The New Abnormal: Recent Episodes
Sean Pillot de Chenecey
Hi! My podcast focuses on hope, community & resilience. It has over 90,000 downloads, and according to Listen Notes, is now in the top 3% of global podcasts. (Which is nice.) Debating these subjects and the context within which they sit has meant I've had some fascinating discussions with guests inc activists, creatives, writers, entrepreneurs, strategists, psychologists, lecturers, futurists, etc. Re: my background, I'm a strategist, public speaker & author. My first book 'The Post-Truth Business' focused on authenticity and ethics, the second 'Influencers & Revolutionaries' on innovation and sustainability. (The insights gained in these podcasts link to ongoing research conducted by BrandPositive.Org) So...enjoy the interviews!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Clare Beaton-Wells, based in Melbourne, who is a Strategic Policy Advisor and Future Generations Fellowship Lead at Foundations for Tomorrow.
As a leader and specialist driving systems change, intergenerational collaboration, and policy innovation, she works across civil society, government & academia to drive impactful policy and projects that advance long-term thinking, sustainability and equity.
With deep experience across government relations, policy leadership & advocacy, and cross-sectoral partnerships, Clare brings a dynamic approach to addressing complex global challenges. An accomplished public speaker, Clare has shared insights on long-term governance, sustainable development and future generations policy at high-level events, including internationally at the UN Summit of the Future.
Clare is passionate about amplifying diverse voices, fostering intergenerational collaboration and driving long-term models of governance, and her work has been recognised with several awards.
So, we discuss all of the above and more, in a dynamic conversation which I hope you’ll enjoy!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the renowned strategist / futurist / facilitator, Sabrina Sullivan.
In our conversation, she discusses her unconventional journey into foresight, the importance of imagination, and the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in an increasingly uncertain world.
Sabrina traces her career from consulting and sustainability into strategic foresight, describing how graduate work on climate scenarios revealed that organisations often prefer comfortable summaries over genuinely provocative futures. This insight has shaped her career: helping leaders embrace uncertainty rather than avoid it. She discusses her work at Ford Motor Co, where foresight was embedded into strategic planning, innovation, product development and executive decision-making through scenarios, signals, and "orthodoxy flipping" to identify new opportunities.
A major theme is the need to rethink leadership itself. She explains her ‘Leaders for Humanity’ game, which uses playful future scenarios to help leaders explore uncertainty, challenge assumptions and develop imagination rather than search for "correct" answers. The conversation also explores imagination as an increasingly vital capability. Sabrina argues that while organisations recognise its importance, few actively cultivate it. She highlights work with schools, executives and civic leaders to build futures literacy from an early age and create greater agency in shaping the future.
Throughout the discussion, she emphasises that futures thinking is less about predicting tomorrow than developing the mindsets, relationships and confidence needed to navigate uncertainty. Sabrina concludes by encouraging individuals and organisations to become "future shapers" rather than passive "future takers"…
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast feature, Marie Stafford, Global Director, Intelligence at VML. In it, she spoke about the latest edition of VML’s Future 100 report and the broader forces shaping consumers, brands and culture. Unlike many annual trend reports, VML’s research is continuously updated, allowing the team to identify meaningful shifts rather than seasonal observations.
The discussion centres on five macro themes underpinning this year’s report. The first, ‘Disoptimism’ captures a paradoxical mindset: people clearly recognise the political, economic and environmental challenges facing society, yet remain personally optimistic about their own futures. Closely connected is ‘Resilience Rising’ which argues that resilience has evolved from a reactive survival mechanism into an intentional life skill. The third theme ‘Metamorphic Lives’ reflects consumers’ growing desire for experiences that actively transform them. The fourth ‘Story Worlds’ explores the shift from passive media consumption towards immersive participation. The final macro theme ‘Future Archaeology’ examines how brands and consumers are rediscovering heritage, indigenous knowledge and craftsmanship as sources of innovation.
The conversation then shifted to Marie’s observations from the latest Cannes Lions Festival. She identified several dominant themes emerging across the industry: first is a call to escape what she describes as the #AgeOfBeige. A second major theme focused on preserving uniquely human capabilities in the age of AI. Marie also highlights the growing strategic importance of creators. Another discussion centred on the value of ‘creative friction’. Finally, she illuminated how the debate around brand purpose has evolved. Throughout the discussion, Marie argues that while technology continues to transform every industry, the greatest opportunities lie in combining innovation with authentic human insight, creativity, resilience and cultural understanding. These qualities, she concludes, will define the brands best equipped to thrive amid continuing uncertainty…
So, I hope you enjoyed listening to her as much as I did!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the Johannesburg-based ‘thinker, researcher, and sometimes do-er’ Geci Karuri-Sebina, who is an Assoc Professor at the WITS Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, Organiser at the Civic Tech Innovation Network, and Chair / Director of the Southern African Node of the Millennium Project.
In what I hope you'll agree is a fascinating conversation, she discussed rethinking futures, activism, and development through more pluralistic and imaginative approaches. Drawing on her interdisciplinary background across technology, urban studies, and foresight, Geci explained her shift towards post-activism, arguing that conventional responses to crisis often reproduce the very systems they seek to change. Rather than prioritising action alone, she advocates deeper understanding, experimentation, and humility in the face of complexity.
She also illuminated the emerging African Foresight Network, which seeks to cultivate futures thinking rooted in African and Global South perspectives, indigenous knowledge systems, and diverse conceptions of time. Geci discussed challenging linear, Western models of futures thinking and encouraging more culturally grounded approaches - she also critiques the dominance of reductionist foresight methods (e.g. the 2x2 scenario matrix) calling for richer, more inclusive epistemologies and methodologies.
Turning to urban futures, Geci outlined her work on a decolonial critique of urban studies, arguing that African cities are often constrained by limiting narratives. She advocates moving beyond these imaginaries through experimentation and new narratives. The discussion concluded with her work on AI, development models, and an "Alt Lab" for social experimentation. Finally, she explained how creating better futures depends on strengthening imagination, inclusion, and institutional transformation...
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Julian Boulding, Owner of TheNetworkOne.
The organisation works with over 1000 agencies in over 100 countries, providing ‘open-source creativity’ and communications services from independent agencies for a growing number of leading international marketing companies. They also help independent agencies develop their own business internationally, through providing international partners, consulting resources and professional development programs.
A renowned industry figure, each year Julian produces a much-quoted review of the annual Cannes Lions Festival, and this podcast was recorded on the day of its 2026 release. In it, Julian illuminates a range of the key talking points from the event, in what was a challenging year for the Lions…
So, I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I did, in what I hope you'll agree is a very insightful conversation!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Clare Stark, Head of Futures Literacy and Foresight at UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
They’re a specialized UN agency dedicated to promoting world peace and security through international collaboration in education, arts, sciences, and culture. Headquartered in Paris, its mission spans 194 member states and encompasses several focus areas. Key Initiatives include World Heritage Sites, Global Education, Scientific & Ethical Standards, and Cultural Heritage Safeguarding.
Clare is a dedicated professional with more than 20 years of experience in international development cooperation, she’s passionate about ensuring that technology leads to positive social transformations, and using futures literacy and foresight to inspire collective action to shape the futures we want, using evidence-based approaches to enhance anticipatory capacities.
She covers a lot of ground in the podcast, including UNESCO's role in advancing futures literacy and anticipatory governance / Embedding foresight into national and int’l policymaking / The Global Anticipatory Policy Coalition / AI governance, AI readiness and responsible deployment / Climate anxiety & information anxiety / Trust, democracy and misinformation / Leadership through collective intelligence and collaboration / The importance of culture, history and indigenous knowledge in shaping future policy / Participatory foresight involving young people, educators and citizens / The future of education, creativity and public policy in an AI-enabled world.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did, in what I hope you'll agree is a fascinating conversation re: the growing importance of anticipatory governance and futures thinking in addressing today's global challenges.
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Fatima-Zahra Ma-el-ainin, who is a psychologist, poet, and narrative architect reimagining how societies cultivate wellbeing.
Her work sits at the intersection of systems work, knowledge design, and social transformation, informed by more than a decade of experience in systems mapping, programme design, and conversational leadership. Through global commissions, institutional partnerships, and field-building initiatives, she develops frameworks that elevate wellbeing from intervention to design principle.
She currently serves on the Lancet-LSHTM Commission on the Emotional Determinants of Health, and co-leads the World Economic Forum’s Future50 Initiative. Previously, she co-founded a mental health social enterprise whose programs and curricula impacted seven million students in Morocco.
A sought-after speaker, she has addressed audiences at the UK Parliament, the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, the IAYMH Conference, and TEDx, among other platforms.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did, in a dynamic conversation that takes in all of the above and more!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Dr Mark Bloomfield, who has leveraged AI and advanced technology for over fifteen years to drive innovation, transformation, and measurable impact across an array of businesses.
Operating at the intersection of business, technology, and academia, he now works across multiple industries, advising organisations on how to apply AI and emerging technologies for real commercial impact with measurable results.
As a Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School, Mark teaches on executive education programmes. Hence, he's constantly immersed in the most cutting-edge thinking and practice, engaging with some of the brightest minds in academia and business.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I did, in what I hope you'll agree is a fascinating conversation.
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Tommaso Cesano, Founder of Osmo, a Strategy+Design studio focused on creating impactful products and experiences, aiming to build products for clients that can 'change their tomorrow'.
Based in Italy, this award-winning studio works with ambitious companies who wish to be innovators in their industries. They believe in 'Curiosity, Adventurism, and Effort'. Along with their work for leading-edge companies, one of the many dynamic things they do is to oversee the visual identity of TEDx events in their beautiful home city of Brescia.
