The hospitality industry encompasses various sectors including hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and tourism. Our guest this week is Neil Jacobs- a seasoned entrepreneur with a journey through hospitality including running hotels and building them from the ground up, financing venture deals and closing successful sales. He has been CEO of Six Senses since 2012 and oversaw its sales to InterContinental Hotels Group, a multinational hospitality company headquartered in England and listed on both...
Jun 26, 2025•40 min•Season 7Ep. 144
S7 E12: Global toymaker Mattel knows a thing or two about Play. Operating in 35 countries with products sold in over 150 countries, the toy giant who employs over 30,000 people across its Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, UNO®, Polly Pocket and other brands – is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year! Tied to the release of a large new study called the “The Shape of Play”, XYZ speaks with Chris Down, Mattel’s Chief Design Officer and iF DESIGN AWARD Juror about the state o...
Jun 12, 2025•44 min•Season 7Ep. 143
Ever wonder how the “mouse” evolved? Or, how the graphical interface that introduced clicks and drags and the hover state changed the human-computer relationship? Learn about the history, evolution, and future of the most famous "pointing device” out there from the very international, cross-disciplinary designer who oversees user experience (UX) design for both physical and digital products at Logitech’s Personal Workspace group (~$1B annual revenue). She’s also an iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 juror. On...
May 29, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 142
Neuroaesthetics is all about how human-focused design affects our wellbeing. Our guest is an award-winning architect guided by the philosophy that "form follows feeling". Integrating neuroscience and architecture, her New York City-based studio creates environments that push the boundaries of architectural tradition to shape a more empathetic, equitable, and enriching built environment that positively influences human experience. | S7 E10 ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a bi-weekly interview ...
May 15, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 141
This May 1st- known in Europe as May Day or International Workers' Day- we’re exploring the intersection of capitalism, people, and planet. A distinguished leader, academic, and researcher from New York University's Stern School of Business joins us to explore 10+ years of quantitative research that evidences bottom line benefits for companies who integrate social and environmental sustainability as a core part of business operations. Across sectors- from consumer-packaged goods to energy, autom...
May 01, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 140
Of the world’s 8.2 billion population, nearly 6 in 10 people live in urban areas. By 2050, it’s expected to be 7 in 10, and closer to 8 in 10 by 2100. What does this mean for the future of cities, of nature, of climate change, of business, of humanity? And moreover, what is the role of architecture and urban planning in addressing the present and preparing for the future? Hear from an award-winning architect whose New York City firm does work around the world from huge corporate headquarters and...
Apr 17, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 139
What is sexier than a beautifully-designed car? From vintage classics to newer EVs and autonomous vehicles, this episode explores the many ways that car design brings value to customers, how brands can harness this, and the complexity of managing across sophisticated technical and emotional requirements. Our guest, Sam Livingstone is a car and mobility design strategist, Principal at Car Design Research in Cambridge, England, and iF DESIGN AWARD Juror. If you love car design or are simply intere...
Apr 03, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 138
Starting in the last mid-century, companies and consumers began moving away from commonly reusable/refillable packaging for goods like milk, eggs, liquor, shampoo, detergent, etc. into buying branded, single-use versions from grocery and drug store shelves. Then at the turn of this century came even greater variety and convenience through globalization, e-commerce, and Amazon. We probably don’t have to convince anyone of the large negative impact of this industrial packaging waste on the planet....
Mar 20, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 137
Fascinated by the intersection of tech, business, society and our own expanding consciousness- with experience ranging from frozen foods to reinventing the internet– our guest is a bestselling author, sought-after speaker, founder of a consultancy that “helps visionaries play bigger”, and recognized as one of the world’s top female futurists. It’s 2025, and we find ourselves living in a world where everything feels more fragile than ever. In this conversation, we discuss what the 21st century de...
Mar 06, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 136
It’s a week after Valentine’s Day, the annual hallmark of romantic love, and we’re exploring a related idea- that of pleasure. Our guest is an award-winning industrial designer who pioneered the category of pleasure jewelry with the aim of honoring the female perspective. This episode is all about how we can create emotional experiences through beautiful product design. Watch, listen, and learn more at www.lovecrave.com. Happy belated Valentine’s. | S7 E4 ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a bi-...
