Business of Home Podcast: Michael Diaz-Griffith on Authenticity and Class in the Design Industry

Date: January 12, 2026
Host: Dennis Scully
Guest: Michael Diaz-Griffith, CEO of Design Leadership Network

Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation between host Dennis Scully and Michael Diaz-Griffith, CEO of the Design Leadership Network (DLN). The discussion delves into the evolving landscape of the design industry in 2026, emphasizing authenticity, class dynamics, the pressures of social media and AI, and the personal journey toward showing up fully and honestly in professional spaces.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Design Leadership Network: Mission and Evolution

[01:51–09:16]

• Michael’s Tenure and Approach:
  Michael reflects on his four years with DLN, explaining the importance of keeping the organization's mission relevant to contemporary challenges rather than resting on past achievements.

  "The organization we need to be now is different from the organization we needed to be in 2020. And that’s not really a DLN issue, that’s a world issue, that’s a design industry issue." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (03:13)

• Moving Beyond Spectacle:
  Emphasizes smaller, intimate gatherings in addition to high-visibility summits, shifting focus toward deeper conversation rather than large-scale spectacle.

• Navigating Uncertainty and Technology:
  DLN’s focus is on peer-to-peer learning and collective navigation of challenges such as tariffs, AI, and societal change, rather than claiming expert status.

  "We each have clues. And so any gathering... that will help us to assemble those clues, think together through them… is positive." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (04:21)

• Authenticity and Community in a Digital Age:
  Stresses the need for authentic connections and helping members pursue individualized notions of success.

  "Connecting to community, to other individuals in a really authentic way... that’s what I really care about most." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (08:06)

2. Social Media, Performing vs. Practicing Design

[09:16–18:00]

• Performance Pressure:
  Designers now face growing expectations to perform as personalities on social media, not just let their work speak.

  "Some people seem to be coming into the industry more as performers and people who can come across very effectively on social media." — Dennis Scully (09:23)

• Blurring Boundaries:
  Michael criticizes the dilution of professional categories and authenticity due to influencer culture.

  "It’s really disturbing to see certain lines become blurred because of social media... the breakdown of meaning making in language." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (10:56)

• Video vs. Writing:
  Laments the pressure on serious writers and thinkers to adapt to video, and champions discipline-specific expertise.

  "If someone’s a brilliant writer, should they have to become a video based performer? They absolutely shouldn’t." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (12:09)

• Class Barriers and Industry Openness:
  Acknowledges traditional and new barriers to entry—class, presentation, and now media performance. Advocates for support of those with integrity across all backgrounds.

  "There are other barriers to entry in the design conversation, including class... There have always been conditions and I think David [Netto] would be the first person to acknowledge that." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (14:32)

3. Integrity, Authenticity, and the Challenge of Recognition

[18:00–22:00]

• Integrity as Stabilizer:
  Michael stresses that a designer’s underlying reasons and integrity matter more than social clout.

  "When someone is in it for social clout or popularity or frankly, just for money, it causes my spidey senses to tingle, you know, and I think that, I think we all probably feel that way." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (19:52)

• The Temptations of Image-Chasing:
  Warns of the risk of losing one's passion or purpose when chasing visibility or validation.

  "For five years I started chasing the lists or the audience and sort of forgot why I loved this." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (20:40)

4. State of the Industry in 2026: AI, Authenticity, and Fatigue

[22:00–29:15]

• AI’s Divide:
  Describes an emerging split between designers using AI for efficiency (supporting human creativity) and those using it to create scale with little depth—raising concerns about quality and authenticity.

  "We are going to see, I think, a couple of years where people really have to plant their stakes on one side of an emerging divide or the other." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (23:08)

• Authenticity Exhaustion:
  Notes a generational pushback against perfectionism and hyper-curated images, with younger professionals craving more genuine engagement.