We discuss Tommaso's design ethos, and along the way also cover the amazing bookzine that they publish (L'osmonauta), which has something of a cult following. So, if you're interested in hearing a detailed viewpoint on the issues impacting design agencies today, this one's for you!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the independent futurist Jonas Drechsel, who is also a member and co-initiator of the dynamic collective practice youngK Berlin; which is interdisciplinary, exploratory, and holistic.
His mission as a solo freelance futurist is to make desirable futures more likely. As a critical futurist, he thinks about how the status quo works and what doesn't. As a real utopian, Jonas participates in the creation of exemplary projects that anticipate a better world. And thereby create spaces of possibility.
We discuss those issues in this episode, where he explains why working with the youngK collective is so fun, as their culture, exchange, and collaboration contributes to shaping futures with joy and dedication. He also covers the leading-edge methodologies that he’s using, along with a piece he’s just written for the Journal for Futures Studies.
And we cover the recent ‘Futurist Archetypes’ report that he produced, which has gained a lot of attention in the futurist-community. Whilst he insists that these archetypes are ironic and deliberately exaggerated, they’re also both funny and uncannily accurate. The crucial question for futurists is, of course, in which of them might you recognise yourself?
So, I hope you enjoy the conversation!
Series Six
This episode of The New Abnormal features Alice Dimond, who leads Mō Āpōpō Future-Makers at Tokona te Raki, a project that equips young people to imagine and create better futures.
This includes designing a toolkit grounded in Māori perspectives and stories, empowering young people to use these perspectives to navigate complexity and drive transformative change.
In addition, she's a Fellow with Next Generation Foresight Practitioners, an Advisory Trustee at Ako Ōtautahi Learning City Trust and the National New Zealand Lead for the Futures Methods from Around the World project, where she explores how Māori worldviews, ways of thinking, organising, and acting can unlock new pathways to better futures.
Alice has presented at global forums such as the Dubai Future Forum, World Futures Day, and the Building Hopeful Futures Festival. She's committed to using innovation to challenge dominant thinking, create new solutions, and drive change.
So, we discuss all the above and I hope you enjoy the conversation!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Marianna Maki-Teeri, Director of Foresight at Futures Platform.
She’s an internationally recognized futurist with 15 years of experience in strategic foresight & futures studies, and helps organizations around the world make sense of change before it happens.
At Futures Platform, Marianna leads an analysis team in translating emerging signals and “what ifs” into actionable insights, while advising clients on building and scaling their own foresight capabilities. Her work serves as a constant bridge between practice and theory.
As a doctoral researcher at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC), she investigates the synergy between human and machine intelligence in foresight work, exploring if and how AI can augment our capacity to reach more impactful outcomes.
Marianna is driven by the conviction that foresight helps us become better architects of tomorrow. In an era of constant disruption, she works to ensure that systemic transformation is a deliberate choice rather than a passive drift.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to Marianna as much as I did!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Mikko Dufva, the Leading Foresight Specialist at Sitra.
Mikko works on projects across an array of areas including those related to the futures of synthetic biology, platform economies, forestry, mining and use of renewable energy.
Sitra is a future-orientated organisation that promotes Finland’s competitiveness and the well-being of the Finnish people. They specialise in anticipating societal change, trying out new operating models and accelerating businesses aimed at creating sustainable well-being.
In the interview, we discuss Sitra’s approach to examining trends, the tensions between them, and aligning with weak signals of change alongside mental images connected with the future, in order to make futures more approachable.
We particularly focus on their ‘Megatrends 2026’ report which aims to strengthen Finns’ future-orientated thinking and their capacity for foresight in decision-making; but also discuss their newly released report the ‘Growth Atlas’ along with ‘IF magazine’ which focuses on weak signals. Finally, Mikko also illuminates a side project regarding the development of ways to explore futures through body and movement.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I did!
This episode of the New Abnormal podcast features Ramila Khafaji Zadeh, who is a trainer and designer in Futures Literacy at Hanze University of Applied Sciences and part of the UNESCO Chair in Futures Literacy.
She leads projects with governments, industry, higher education, and NGOs, and has previously worked with the UN on futures-oriented initiatives. With expertise in social innovation and governance, her current work focuses on transitions and how being futures-oriented, as a capability, helps navigate and shape these processes.
In this episode we discuss all of the above, but do so by particularly focusing on her homeland of Iran. Thus she illuminates her views on why the freedom of imagination is so important regarding utilising plural perspectives to imagine plural futures. As she says "what happens next hasn't been written yet, and the next chapter cannot be written only by what we fear might return..."
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the renowned superforecaster Warren Hatch, CEO of Good Judgement Inc.
He joined the organisation as a volunteer forecaster in a research project sponsored by the US government / funded by the intelligence community, where they emerged as the undisputed victor re: geopolitical forecasting.
Warren then became a 'Superforecaster' and is now CEO of the commercial successor, Good Judgment Inc, a world leader in applying innovative probabilistic solutions to real-world decisions in order to forecast the future.
He's assisted governments and private companies around the world to improve their foresight and quantify uncertainty. Warren's prior career was on Wall Street where he started at Morgan Stanley, and he earned his PhD from Oxford University.
So, we discuss all of the above in what I hope you'll agree is a fascinating conversation, focusing around Warren's views on how to quantify subjective risks to deliver accurate and early foresight, thus enabling better decision making about the future.
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Maija Knutti, a Policy Analyst in the EU Policy Lab Foresight Team, which is part of the European Commission Joint Research Centre.
As Maija explains, it's a collaborative place for innovative policymaking, which is intended to help policymakers think holistically and long-term.
She goes into real detail in this episode about what her role entails, and in doing so explains the approaches taken and ranges of outputs delivered re: the ESPAS (European Strategy & Policy Analysis System), the ranges of foresight engagement tools & approaches that the teams utilise in the wide variety of reports they generate; along with highlighting the development of the Nordic Foresight Network, and an exciting forthcoming Polyfutures event.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to her, as she covers the above dynamic issues!
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Muhammad Alaraby, an award-winning Arab futurist, policy analyst, and editor.
He's also Head of Strategic Foresight at the independent think tank Future for Advanced Research and Studies (FARAS), which seeks to enrich public dialogue, support decision-making and enhance academic research pertaining to futures-issues that currently constitute a real problem in the Middle East region.
In light of instability and unpredictability, the overarching goal of FARAS is to help ward off future shocks regarding these developments.
So, we discuss the above, during a conversation in which Muhammad outlines his interest in 'the rugged terrain of futures, strategic foresight, geopolitics, geoeconomics and intelligence. Not forgetting history, literature, arts and philosophy...'
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Lisa Giuliani M.A., who is an experienced educator with over ten years of work in higher education, K-12, the private sector, and nonprofits.
Dedicated to empowering young people and organizations through futures literacy, Lisa currently serves as the Director of the Young Voices Network at Teach the Future, which is based in the US but operates globally.
Passionate about intergenerational equity, making futures thinking accessible, and inspiring youth leaders, she believes that collaboration across generations enhances organizations and communities.
So, we discuss all of the above, along with the forthcoming World Futures Day, a 24hr global conversation about our common futures that brings together intergenerational voices from around the world to ensure youth perspectives are central to the global dialogue.
In particular, regarding this conversation, Lisa explains how Teach the Future, in partnership with the Millennium Project, launched the Young Voices Edition.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as did - and make sure you listen into World Futures Day on 1st March!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Deborah Hayek, who leads Foresight & Innovation at Servus Credit Union, in Canada.
She brings over a decade of experience integrating strategic foresight into business strategy within major financial institutions. Previously, at the forefront of Manulife's Global Innovation team, Deborah served as Head of Strategic Foresight, driving foresight initiatives across business lines and shaping innovation strategy through macro trend analysis and immersive engagement tools. Prior to that, she built and led the future-focused R&D team within Desjardins’s Innovation Lab.
In parallel, Deborah designs and teaches executive education at HEC Montréal, equipping senior leaders with the methods and mindset to navigate uncertainty and seize future opportunities. Through bilingual instruction, she aims to make strategic foresight both practical and accessible to leaders shaping tomorrow’s economy.
She discusses all of the above in our discussion, which I hope you find as interesting as I did. And you can read her newsletter on corporate foresight 'The Sparkline' on Substack...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Kateryna Ostrovska, who is a health policy and systems strategist with a background in family medicine and leadership experience across Ukraine’s public and private healthcare sectors.
She's worked in conflict-affected regions of Ukraine as a Health Governance Specialist with the United Nations Development Programme, and as a consultant with Deloitte, contributing to the USAID Health Reform Support Project on health workforce policy.
Her work focuses on strategic healthcare management, health systems strengthening, evidence-informed policymaking, and the use of foresight and anticipatory governance to navigate uncertainty. She’s a member of the Association of Professional Futurists, the Foresight Europe Network, and the European Health Futures Forum.
So, we discuss the above in what I hope you’ll find is a fascinating conversation.
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Petra Hurtado, Ph.D. who's the Chief Foresight & Knowledge Officer at the American Planning Association, leading their foresight program and knowledge portfolio; including research, publications, educational content, and career services.
With a Ph.D. in urban planning from the Vienna University of Technology, her areas of expertise and research include strategic foresight, futures literacy, urban futures and emerging technologies, urban sustainability, and environmental psychology.
In this episode, we focus mainly on an imminent release from the APA: their 2026 Trend Report for Planners. Titled 'Embracing Uncertainty' it identifies over 100 key trends across three actionable timeframes: 'Act Now, Prepare, and Learn & Watch'.
Petra delivers a sneak preview of the report in our discussion, which unpacks the most significant trends and patterns, empowering the navigation of challenges, and showing how to lead the way in shaping a better future for the planning profession, with the overall aim of helping create thriving, resilient communities.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Klaus Dodds, a leading geopolitical analyst specialising in polar affairs, territorial sovereignty, border disputes and great power competition, with over 30 years of experience bridging academic research and strategic policy advice.
