Can working with your hands physically lower your stress and make you a more grounded leader?

In this episode of the Skin in the Game Podcast, host Debbie Go sits down with Federica Perri, founder and CEO of Handmade Ikigai, a mindful art creativity platform designed for busy, overwhelmed minds. After managing over $20 million portfolios at Google and Meta, Federica made the leap from Big Tech to build a business that helps leaders pause, reconnect, and lead with greater presence through tactile experiences like pottery, kintsugi, and texture art.

What you’ll learn in this conversation:

• The personal wake-up call: a promotion that satisfied her for 10 minutes, then “What’s next now?”
• The brain science: how tactile creativity quiets the amygdala, pulls you out of problem-solving mode, and lowers cortisol in 75% of people after just 45 minutes.
• The Harvard research showing we spend 47% of waking hours mentally drifting to the past or future — and how mindful creativity anchors us back.

Federica puts it with disarming clarity:
“When you use your hands, you are not in that problem-solving space anymore.”

Her approach isn’t about art classes or perfect outputs. It’s about mindful art experiences, backed by an art therapist, where #leaders can laugh when their clay collapses, share openly, and finally reconnect with the present.

🔗 Links & Resources:

• instagram.com/handmade.ikigai/
• handmadeikigai.com
• linkedin.com/in/federica-perri-717a61a6/
• linkedin.com/company/handmade-ikigai/

If you’ve ever felt stuck in “what’s next?” mode, or recognized that the most overlooked leadership advantage is simply the courage to slow down, this conversation is essential listening.

#MindfulLeadership #CreativityAndLeadership #StressRelief #HandmadeIkigai #SkinInTheGamePodcast #CortisolReduction #Amygdala #TactileCreativity #SkinInTheGamewithDebbieGo

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