COMING 10/14 - Episode 2: Nerds of a Specific Varietal - Designing for Connection with Mirit Cohen and Sara Fenske Bahat
In this conversation, I bring together two kindred spirits who’d never met before I hit “record”: Mirit Cohen and Sara Fenske Bahat.
What begins with hilarious stories of how they each met their life partners unfolds into a deeper exploration of connection: why we need it, how we create it, and what it looks like across our personal, professional, and civic lives. Mirit shares how her journey from social psychology to food and event design has shaped her work in designing for connection, while Sara reflects on her career spanning government, banking, academia, and culture and her vision of an America where we “bowl together.”
Together, they reveal how humor, intentionality, and humanity fuel lives of service and possibility. This is a conversation for anyone who believes in the power of community, storytelling, and showing up for the world — even (and especially) when it feels daunting.
What we talk about
What it means to design for connection in work and life (Mirit’s story)
Why food is inseparable from human connection
Sara’s work reimagining civic life and her framework of “bowling together”
The decline of traditional social institutions and what comes next
The role of humor, laughter, and possibility in sustaining hope
Jewish wisdom on carrying the world’s grief without turning away
Choosing humanity and presence through daily practices like watching the sunrise
Shared reflections on family, creativity, and storytelling
Mentioned in the episode
Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
About Mirit
Connect with Mirit through her website and on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Mirit Cohen
Mirit Cohen is passionate about creating experiences that help people live and work better. As an Aspen Institute First Movers Fellow and the senior manager of global workplace experience programs at Adobe, she is a champion for connection and community in every area of our lives.
At Adobe, Mirit and her interdisciplinary team are constantly experimenting with new ways to foster meaningful connection at work, now and into the future. Previously, she was a chef and food entrepreneur, inspired by sources as disparate as her Jewish upbringing to her graduate studies in Stanford’s psychology department to explore the unique power of food in shaping culture.
Mirit is also a writer and speaker who listens to more audio books than anyone you’ve ever met. She and her family live in the Bay Area, where she likes to host creative gatherings.
Mirit’s “Give a Damn” shout-out:
The US Chamber of Connection
About Sara
Connect with Sara on LinkedIn.
Sara Fenske Bahat
Sara Fenske Bahat is an interdisciplinary leader focused on building the civic infrastructure we need to respond to the challenges of our times.
Early in her career she was a part of the economic development team that led New York City's post-9/11 recovery. Most recently she led San Francisco’s mayoral transition, building the infrastructure for a new administration in just 62 days. In between she has been a bank regulator, a banker, a professor of economics and department chair at California College of the Arts, a non-profit CEO and active board member. Based in San Francisco since 2007 and her hometown of Milwaukee, she is passionate about exploring how inherently local work can build across different geographies.
Sara’s “Give a Damn” shout-out: Builders Wisconsin, “a citizen-led movement to tackle divisive issues.”