Klaus analyses how geography shapes power: from Arctic governance and territorial disputes to the geopolitics of climate change and resource competition. His work examines how traditional diplomatic frameworks adapt to emerging challenges, particularly in polar regions where great power rivalries increasingly intersect with Indigenous rights, commercial and trade-based competition and environmental transformation.
His latest sole authored book "Border Wars: The Conflicts That Will Define Our Future" has been translated into multiple languages, whilst he co-authored “Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic" which examines how Arctic transformation reshapes global geopolitics.
So, in our conversation I asked him to reference the skills that he used to translate complex geopolitical analysis for diverse audiences (from parliamentary committees to commercial organisations to public forums) where his approach combines deep historical knowledge with forward-looking strategic analysis, examining territorial ambitions, resource competition, and how environmental changes intersect in our dynamic world...
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Marie Roussie, a futurist from the Paris-based collective Making Tomorrow.
Marie has spent the past three years examining approaches to the future development of the French armed forces. In this interview we discuss her work and in particular, the dynamic 'Futures of Conflicts' report published by the NATO Defence College, which she co-authored. (It's a quantitative and qualitative study of close to 100 foresight reports recently produced by NATO, its members and partners).
As it says 'the return of conflict to the European continent and the ongoing intensification of flashpoints around the world cast a pall over visions of the future...'
So, we discuss the report, and her ongoing work in which she aims to shed light on the human element, which in her view provides realistic insights into the wars of tomorrow and an understanding of the military profession.
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Lena Tunkers, a renowned independent futurist and facilitator, who has a mass of experience in applying Futures Literacy, Experience Design and innovation methods to navigate change.
She's worked with a range of communities, institutions and corporate across Europe, and in Kenya, Australia and Mexico, to guide them in their exploration and struggles with the novel and unknown.
Lena is also President of the Foresight Europe Network, and initiator of ORA, a practise working with the future in organisations and society.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did, as she explains how she challenges conventional assumptions and offers clients a curious and active way of approaching uncertainty.
Series Six
The episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast featured Riel Miller, who for over forty years has been co-creating innovation, leadership and transformation in both the public and private sectors around the world.
He pioneered the 'discipline of anticipation' as one of the leading tools for engaging in both research and capacity building around futures literacy, and is a highly experienced designer of processes for thinking about the future.
Riel is currently working with universities, governments, companies, and think tanks from around the world to introduce an anticipatory systems and processes approach to understanding the attributes and role of the future. He has been appointed a Senior Fellow at: Ecole des Ponts Business School (France); U. New Brunswick (Canada); NIFU (Norway); U. Witwatersrand (South Africa); Future Africa at U. Pretoria (South Africa), and East China Normal U. (China).
He was formerly Head of Foresight and Futures Literacy at UNESCO in Paris, from 2012-2022. In 1995 he joined the OECD in Paris to work in the International Futures Programme. In 2005 he founded an independent consultancy – xperidox (which means knowledge through experience) to advise clients on how to use the future more effectively .
Riel specialises in bringing decision makers to question the assumptions underlying current choices and exploring the potential of the present. Specific sectors inc: The future of money / Future of Schooling and Universities / Future of Cyberspace / Future of Technology / and Future of Governance.
So, we discuss the above in what I hope you'll agree is a fascinating interview!
Series Six
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Jost Wagner, Managing Director of The Change Initiative and Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific Futures Network, the largest network of futurists in the region.
Over the last 20 years, he's designed and facilitated over 600 workshops and conferences worldwide for organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, United Nations, World Bank, USAID, GTZ (now GIZ), DFAT, five German political foundations, a number of international NGOs such as Oxfam, Plan, WWF, etc.
In this interview, we discuss all of the above, along with his latest article for Compass magazine c/o the Association for Professional Futurists, where he writes about his belief in the urgent need for long-term thinking and action - to counter the futures-thieves that rob others (especially future generations or marginalised groups) of the opportunity to shape or benefit from desirable futures...
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Jan Berger, who advises business leaders on how to steer their companies towards a profitable future. He's the Founder & CEO of the renowned Themis Foresight in Berlin, which he founded to anticipate the economic, technological, social and political drivers of future change.
The team at Themis are driven by the conviction that outstanding futures research is the crucial key to success for the strategic direction of Europe's economic and entrepreneurial elite. They bring the results of this research to corporate clients via foresight, scenarios, roadmaps, and strategic design.
Jan is also President of the World Futures Studies Federation, the independent global peak body for Futures Studies Scholarship, an NGO and UNESCO partner founded in 1973. It operates as a global network of practicing futurists, including researchers, teachers, scholars, policy analysts, activists and others from approximately 60 countries.
In our conversation, we discuss all of the above, during which Jan also covers a fascinating and incredibly ambitious initiative in which he's currently involved: 'The Industrial Renaissance Project'.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to his viewpoints as much as I did!
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Stephen Dupont, Principal at Dupont Foresight, who brings a futures mindset to marketing/communications planning and strategy. He also serves on the board of the nonprofit 'Teach the Future' and is a Future Fellow of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Stephen's expertise in foresight helps clients anticipate change – to see around corners, grab opportunities and avoid risks. Based in the US, he helps organisations communicate their visions of the future, by leveraging foresight tools to help leaders make smarter decisions.
He's also editor of Compass, the quarterly magazine of the Association of Professional Futurists (APF). Stephen has also had more than 50 of his articles published about marketing, communications, foresight, future trends, creativity, content marketing, writing, and more over the past few years. Over his career, his work has also been honoured with over 50 awards.
We discuss all of the above, along with his feedback on the latest annual Dubai Future Forum. So, I hope you enjoy listening to Stephen as much as I did!
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Erik Korsvik Ostergaard, who is a futures-thinker and strategic foresight consultant.
He uses futures-thinking to be curious about current and coming trends, and to turn them into strategies. He focuses on transformation and the future of work, leadership, and collaboration; with a particular focus on the Life Science and Healthcare domains.
Erik is also the author of "The Responsive Leader", "Teal Dots in an Orange World", and the newly published "Anticipatory Leadership". He’s also written articles for Thinkers50, Børsen, the Global Peter Drucker Forum, Fair Observer, India CSR, CEO World, Thrive - and others.
In this interview, we discuss all of the above, and along the way, Erik also outlines some of the issues on which he lectured at the renowned Copenhagen Business School for over a decade.
So…enjoy!
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Dr Isabella Hermann, a political scientist who analyses and speaks on the subject of science-fiction.
She focuses particularly on how the genre reflects emerging technologies, socio-political value systems, and global politics. This includes various topics like artificial intelligence and robotics, climate change and Mars colonization, as well as mobility and education and many more.
Isabella believes that essentially, science fiction provides a “commentary on the present from the future” on every issue that concerns us today. The narratives oscillating between the realistically imaginable and the metaphorical, offering two distinct levels of interpretation. This, she thinks, is what makes the genre so compelling and relevant for our current times.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to her views in this wide-ranging discussion as much as I did!
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Cynthia Scharf, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Future Generations, a European think tank, leading their work on Climate Interventions. Issue of trust, global equity, behavioural psychology, archetypes and narrative are key to their work.
She served as the senior strategy director for the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative prior to the CFG, which focused on kickstarting international governance for solar geoengineering and large-scale carbon removals. Cynthia previously served as head of strategic comms and chief speechwriter on climate change for UN Secretary-General before, during and after the Paris Agreement.
Previously to her work on climate change, Cynthia worked for the UN and international NGOs on global humanitarian emergencies. She began her career as a journalist in Moscow in the early 1990s covering the collapse of the communist system in the former USSR and Eastern Europe. Her articles on climate change and geopolitics have been published in major newspapers across the globe.
She's a deeply interesting individual, so we discuss all of the above and more, in what I hope you'll find to be a fascinating conversation.
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Diana Stafie, founder of Future Station, the renowned strategic foresight consultancy that empowers organizations to navigate change, identify emerging trends, foster innovation, and effectively prepare for the future.
Future Station specializes in guiding companies through scenarios-based strategic planning processes and equipping teams with the necessary skills to thrive in evolving realities. Their diverse client portfolio spans industries such as retail, telecom, banking, manufacturing, FMCG, and real estate, but also NGOs and public institutions.
In addition to her role as a strategic foresight consultant, Diana actively engages in research projects and contribute to various think tank groups focused on future topics. She's passionate about sharing her insights and regularly contributes articles and interviews on Foresight, Trends, and Exponential Technologies to business publications.
So, we discuss all of the above and more, in a discussion that also includes her impressions of the activity at, and the outputs from, the latest Dubai Future Forum.
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Velislava Petrova, Chief Programme Officer at the Centre for Future Generations.
She oversees CFG's technical and cross-cutting programs, monitoring impact, aligning with political priorities and identifying strategic directions.
Velisalva is also an ex-Senior Policy Consultant with the World Health Organization, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Senior Manager at Gavi Vaccine Alliance, and a Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the World Bank.
We discuss all the above and more in what I found to be a deeply interesting discussion - and I hope you enjoy listening to her views as much as I did.
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Jonathan Barth: Founder, Think-Tanker, Brussels Expert and Author of the forthcoming book #EscapingCollapse.
His passion is to illuminate how Europe needs to respond to the geopolitical turn and make our institutions ready for a security and climate-disrupted world, with particular focus on financial, fiscal, industrial and energy policy.
As a think tanker with various affiliations Jonathan maintains and works with a comprehensive network of high-level public officials and policy stakeholders in Brussels and Berlin; including the European Commission, the German government, governmental agencies, and international organisations such as the UN and the OECD.
He's a Senior Fellow at the Jacques Delors Institute, Exec Chair of the Board at Geostrategic Europe, Co-founder and Senior Fellow at the ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies, and Senior Strategic Advisor at the We Mean Business Coalition.
