Think Forward: Conversations with Futurists, Innovators and Big Thinkers
Steve Fisher
142 episodes
4 days ago
Emmanuel Daniel unpacks how digital finance prioritized monetization over true inclusion, then traces a larger shift from markets to networks where information compounds value. We test CBDCs, stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and ask whether debt has become the economy shaping tech, geopolitics, and personal wealth. • VC‑driven digital finance and unmet inclusion claims • Personalization versus centralization in money and platforms • The ice trade analogy for financial inefficiency • CBDCs st...
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Emmanuel Daniel unpacks how digital finance prioritized monetization over true inclusion, then traces a larger shift from markets to networks where information compounds value. We test CBDCs, stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and ask whether debt has become the economy shaping tech, geopolitics, and personal wealth. • VC‑driven digital finance and unmet inclusion claims • Personalization versus centralization in money and platforms • The ice trade analogy for financial inefficiency • CBDCs st...
Emmanuel Daniel unpacks how digital finance prioritized monetization over true inclusion, then traces a larger shift from markets to networks where information compounds value. We test CBDCs, stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and ask whether debt has become the economy shaping tech, geopolitics, and personal wealth. • VC‑driven digital finance and unmet inclusion claims • Personalization versus centralization in money and platforms • The ice trade analogy for financial inefficiency • CBDCs st...
What if the people best equipped to shape tomorrow aren’t engineers first—but emotional athletes? Our guest, Ahmed Best—actor, educator, Afrofuturist, and the pioneering performer behind Jar Jar Binks—shows how art can lead technology, not chase it. From South Bronx summers where hip‑hop was born to conversations with George Lucas at Lucasfilm, Ahmed traces a life lived at the edge of invention and explains why trusting artists to drive the tools changed cinema—and could change the future. W...
We talk with Peter von Stackelberg about humility in consulting, why timeframes matter, and how narrative foresight turns data into action. We trace his path from journalism to futures, explore exploratory forecasts, and unpack story worlds, transmedia, and cycles. • building trust through listening and humility • why clear timeframes beat vague “someday” futures • exploratory forecasts with indicators and course corrections • using story to turn data into lived context • transmedia and stor...
Peter Hayward shares his journey from a problem-solving tax professional to becoming one of the most influential futures educators, training hundreds of futurists and co-creating the renowned FuturePod podcast series. • Finding foresight in mid-career after experiencing existential questioning about purpose • Joining Richard Slaughter's first Master of Foresight class before eventually succeeding him • Understanding foresight as developmental - evolving as human consciousness evolves • Disco...
What if the key to understanding tomorrow lies not in boardroom predictions but in the rhythms of a DJ's turntable? Derek Woodgate, with his 30+ years as an experimental futurist, takes us on a fascinating journey through his unique approach to futures thinking that blends underground arts with rigorous analysis. Derek reveals how his background in music management (working with bands like Swans and Sonic Youth) and his immersion in early digital communities shaped his distinctive methodolog...
Welcome to this episode of Think Forward! In this episode, we sit down with Cécile Cremer, founder of Wandering the Future, joins us to challenge conventional wisdom about how we prepare for tomorrow's challenges. With refreshing candor, she explains why she's moving away from traditional trend reports toward a more collaborative approach to future-building. "I truly believe that the future should be co-created with people from all over the world," she shares, questioning how much real influe...
What happens when you hold an artifact from a future that doesn't exist yet? A newspaper headline from 2045, a product manual for technology not yet invented, or a social media post from an entirely different world? These aren't just creative exercises—they're powerful tools for making abstract futures tangible. Julian Bleecker, one of the pioneering architects of design fiction, takes us on a fascinating journey through his approach to imagining possible tomorrows. Julian shares his journey...
The key to organizational survival lies in embedding foresight deeply into company DNA, creating structures that detect change, understand implications, and adapt accordingly before crises emerge. Futurist Steve Fisher shares practical frameworks for developing this capability, regardless of team size or organizational readiness. • Four organizational models for implementing foresight: Lone Wolf, Dynamic Duo, Special Forces Unit, and Enterprise Transformation • Step-by-step implementation pl...
Nicholas Badminton brings a refreshingly grounded yet visionary perspective to futures work, sharing his journey from growing up around a slaughterhouse to delivering over 450 keynotes worldwide as a renowned futurist. His approach focuses on breaking dominant narratives, finding overlooked implications, and helping organizations build futures fluency through practical, integrated methods that drive meaningful transformation. • Began his futurist journey when his father gave him "The Usborne...
