

About Place
MillerKnoll
Hosted by Ryan Anderson, VP of Global Research and Planning at MillerKnoll, About Place explores the evolving role of place in our lives, at work and beyond. Each episode features conversations with thought-leaders, designers, researchers, and more, all of whom bring expertise and understanding about how the places we create can positively impact how we work and live. Visit millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action for more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 25, 2025 • 44min
S5 E1: The purpose of place making, featuring Cheryl Durst
As more business leaders recognize design as a core business strategy, the designers they work with have become strategic collaborators and deep experts in every facet of their organization. In this episode, Cheryl Durst, Executive VP and CEO of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), unpacks today’s multi-faceted notion of the term “designer,” and how these place makers can help organizations unlock the value of their workplace.
Guest:
iida.org/board-member/cheryl-s-durst-hon-fiida
Host:
news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Aug 28, 2025 • 17min
S4 BONUS 5: Crafting comfort
The workplace is more than a destination for work to get done. It’s an experience that should evoke the natural comfort that enables people to work their best and have meaningful experiences. Our guests at Design Days share their thoughts on this changing template for office design.
Guests:
Laura Beth Mertz: pdrcorp.com/about-us/our-team/designarchitecture-team/laura-beth-mertz
Brady Mick: linkedin.com/in/brady-mick
Rex Miller: rexmiller.com
Derrell Jackson: linkedin.com/in/derrell-jackson
Keiji Takeuchi: keijitakeuchi.com/
Host:
https://news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Aug 21, 2025 • 13min
S4 BONUS 4: New design differentiators, featuring Chris Leong
At MillerKnoll, VP of Interiors Chris Leong designs spaces that put our research and insights on the workplace into practice. Listen in as he joins us from the new MillerKnoll workplace to discuss its design, differentiators for the well-planned workplace, and why architecture should be a little... strange.
Guest:
news.millerknoll.com/Chris-Leong
Host:
https://news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Aug 14, 2025 • 17min
S4 BONUS 3: Exceptional ergonomics, featuring Steven Souter
For more than three decades, Colebrook Bosson Saunders has been creating award-winning ergonomic tools that seamlessly connect people and technology at the office and beyond. In this episode, ergonomics and workplace design expert Steven Souter dives in to the three facets of ergonomics and the invaluable role that each plays in the places we work.
Guest:
linkedin.com/in/stevensouter/colebrookbossonsaunders.com
Host:
linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Aug 7, 2025 • 23min
S4 BONUS 2: What's working for the workplace
At Design Days, we tapped guests with unique perspectives on the workplace to hear what’s exciting them about the future of office design. Listen in as we discuss what’s next for occupancy studies, the power of applied research, why people are coming to the office, and much more.
Guests:
Dawn Hayne: asid.org
Helia Taheri: arcadis.com
Rob Kirkbride: officeinsight.com
John Michael: millerknoll.com
Mara Rasikas: heidrink.com
Julie Auvil: standard.com
Colin Nourie: collectiveten.com/studio
Host:
linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Jul 31, 2025 • 24min
S4 BONUS 1: Insights from the Archives, featuring Amy Auscherman
We kick things off with archivist Amy Auscherman in a conversation about the evolution of modernism and the ways it has shaped how we live and work. Hear little-known stories from early Herman Miller collaborators and about the indicators that Amy’s watching to gauge the future of workplace design.
Guest:
instagram.com/acid_free/
millerknoll.com/about/archives
Host:
linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Jul 24, 2025 • 2min
Preview: Fresh insights about place
What better way to expand our insights from Season 4 than to share bonus episodes, including several conversations from the new MillerKnoll workplace during Design Days? Listen in as we talk to leaders in archives, A&D, CRE, and more to get closer to the burning question: What’s next for the workplace and what is design’s role?
Hosted by:
Ryan Anderson, Vice President, Global Research & Planning, MillerKnoll

Jan 9, 2025 • 22min
S4, E11: A future for relationship-based planning
Sociologists sounded the alarm on technology’s more negative effects on people and places many decades ago. In season 4’s final episode, we revisit the past to chart a new way forward for the workplace. Listen in to discover how space planning can rebalance our relationship with technology and prioritize human interactions to create workplaces where people want to be.
Host:
linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Dec 19, 2024 • 53min
S4, E10: Safe to fail
Innovation at work happens when we feel safe to fail, but how can we feel safer with our teammates in an era of distributed work? In this episode, sociological researcher Caitlin Begg and Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmonson deepen our understanding of psychological safety and discuss how spending more time together as teams can enable smarter risks and unlock innovation.
Guests:
authsocial.com
instagram.com/caityb/
hbs.edu
instagram.com/amycedmondson/
Host:
linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Dec 5, 2024 • 38min
S4, E9: From occupancy to outcomes
This season, we've tapped into the ways organizations are innovating to support new ways of working and people coming back to the office. For this episode, we turn to Sara Klinges, Head of Real Estate and Workplace Effectiveness at Genentech, to find out how social, technological, and place-based strategies can fuel workplace effectiveness long term. Listen in as we discuss the perks of team-based agreements, ways to catalyze workplace effectiveness, and more.
Guest:
Gene.com
Host:
linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/
For more About Place, visit:
millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast
Connect with MillerKnoll:
Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/


