FINALE: “Be Intentional” – A Decade of Innovation & Designing for our Future with Kay Sargent of HOK

By Mike Petrusky | November 10, 2026

Kay Sargent is Senior Principal and Director of Thought Leadership, Interiors at HOK where she is passionate about solving challenges related to strategic planning, workplace strategy, change management and designing for inclusion. She is also the author of a book published by Wiley in 2025, “Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing Sensory Processing and Cognitive Well-Being in the Built Environment” which presents a fresh perspective on workplace design for the estimated 20% of employees who are neurodivergent. In this final episode of the Workplace Innovator Podcast, host Mike Petrusky asks Kay to reflect on a decade of workplace conversations and the choices shaping what comes next as our industry faces accelerating technology disruption. She identifies human well-being, climate change, geopolitical shifts and AI as four forces that must be considered together when planning workplaces. With buildings and real estate decisions lasting decades, Kay argues that the industry needs to embrace change proactively and move beyond sustainability toward regeneration and she urges listeners to protect their ability to think independently by questioning AI outputs and making time to process information. Kay and Mike offer practical advice and encourage listeners to focus on what people value and approach design with future generations in mind as they offer the inspiration you will need to be a Workplace Innovator in your organization!

Connect with Kay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-sargent-53b2431/

Explore HOK: https://www.hok.com/

Learn more about IFMA: https://www.ifma.org/

Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4H3pwnlU2AuqynuRDpvnh4J

Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://eptura.com/discover-more/podcasts/workplace-innovator/

Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Posted in the facility management innovator