Rethinking Success
What a 12-Year-Old's Answer Reveals About the Future of Work
Description When Amy's 11-year-old nephew was asked what he wants to be when he grows up, everyone expected "a lawyer" — the answer he'd given for years. Instead he said he wants to "work from home." It sounds like a punchline, but it's an observation, and it says a great deal about how the next generation is thinking. In this episode Amy unpacks the shift from choosing a title to choosing a life, why portfolio careers and flexibility are becoming the norm, and why so many of our workplaces — built around status, hierarchy and being seen at a desk — aren't ready for what's already arriving. In this episode, you'll explore You'll explore why young people are choosing careers on lifestyle rather than title, and what they're picking up by watching the adults around them work. You'll look at the rise of the portfolio career, where multiple jobs and income streams replace the single path for life. You'll consider why so many organisational structures — built around hierarchy, status and office attendance — are out of step with where work is heading. You'll sit with the generational tension this shift creates, and the difference between resisting change and getting curious about it. You'll be invited to ask a better first question of the young people in your life: not what do you want to be, but what kind of life do you want to live. Chapters 00:00 Being an auntie, and the story that stuck with me 02:54 When "what do you want to be" stops meaning a job title 06:08 Choosing a life first, and letting the work fit around it 08:57 What we're really protecting when we resist the shift A few lines from this one "When they asked what he wants to be, he said: I want to work from home." "It's about choosing a job on lifestyle, not career and job title." "We're going to see people hold portfolios of jobs, not just one thing." "We ask kids what they want to be, and we attach their worth to their job." "What kind of life do you want to live — before we ask what job you want to have." About Amy Amy Green is a futurist, keynote speaker, author, and founder of The Wellness Strategy. Her book The Wellness Paradox (June 2026) unpacks the six paradoxes keeping us trapped in a model of success that isn't working — and charts a different way forward. Amy works with organisations, schools, and individuals who are ready to stop chasing a version of success that was never designed to make them well. Connect with Amy amygreen.com.au · @amy_._green · linkedin.com/in/amygreen · @amygreenofficial · Rethinking Success
