Behind the Mic: Get to Know Lisa Gralnek

Lisa Gralnek, a creative thinker and host of Future of XYZ podcast, wears many hats. Currently she holds two titles at iF Design where she spearheads innovative brand strategies, serving as global head of sustainability & impact and managing director of the organization’s North American subsidiary. She also shares her innovative ideas as a consultant for LVG & Co, and has held senior roles at mega brands such as Chobani, adidas, Walmart, and The Boston Consulting Group.

A prolific writer, Gralnek’s words and voice have been featured in SOCAP Global, The Consumer Goods Forum, Financial Times Moral Money, Sustainatopia, INSEAD Knowledge, and others. She is a member of SheSource and a founding member of Chief. She holds a bachelor of arts in political science and French from Bates College, and an MBA from INSEAD. While she’s well known for being a brand builder, business strategist, forward-thinking changemaker, one of her biggest flexes is creating her impactful podcast, Future of XYZ.

Coming into fruition amidst the chaos of COVID in November 2020, the bi-weekly podcast is now in its sixth season, joining the SURROUND Podcast Network and having iF Design as a partner. Through candid conversations with visionary leaders, Future of XYZ explores big questions about the world and how the direction of the architecture and design will continue to keep pace with technology.

Lisa Gralnek at an iF Design event.

Lisa Gralnek Talks About The Art Of Podcasting

SURROUND: Can you share the story behind Future of XYZ? 

Lisa Gralnek: 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. Built on my innate curiosity, the show was long an idea that came to fruition amidst the chaos of COVID in November 2020. Intersecting perfectly with my career as a creative brand builder, business strategist, and impact advisor working across industries, geographies and functional disciplines, I have had held countless conversations with visionary leaders, courageous changemakers, and international experts during those months of lockdown and prior. The discussions were then, always and continue to be about the state of affairs and the possibilities for the future as relates to topics in business & technology, art & science, government & humanity broadly. 

SURROUND: Who is your show for, and what do you hope people walk away thinking after listening?

LG: The XYZ in our name represents a mathematical variable alluding to the unique subject matter of each episode and its guests’ varied expertise. XYZ also represents the bold vision of a future destination—distant from the point ABC, where we find ourselves today. By engaging in honest and hard-hitting conversation, Future of XYZ aims to provoke new thinking and embolden opinions about the various possible paths ahead for anyone who is curious, into learning about new ideas, hearing from experts in their domain, and opening their minds to what’s possible.

SURROUND: The design world is so visual–how does that translate in audio? Why are podcasts valuable to our industry?

LG: I think that in 2024, podcasts are the only fully democratized medium. So whether you’re into interiors or city planning, pop art or knitting, robotics or sound branding—or anything else that falls under the vast umbrella of design and creativity—there’s a podcast (or 20!) for you through which you can discover the unique perspectives of those who are working in the space or at least thinking about it! Future of XYZ is crafted to be short (25ish minutes per episode) and candid (we do one take with no editing) in order to best capture the true passion and knowledge of our guests and deliver it to listeners in the quickest, most digestible and authentic way. 

Promotional material for Future of XYZ.

SURROUND: What’s something new you’ve learned through your podcast? 

LG: I’ve learned so much. I mean, I started Future of XYZ because there’s hardly anything I’m not curious about. And in 125 episodes so far, I’ve spoken with Harvard academics and political activists, former ambassadors and award-winning artists, CEOs and entrepreneurs, investors and inventors, scientists and farmers, and so many other fascinating people doing amazing things in and across the public and private sectors who have shared insights about health and wellness, culture and identity, technological innovation, luxury and lifestyle, and dozens of other subjects.

I have learned things I didn’t believe were true until they became obvious years later (future of COVID-19 with the former head of the CDC in 2021 for example, was remarkable), and I’ve been challenged on things I already accepted as fact (the role and benefit of venture capital for example); my horizons have been broadened (future of augmented reality or the Internet), while my perspective has been broadened by those doing the incredibly hard work of educating in all its forms (future of democracy, foreign policy, paid leave, learning, and so many others). I am humbled by the incredible guests who have been on the show and who continue to show up to share their passion and knowledge. Hosting this podcast is an immense privilege for someone who loves to learn. 

