Over the past seven years, Ei has taken big concepts and turned them into tools that are simple, well-made, and accessible. They have been used by everyone from high school students in small towns to executives at Fortune 100s. Watching people take our concepts and apply them to their lives, even after all these years, is still a surreal feeling.

So, I thought it’d be fun to share a few personal notes about how these things came to life. Think of the stories below as mini behind-the-scenes-exclusives on the best tools for supporting your next steps or your team’s growth.

And now that the Black Friday/Cyber Monday craze is over, the Ei team and I thought it would be even more fun to make everything 30% off + free shipping. Just use the code: ExpJoy

The sale ends Monday and some quantities are limited.

Lastly, if you’re interested in sending any of these products to your team, classroom, or various friends around the world, we can now handle those requests too.

So, let’s jump in! I hope you find something that supports your next step, your team’s work, or your students’ growth.

Leap Year Project Book

This was the first thing I ever produced. It was the catalyst for everything that followed. I was 26 yrs old and fresh off of an incredible adventure of designing my Master’s through 12 projects in 12 months.

More importantly, this wild idea is what brought the beginnings of this community together. Incredible friends from around the world took risks (leaps) of their own to learn and make an impact, and their beautiful stories are what make this book special.

If you or someone you know needs inspiration after a topsy-turvy year, these 172 pages might be just the thing. The photos, layouts, and the short stories make for a perfect quick boost or quiet Sunday-afternoon-read. And it’s worth noting that the book won two national design awards in 2013.

Cost after discount: $14 shipped
Watch the trailer and learn More

Leap Kit

Ever since Ei began, we knew experiential learning was both relatable but confusing. There’s a common understanding that learning through experience is valuable, but not everyone knows what it means or how to begin — especially if you’re just starting to consider a new industry, career, or phase of life.

Leap Kit was designed to help individuals and teams create a simple plan during moments of growth. By breaking down experiential learning into 4 steps: Discover, Prepare, Act, Share — teachers, managers, parents, and students can design their own educational experience.

After we funded our Kickstarter, this product became a cornerstone to Ei’s work. It was even recognized on a global scale by winning a Core77 Design Award in 2017. We now use it in all of our higher ed programs and built a multi-week Leaps program for teams/companies. There are two versions you can purchase:

The Paper Kit has the basic pieces to get you started: $21 shipped

The Leather Folio has a few surprises to expand your thinking: $45 shipped

Watch the trailer & learn more

PS: We’ve also separated the pieces so you can buy and send out Leap Sharpies and Coaching Cards on their own.

The Shapeless Shape

In 2013, I became friends with David Kelley after a chance meeting during my first-ever trip to Stanford. We connected over our winding paths through our own education journeys. So we began discussing ways to help students have more space to explore as part of their college journeys.

As we were working on some of our concepts, I proposed the idea of writing a children’s book as a small side project. David was kind enough to learn more and the project began to take flight. But midway through, my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer and passed away 6 months later. David stuck with me during that time — our “work sessions” often turning into check-in calls. Eventually, we finished the book and dedicated it to my dad.

The Shapeless Shape embodies the ethos of kindness and courage needed when someone chooses their own path. Even the illustrations, which are photos of geometric, hand-painted wooden pieces, add another dimension of life to the 32 pages.

Your kids will love this book. But honestly, you might too.

Cost after discount: $14 shipped
Watch the trailer and learn more

What’s Worth Doing

In 2018, after five years of working with students and career professionals from all walks of life, I found myself using a simple framework to help people find clues for their next step. It included just a few prompts and the conversation always helped people get unstuck.

At the same time, I started getting into decks of cards as a teaching tool. I enjoyed the simplicity and form factor. So, I ordered some blank decks and started meeting with the Ei team to create a few prototypes. If Leap Kit is our core process for designing full-fledged projects, we wondered how we might create a bite-sized starting point to spark conversations and help people get started.

Eventually, What’s Worth Doing came to life on Kickstarter in fall of 2019 and started shipping earlier this year. It’s been a perfect companion to learning and working from home, and to the countless people who are reimagining their next steps.

If you’re someone who is in transition or needing to develop new ideas, products, or projects quickly and often, What’s Worth Doing is worth checking out.

Cost after discount: $25 shipped.
Watch the trailer and learn More