Welcome to episode 132! We sit down with Roger Spitz of the Disruptive Futures Institute. Roger Spitz brings a refreshingly different perspective to the future of business and leadership. As the former global head of Tech M&A who pivoted into professional futures work, Roger's journey represents exactly the kind of transformation he advocates for—bold, purpose-driven, and responsive to a changing world. What sets Roger apart is his holistic approach to disruption. While most futurists fo...
Catherine Roy, a designer turned strategic futurist at Thales, reveals that flying taxis and advanced air mobility face substantial social acceptance challenges beyond mere technological hurdles. Her research identified 62 criteria for social acceptability of air taxis, demonstrating the complexity of successfully introducing this transportation mode. We touch upon many things in this episode including: How she transformed into a strategic futurist leading global design networksResearch found...
Jake Dunegan, a visionary operating at the intersection of futures thinking and political systems, shares how experiential futures can help us reimagine governance for the 21st century challenges we face. Drawing from his fascinating journey from anthropology to futures studies, Dunegan shares the moment he discovered a manuscript on "Quantum Politics" that proposed revolutionary ideas about constitutional design based on uncertainty rather than mechanistic balance. This epiphany eventually l...
Alex Fergnani takes us on a journey from his beginnings as a martial arts student in Asia to becoming a provocative voice in futures thinking with his groundbreaking approach to foresight wisdom. His upcoming book "The Dao of Foresight" with Penguin represents a fresh approach to teaching foresight concepts through an entertaining narrative set in a fictional world. Following a hero's journey structure, the novel follows a young disciple seeking a master to help save his endangered village. T...
We celebrate our milestone 100th episode and the culmination of our Foundations in Foresight series by reflecting on our journey and preparing for what comes next. • Reflecting on the journey of building a comprehensive foundation for understanding and shaping the future • Revisiting key elements including nine super shifts, the Transform Model, and futures-fluent mindset • Transitioning from learning about foresight to leading with it through consistent practice • Identifying your sphere of...
The mindset you bring to uncertainty, change, and possibility is the most powerful element in effective futures thinking, not just the frameworks and methods. • Futures fluency resembles learning a language, where patterns become intuitive and contextual meanings become apparent with practice • Being futures fluent means developing an intuitive understanding of change, system interactions, and strategic positioning • The emotional dimension involves developing "uncertainty comfort" - staying...
We conduct a comprehensive future readiness assessment to help you measure your capabilities across five key dimensions and create a personal development roadmap for navigating transformation effectively. • Future readiness isn't a single capability but a multidimensional capacity spanning how you think, what you know, how you act, and what systems you've built • The five dimensions of assessment include futures literacy, supershift awareness, foresight methodology, systems integration, and ...
We complete our workshop trilogy by exploring how super shifts are reshaping communities, governance, culture, and our collective futures through a societal lens. This interactive session provides tools to identify social impacts of transformations, understand multi-dimensional societal changes, explore emergent futures, and develop strategies for effective collective engagement. • Using spectrum signals to identify concrete manifestations of super shifts across governance, education, econom...
We continue our Foundations in Foresight series with an interactive workshop focused on how super shifts reshape organizations and how leaders can develop adaptive strategies in response to these transformative changes. • Identifying which super shifts will most significantly impact your organization • Using spectrum signals to track early indicators of these shifts in your industry • Applying spectrum layer analysis to understand multidimensional organizational implications • Creating robus...
We venture into territory many futurists avoid: the darker sides of our potential futures and why exploring dystopian possibilities is a crucial component of comprehensive futures thinking. • Psychological discomfort and professional incentives often prevent us from exploring negative futures • The COVID-19 pandemic showed how avoiding challenging scenarios ensures we're unprepared when they happen • Exploring dark futures enhances resilience, helps identify warning signals, and reveals unex...
We explore the power of building and nurturing communities of futures thinkers to accelerate learning and create greater impact in foresight work. The future is collectively created, and connecting with others who explore different perspectives enhances our ability to shape it. • Futures communities expand our perspective by bringing together diverse viewpoints and expertise • Communities function as learning accelerators, allowing members to build on others' insights and approaches • Being ...
Think Forward: Conversations with Futurists, Innovators and Big Thinkers
Emmanuel Daniel unpacks how digital finance prioritized monetization over true inclusion, then traces a larger shift from markets to networks where information compounds value. We test CBDCs, stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and ask whether debt has become the economy shaping tech, geopolitics, and personal wealth. • VC‑driven digital finance and unmet inclusion claims • Personalization versus centralization in money and platforms • The ice trade analogy for financial inefficiency • CBDCs st...