SURROUND: Where do you find ideas and inspiration for new episodes?

LG: Truly, the podcast is a vessel that can hold anything, so the challenge is not in finding the ideas or inspiration—it is in curating them. I work hard to invite in a diverse mix of guests who will be of interest to our listeners and subscribers, and who can introduce solid facts and expertise, while introducing topics that might challenge the status quo and help push thinking towards the progress we humans need and seek.  

SURROUND: What is your number 1 tip for an aspiring podcaster?

LG: Unless you’re already famous, don’t do it if it isn’t either a) for your own personal passion or b) to help grow your business. A podcast is a lot of work no matter how hard you try to simplify it.  

Interested in learning more about innovative design minds on Future of XYZ? Check the latest episodes out here.

SURROUND: What are your favorite podcasts in and out of the A&D world?

LG: I’m a political/current events junkie who cut the cord on cable nearly a decade ago, so mostly I listen to wonky stuff about international relations and governmental policy. I am also a circular economy nerd, so there’s lots about sustainability in the mix. And finally, more than anything else, I’m an empath and abuse survivor, so I listen to a fair amount of human interest stories, as well as about complex trauma (C-PTSD). That said, there’s so much cool stuff in the design and entrepreneurial space too—Guy Raz’s podcast How I Built This is among the classics. 

SURROUND: We know Future of XYZ is just one part of your current work; what else are you up to? Tell us about your other projects.

LG: In 2023, I opened the first North American subsidiary of the globally-respected nonprofit institution, iF Design, headquartered in Hannover Germany, since 1953. Introducing the brand and our prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD to the U.S. market takes up the bulk of my time and effort. I am also honored to serve as iF’s Global Head of Sustainability and Impact, a role that is helping support our 11K+ participants, 130+ Jurors, across 82 categories and from 70+ countries to think more about the social and environmental impact of their work. And finally, through my consultancy LVG & Co., I remain a brand strategy and growth advisor for select private companies who are looking to make a positive difference in this world. 

SURROUND: Looking back, what are your earliest memories of architecture and design that led you to your current career?

LG: Oh man, there’s so much. I’m a triple Libra, which, for anyone into astrology understands, gives me a trifecta of aesthetics and beauty mattering a lot. That said, as a kid, my parents collected contemporary art, and I grew up in the art galleries of 1980’s Los Angeles. My maternal great grandmother was America’s first professional female landscape architect, so flowers—and nature in general—hold a very precious place in my heart. I also always loved cars, was excited by building sites and architecture, and found personal style deeply reflective of individual identity (which I partially wrote my college thesis about and then spent 8.5 years in the world of high fashion before returning to grad school). 

Lisa Gralnek at the iF Design Trend Conference 2024.

SURROUND: Name an unexpected source of design inspiration and how you translate that spark into your work. 

LG: More personal, but at the end of the pandemic, I made a very “hard left”—leaving Brooklyn and moving to the countryside. In the past three years, I’ve renovated nearly every inch of my house, which is not at all a very large space, that I would never have purchased if not for COVID. The modernist style is atypical of New England; yet somehow in the openness of its plan, the sky and trees outside its windows, it invokes the many dozen, nearly always urban places I’ve previously lived. Surprisingly, this home has inspired a huge shift in my life, one I can now recognize was driven entirely by a search for an aesthetic I find deeply peaceful, and which has provided me the home base to go and seek outside inspiration through my work with iF Design. 

SURROUND: What’s one bold design prediction you’d make for the next 10 years?

LG: I predict that sadly, the current trajectory of money and margin trumping all else in business (and government) will continue largely unabated. But at some point, consumers will balk and the C-suite will realize how badly they need designers to create smart, value-adding, excellent, impactful designs across all what I call “the 5 Ps (products, packaging, platforms, places and policies)”. As my dear friend and former Reebok CEO, Uli Becker said at a roundtable iF Design hosted last September in Boston: “If you designers don’t do your jobs well, as a business leader, I have nothing to sell.” Amen. We must understand that design belongs on top as we move into the future of a world addressing growing complexity, climate shifts, and change. Good design is the answer; we must support it, and hopefully, we will.