Jonathan is a deeply informed individual, and I found the discussion (which also included an overview of his book, which blends the psychology of grief and economics) to be fascinating. I hope you do too!
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Loes Damhof - UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, award-winning pioneer in higher education, and TEDx speaker.
As UNESCO Chair Futures Literacy in Higher Education, she designs, facilitates and researches learning spaces that are potentially transformative, where participants explore multiple futures to see the present anew. She uses the Futures Literacy Framework as developed by Riel Miller and applies/ modifies it for the larger public, where an 'openness to emergence' is her main drive and challenge, believing that is where new ways of being, thinking and acting can be explored.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did, as she discusses how to see the cracks in our thinking and stories, the need to imagine more futures, identify our assumptions, and enhance our perceptions regarding futures work and the discipline of anticipation...
Series Five
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features the author, academic and consultant Nardia Haigh, who has spent nearly two decades helping people navigate uncertainty using scenario planning.
She has taught hundreds of people how to apply scenario planning methods, and advised individuals and organizations across corporate, nonprofit, and public sectors. Her work has been referenced in articles published in outlets including Forbes, FastCompany, and Medium.
Nardia holds a Ph.D. in Business Management from The University of Queensland, Australia, and brings a practical, real-world approach to managing uncertainty.
In this episode (which coincides with the COP30 climate summit in Brazil) we therefore discuss her practical approach to consulting activity, and the insights illuminated in her writing and lecturing.
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Bulent Duagi, a 'cross-pollinator' in the Romanian futurists-ecosystem.
He works with high-stakes decision makers, facilitating strategy execution and acting as a guide for organisations tackling tough challenges. He also works as a futures-skills trainer to help 'curious people stay relevant' via moderating workshops on core topics such as Strategic Thinking or Applied AI.
Bulent has a passion for helping companies address their most critical business and organisational challenges, which has translated into a track record of him running over a hundred strategic initiatives over the last decade.
Always exploring new fields and connecting the dots, he likes to help clients 'decide and move'. So, if you're interested in gaining an insight into the futures-ecosystem in Romania, this episode is for you!
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Jordi Serra del Pino, who is a consultant with more than 40 years experience in foresight, strategy and intelligence.
As a professor, he’s participated in numerous academic programmes and currently holds several positions:Deputy Director at the Centre for Postnormal Policy & Futures Studies, Associate Professor at Blanquerna Ramon Llull University, Foresight professor at Lisa Institute, and is responsible for foresight at the Interuniversity Master’s in Intelligence Analysis. He also serves on the editorial board of Futures and World Futures Review.
Jordi has consulted for private companies, government agencies and international organizations.He’s also a writer, contributing to major journals and mainstream media, and as a public speaker has given keynotes at numerous events around the world.
In this episode, we discuss all of the above, along with some of the key influences on his thinking over a long and fascinating career. Jordi also outlines the imminent arrival of a dynamic new platform that he’s about to launch in the futures-consulting space…
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Andre Spicer, Dean and Professor at Bayes Business School, City St George's, University of London.
He's an expert in the fields of organisational behaviour, leadership and corporate social responsibility, and is the founding director of ETHOS: The Centre for Responsible Enterprise at Bayes.
Andre is the author of a number of successful books, has co-authored numerous reports and written columns for the Guardian, Financial Times, New Statesman, and The Conversation.
However, in this episode, we mainly focus on his latest book 'The Art of Less: How to Focus on What Really Matters at Work'.
In it, Andre explains how "organisational sludge" gets in the way of performance, and what can be done about it. An issue which I'm sure all listeners will recognise as something that leaves us feeling overwhelmed but underproductive.
So, listen to this essential guide on how to achieve more by doing less...
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Dr Emma Louise Briant, an internationally recognised expert and professor of information warfare & propaganda.
She helps policymakers, governments, business leaders, journalists and the public understand and respond to the challenge of contemporary online threats.
Her research, testimony and solutions on the rapid evolution of surveillant propaganda and its implications for democracy were central in exposing the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Her work has informed civil society organisations, the UN, US Congress, UK Parliament, Canadian Parliament, New Zealand Parliament, and EU Parliament.
Emma's books include the Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry, Bad News for Refugees, and Propaganda & Counter-Terrorism. She also served as advisor for Emmy-nominated ‘People You May Know’, and as Senior Researcher for Oscar-shortlisted ‘The Great Hack’.
She's an absolutely fascinating person, so I really enjoyed listening to Emma's perspectives, and hope you will too!
Series Five
I’m honoured that the focus of this episode of ‘The New Abnormal’ podcast is Jim Dator, who’s had an extraordinary impact on futures-thinking.
Indeed, I believe one would struggle to find someone else who could today be genuinely given the title of “the world’s leading futurist”. Although Jim is far too self-effacing to bestow that title on himself, it’s an accolade he thoroughly deserves.
His career has been a lifelong invitation to ‘think differently about tomorrow’, with his intellectual rigor and curiosity expanding what it means to study “The Future.” Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Research Centre for Futures Studies, Dept of Political Science, at the University of Hawaii; he more or less invented futures studies during his time teaching at university in Japan in the 1960’s, before returning to the US and introducing the first course there. He’s also taught at universities in Canada, Yugoslavia, France, and Korea. And he’s the former President of the World Futures Studies Federation.
For this podcast, we agreed to mainly focus on his latest book “Living Make-Belief: Thriving in a Dream Society” in which Jim illuminates his ideas about the past, present, and futures of modes of communication and social change. (And he of course mentions Rolf Jensen c/o Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies.) But we naturally also allude to his other books, articles and staggeringly wide array of intellectual viewpoints, in a podcast where, while he supplied the script, as he’s over ninety years old, Jim asked me to voice the episode on his behalf.
It was incredibly kind of him to allow me to tell his story (or at least some of it) and I’m delighted that he was so pleased with the results.
And, of course, I hope you enjoy the episode as well.
He really is a genius.
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the famous physicist and futurist Dr Joseph Voros, who helps people and organisations think about the future in serious ways through futures-orientated intelligence and strategic foresight capability-building.
He’s been a professional futurist for over 25 years, initially as a practitioner of and lecturer in strategic foresight, but increasingly in the Defence and National Security context, including participation in NATO’s Strategic Foresight activities.
We therefore discuss his views on issues including the various categories of futurists (with a nod to 'Synoptic Generalists'), linkage between futurists and intelligence analysts ('cousins or twins?'), why futurists are lucky that they don't have to persistently deal with counterintelligence, and a thought-leadership paper he's just presented to a gathering of officers from that sector.
Joseph has a strong belief in the need for both rigorous intellectual discipline as well as practical pragmatic utility in ‘real world’ contexts, and this belief lies at the heart of his renowned approach to Futures Studies and strategic foresight.
And before you ask, yes we do discuss the “Futures Cone” that he so popularised, regarding a range of ‘nested class’ futures i.e. Potential, Preposterous, Possible, Plausible, Probable, Preferable, Projected, and Predicted. Meanwhile, and indeed as what was satire becomes ever more a lived reality, Joseph stresses that one must never forget Wildcards…
So, we cover all of the above, in what I hope you’ll agree is a fascinating interview.
Series Five
In this episode of The New Abnormal podcast, I interview Neil Shearing, the Group Chief Economist at Capital Economics, where he leads a world-class team of economists and oversees the firm’s global research agenda.
A trusted voice in international finance, Neil is known for his clear, insightful analysis of the global economy - insights that regularly feature in the Financial Times and other major publications, as well as on TV and radio.
Earlier in his career, he served as an Economic Adviser at HM Treasury, working on fiscal policy and global economics.
In the interview, we discuss his new book 'The Fractured Age' in which he describes how the tectonic plates of the global order are shifting, creating new pressures that will strain long-standing financial structures. Neil explains where the world's new economic fault lines will emerge, and how disruptive they'll be...
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Gergely Nemeth, former Head of Strategic Foresight at NATO and now CEO of Hungary’s Defence Innovation Research Institute (VIKI), who reflects on a career ‘impacted by coincidence’ but marked by increasing responsibility in defence planning, policy, and foresight.
Beginning as an intelligence analyst, he moved through roles in Hungary’s Ministry of Defence, NATO committees, and finally NATO’s Strategic Foresight team, where he revitalized foresight processes disrupted by COVID. A pivotal assignment in Brussels during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine gave him direct experience in international defence collaboration and NATO’s “art of the deal” diplomacy.
At VIKI, Nemeth leads efforts in foresight, innovation, and strategic outreach, supporting projects such as XR-based training systems and advancing the robotization of armed forces, which he views as inevitable due to demographic, technological, and battlefield realities.
A key point we discuss is the role of hope in futures thinking: Gergely believes that foresight must not only identify risks but also shape preferable futures through agency and action. Above all, he stresses the importance of intellectual honesty, institutional adaptation, and collaborative innovation as vital for building resilient defence ecosystems...
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal features Lourdes Rodriguez, a Strategic Foresight Consultant with the European Commission and Co Exec Director at Teach the Future.
With a background in Psychology, her work has been focused on trends research and foresight for more than 15 years, and she's therefore deeply experienced in discovering new signal of change and seeds of the future in the present.
Lourdes is currently also doing a Master’s in Cyber Politics and Government, as she's interested in learning more about the impact of emerging technology in a geopolitical context, how it could affect our governments, our democracies and ultimately, our lives.
You'll understand why Forbes magazine describes her as 'one of the best futurists in Spain' as she describes her past career and current activity in our conversation.
So...I hope you enjoy the discussion!
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Marie Stafford, Global Director (Intelligence) at VML. She's a strategic foresight consultant skilled in creating inspiring future narratives, transforming futures insights and trends into commercial opportunity across a top tier multinational client portfolio.
Specialised in foresight at the intersection of consumers, culture and innovation, Marie is also a seasoned speaker and panellist cited in outlets like the FT and New York Times.