Feb 20, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 135
Typography is a graphic art that involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line spacing, letter spacing, and spaces between pairs of letters. It affects how we perceive and comprehend written words, phrases and ideas from historical documents to books, advertising posters to TikTok reels. This week, we speak with Charles Nix – designer, typographer, educator, and Senior Executive Creative Director at Monotype- the “apex of typography” to geek out about this all-encompassing design...
Feb 06, 2025•37 min•Season 7Ep. 134
Worldwide video gaming revenue was estimated at nearly $455 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4% expected through the end of the decade. This big and growing business is fast-changing – calling in new ideas, technologies and talent. Our guest is a designer himself with serious street cred with many of the industry’s biggest players, as well as being a passionate educator in Arts & Entertainment Technologies. If you’re a gamer or even just interested in the futu...
Jan 23, 2025•38 min•Season 7Ep. 133
Welcome to a new year! For our first episode of 2025, we are speaking about customer experience. Our guest is the Global Head of Design Strategy in the CX Office of Samsung Mobile Experience based in Seoul, South Korea, where he directs all aspects of enterprise design- elevating the multitude of touchpoints that make an ‘experience’ in the modern commercial world. Join us to learn how brands and designers can ensure a positive customer experience and why it matters. | S7 E1 ABOUT THE SERIES: Fu...
Jan 09, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 132
Tis the season for SNOW! And what better seasonal re-release than our amazing conversation from early 2023 about the ‘Future of Snow Sports’?! Our guest is the Founder of Snowboard Magazine and Tailgate Alaska, a former professional snowboarder and Olympic commentator. From the industry’s growth and the impact of climate change, to self-reliance in the backcountry and the power of presence, this is a holiday episode for everyone. Be sure to tune in! | S4 E4 Re-release ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of...
Dec 26, 2024•29 min•Season 4Ep. 94
In our final new episode of the year, we have the privilege to speak with visionary architect and activist, Pascale Sablan, only the 315th living African American woman registered architect in the United States and the youngest African American ever to be inducted into the AIA College of Fellows. In addition to being President of the acclaimed Adjaye Associates’ NYC studio, Pascale has served in various capacities at the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), including as Global Pr...
Dec 12, 2024•30 min•Season 6Ep. 131
Digital has become such a part of our lives, intertwined with everything we do, that most of us- personally or professionally- never pause to think about the environmental impact of our online interactions. Our guest this week is an expert in digital strategy with an eye towards people and planet. In the Future of Digitality, we are provoked to think differently about our digital engagement and resulting carbon footprints. For anyone interested in sustainability topics, this is a don’t miss epis...
Nov 26, 2024•30 min•Season 6Ep. 130
This fascinating episode begins with the etymology of the Italian word “mobilia”, then continues into the historical evolution of furniture design, current trends, material innovation, the complexities of sustainability, and the importance of deep research. Furniture is not singular or monolithic, and neither is this conversation with our guest, a renowned Icelandic industrial designer based in New York City, which explores what it means to design for human living in so many diverse public and p...
Nov 14, 2024•34 min•Season 6Ep. 129
Our guest this week may have the world's (or universe’s?) coolest job! As Creative Director at NASA, David Rager oversees the agency's visual brand. From changing iconic logos to elevating design language on extraterrestrial transports, creating useful artifacts with high-profile artists to producing creative tools for public learning- his team is responsible for “communicating the value of NASA’s [amazing] work”. Also, Happy Halloween! Check out some spooky NASA-designed graphics imagining life...
Oct 31, 2024•34 min•Season 6Ep. 128
Want to learn about circularity, but not sure what it is? Few people are better poised to talk about maximizing systemic change and collective action than this week’s guest from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Tune in to learn about efforts being undertaken to inspire and empower the world’s designers to create products, services, and systems that address the root cause of global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution- and help regenerate nature's bounty. | S6...
Oct 17, 2024•32 min•Season 6Ep. 127
A musical virtuoso who tours with Jon Batiste and serves as the Musical Director of Grace Farms Foundation- our guest this week brings us an episode that is both bold and beautiful. Touching on the role of music in family, culture, and tradition- to the influence and impact of technology on the music industry especially in the 20th century- this is a heartfelt and profound exploration of what music really is, where it intersects with so many other creative disciplines, what it provides us as hum...
