After appearing together on Oprah’s podcast, Amanda knew one thing immediately: we needed more time with Jean Twenge.

Jean is one of the world’s most cited and influential generational researchers, known for shaping how leaders understand Millennials, Gen Z, technology, mental health, and cultural change. Her newest book draws from more than 42,000,000 data points, making it one of the most comprehensive studies of generational differences to date.

In this conversation, Amanda and Jean go deeper into the workplace tensions leaders everywhere are trying to navigate right now: burnout and resilience, loyalty and turnover, communication and professionalism, feedback and coaching, and whether Gen Z is truly prepared for a rapidly changing, AI-powered workplace. Because if work feels different right now, this conversation helps explain why, and what leaders may need to rethink next.

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Cindy Kaufman turns the mic around, live, at the Mannington showroom in Denver for a more personal conversation with Amanda Schneider. Together, they go beyond the ideas in Work for What’s Next to explore the moments, questions, and experiences that shaped the book. This is the story behind the story—what it took, what surprised her, and what didn’t make it onto the page.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this milestone 100th episode of Design Nerds Anonymous, recorded live at our industry's largest trade show, Amanda is joined by Candon Murphy (HOK), Joseph Oliveri (Corgan), and Caroline Murphy (FutureGen) for a live conversation testing a Gen Z advisory model. Building on years of ThinkLab research and an ongoing Gen Z cohort, the discussion brings the next generation into real business conversations, revealing fresh insights into leadership, collaboration, and the future of work.

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We're hitting the road... and we'd love for you to come along.

Over the next few months, Design Nerds Anonymous is leaving the studio for a series of live podcast recordings, keynotes, and conversations across North America as part of the Work for What's Next Road Show.

In this special episode, Amanda shares what to expect, why every stop is intentionally different, and how you can join the conversation—whether that's in person or right here on the podcast. Here's where we're headed, what we're exploring, and how you can be part of it.

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The future of work isn’t a distant horizon—it’s already taking shape in small, often overlooked signals. In this episode, we explore the early indicators reshaping how work is designed, led, and experienced. The conversation connects these signals to practical action, offering leaders a clearer way to spot what’s emerging and make smarter decisions about what to do next.

Links Mentioned: 

• Grab your copy of Work for What's Next. 
• Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends.  
• Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights. 
• Book Amanda to speak  

This season of Design Nerds Anonymous is presented by Mannington Commercial, THE MART & NeoCon, and The Mav Group.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special episode of Design Nerds Anonymous, host Amanda Schneider takes you inside the PDC Summit—one of the rare events where the full spectrum of healthcare decision-makers comes together under one roof. Recorded live from the show floor, this episode captures an unfiltered look at the real conversations unfolding between owners, clinicians, facilities leaders, architects, engineers, designers, and construction managers. 

Featuring voices like Clayton Mitchell (Yale New Haven Health), the award-winning Dr. Scott Zeller, Kelly Miller (RWJ Barnabas Health), Ed Cheshire (Nationwide Children’s Hospital), and Lynn Aguilera (Stanford Medicine Children’s Health), this episode dives into what leaders are truly grappling with right now—from funding pressures and ROI to communication breakdowns and what happens after a project is complete. 

Because today’s biggest challenges in healthcare design aren’t just about space. 

They’re about how decisions are made, and what it takes to make them better. 

Links Mentioned:  

• Grab your copy of Work for What's Next. 
• Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends.  
• Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights.  
• Book Amanda to speak 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Season 10, Episode 6 of Design Nerds Anonymous, host Amanda Schneider turns to two critical forces shaping the future of work: mentorship and learning. She’s joined by Elisabeth Mejia, President of IIDA New York and Interiors Leader for HKS in New York, and Paridhi Chawla, Vice President of Student Development for IIDA New York and a Gen Z designer at TPG Architecture. Together, they explore what happens when institutional knowledge is at risk of retiring out, why mentorship can no longer sit only with the most senior leaders, and how learning must become more distributed, reciprocal, and adaptable to keep pace with change. 

Links Mentioned: 

• Grab your copy of Work for What's Next. 
• Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends.  
• Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights. 
• Book Amanda to speak  

This season of Design Nerds Anonymous is presented by Mannington Commercial, THE MART & NeoCon, and The Mav Group.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Season 10, Episode 5 of Design Nerds Anonymous, host Amanda Schneider turns to two of the most pressing realities of modern work: communication and collaboration. She’s joined by Dr. JJ Peterson, former head of StoryBrand and a leading voice in modern messaging, and Gideon Spitzer-Williams, who leads global experiential marketing for Canva’s B2B organization. Together, they explore why more communication does not automatically create clarity, how AI should amplify wisdom rather than replace it, and what it takes to design communication systems that create momentum instead of noise. 

Links Mentioned: 

• Grab your copy of Work for What's Next. 
• Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends.  
• Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights. 
• Book Amanda to speak  

This season of Design Nerds Anonymous is presented by Mannington Commercial, THE MART & NeoCon, and The Mav Group.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Season 10, Episode 4 of Design Nerds Anonymous, host Amanda Schneider zooms out from trust and talent to explore the deeper belief systems holding organizations together: culture and purpose. She’s joined by Ron Tite—author, speaker, founder of Church+State, and former stand-up comic turned award-winning creative director—who has helped global brands align what they believe with how they behave. Together, they unpack why so many organizations get purpose wrong, how short-term thinking erodes real growth, and what it takes to translate lofty ideas into behaviors people across generations can actually see, feel, and follow. 

Links Mentioned: 

• Grab your copy of Work for What's Next. 
• Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends.  
• Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights. 
• Book Amanda to speak  

This season of Design Nerds Anonymous is presented by Mannington Commercial, THE MART & NeoCon, and The Mav Group.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Season 10, Episode 3 of Design Nerds Anonymous, host Amanda Schneider builds on last week’s trust conversation by tackling the next logical shift: recruitment and retention. She’s joined by two voices with beautifully opposing (and complementary) lenses: Grace Snelling, editorial assistant at Fast Company covering design, branding, and cultural shifts with a front-row Gen Z perspective, and Megan Detratto, partner and co-founder of TOKONEXT who’s spent 20+ years advising AEC firms on talent acquisition, succession, and next-gen leadership. 

Together, they explore why “less loyal” may be the wrong diagnosis, how cynicism is rising across generations, and what it looks like to design organizations people want to grow inside—not escape from. 

Links Mentioned: 

• Grab your copy of Work for What's Next. 
• Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends.  
• Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights. 
• Book Amanda to speak  

This season of Design Nerds Anonymous is presented by Mannington Commercial, THE MART & NeoCon, and The Mav Group.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.