In this episode, she discusses the latest 'Future 100' from VML (the renowned industry report that examines key trends from around the world, and features interviews with a range of sector experts) along with her take on dynamic issues illuminated at the recent SXSW London.
So, if you're interested in listening to the views of an industry-expert across a range of subjects from Sharing to Solitude and from Pets to Architecture...enjoy!
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Peter Cunliffe-Jones, visiting researcher at the University of Westminster and Director of Facts Matter Research, a misinformation research and strategy consultancy, where he advises organisations in effective ways to both counter the harmful consequences of misinformation and protect wider freedom of speech.
Peter started his career as a news journalist for the AFP new agency - working for more than 20 years in Europe, Africa and Asia. He reported from Bosnia and Croatia on the last year of war and first 12 months of peace, from Nigeria on the end of decades of military rule, oversaw the agency's coverage of the Asian tsunami, developed its online news services. In 2012, he founded Africa Check, the African continent's first independent fact-checking organisation, which operates in South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria and Kenya.
He's also run training courses for fact-checkers in countries from Afghanistan to Myanmar, worked as a strategic adviser to the Arab Fact-Checkers network, which seeks to foster nonpartisan fact-checking in the Arab world, and served on the Safety Advisory Council for TikTok in Africa.
His new book is called "Fake News - what's the harm?" and presents four dynamic ideas for fact-checkers, policymakers and platforms on the challenge of information disorder.
In our conversation, Peter discusses all of the above and more, in what I hope you’ll agree is a fascinating episode. So – enjoy!
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Faris Yakob, co-founder of Genius Steals, who began his career as a strategist during the first dot com explosion, before moving into agency world. He worked for some dynamic agencies inc Naked Communications (as their 20th employee) before moving on to be EVP Chief Tech Strat at McCann Erickson NYC. He subsequently went to MDC Partners - a network of best-in-breed agencies inc CPB, Anomaly, 72 & Sunny, and kbs+, and then co-founded the superbly named Spies & Assassins.
Faris was a founding member of the IPA Social Committee, and has blogged about - and been involved in discussion around - social in the industry for a decade. He's also written for those inc Campaign, Fast Company, Forbes, Contagious, Canvas8, etc.
We discuss all of the above and more, in a conversation which takes in Marx, uncertainty & risk, Kant, Severance, Cannes Lions, and the realities of Nomadic Consulting. So...enjoy!
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal features Gareth Kay, Partner at The Intangibles 'the transformation consultancy for the intangible world'. He's spent over two decades working in, and learning from, some of the best creative companies in the world.
In that time, Gareth realized there is no ‘one way’ to shape and deliver valuable brands that create sustainable demand, but there are some principles that hold true: that problem-finding is at least as important as problem-solving; that being interesting is as important as being right; that great brands are built by their behavior not just their narrative; that the biggest risk facing many businesses is the false division between ‘brand’ and ‘product’; that a strategy is only as good as the work it delivers.
(By the way, he makes a return to the podcast, having been one of my first guests when I set the series up, back in 2000 during the first weeks of the pandemic).
Gareth has earned himself a stellar reputation in the marketing world, and in this interview he discusses leading-edge thinking about the business context of today and how to unlock value for the world's most ambitious equity firms and brands...
Series Five
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Epaminondas Christophilopoulos, who is a Foresight, Strategy, Innovation and long-term planning advisor to government, private corporations and NGOs.
A highly experienced foresight researcher with an extensive track-record on international projects and sound academic credentials, he's an expert on internationalization and research commercialization, and has managed projects in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
With a track record on several boards and expert advisory role in public policy institutions in Innovation, Culture, Agrofood, Environment, Security; Epaminondas is a UNESCO Chair on Futures Research, the President of MOMus, and is the ex-Chief Scientific Advisor for Foresight to the Greek Prime Minister.
In this episode we cover all of the above, along with his views on a range of catalytic issues being discussed in futurist-circles in 2025. And, as a bonus, he also discusses 'Russian Cosmism' a radical biopolitical utopian perspective espoused by the philosopher Nikolai Fedorov in the late 19th C, in which he 'rejected the contemplative for the transformative, aiming to create not merely new art or philosophy but a new world'.
So...enjoy!
Series Four
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Jan Berger, the Founder & CEO of Themis Foresight.
Based in Berlin, his company anticipates economic, technological, social and political drivers of future change. He and his team are driven by the conviction that outstanding futures research is key for the strategic direction of Europe's business and entrepreneurial elite.
Jan's academic training was in Modern & Contemporary History and Slavic Studies, which led him to take an MA at Lomonosov Moscow State University. He's lived and worked on four continents, and has held leadership positions in corporations and startups.
So...we discuss all of the above in what I hope you'll agree is a dynamic conversation!
Series Four
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview Nils Muller, CEO & Founder of TrendONE - a specialist agency that's a market leader in identifying key trends in fast moving branches of business.
In our discussion, Nils discusses their methodologies and approach to working for clients such as BMW and Airbus, his viewpoints on developing 'Brand Germany' and takeouts from the Dubai Future Forum - having just returned from a hot and sunny UAE to a cold and snowy Germany.
Hence, we discuss a range of topics covered at the forum, including Future Generations, Future Education, and the Future of Nature regarding Planet-Centric Innovation. Along the way, we also cover issues such as the latest thinking around Foresight, Strategic Growth, Collaborative Approaches and Futures-Literacy regarding Complexity, Experimentation and Anti-Fragility.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to Nils as much as I did!
Series Four
In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Chris Arning, Founder of the boutique consultancy Creative Semiotics Ltd, co-founder of Semiofest, and course leader of 'How to do semiotics in seven weeks'.
He works with best-in-class virtual teams to analyse brands in order to make them more coherent and true to themselves, more distinctive within their category and sector, and more resonant and relevant within the prevailing (and ever changing) culture.
The outcome of his work is new pack designs, communication strategies, new systems for content creation and better equipped, more confident brand teams. He does that via semiotics: an evidence based technique rooted in academia via the premise that preference is driven by the intangible aspects of brands that activate associative thinking.
Chris has a stellar reputation in his field, and in this interview he gives a brief masterclass in his specialist subject(s). So...enjoy!
Series Four
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Michael Beverland, Professor of Brand Strategy, Strategy & Marketing, at the University of Sussex Business School.
He's an innovator in marketplace authenticity and strategic design research, as well as cultural marketing insights.
Michael is also the author of 'Building Brand Authenticity: Seven Habits of Iconic Brands' and 'Brand Management: Co-creating Brand Meaning'. (Which provides an overview of the controversies and debates, leading thinking and enduring challenges in brands and branding, including historical context, cultural & critical perspectives).
We discuss all of the above, therefore including issues such as classic and leading-edge thinking relating to branding / strategy / marketing, along with how these subjects are currently taught in business schools. Michael is an expert in his field, so I hope you enjoy listening to (and learning from) him as much as I did!
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Phil Balagtas, author of the superb new book 'Making Futures Work'.
Phil is also a former Design Director at McKinsey Design and General Electric (Digital & Aviation) with over 20yrs of experience as a Digital Interaction Designer and Design Leader working across sectors inc aviation, aerospace, airlines, advertising, retail, utilities, and public sector.
He's also a Facilitator, Futurist and Founder of the Design Futures Initiative (a nonprofit based in San Francisco), the Speculative Futures network and PRIMER conference - initiatives dedicated to the education and advancement of Futures Thinking and helping organisations develop business and product strategies for the near and far future through Strategic Foresight and Speculative Design.
In this fascinating conversation, we discuss all of the above. So...enjoy!
Series Four
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the brand innoventor & commercial strategist Stephanie Vilner-Sheppard, who consults globally on strategy to help clients innovate and futureproof their P&L (for people and planet). She’s a problem solver for brands and businesses, through a lens of planet-centred design-led thinking.
That problem solving might mean creating innovation pipelines or setting short-, mid- to long-range strategy, or pointing out white space that’s harder to see once you’re in a company obsessing over short term results. It will likely mean bringing in insights from seemingly far afield and disconnected to a particular industry vertical, pulling on deliberately disparate insights.
In this wide-ranging interview, she explains how to see opportunities before others, her experience at the G20 where she was elected ‘Lead Delegate’ by EY, how she advised the Mexican President on futureproofing education, and why L’Oreal offered her any job in the company.
She’s deep multi-sector / multi-market experience, and so we discuss all of the above, and more, in this dynamic conversation.
Series Four
This episode of ‘The New Abnormal’ podcast features the strategic psychologistDr Max McKeown- a writer, consultant & researcher specialising in innovation strategy, leadership and culture. He’s written a series of influential books and conducts research with Warwick Business School.
An advocate of innovation culture, he also argues that failure can be positive for progress if it is viewed as part of learning. He makes a distinction between change and progress, "change is inevitable but progress is not".
His book on strategy was one of the winners at the Chartered Institute of Management's Book of the Year Awards, Max argues that "strategy is about shaping the future" and approaches the subject as something that people do, both as style of thinking and the combination of actions taken along with their consequences.
So, we discuss the above and his viewpoints on those including Sartre and de Beauvoir along with topics including satisfaction, dissatisfaction, radical freedom, progress, and the illusion of stability.
Finally, he also gives us advanced notice of his next book 'Super Adaptability'.
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features the political scientist and university professor Sohail Inayatullah, who is the inaugural UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies at the Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability & Humanity, and instructs at the Metafuture think tank.
He helps individuals and organisations create alternative and preferred futures, theorises how the future is constructed, and develops futures methodologies.
Editor in Chief of the Journal of Futures Studies, he's also contributed to the Macmillan Encyclopedia of the Future, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Peace.
In this fascinating interview, he explains his renowned approach to 'Futures Thinking' and whilst doing so discusses the Futures Triangle, S-Curves, Causal Layered Analysis, and the Six Pillars approach...