Oct 03, 2024•37 min•Season 6Ep. 126
What other topic would we discuss in our 125th overall episode and kickoff to a new season, with our new presenting sponsor, @ifdesign and now as part of the Sandow SURROUND Podcast Network- than the Future of DESIGN!? Our three guests represent an incredible knowledge base covering cross-disciplinary design from cars & tech, to furniture & sound. Together, we dive deep on industry trends & challenges, and of course, the importance of good design & educating the next generation o...
Sep 19, 2024•38 min•Season 6Ep. 125
Innovation- it's a huge topic ranging from the invention of the wheel or printing press, to mindset shifts or harnessing the technology that fuels our modern world. This week, we speak with the host of another podcast, Barriers to Entry, who focuses on how emerging technologies are being brought to life to solve problems and create new opportunities especially in the design industry. From hot topics like AI and its real-life human implications to the impact of venture capital- don’t miss this ex...
Apr 25, 2024•29 min•Season 5Ep. 124
“We are a species of curiosity and survival; I’m convinced that exploration is embedded in our human DNA.” Chris Rainier is the son of an explorer and an artist who started his career as Ansel Adams’ assistant, going on to become one of this generation’s most well-respected documentary photographers and filmmakers, and a National Geographic Society Explorer. He is fundamentally positive and believes deeply in the need to involve the entire human voice, all 6000 languages and our knowledge bases ...
Apr 11, 2024•24 min•Season 5Ep. 123
Imagine a hiring process where all you have to do is put your name on a list. Where you can earn a living wage regardless of your education, disability, race, prison time, homelessness, or other traditional barriers to employment. It’s called ‘open hiring’ and Greyston Bakery- provider of brownies to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream- has been implementing it for 42 years. A positive catalyst for lifting traditionally marginalized employees and their communities out of poverty, it also offers signific...
Mar 28, 2024•26 min•Season 5Ep. 122
How can companies ensure long-term mission alignment and drive value beyond just wealth creation for shareholders? Learn about the growing movement towards purpose trusts. An ownership model recently adopted by outerwear giant, Patagonia, this is a way for businesses to protect their values and ensure purposeful commitments endure over time. Episode 6, Season 5. ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a bi-weekly interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’...
Mar 14, 2024•27 min•Season 5Ep. 121
Happy Leap Year! From cross-disciplinary design and discontinuity, to systems thinking and all that needs to be redesigned in the world – Episode 5, Season 5 dives deep into the topic of complexity. This February 29th, we are encouraged to accept what we cannot yet know and learn tools for adaptation. Tune in as our guest breaks down this fabulously complex topic for us. ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a bi-weekly interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and ...
Feb 29, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 120
ABOUT: Our guest this week runs an education nonprofit whose vast curriculum helps millions of individuals from ages 12-99+ understand more about how their food is produced, packaged, transported, sold, and ultimately consumed. The conversation addresses positive impacts on personal health, the role of technology, deforestation and ocean acidification, systems-level wellbeing, the power of information, and veggie burgers! Tune in for an educational conversation in Episode 4, Season 5. ABOUT THE ...
Feb 15, 2024•25 min•Season 5Ep. 119
This week, we hear from a woman who has spent her illustrious career in the world of money, capital, and investing. As an inaugural member of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s Advisory Committee on Racial Equity and founder of the first Native American-owned investment bank– we gain a powerful perspective on what it means to create equitable access to growth capital and how to affect positive change for ALL our communities. Don’t miss Episode 3 of Season 5. It’s quite an education....
Feb 01, 2024•23 min•Season 5Ep. 118
As we continue into Season 5 and a theme of the new year, we’re exploring Motivation. What it is, how one finds it and keeps it, and how it necessarily evolves in step with our individual and collective futures. Our guest this week is a motivational speaker, author, coach and tech entrepreneur who believes motivation comes from our values, our environment, or a sense of purpose. Tune in to the 2nd Episode of Season 5. ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a bi-weekly interview series that explores ...
Jan 18, 2024•27 min•Season 5Ep. 117
What topic is better to kick off the new year than ‘future of wellness’?! Tune in for a holistic conversation about how health, science, economics and the environment are interconnected and the impact on individuals, communities and systems. Don’t miss this fascinating 1st Episode of Season 5! ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a bi-weekly interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented in collaboration with Rhode Island PBS. FOR MORE I...
Jan 04, 2024•24 min•Season 5Ep. 116
