Lisa Picard, Partner, Sway Ventures, learned early in life to stop pleasing others and pursue what tugs at her strings: how to influence change. Every act has been an intentional step in exploring how we design a built world that enhances how people work and live.

Lisa felt deeply connected to the outside environment from a young age. She recalls being fascinated with the minute details of cities, like sidewalk widths and the position of a candy store. This interest in cities was something her Mom encouraged her to explore, leading her to study urban design and later real estate at MIT.

She takes us through her journey of losing her parents at a young age, chasing career challenges, and key growth moments. Listen to Lisa's take on the dot-com bubble burst and how experiencing difficult moments like a "great undoing" shapes your outlook.

Lisa believes by finding our edges, we can learn about ourselves and see how far we can go. It's why she changed careers and roles; the challenge of change is essential for growth. She acknowledges that cultivating a solid ground to stand on gives the confidence to tackle those scary steps without fear. As Lisa says, we're often incentivized to keep doing the same thing; yet embracing the potential to grow through challenges can result in rewards beyond measure.

Our discussion includes a deep dive into various aspects of real estate, such as changes in office space design and the support versus surveillance perspectives in the push to get back to the office. We share interests in technology and talk about how AI will revolutionize different systems and optimize decision-making. Listen to the full episode here.

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