  "There has been this countervailent force among young people to be more authentic. And I think there’s a real pushback against leading an imagistic life that’s sort of unmoored from deeper analog and existential priorities." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (27:56)

5. Personal Journey: Showing Up Authentically and Addressing Class

[29:15–40:05]

• Living “in the open”:
  Michael discusses his conscious choice to speak and act with greater openness, especially reflecting on his background in the antiques world and how formality often acted as a barrier.

  "For me in that arena, this has been a year of really focusing on presenting myself in a way that allows me to be a better advocate for antiques and historic art." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (33:01)

• Aligning Contexts:
  Seeks to be consistent across professional and informal settings, bringing “the same voice, representing the same integrity, no matter the topic.” (34:45)

• Class and Snobbery:
  Addresses longstanding class issues in design, and the need to focus on present accomplishment, not past privilege.

  "I had been afraid to raise the topic of class... what really matters is what you’re doing now. Are you doing the hard, hard work today to pursue your discipline at the highest level of rigor?" — Michael Diaz-Griffith (37:52)

• Authenticity as Resistance—and Necessity:
  Frames authenticity as a safeguard against the pressures of social media and AI, and as personally sustainable.

  "It’s just exhausting to live any other way. But... the demand to be as authentic as humanly possible... still feels like the most important thing to pursue right now." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (39:38)

6. Resolutions for the New Year

[40:05–43:12]

• Concrete and Universal Resolutions:
  Michael’s ongoing pledge to live as authentically as possible—across leadership, family, and personal life.

  "We only have so much time to make an impact on other people and on our world and to just try to be as honest and forthright and focused on making a positive impact every minute as we can." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (41:19)

• Success Through Authenticity:
  Encourages others to reject trends and conformity, and to build success by staying honest and focusing on their unique contributions.

  "If any of us leads from that place instead of from conformity or trend chasing, we are likely to meet more success for ourselves personally... we’ll create more successful projects, conversations, businesses." — Michael Diaz-Griffith (41:45)

• DLN’s Approach:
  The DLN aims to support members in defining their own dream practices, not in conforming to a pre-set industry ideal.

  "It’s about what is your dream practice and how can we and how can this community help you get there?" — Michael Diaz-Griffith (42:50)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On adaptation in the industry:
  "It takes an extra type of effort to scratch the surface of that visual impression, to talk about what was hard on that project, what the challenges were, what the lessons were. And I think it’s that extra effort to kind of go deeper... that we’re really good at." (06:14)

• On social media performance:
  "Should [a brilliant writer] have to become a video based performer? They absolutely shouldn’t. I mean, I’m a writer myself and I respect writing as much as any discipline, including design." (12:09)

• On class and access:
  "There are other barriers to entry in the design conversation, including class. This has been an industry with a lot of snobbery..." (14:32)

• On authenticity:
  "It’s just exhausting to live any other way. But I think that... the demand to be as authentic as humanly possible, whether it makes things easier or harder, still feels like the most important thing to pursue right now." (39:38)

• On industry impact:
  "People make beautiful, interesting things with a lot of integrity and they can build a business out of that and build a sustainable practice. That is an amazing opportunity..." (42:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:51: Introduction to DLN and its evolving mission
• 10:21: Trends and concerns about performance on social media in design
• 14:32: Discussion of class and barriers in the design industry
• 19:52: Integrity as a core stabilizing force
• 23:08: The emerging divide in responses to AI in design
• 27:56: Generational pushback against perfectionism and pursuit of authenticity
• 33:01: Personal reflections on openness and self-presentation
• 37:52: Navigating class and accomplishment in the industry
• 41:19: New Year’s resolutions and authenticity as guiding principle
• 42:50: DLN’s mission to help members realize their own vision

Tone & Style

The conversation is thoughtful, reflective, and candid, balancing industry criticism with hope. Michael’s voice is passionate and vulnerable, championing integrity, creativity, and the value of authenticity against an increasingly performative, visually-driven professional landscape.