This week, Nathan welcomes Kay Sargent, Senior Principal and Director of Thought Leadership, Interiors at HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm. She is also the author of the groundbreaking book, Designing NeuroInclusive Workplaces.

Kay challenges the “one-size-fits-all” office model, advocating for flexible, inclusive design rooted in choice and sensory diversity. She shares evidence-backed strategies that enhance productivity, engagement, and well-being, making a clear case for why the most effective workplaces are designed with neurodiversity and flexibility at their core.

Timestamps

(09:00) The six modalities of work and how to design for each

(15:45) “This is the first office that I’ve ever been able to come into where I don’t get headaches.”

(20:26) “ If you’re addressing the environment but not the operational side, you’re setting people up for failure.” 

For a transcript and more resources, visit Minds at Work on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected].

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give.