The soul of creativity. The practice of progress.
Creative leaders and teams want to do great work — but the reality is often messy. Too many priorities. Unclear roles. Processes that don’t quite work. Not enough time to breathe, think, or lead.
Merakaizen was created with a simple belief: work doesn’t have to feel chaotic — and when creativity and operational clarity work together, everything changes.
The name Merakaizen blends two ideas — and two ways of working.
Meraki (Greek) — to infuse your work with soul, creativity, and love.
Kaizen (Japanese) — continuous improvement and change for the better.
Together, they reflect how we approach every partnership: with curiosity and insight, creativity and structure — helping teams make meaningful, sustainable progress, one thoughtful step at a time.
Merakaizen [mer-ah-ki-zen]:
(n) The art of infusing one’s work with soul, creativity, and love (‘merakai’) while making ongoing, purposeful improvements (‘kaizen’).
Practical. Collaborative. Human.
Every engagement starts with curiosity — asking the right questions to uncover what’s really happening behind the scenes.
We don’t arrive with a prebuilt solution.
We listen to understand, not just to respond.
We challenge ideas respectfully.
We balance big-picture strategy with everyday practicality.
And we don’t just hand you a plan — together, we co-create solutions and help you bring them to life in a way that fits your team and goals.
How we work
“Angela came into a complex organization, met with stakeholders across teams, and built a process that worked like a well-oiled machine. She partners well, listens deeply, and challenges when needed — always with the goal of making the work better.”
— Steve Lange, Vice President, Brand Development, Bath & Body Works
Meet Angela Mastandrea
Founder & Chief Chaos Crusher, Merakaizen
Angela Mastandrea is a trusted creative operations strategist who brings clarity, calm, and structure to fast-moving creative organizations. For more than 25 years, she has helped in-house and agency teams simplify how they work, strengthen collaboration, and create the conditions where exceptional creative work can thrive.
Angela has a rare ability to see what others miss — to translate complexity into simple, actionable systems and help leaders build the alignment and operational foundations needed for creative excellence at scale. With experience spanning design, production, and executive-level creative operations for global brands across retail, beauty, CPG, and lifestyle industries, she understands the realities creative teams face and the pressures creative leaders navigate every day.
Known for her steady, collaborative approach, Angela creates clarity where there is confusion and restores momentum where teams feel stuck. Her superpower lies in recognizing what’s really holding a team back, translating complexity into clarity, and guiding people through change in a way that feels supportive and achievable.
A note from Angela
My passion is helping creative people thrive. I love stepping into the mess, seeing what’s really going on, and helping leaders create the conditions that make work smoother, lighter, and more enjoyable.
I LOVE what I do. I’ve always been wired to connect dots, solve problems, and bring order to chaos — it’s simply how my brain works. I started my career as a designer, which means I understand the creative process deeply. But I also see the systems behind the work — the patterns, the friction points, and the gaps that keep talented people from doing their best.
Over the years, I’ve learned that creative teams don’t struggle because they lack skill or passion. They struggle because the way they’re working is getting in their way.
Too many priorities | Unclear roles | Endless meetings | Broken processes | Constant shifts | Not enough support.
I believe work doesn’t have to feel like that.
I believe every team can be high-performing when they’re set up to succeed.
And I believe that clarity is one of the most powerful tools we have — because clarity creates confidence, and confident teams do incredible work.
When teams feel supported, when expectations are clear, and when systems actually help instead of hinder — everything changes.
This is why Merakaizen exists: to help creative leaders and teams work smarter, feel stronger, and create with more joy and less chaos.
Angela A Better Way to Work, Lead, and Create
At Merakaizen, we believe creative work can be both inspiring and efficient.
That teams can meet deadlines and feel energized by the work.
That leaders can focus on strategy, not just survival.
That clarity creates confidence — and confident teams do their best, most creative work.
We’re changing how creative operations feel by creating the systems, structure, and conditions that allow people — and their creativity — to shine.
“I have literally felt the stress leave my body and can breathe more easily just by sitting down across from her. She listens to every word without judgment and instills confidence in every person she works with. There is a feeling you come away with that everything will be ok, everything will work out with Angela in your court.”
— Sabrina Waijers, Sr. Production Manager, eos Products
“She leads by example, exhibits horizontal leadership, and takes every opportunity to learn and to teach. She is a mentor to everyone she interacts with, and every action she takes is with the greater good of the team and the business in mind, always thinking strategically with a visionary mindset. I find myself leveraging the learnings I gained from my years of working with Angela on a daily basis in both professional and personal situations. She will forever remain an integral part of my network.”
— Misty Maddox, Design Operations Manager, Bath & Body Works
Are you ready for less chaos and more clarity?
Let’s create the systems and support your team needs to thrive — and produce their best work.
Less Chaos. More Creativity.