The conversation also includes references to those such as Dator, Marx, and Hegel, whilst linking to issues such as Spiritual Cities, Poverty v Abundance, Wants vs Needs, Used & Disowned Futures, and Population Dynamics.
So...I hope you enjoy listening to Sohail as much as I did!
Series Four
This episode of the New Abnormal podcast features Toronto-based Alexis Tennent, who is an innovative leader, design & foresight strategist. She firmly believes that foresight should not be confined to the realms of academia, politics, or privilege; rather, it should be an opportunity accessible to all.
That's why Alexis aims to inspire inclusivity in foresight work, fostering empathy for those who engage in it voluntarily, despite how much it asks of us intellectually, psychologically, and emotionally.
We discuss her work, including how she initiates the establishment of futures-oriented cultures within large-scale organisations, instilling a forward-thinking mindset across all levels, fostering innovation and adaptability.
To do so, she leads cultural transformation, integrates innovation and design principles, and directs innovative programs. A current example of this is the work on which she's currently collaborating to 'Future with Nature'.
Finally, we also discuss her MA project, where she explored memory, conceptions of time, and plurality in futures narratives...
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the renowned futurist and speculative designer, Monika Bielskyte.
She's also the founder of Protopia Futures, a life-centric design and collaborative foresight platform that centres previously marginalised perspectives. The project's mission is to inspire a new wave of future visions showcasing how a transcultural and interdisciplinary approach, alongside disability and neurodivergence inclusion, can foster regenerative economies for the decades to come and chart an actionable path towards a positively interdependent and compassionate future world.
Her work is firmly anchored in contextual, complex realities on the ground, rather than one-size-fits-all techno-solutionism, prone to short-term hype cycles and rapid obsolescence. As a speculative designer, Monika prototypes culturally expansive, socially and environmentally engaged future world designs that take lessons from visually and narratively captivating Science Fiction entertainment and apply them to make real-world future literacy more compelling.
She's a deeply interesting individual, so I found it fascinating listening to her viewpoints and hope you do too!
Series Four
This episode of The New Abnormal features the leading social philosopher Roman Krznaric, whose books focus on the power of ideas to create change. His international bestsellers, which include The Good Ancestor, Empathy, and Carpe Diem Regained, have been published in more than twenty-five languages.
His new book History for Tomorrow is out now, and in it he unearths fascinating insights and inspiration from the last 1000 years of world history that could help us confront the most urgent challenges facing humanity in the twenty-first century.
Roman believes that history offers a vision of radical hope that could turn out to be our most vital tool for surviving and thriving in the turbulent decades ahead. We therefore discuss a wide range of viewpoints that he illuminates in a suitably dynamic manner. I found it to be a fascinating conversation, and hope you will too!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the designer, educator, researcher, and co-editor of 'The Black Experience in Design', Lesley-Ann Noel. She's the new Dean of the Faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto, and the author of 'Design Social Change: take action, work towards equity, and challenge the status quo'. Prior to OCAD, Lesley-Ann taught at North Carolina State University, the Institute of Design at Stanford, and the University of the West Indies. In this deeply interesting conversation, she outlines her dynamic work, and discusses her book which has just been selected by McKinsey as one of their '2024 Annual Book Recommendations' as chosen by CEO's, founders, editors in chief, and other global leaders...
Series Four
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Falk Fuhrmann, Executive Director at Shanghai HuiLue Business Consulting Co, and Visiting Professor teaching International Brand Communication & Innovation, Consumer Behaviour & Insights, at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou.
He also is an award-winning creative strategist with more than 20 years of experience, who led the strategic planning department of TBWA when they opened their Berlin office. Later as head of strategy with DDB, he developed & championed the agency’s philosophy of creative business solutions. For nearly a decade, Falk led strategy development for P&G in CEMEA, APAC & Greater China.
So, we discuss all of the above in this fascinating discussion, which naturally takes in Daoism and Confucianism. Re: the former (and perhaps the latter) we had to struggle our way through some loud building activity in the background during some of this recording, so please channel your inner-harmony at those stages!
This episode of The New Abnormal features Julian Boulding, Owner of The Network One. They provide “open source creativity” and communications services from around 1200 independent agencies in 109 countries, worldwide. His annual review of the Cannes Lions Festival is always eagerly sought after, and the actual version will be sent out after this podcast goes live. In it, Julian discusses the latest industry trends and issues as discussed at this years event. So, if you want to hear whether Cannes has changed (and if so, for better or worse) along with his views on agencies that are on the way up and those on the way down, the next big thing in client/agency relationships, which international markets are the ones to watch, and whether an average day involved a five hour lunch when Julian joined the industry, then please listen in.
Series Four
This episode of The New Abnormal features Catherine Roy, Foresight & Design Leader at Thales.
She sets their foresight and design strategy, and helps to drive futures thinking & business growth. Overall, she aligns futures, business, product and service strategy with the needs of users / consumers in order to achieve goals.
In this podcast, she explains her approach to the above, by illuminating some dynamic case histories regarding projects covering foresight, risk and innovation.
Along the way, we discuss issues including social acceptability, soft power, storytelling, co-creation and destruction, hype cycles, future consciousness, shapeshifting, meaningful disruption, and dynamic leadership.
Oh, and why it's important for futurists to 'find your tribe' within an organisation...
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Jonas Gissel Mikkelsen, Futurist and Director at The Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, where he heads up business development.
Jonas is responsible for creating new initiatives, collaborations and joint-ventures, as well as overseeing publications and managing the Institute's brand & identity.
His primary competencies lie within an abstract ability to create prototypal ideas and an understanding of the larger perspective of initiatives re: the externalities and long-term effects.
So, we discuss all of the above, with a particular focus on strategic transformation, Non-Profits and Civic Society.
But before all that, we discuss his first job after leaving University...
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features 'poet for hire' Andrew McLuhan, who also just happens to be the grandson of media-theorist Marshall McLuhan and son of Dr Eric McLuhan. He writes, teaches, coaches and consults about culture and technology from a McLuhan perspective. We therefore discuss his work regarding his exploration, documenting and inventorying the library of Marshall McLuhan (which UNESCO named as part of its 'Memory of the World' registry) and why he views the relationship between his grandfather and father as akin to that of Plato and Aristotle. Along the way, James Joyce and the French symbolists get a mention, as does Trump. (You don't often see those in the same sentence.) Naturally, we talk about all things pattern-recognition, identity and global-village related, during this 'dynamic refresher' on the thinking of Marshall McLuhan. Which gives me the perfect opportunity to repeat that epic statement "in a culture like ours, long accustomed to splitting and dividing all things as a means of control, it is sometimes a bit of a shock to be reminded that, in operational and practical fact, the medium in the message".
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Louise Mowbray, founder of Mowbray by Design, author of 'Relevant: Future-Focused Leadership' and co-author of 'Uncertainty: Making Sense of the World for Better, Bolder Outcomes'. She specialises in the future of work & future of leadership, working with some of the world's most respected leaders and C-suite teams at the intersection of leadership, innovation, transformation and purpose-driven business. Clients include those such as PWC, EY, Cass Business School, The IoD, Boston Consulting Group, Henley Business School, the Law Society, and more. She's also a Conscious Leadership Coach, Natural Foresight Practitioner, and a behavioural science practitioner. So, in the podcast, we discuss all of the above in what I hope you'll find is a wide-ranging and deeply interesting conversation!
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Ari Wallach, who is a futurist and social systems strategist. He's also the author of 'Longpath: becoming the great ancestors our future needs' and host of 'A Brief History of the Future' (which premiers on PBS in April 2024) c/o Futurific Studios, a new production studio focused on shifting the narrative and the way society approaches current problems for a positive future. Ari is also a Columbia University adjunct professor, and over the past 20 years has advised some of the world's biggest companies and organisations, from CNN to the White House to the UN, on how to plan for better futures. He's a really dynamic guest, so enjoy the episode!
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features NYC-based Suzette Brooks Masters, a serial social entrepreneur with a long track record of creating positive change in society on a range of issues. A thought leader and strategist in the fields of democracy, governance and futures., Suzette uses her extensive philanthropic, non-profit, research, advocacy, program development and legal experience to advise foundations, non-profit organizations, policy makers and corporations on how to usher in better futures for America and to build a truly vibrant and sustainable multiracial democracy. So, I hope you enjoy listening to her dynamic viewpoints!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the novelist and journalist Victoria Robson, who has more than 20 years experience reporting on business and finance in the UK and Middle East. Her newly-published debut novel 'Sirens Bay' is an 'enemies to lovers' small-town romance set in Maine. She wrote it under the pen name Cassie Bruce, and is now working on the second book in the series. As co-founder of Brighton-based writers' group Real Writers Circle, she believes in the power of stories, understands the value of sharing knowledge, expertise and skills between peers, and loves the joy and support that community brings. In the podcast, we discuss the above, along with her involvement in the dynamic Safehaven Brighton, which was set up over a decade ago to support anyone in need. It welcomes anyone looking for a safe place, the aim being to provide them with dignity, hope and community.
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Houston-based Alexandra Whittington, a futurist writer and speaker who explores the future of humanity and society. She is a former Lecturer in Foresight at the University of Houston and co-author and co-editor of several books such as 'A Very Human Future', 'Aftershocks and Opportunities' and 'The Future Reinvented'. Alex has been featured as one of the world's top women futurists by Forbes and delivered a TEDx talk called 'The Museum of the Future'. She's passionate about empowering people to imagine e and create positive futures for themselves and their communities. So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did!
