We are officially residents of the brand NEW Bamboo Coworking space in downtown Grand Rapids! 🎉
A new building deserves a new metaphor, and few mythologies are more universal than IKEA: the democratic labyrinth where Allen wrenches go to die and identities are assembled—mostly correctly—by people who believe in optimism and particleboard in equal measure.
Our team has spent the week shuttling between our new downtown Bamboo headquarters and the Midwest House Summit, meaning we’ve been surrounded by two great forces of nature: visionary leaders and flat-pack furniture. Let’s honor both.
Here’s your Human Solution Archetypes… as IKEA classics.
The Survivalist → HEMNES Desk
The HEMNES is the workhorse of adulthood: real wood, practical, and—let’s be honest—currently carrying four times the recommended emotional weight limit.
The Survivalist doesn’t complain; they simply extend their surface area. Papers stack. Tasks pile. Someone hands them “just one more thing,” and they absorb it like a champion of sturdy Scandinavian minimalism who never asks, “Why am I doing all of this?”
The gift: Stability. Endurance. A structural integrity unmatched in the wild.
The Warrior → MALM Bed
Strong lines. Zero nonsense. Sharp corners that take out unsuspecting shins.
The Warrior is built for function and momentum. If you try to move them mid-mission, you will strain your back, your relationship, and the Geneva Conventions.
They mean well—they just don’t do “soft edges” unless explicitly instructed.
The gift: Focus. Drive. A sense of purpose that holds the whole team upright.
The Happy Denier → GRÖNLID Sofa
At first glance: plush, approachable, the stuff Pinterest dreams are made of.
But lean in and—poof—structural collapse. The Happy Denier wants everything to feel fine, so they cushion the room with good vibes until their inner frame starts making that suspicious cracking noise.
The gift: Optimism. Warmth. A reminder that comfort matters… as long as it’s real comfort, not the decorative-throw-pillow kind.
The Deflector → LACK Side Table
Feels light. Moves often. Can be assembled in seven minutes, emotionally or otherwise.
The Deflector isn’t actually flimsy—it just prefers not to carry the heavy stuff unless you ask with extremely precise instructions and maybe a gentle PowerPoint. It smiles, spins, and skitters just out of reach of conflict. A cheerful little square of avoidance.
The gift: Levity and adaptability. They can brighten a room and dodge a metaphorical bowling ball.
The Obsessor → PAX Wardrobe
The crown jewel of IKEA maximalism: customizable, meticulous, and capable of consuming two weekends and three relationships during assembly.
The Obsessor is the PAX in human form—gleaming, exacting, and astonishingly dialed-in. They want every shelf to have a purpose. Every decision to click into place. Every outcome to match the diagram perfectly.
The gift: Precision. Commitment. An ability to turn chaos into the cleanest closet you’ve ever seen.
The Professor → BILLY Bookcase
This is adulthood’s cathedral.
The Professor, like the BILLY, is tall, organized, and full of information you didn’t ask for but suddenly need.
Books stacked by theme, color, Dewey Decimal, and emotional importance. Quietly judging your lack of shelf dividers, but only because order is their love language.
The gift: Knowledge. Perspective. A one-stop home library for wisdom you swear you were just about to look up.
As we settle into our new downtown spot—sunlight pouring across Bamboo’s floors, inspiring conversations happening in every corner—we can’t help noticing that building a thriving, human-centered workplace isn’t so different from assembling IKEA.
Some pieces require patience.
Some snap together with cosmic ease.
Some… well, some come with mystery hardware we swear wasn’t in the instructions.
But each archetype contributes something essential to the room we’re creating.
This week at the Midwest House Summit, surrounded by entrepreneurs and leaders reinventing what work can be, it’s clearer than ever: the magic isn’t the furniture. It’s who’s building the space with you.
The next chapter of The Human Solution is unfolding in Bamboo, daylight, and freshly unboxed possibility.
And yes—there will be snacks.
Xo,
Elise & The Human Solution Team
Ready to understand the part of you that assembles, arranges, and expresses leadership in its own unmistakable IKEA-coded way?
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🎁 Holiday SALE:
Before everyone scatters into travel lines, gravy clouds, and whatever version of family chaos awaits, I’ve got a little something to tuck in your back pocket. We’re dropping exclusive holiday discounts for TWO Human Solution experiences unlike anything we’ve offered before. Consider it a pre–holiday-coma treat for Future You.
🧰 SmartStart:
If you’re craving a tiny rebellion against end-of-year chaos, SmartStart is a beautiful way to spend a sliver of your holiday downtime. It’s the kind of self-awareness reset that slips in between naps, pie slices, and ignoring group texts—so you roll into 2026 not running on fumes, but actually knowing your default response to failure, stress & discomfort. Because nothing says “new year, new clarity” like giving your future self a head start.
→ $199 Register HERE + use coupon code HOLIDAY to SAVE $$$.
📸 Personal Branding Experience:
If SmartStart is the work you do on the inside, our exclusive Personal Branding Headshot experience with yours truly, Elise Kutt, is the glow-up the outside has been waiting for. Think of it as a matched set: the emotional intelligence upgrade and the portrait that proves it. Step into the new year with a headshot that looks like the most grounded, self-aware version of you—because when your inner clarity and outer presence line up, people feel it before you even say a word. This is the experience that brings both halves of the story together.
→ $249 Book HERE (No coupon code necessary)
🧰 Free Leadership Resources:
