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What keeps you up at night? For Brandon Schauer, it was climate change. In a stroke of genius, the former CEO of Adaptive Path decided to look for a role that would help him address his concerns about our planet. He ultimately transitioned to his current role as Senior Vice President of Climate Culture at Rare.

Brandon has a big heart, and it can be felt in his conversation with Lou. They discuss his education and career path, highlighting his leadership role at Adaptive Path where the agency thrived by sharing knowledge and empowering new talent. As CEO, Brandon navigated business challenges and focused on building lasting client relationships and expanding the agency’s impact. This experience eventually led to Adaptive Path’s acquisition by Capital One, which marked a significant turning point in Brandon’s career.

His transition to climate work was driven by a growing concern for the environment. After struggling to find a direct path connecting design and climate change, Brandon discovered a role at Rare, an organization focused on behavioral change to reduce U.S. carbon emissions. His team at Rare works to identify and promote lifestyle changes, such as how people eat, travel, and power their homes.

Brandon also shares how his design background continues to influence his work at Rare, particularly in “behavior placement”—a method of subtly integrating eco-friendly choices into entertainment to normalize sustainable behaviors. He emphasizes the soft power designers hold, noting how they can integrate sustainability into their work, even if their roles aren’t explicitly focused on climate. By doing so, designers can influence corporate decisions and consumer behaviors, helping to create a shift toward more sustainable norms in everyday life.

What You’ll Learn from this Episode:

• About Brandon’s career path
• The ideas behind Adaptive Path that propelled its success
• How Brandon transitioned his focus to climate change
• How designers can help the planet without changing careers

Quick Reference Guide:
0:21 – Introduction of Brandon
5:12 – Adaptive Path and how they attracted talent
10:09 – The founders of Adaptive Path receded, and the team became the focus
13:55 – Reflections on being the CEO
18:26 – 5 reasons to use the Rosenverse
21:04 – Brandon’s path to senior vice president of Climate Culture at Rare
27:09 – Using concepts from design to solve problems
29:59 – Designers impacting climate change
34:50 – Dynamic norms
37:38 – Brandon’s gift for listeners