“All my life I was a bride married to amazement.”

—Mary Oliver

By cultivating wonder and curiosity we discover new ways of seeing & solving.


The Nucleus Group brings together researchers, marketers, designers and behavioral specialists to create rigorous, passionate work.

Elizabeth Talerman

Founder, Principle

Where others see limits, Elizabeth sees possibilities. Whether it’s in a class of graduate students, a business on the cusp of change or a social movement waiting to be born, Elizabeth has the rare ability to glimpse what others are capable of, then equip them with the tools, knowledge and confidence to achieve their own ambitions.

Elizabeth is a graduate-level teacher, four-time entrepreneur, corporate board member and MacArthur Foundation grantee. As founding partner and CEO of The Nucleus Group, Elizabeth works with organizations around the world to empower leaders, accelerate growth and catalyze change.

Chelsea Carlson

Director of Strategy

Undeterred by the unknown, Chelsea dives all the way in — to pools of data that hold a critical insight, to niche virtual communities, and into new landscapes all over the world (sometimes with a SCUBA tank on her back).

She’s worked with clients including HBO, Indeed and Sundance Institute. Her passion for ethical fashion and digital culture has been published in Luxury Daily and captured in her own projects (@DataCloset, @DigitalFashion101). 

Chelsea holds a Bachelor’s of Media Studies and Fine Art from Scripps College and studied fresco at SACI Florence. She earned a Masters in Branding from the School of Visual Arts where she received the department’s highest honor, the Lauren Zaleski Award.

We partner with design firms, research labs & creative agencies.

Every project calls for a different kind of collaborator.

Edward Quiceno
Strategist, Designer

Tameka Vasquez
Social Futurist, Strategist

Whitney Bounty
Strategist

Jesse Tallerman
Strategist

Kate van Genderen
Operations, Research

Liz Yap
Writer, Strategist

Ria Knapp
Cultural Analyst, Strategist

Ariana Ross
Creative Director, Strategist

Sara Emilia Bernat, Ph.D.
Luxury Strategist, Researcher

Ria Shah
Strategist, Designer

Gabriela Acosta
Strategist, Podcast Producer

The Nucleus Group is looking for talented, compassionate collaborators. Is that you?