Angela Damiani is a Milwaukee-based entrepreneur, experience designer, and community builder focused on one core question:
How do we create connection that actually matters?
She is the CEO and co-founder of NEWaukee, an experience design firm known for helping brands, cities, and organizations build trust, belonging, and engagement through human-centered experiences. Under her leadership, NEWaukee has become nationally recognized for its work activating public spaces, strengthening local economies, and bringing people together in ways that feel real, memorable, and meaningful.
A multiple-time founder, Angela has built, scaled, and evolved several ventures over the course of her career — experience that directly informs how she supports other entrepreneurs.
She is the lead curator of the Midwest Founders Community, where she works alongside founders across the Midwest through connection, mentorship, and shared learning. The community was created from firsthand understanding that founders don’t just need capital or content — they need trusted relationships, honest conversations, and rooms where they’re not navigating growth alone.
Across all of her work, Angela operates at the intersection of brand, community, and trust, helping leaders move beyond transactional relationships toward deeper, more durable impact.
A sought-after speaker and facilitator, Angela brings a grounded, honest, and optimistic perspective to conversations about leadership, change, trust, and human experience. She believes momentum is built through curiosity, courage, and a willingness to ask better questions — living by the mantra:
“But what if we could?”
Speaking Topics & Themes
Angela speaks to leaders, founders, and organizations navigating growth, change, and connection.
Her talks often explore:
Audience Engagement & Connection
Building relationships that turn attention into trust and advocacy
Brand Trust as a Differentiator
Why trust is the most valuable currency in an AI-saturated world
Designing for Joy
Using joy as an experience strategy, not a slogan
Leading Through Change
Maintaining momentum amid uncertainty without losing yourself or your people
Chasing Belonging
In a world that is more connected than ever, many people feel more isolated than ever before. Belonging has become a defining factor in talent attraction, retention, and engagement — and it’s not accidental. There is a formula for creating it.
Angela explores this idea in her TEDxFond du Lac talk, where she shares why belonging matters and how leaders can design for it intentionally.
Making New Possible is a podcast about people who see the world not just as it is, but as it could be – and then doing something about it. It's a series of intimate energized conversations about moments that matter, when someone decides to take a leap, build the thing, or stop tolerating the status quo.
This is not a show about polished success stories. It's about the process of making something new a possibility – and all the mess, magic, and momentum it takes to get there. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast
Ways to Connect
You should reach out if you’re interested in:
Public Speaking — Keynotes, panels, and facilitated conversations on trust, engagement, joy, leadership, and leading through change.
Consulting — Strategic thinking around brand trust, audience engagement, community building, and experience design for organizations and leadership teams.
Investing in New Ideas & Companies — Exploring early-stage ideas, founders, or ventures where connection, community, and long-term impact are core to the work.