult questions across technology and public health.
Focus: Technology • Software
Archetype blend: Builder
3 takeaways • 2 moments • 1 skill link • 2 facts
Researcher & expert
Georgetown University • United States • 2000s-present
He asks people to choose technology from their values rather than from habit.
Focus: Education • Technology
3 takeaways • 1 skill link
Researcher & expert
Screen/Life Balance • United States • 2010s-present
She helps people examine what they want their phones to do for them and build boundaries they can keep.
Focus: Journalism • Digital Wellbeing
3 takeaways • 2 moments • 1 skill link • 2 facts
Researcher & expert
Charles Duhigg • United States • 2000s-present
He turns research about everyday behaviour into practical questions people can test for themselves.
Focus: Journalism • Behavioural Science
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 1 skill link • 2 facts
Business practitioner
The Black Swan Group • United States • 1980s-present
He teaches negotiators to gather information and show understanding before pushing for an agreement.
Focus: Law Enforcement • Education
3 takeaways • 1 moments • 1 skill link
Founder & builder
Google DeepMind • United Kingdom • 2010s-present
He leads teams using AI research to explore difficult scientific and strategic problems.
Focus: Technology • Science
3 takeaways • 1 skill link
Researcher & expert
Design Lab, University of California San Diego • United States • 1960s-present
He teaches designers to investigate repeated confusion instead of blaming users.
Focus: Research • Design
3 takeaways • 1 skill link
Researcher & expert
Dartmouth College and the Sustainability Institute • United States • 1970s-2001
She showed how feedback, delays, goals and connections can produce results no single part intended.
Focus: Systems Science • Environment
3 takeaways • 2 moments • 1 skill link • 2 facts
Founder & builder
Dropbox • United States • 2006-present
He noticed a problem he kept experiencing, built a working answer, and learned from how people used it.
Focus: Technology • Software
Archetype blend: Builder
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 1 skill link • 3 facts
159 more stories available
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