Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Design in Communication or Design (MDES)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Art

Advisor/Mentor

McMahon, Bree A.

Committee Member

Maxwell-Lane, Marty

Second Committee Member

Miles, Jessica

Keywords

Burnout; Design; Feminine Leadership; Graphic Design; Mindfulness; Remote Work

Abstract

Women represent 61% of designers in the workforce but hold only 29% of leadership roles. This disparity highlights a critical need for an ecosystem that removes barriers and cultivates mentorship, community, and leadership among women (Bolt, 2020). Even though women have proven their ability to succeed in male-dominated corporate cultures, the real question is not about capability but sustainability. Driven by overwork, competition, and burnout, the workplace does not just push women out; it leads to long-term instability for the entire organization (Krivkovich et al., 2024). In the workplace, a culture of masculinity reinforces harmful, outdated mindsets and glorifies aggressive, relentless overachievement at the expense of well-being (Stanaland, 2025). The current masculine corporate structure, driven by competition, ego, and hierarchy, imposes financial pressures, societal expectations, and workplace discrimination stressors that lead to burnout (Nagoski et al., 2019). Mindfulness provides a path to feminist leadership by challenging power structures and centering well-being. As a skill and a mindset, mindfulness fosters awareness of mental, emotional, and physical processes, helping individuals cultivate self-care and care for others (Mindful Leader, 2021). A feminist leadership model built on mindfulness rejects perfectionism and overachievement. Mindfulness redefines success as self-determination, redefining winning and failures, and allowing individuals to lead with empathy, gratitude, and motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Rather than framing leadership as a contest, this research evaluates how psychological safety and physical health can be prioritized through a sustainable feminist practice. This investigation proposes a mindfulness-based feminist framework integrating leadership and workplace sustainability. Through these frameworks, this investigation outlines how prototypes of corporate systems can create opportunities for security, unlocking creativity, innovation, and meaningful collaboration. Mindfulness, as a feminist leadership approach, redefines success not through competition but through care, inclusion, and collective well-being. Reimagining a future that values mindfulness in the workplace that brings feminist principles of collaboration, care, and empathy (Armbrust, 2016). This isn’t just about gender; it’s about the future of work itself.

Comments

Complete thesis can be viewed as supplemental file.

Additional Files
Supplemental Material.pdf (37886 kB)
Complete thesis.
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