As our world becomes increasingly digitized and robots take away job positions, complex problem-solvers will thrive. Robots cannot be empathetic or build strong relationships. It highlights the importance of teaching empathy and failure, two things that are top of mind for this week's guest.

Meet Ilana Ben-Ari, toy designer turned entrepreneur and creator of Twenty One Toys. Ilana believes in the importance of play in schools and businesses as a way to flex one's creative muscles. In her eyes, the future of work is human and she is showcasing this through the use of toys.

Twenty One Toys is a training and development toy company that uses toys to teach the skills that textbooks can't, like empathy and failure. Whether you are six or a CEO, Illana’s empathy and failure toys act as metaphors for life, bringing play back into our daily routines.

In this episode, we chat about topics including:

• Ilana’s pathway from high school to design school and entrepreneurship
• The story behind her debut empathy toy
• The ways education can undervalue creativity and emotions and their crucial roles in a 21st-century environment
• The value of social and emotional skills
• Why strong relationships and good coaches can play a pivotal role in your success
• How the more self-aware you are, the easier you’ll find it is to work with others

HELPFUL LINKS

• Check out TwentyOneToys.com to learn more about using toys to teach what textbooks can’t
• Learn about Ilana's debut toy, The Empathy Toy
• Learn about The Failure Toy
• Join the Empathy Toy Global Play Session
• Read Ilana’s book recommendation, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
• Read Ilana’s blog post on designing The Failure Toy
• Watch the Do Skills Kill Creativity Ted Talk
• Read Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

Missed last week's episode? Listen to the standout student episode now.