Series Four
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features the renowned Philippa Wagner, a creative thinker who connects people, places & spaces across a range of lifestyle industries with a particular focus on F&B, hospitality, wellness & retail. She's a highly creative, commercially-driven strategist with extensive big-brand experience, having worked with some of the industry's best and brightest, including Birch, Ennismore, Sessions and Locke. Philippa's specialist focus on consumer behaviours, strategic forecasting & brand storytelling puts her in a unique position to deliver insightful, forward-thinking outputs that help brands carve out a space for themselves in the world. In our conversation, she explains her viewpoints on companies from wellness startups to heavyweight hospitality brands, and how she works to put experience at the heart of their business.
Series Four
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Paolo Gallo, a renowned executive coach, bestselling author and keynote speaker. He's the author of two superb books: 'The Compass and the Radar - the art of building a rewarding career while remaining true to yourself' and the newly published 'The Seven Games of Leadership - navigating the inner journey of leaders'. In his dynamic career he's been chief human resources officer at World Economic Forum in Geneva, chief learning officer at the World Bank in Washington, and director human resources at European Bank for Reconstruction & Development in London, with previous experiences at International Finance Corporation in Washington, D.C. and Citigroup in London, New York and Milan, his hometown. So, in the interview we discuss both of his books, and his fascinating viewpoints on issues including authenticity, ethics, trust, change, development, and reputation. Paolo is a deeply interesting individual, and I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I did!
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Chloe Markowicz, Editor at Contagious, which helps agencies and brands supercharge their marketing by learning from the world's most creative and effective companies and campaigns. They do that via their IQ intelligence platform, consulting services, training and events.
We discuss a range of issues including the latest 'Contagious Pioneers' report, which highlights agencies that set the standard for creative excellence in advertising and marketing - and where the likes of BETC (Paris) / Colenso BBDO (Auckland) / Gut (Buenos Aires) / Howatson+Company (Sydney) / Lucky Generals (London) / Ogilvy India (Mumbai) / Rethink (Toronto) / Uncommon Creative Studio (London) were the winners.
Chloe also discusses industry trends, big thinkers / dreamers / doers, and the imminent Cannes Lions Festival, where the Contagious team will be making a valiant attempt at working, in between partying at the 'Contagious Villa'. (As they say, if you can remember a party at the Contagious Villa, you obviously weren't there, etc).
She also discusses how to break into the industry, and the experiences that led her to editing everyone's favourite industry title, which exists to inspire and enable contagious creativity.
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Colin Strong, who is Head of Behavioural Science at Ipsos, and a Professor at Nottingham University Business School. He works with a wide range of organisations (both private and public sector) to design and deliver behavioural change through the use of behavioural science. His new book 'Out of Time: the revolution underway in beliefs about being human' is out now. In it, he seeks to make sense of our current state of liminality, and questions what we wish humans to become from this state. So, we discuss all of the above and along the way, Nietzsche, Descartes, the CIA and the late, great Daniel Kahneman all get a mention, along with many others. I hope you'll enjoy listening to Colin as much as I did!
Series Four
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Maarten Leyts, the Founder of Trendwolves and an expert on translating trends into products, strategies campaigns and future brand value. He’s also the author of ‘Generation ZAlpha – Connecting with the Next Micro-Generation’. Maarten believes that generational thinking, when used correctly, provides a solid framework for successful marketing and product innovation. We therefore discuss his research into issues such as the pandemic as a catalyst of change, brain development in the digital age, diversity & inclusion, the Metaverse, and data privacy. It’s not every day that, when discussing marketing, you get to reference individuals such as the French philosopher Auguste Comte, the 19th Century Earl of Shaftesbury, along with those working at the World Federation of Advertisers and for the European Parliament…
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Tom Morton, Global Chief Strategy Officer at R/GA. He helps brands solve the biggest challenges of a changing world: launching and scaling innovation, turning revolutionary technologies into legitimate brands, identifying and winning a radically different next generation of users, defining a purpose to transform the organisation and unlock future growth, developing marketing for today's media and culture, redefining brands from words to actions to create value through interface and innovation, responding authentically to the societal challenges of remote work and racial justice. As a standard setter for creativity and marketing effectiveness, Tom's been a judge for the Effies, Cannes Lions and the IPA Effectiveness Awards, and has won multiple effectiveness awards for increasing revenue and brand equity. As a champion of talent, he sits on the selection committee of the Advertising Hall of Fame and Hall of Achievement to honour diverse leaders who make a positive impact in the creative industries. So, and as you can imagine, we cover a lot of ground in this dynamic conversation: it's not every day that you hear philosophy, psychology and sociology mentioned in the same sentence when discussing brand actions. But first, we have to get past his 'Day One' in agencyland, that saw him tasked with sending faxes to clients. The question is, was he any good as a Jnr Account Exec?
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Cecile Cremer, a renowned trends expert who explores the 'Added Value of the Future' by translating trends into future-proof business solutions. She's also the first female and youngest ever President of LaFutura Global Trend Network, and Co-Founder of the 'Humanized Tech Awards'. In this interview, we discuss all of the above, and her viewpoints on issues including 'democratising the future' re: knowledge distribution, approaches on how to build healthier and happier countries, leading-edge thinking on speculative fiction and scenario planning, and of how to develop futures-thinking as a dynamic skillset. She's a really dynamic individual - and I'm sure you'll enjoy listening to her viewpoints.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Julian Boulding, President of TheNetworkOne, who work with around 1200 agencies in nearly 120 countries worldwide, providing 'open source creativity' and comms services from independent agencies, for a growing number of leading international marketing companies. Julian's been attending the Cannes Lions for nearly 20 years, and after each festival, TheNetworkOne publishes a renowned report of their analysis and viewpoints on the underlying trends and longer-term significance of what has been seen, heard and discussed at the event. (Which, as ever, is the world's largest gathering of the advertising and creative communications industry.) As you'll hear in our discussion, the observations from the 2023 event are very different from last year...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Jan Oliver Schwarz, professor of Strategic Foresight & Trend Analysis, and head of the Bavarian Foresight Institute at the Technische Hochschule Ingelstadt. He's also known for his work on business wargaming, a dynamic simulation that helps leaders and organisations anticipate the future competitive dynamics in their industry, as reflected in his dynamic book 'Winning the Uncertainty Game'. His most recent book, the newly published 'Strategic Foresight' is grounded in theoretical foundations of the subject, reflects the latest academic research and explores its practical applications in different contexts. We therefore discuss all of the above in the interview, which draws on Jan's two decades of specialist experience in the area.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features the writer, philosopher and technologist Gary F Bengier - who is probably most known for being eBay’s first CFO and the person who was in charge of taking the company public.
As a Silicon Valley executive, Gary also worked for several other tech companies and had a front-row seat in the development of technologies from streaming services to semi-conductor chip design.
Meanwhile, his futuristic novel 'Unfettered Journey' has sold thousands of copies, been a best-seller in five countries, won 14 awards, and is translated into 8 languages.
In this episode, we discuss a range of issues including why AI is the tech that will cause the most fundamental change in our lives, what will happen when robots produce everything that people need (and there's no longer a requirement for traditional jobs) and how human beings may find meaning and purpose in this likely future...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Katharina Michalski, who is a 'Change Explorer, Navigator & Curator' with the dynamic Foresight Folk. Based in Berlin, the platform is dedicated to fostering foresight to enhance decision-making. On their learning journey, they speak with some of the brightest minds in this area about practising and implementing foresight in their professional and everyday lives. They also explore different tools that help us think more clearly, creatively and strategically about the future. In this interview, we therefore discuss her background and approach to working at the intersection of foresight and strategy, all of which was sparked by a early moment in her career, when she decided to 'follow her curiosity'...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features the Leadership Advisor & Speaker, Diego Gilardoni, who helps leaders navigate uncertainty by achieving clarity through a future-proofed vision. In the interview, we discuss issues such as cross-cultural management theory, strategic foresight, geopolitical depression (with a focus on the polycrisis), along with cognitive diversity, and the dynamic approach to strategic thinking for which he's renowned. With a background as a journalist in Europe and the US, and as a business consultant in China, Diego provides fascinating perspectives from the intersection of international affairs, communication, business, culture and strategy.
Series Three
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Tom Johnson, MD at the consumer insights and futures consultancy, Trajectory. He's a researcher, trends analyser and forecaster with a mass of experience leading complex insight and foresight projects for clients including Vodafone, British Council, Department for International Trade, General Medical Council, McCann and many more. Trajectory help clients understand how customers, markets and the world around them is changing - and how they can benefit from that change. Trajectory's proprietary international data - Global Foresight - draws on 100,000 consumer interviews and has been running for a decade. Their monthly 'Optimism Index' monitor tracks consumer sentiment in the UK each month, gaining viewpoints from 1500 adults re: issues such as confidence, personal choice & control, social trust, opportunities in tech, optimism and their place in the world. We discuss all of the above and more, so I hope you enjoy the conversation!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features DuBose Cole, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at We Are Rival - a consultancy that helps businesses change (not just challenge) markets by being smarter about how they build brands, products and go to market strategies. He's a strategist that's worked across various disciplines, from media to creative to consulting, with a background in technology and psychology. In this interview, we discuss the latest #RivalSpark brand purpose research from the consultancy, which is currently causing something of a social media storm just prior to the Cannes Lions, where they'll be presenting the findings of their US/UK research. Without giving too much away, let's just say it appears that marketers shop more purposefully...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Lasse Jonasson, Director & Futurist at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS) where he also heads their advisory service. CIFS is a global leader in applying futures studies methodologies to solve strategic challenges within organisations. Their core advisory offerings include megatrend analysis, scenario planning, risk assessment, innovation processes, and strategic foresight. The Institute is a truly global entity, working for and with public, private, and academic organisations around the world. This includes governments and Fortune 500 companies, to startups and NGOs, on a strategic level. Therefore, and as you'll hear, we discuss a wide range of subjects, ranging from the Crisis of Democratic Capitalism to the Future of HR, alongside issues such as navigating complexity and the dynamics of change. And, of course, some implications of OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard and Baidu's Wenxin Yiyan/Ernie get highlighted...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Giana Eckhardt, Professor of Marketing and Vice Dean at King’s Business School, King’s College London. A leading expert in the field of consumer behaviour, consumer culture, consumer ethics, branding and the sharing economy, she publishing regularly in journals such as Harvard Business Review. She is co-author of The Myth of the Ethical Consumer (Cambridge University Press) and co-editor of Handbook of the Sharing Economy. Her research has won awards and been featured in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Atlantic, Fortune, Vogue, Scientific American, The BBC, and on National Public Radio. Giana has presented her work at top institutions and conferences around the world, inc the United Nations CSR Global Forum, Brand Week, Future of Brands, and the Global Women’s Forum. So, we discuss the above, and her forthcoming book 'In Praise of Inconvenience'.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Luca Morena, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO at Nextatlas.
