Andrea Mangini on Leading Through Craft and Growing Through Discomfort (ex Shopify, Netflix, Autodesk, Adobe)

Andrea Mangini is a design and creative leader whose career spans some of the most design-driven companies in the world — from Adobe and Autodesk to Netflix and Shopify. She’s led teams that built the tools and experiences shaping how people create, design, and build. Andrea’s work focuses on design craft, leadership, and helping teams find courage in the uncomfortable parts of growth. She believes great design comes from curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to keep learning, even when the path isn’t clear.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro and Andrea’s career arc
• 06:45 – Taking risks and embracing discomfort
• 13:20 – Reframing imposter syndrome
• 18:40 – Balancing stability and growth
• 24:50 – The importance of collaboration, improvisation, and jamming with others
• 31:10 – Designing at the speed of conversation
• 38:20 – Learning to let go: not every problem needs to be solved
• 46:40 – Balancing collaboration with impact
• 48:10 – Leading craft at scale
• 54:00 – Reflections on growth, curiosity, and keeping design human
• 72:38 – End of show questions

Connect with Andrea
LinkedIn

Selected links from the episode
Midjourney
11Labs
KREA