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Mentorship and Learning for What’s Next
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.
In this episode:
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Why mentorship can no longer be owned only by senior leaders and must become more decentralized, shared, and peer-to-peer
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How asking better questions may matter more than having the right answers—especially in a world changing faster than training models can keep up
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Why digital-first does not mean digital-only, and how mentorship now has to stretch across texts, Zooms, in-person moments, and informal conversations
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What Gen Z is really asking for: agency, trust, and learning models that feel more human, flexible, and relevant to how they actually work
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The future if we get this right: mentorship and learning that are more equitable, fluid, and adaptable across generations
Links Mentioned:
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Grab your copy of Work for What's Next.
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Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends.
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Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights.
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Book Amanda for a speaking engagement.
Design Nerds Anonymous is a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode of Design Nerds Anonymous was produced and edited by SANDOW DESIGN GROUP, with music from Blue Dot Sessions. Special thanks to the podcast production team: Hannah Viti, Rob Schulte, and Rachel Senatore.
Special thanks to our podcast season sponsors, THE MART + NeoCon, Mannington Commercial, and The Mav Group – companies doing big things to move the design industry forward.
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Design Nerds Anonymous is the only podcast of its kind – holding an engaged audience of architects, designers, CRE leaders, and end users – and delivering the most insights per minute on the forces shaping the built environment. With over 100K+ downloads, the show features industry powerhouses from brands like Chick-fil-A, Hilton, and StoryBrand, having bold conversations on what’s next in business and design—market shifts, process innovation, and the hidden dynamics driving change.
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