iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

What a treat! Last week, I got to record a presentation by Eric Ries, lean startup expert, at the Responsive Conference in Oakland. Check out his new book "Incorruptible"! @ericries.bsky.social #graphicrecording #leanstartup #incorruptible #mission #purpose

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

We did it! Congrats to the Career and Life Design Services Center at San Diego Miramar College for completion of its 2026 - 2029 strategic plan. I had the honor of facilitating the plan creation, shown in this colorful storymap graphic. #graphicfacilitation #storymap

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#inclusion and #belonging matter even if not everyone is talks about it! Congrats to Sutter Health for showcasing the importance of empowering its workforce, communities, and patients. It was my honor to join Dana Wasson to graphic record at this powerful event! #ibelongatsutter #graphicrecording

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The World Cup reminded me of the Interdependence Continuum Model. Some tasks are best done independently and others are interdependent. I facilitate this in visual ways helping teams analyze their tasks and make hard decisions. #teamwork #decisionmaking #worldcup #sketchnotes #covey

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Great advice from Robin Zander captured in my hand-drawn #graphicrecording -- NOT drawn by AI :) #AI #writingwithAI #sketchnotes

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

AI is like an F1 car. Fast. Powerful. Terrifying if you don't know how to drive it. Leaders don't just need to use AI. They must change, adapt, discern, judge, and ask better questions. The human stuff doesn't disappear. It gets more important. #graphicrecording

Graphic recording by Trent Wakenight of Marker Ninja. I was at the IAJBS World Forum & CJBE Annual Meeting listening (and drawing fast) as a room full of business educators wrestled with a genuinely hard question: what does discernment mean when AI can think alongside us?

My favorite line of the day: AI is like an F1 car. Fast, powerful, kind of terrifying if you don't know how to drive it. That image basically wrote the whole graphic for me.

A few things that stuck with me as I was sketching:

→ Leaders don't just need to use AI, they need to change, adapt, discern, judge, and ask better questions — the human stuff doesn't go away, it gets more important.

→ Control vs. trust. Is AI an overseer tracking metrics, or a partner with guardrails? Different mindset, different outcome.

→ The "judgment gap" — everyone appreciates what AI can do, way fewer people know how to evaluate it well.

→ And the three questions that quietly ran under everything: What is business for? What is work for? What is AI for?

Also just loved getting to draw "slow down the parts we should slow down" next to a clock while someone in the room was saying time is of the essence. That contradiction felt very real.

Always an honor to translate a room full of big ideas into something people can actually look at and remember. Thanks for having me, IAJBS/CJBE.

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Sharing my graphic recording from a great webinar with Dusty Folwarczny of Ink Factory and Tom Kehner of Openfield Consulting. Great tips for meeting planners! #graphicrecording #facilitation

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

A case study -- this storymap shows the Woodland Community College Purpose 2030 strategic plan. I was asked to help activate WCC's role in improving the economic well-being of students, families, and communities it serves. #graphicfacilitation #highereducation #strategicplanning

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Wow! Fitting 20 amazing AI/Tech pitches and incredible advice for startups on one poster was a fun challenge -- Part of Deep Tech Week San Francisco #graphicrecording #ai #startup #deeptechweek #siliconvalley

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Soul Collage workshops are one of my favorites -- exploring future possibilities with photos, paper, and craft supplies. I was a graphic recorder for Kimberly Wiefling and the "Friggin' Fantastic Future" workshop for entrepreneurs. #graphicrecording #possibilities #soulcollage #entrepreneurs

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Thank you to @robinpzander.bsky.social at Zander Media for this amazing video of my work as a graphic recorder and professional facilitator at events throughout the country! If you need a video, interviews, or multi-media, Robin is your guy! #graphicrecording #graphicfacilitation

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

China leads on critical minerals via capital + policy + innovation. Mining is perceived as dirty but there are ways to mine in ways that are clean. US has the tech but gaps like capital, policy, perceptions. #VX2026 #graphicrecording #criticalminerals

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Solar energy has been around. It seems the current global energy reckoning (oil prices, data centers, climate crises, water shortages) are increasing interest, incentives, and a better value prop. #VX2026 #VerdExchange #SolarEnergy #BatteryStorage #EnergyPolicy #CleanEnergy #graphicrecording

