Shoshana Berger – Valuing the Dissenting Voice
“The world of writing and editing and publishing was dominated by men for much of human history. While women have an easier time making headway now, that long, dark vestigial tail is still right there at the base of our spine. Working twice as hard feels like table stakes. I was raised by a mother who finished her PhD while holding down a full-time job, and a father who was the president of the Society of Female Engineers. But after emerging from that egalitarian bubble, I was pummeled by sexism of every stripe, from pre-MeToo predators to plain old contempt. I’d never have survived without the women who stood by me and I want to give that back. Also: it’s time to admit that women run the world.
“(Being a Jewish woman) drew me to story, made me value the dissenting voice, and heightened my sense of the shortness of time. It also means that I spend much of my workday thinking about my next meal.”
– Shoshana Berger
Please join us in honoring Reboot network member Shoshana Berger during Women’s History Month.
Berger is the Global Editorial Director of IDEO, where she has worked on projects related to organization transformation, the end of life, modern Judaism, and school lunch. Before joining IDEO, Berger was a Senior Editor at WIRED, where she launched WIRED Design, and prior to that, founder of the DIY magazine, ReadyMade, later turning it into a book, Ready Made: How to Make (Almost) Everything. She is the co-author, with Dr. BJ Miller, of A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death. She has written for The New York Times, TIME, Fast Company, WIRED, and Quartz. In 2019, Berger moved to Denmark for a year with her husband and teenagers to work with the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and learn why the dark, cold Nordics are the happiest place on earth.
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