Why is your name two letters pronounced as a number?

The number nine often represents transformations and new beginnings. As an example, we continue to be inspired by the generative influence of the nine Greek muses. Expressing this number as a Roman numeral is a nod to antiquity. We appreciate the balance of the single stroke I with the plural stroke X, signifying equal reverence for the masculine and feminine. And more personally, Ben committed to this work after nine years of fatherhood.

What kind of culture should I expect at IX?

It’s a culture of grounding to the world, connection to each other, and openness to new possibilities. We encourage each other to be as we are in that given moment, to dialogue and remain responsive to each other’s needs and intentions, and to pursue a path of peace and growth.

How do you ensure your work actually makes a difference for clients?

Success evaluation ultimately rests in the hands of the client, so it is critical for us to keep our fingers on that pulse, i.e. maintain constant communication throughout and between project cycles. What is considered successful in one culture might be interpreted differently in another culture. This is another way in which our ethnographic approach serves us well!

What methods do you use in your insights work?

We deploy a few variants of ethnography, typically branching off of participatory and collaborative approaches. The overarching objective is always to emerge with a clear sense of the relationships people have with themselves, each other, and their respective contexts. We emphasize the importance of depicting these relationships through a compelling story.

What about your approach to ideation and foresight?

Story is the way in and the way forward. We lean on stories as vehicles to cross into new worlds, helping us to explore new possibilities from infinite perspectives. As David Bowie once said, “Go a little bit out of your depth–when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”

What are some of the big questions you’re wrestling with?

• What repeatable, sustainable actions can predictably help people feel safe?

• What broad, new belief systems are forming and what is the role brand might play in this development?

• What are the most generative and reciprocally impactful ways to engage marginalized populations in the role of innovation and brand stewardship?

• How can we structure and promote “3rd way” dialogue between opposing ideologies?

• What will allow people the freedom to see their own otherness clearly in themselves, rather than imagining it onto people around them?

Who do you look to for guidance and inspiration?

Lisa Feldman Barrett, Achaleke Christian Leke, Robert Weller, Wendell Berry, Gwendolyn Brooks, Octavio Paz, Quanita Roberson, Ken Wilber, Alok Vaid-Menon, Hilma af Klimt, bell hooks, Octavia Butler, Susan Sontag, Yaa Gyasi, Simone Weil, James Baldwin, David Byrne, Ada Limón, Tarana Burke, Jorge Luis Borges, Igor Stravinsky, Zora Neale Hurston, Waleed El-Ansaary, Jonathan Hyland, and Manoush Zomorodi. Calvin & Hobbes, Wes Anderson, Amanda Gorman, Limony Snicket. George Lucas, David Bowie, Vaughan Oliver, Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Richard Rohr, Andy Warhol Susan Cain, Rick Rubin, and Frida Kahlo.

Why are you so weird?  

Because nothing fits right.