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

"Are you vulnerageous?" My #graphicrecording of an amazing talk by Dr. Farima Pour-Khorshid of @UCSF at the Student Senate of CA community colleges #Generalassembly2026 #sketchnotes

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

I created this graphic as a reminder of how AI has evolved over many decades and its role today. What is it augmenting for you? #ai #artificialintelligence

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

This conversation with Simon Sinek was one of my 2025 highlights. Here is my #graphicrecording. The theme was good #leadership and how to manage #change. #sketchnotes @simonsinek.bsky.social

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

I had the honor and joy of graphic recording this talk by David Bland at the Chico, CA, GrowTech Fest -- a place to bring together innovative ideas, entrepreneurs, investors, and students eager to create powerful change in California and the world. #growtechfest #graphicrecording

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

An honor to graphic record a talk by Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Sympathizer." I admired his message to stand together for DEI and for others, even in the face of those in power who want to diminish our solidarity. #graphicrecording #DEI #equity #highereducation

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

The big debut! This week is the premiere of the California Higher Education Foresight Map! The map isn’t about predicting one future -- it’s about exploring many possible futures and new ways forward for California’s learners. #HigherEd #Foresight #CaliforniaEducation #Sierraconnectsummit

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Storytelling is one of our most powerful communication tools. Here's a reminder from Laurel Braitman shared via my #graphicrecording from the American Medical Association #changemeded conference with #dancingwithmarkers #sketchnotes #storytelling @ama-assn.org

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Medical practitioners and the schools training our next generation of physicians are at the cutting edge of #ai. My #graphicrecording from the @ama-consultant.bsky.social Change Med Ed conference #changemeded #sketchnotes on behalf of Dancing with Markers

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

Finally - jury duty! Actually, 2.5 days of selection. The diversity of this random group: AI researcher Construction worker Caregiver for mom Athletic director CEO Unemployed Student Lab director Hotel staff Non-profit leader Photographer Psych prof Delivery driver #sketchnotes #graphicrecording

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Delegation is a Superpower! My #sketchnotes from a webinar hosted by Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) -- Yes, the same people who host the huge car show in Las Vegas every Fall #graphicrecording #sheissema

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Lessons for leaders at all levels... This is one of my favorite graphic recordings. It's not the most artistic and is from 2021, but I gain new insights each time I see it. #graphic_recording #leadership

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

California is the world's 4th largest economy with 2 million students and working adults attending 116 community colleges. Here's my #graphicrecording from a presentation last week highlighting opportunities for #highereducation in California and the U.S. #vision2030

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Hydrogen fuel vehicles! My #graphicrecording of the health benefits vs producing fossil fuel and output. H2 is "the only clean molecule." Gas is $10/gl.: Production, transport, storage, and consumer; Hydrogen is $12/gallon -- sure to change with more efficient production. #greentechnology #hydrogen

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

An honor to graphic record this presentation by Alex Kotran exploring ways that community colleges and students can leverage AI for education. Clearly, AI will lead to some job fields diminishing or going away, while others will definitely be enhanced and new fields created. #graphicrecording

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

ROE: Return on Empathy! An honor to graphic record this talk by Jon LaPook, CBS' Chief Medical Correspondent, NYU physician, and creator of the Empathy Project for patient empathy in medicine with empathy bootcamps and instruction for medical professionals #empathy #graphicrecording #markerninja

Graphic recording of a presentation by Trent Wakenight Marker Ninja

Presentation by Jon LaPook and graphic recording by Trent Wakenight Marker Ninja on empathy and the Empathy Project

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

A Strategic Plan without an Operating Model is like a car without wheels. I made this little diagram as a reminder that the implementation of a strategy or strategic plan relies on foundational support to get from 'here to there.' Need help establishing your operating model? Let's talk!

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

My graphic recording of a great talk emphasizing the marginalization and structures causing the "invisibility" of indigenous people

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Helping non-profits, associations, and higher education institutions succeed is a passion for me. I provide facilitation, and also graphic recording AKA live drawing like these examples here from last week: #graphicrecording

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

A great Saturday helping a foundation define its future through my graphic facilitation techniques

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Marker Ninja @graphicrecording.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

My #graphicrecording of a great workshop on #communitycollege education with the California Chancellor's Office

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