They're a leader in the global market of digitally empowered marketing intelligence and trend anticipation services, who use unique AI focused early adopter detection to reveal evolving consumer behaviour and provide confident trend prediction for what you can’t see on the horizon, helping clients easily visualize emerging trends.
With a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Bologna, Luca's also been a Postdoc at the Laboratory of Ontology at the University of Turin. His main research interests are now in the philosophy of technology, algorithmic culture, and AI.
He explains how and why Nextatlas have long been at the forefront of the trend forecasting industry’s evolution as pioneers in AI-powered solutions, but also outlines their launch of 'Generate' the world’s first generative trend forecasting and consumer insights service, which is powered by large language models and the Nextatlas engine.
I really enjoyed listening to Luca's points of view as he outlined the dynamic activity undertaken by Nextatlas, trailblazers in the use of AI for predictive trend detection and monitoring, based on a commitment to bringing a scientific approach to a traditionally opinion-led industry. So, I hope you enjoy the podcast!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features a fascinating interview with a renowned futurist, Tom Lombardo.
He's a Director at the Center for Future Consciousness, which offers educational experiences that challenge and stimulate the mind, expand conscious awareness, empower creativity, deepen understanding, enhance ethics and promote social growth. Tom is also an Exec Board Member and Fellow of the World Futures Studies Federation, and Editor at the Journal of Futures Studies.
In this deeply interesting and wide-ranging conversation, Tom discusses issues including the history of futurism, his best-selling books, notable futurists / philosophers / psychologists / authors, along with contemporary leading-edge thinking into the overall subject of futurism, foresight and scenario planning.
So...I hope you enjoy listening to his viewpoints as much as I did!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Jacob Ellis, an experienced public affairs and international relations advisor with a demonstrated history of working to improve policy-making in Wales and globally.
He's worked with United Nations, World Cities Culture Forum and One Young World, and is committed to ensuring the needs of future generations are central to policy development.
We therefore discuss all of these areas, and in particular his work with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, his activity as a Future Generations Global Ambassador, being a United Nations Foundation 'Next Generation' Fellow, and a range of the dynamic policy initiatives and other issues on which Jacob is involved.
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Hilary Sutcliffe, Director of SocietyInside, who bring together people and ideas to help tech and its governance earn the trust of society.
The name #SocietyInside is a riff off the famous brand ‘IntelInside’ and aims to encapsulate their aspiration that we reverse-engineer innovation from the needs of society rather than just create technologies which are in an eternal search for a home.
Hilary explores the purpose, risks, ethics, stakeholder involvement and governance of these technologies through research, writing and stakeholder involvement as well as acting as a sounding board & critical friend. She also believes that 'innovation is society in the making'.
We therefore discuss all of the above, and in particular, the issues of inclusion, respect, openness and integrity in policy, regulation and organisational culture. She also explains why "trust is not an outcome - not a message, not a slogan. It's the result of someone's belief in your trustworthiness. Focus then on being trustworthy and providing evidence of your trustworthiness".
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Maurice NDiaye, Founder and CEO at Descartes & Mauss, the first Stratech and a new breed of AI-powered consulting firm.
Maurice has devoted his career to using artificial intelligence to solve the most complex business challenges: with a dual professional background as an Ecole Polytechnique Engineer and a Columbia University business graduate, he's convinced that technology can, and should, enable companies to be both more efficient and more virtuous.
After starting his career at McKinsey, Maurice spent about a decade designing AI-based capabilities and services to help companies grow faster. The company he founded and runs today, Descartes & Mauss, is the result of these years of research and consulting.
So, we discuss how he basically measures the immeasurable i.e. making tangible what has not yet happened in order to build instability-proof action plans. Modelling the future is his obsession, especially in a world that has become more unstable than ever, and I really enjoyed listening to his illumination of this fascinating subject.
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Art Kleiner, a renowned expert on management thinking, thought leadership, organisational learning and scenario planning.
In his new book 'The AI Dilemma: 7 Principles for Responsible Technology' he illuminates a belief that AI holds incredible promise to improve virtually every aspect of our lives, but we can't ignore its risks, mishaps and misuses. The book therefore offers seven principles for ensuring that machine learning supports human flourishing.
An editorial consultant for influential thought leaders, he's also former editor-in-chief of the award-winning management magazine Strategy+Business (published by PwC), editorial director of the Fifth Discipline Fieldbook series, co-innovator of "learning histories" (MIT) co-author of 'The Wise Advocate' and author of 'The Age of Heretics' and 'Who Really Matters'.
I really enjoyed listening to his inspiring and insightful viewpoints, and hope you will too!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Chicago-based Keely Adler, cultural futurist at Dentsu and core team at Radar.
A brand strategist by trade, time-traveling futurist at heart and with a nearly decade-long career grounded in creative strategy and qualitative consumer research, Keely has spent her time working across a range of brands and special projects that leverage her cultural expertise and fuel clients’ curiosity about the world and where it’s headed.
Today, she’s spearheading a Cultural Futurism practice within the strategy group at dentsu: leveraging foresight to help brands understand — and future-proof — themselves in rapidly shifting context. She believes in understanding the present through the lens of the past in order to make sense of the future, and she loves helping makers, creators, and brands do the same.
In this episode, we therefore discusses a range of issues that she's currently obsessing over: the future of work & global power dynamics | the makings of a post-deprivation world | the role of fandom and community in a micro-culture first context | exploring new ways into strategic foresight & designing for the future...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Laura de Moliere, Partner and Co-founder at the Germany-based consultancy, Decision-Context. She's also the ex-Head of Behavioural Science at the UK Govt's Cabinet Office, before which she's was in senior roles at other Government Departments. In this podcast, she gives a fascinating overview of decision sciences, social psychology and behavioural economics. Therefore, we discuss everything from Nudge Theory to being 'Predictably Irrational' and specifics such as confirmation bias, social proof, loss aversion, disinformation, and System 1 & 2 thinking. In particular, she explains her current obsession with ChatGPT from the perspective of applying AI to personalise, evaluate and predict optimal interventions regarding behavioural change. Finally, we even talk about the dreaded 'B' word. Yes, as in Brexit...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Frank Spencer, Founder & Creative Director at TFSX (Foresight, Innovation, Strategic Design and Learning).
TFSX, based in Florida, help their clients to thrive in a world of complex ideas and practices, uncover emerging trends on the horizon that will impact their business, and discover unseen opportunities for strategic advantage and development.
Frank holds an MA in Strategic Foresight from Regent University, and has worked on strategic foresight projects for numerous major companies. He's a prolific speaker, having delivered keynotes in Atlanta, Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Shanghai, Melbourne, Washington, New York City, Singapore, Mumbai, Wellington, Moscow and San Francisco, on topics such as leadership development, futures thinking, creating environments of foresight in organizations, identifying unseen opportunities, reaching preferred futures, and social innovation.
So, we discuss all of the above, in what I hope you'll agree is a really interesting conversation, during which Frank gives a real masterclass in 'futures thinking'.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Roger Spitz, who is an international bestselling author, President of Techistential and Chair of the Disruptive Futures Institute.
Based in San Francisco, he’s an authority on foresight, sustainability, and systemic change. He also publishes extensively on decision-making in uncertain and complex environments.
Techistential, Roger’s foresight practice, advises boards, leadership teams, and investors on sustainable value creation. In addition, he developed the Disruptive Futures Institute into a preeminent global executive education centre which helps organizations build capacity for futures intelligence, resiliency, transformative innovation, and strategic foresight.
During our conversation, we discuss his four-book collection “The Definitive Guide to Thriving on Disruption” in which he lays the foundations to make sense of our increasingly complex, nonlinear, and unpredictable world - where disruption is no longer merely a single or recurring event, but a steady state, expanding its impact.
We discuss all of the above, and along the way, manage to cover topics ranging from Eastern philosophy to prediction to micro-learning to science-fiction.
I therefore hope you enjoy listening to the episode as much as I did recording it!
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Andy Crysell, Founder & CEO at Crowd DNA, the dynamic cultural insights and strategy consultancy who have offices in London, Amsterdam, New York, Singapore, Sydney, Stockholm and Los Angeles. Formed in 2008, and operating across 70+ markets, they bring together trends specialists, researchers, strategists, data analysts, designers, writers and film-makers for the world's most exciting brands. So, we talk about all of the above, along with a wide range of issues that interest him, starting with his first job, aged 16, which involved him walking around Soho delivering photos to ad agencies. His career has led to him being on the STRAT7 exec board, contributing to strategy in areas such as acquisitions and international expansion. Oh, and along the way, he got to interview the likes of Frankie Knuckles, Public Enemy, Snoop Dog, the Beastie Boys, Cocteau Twins and Massive Attack...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Henry Coutinho-Mason, who is obsessed with new perspectives on the biggest question in business: "what will people want next?"
I've been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of his new book “The Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work & Thrive In The Coming Decade” which was written in conjunction with Wall St Journal bestselling author Rohit Bhargava and is out soon. The book is the focus of our conversation, hence discussing issues such as 'How we will connect, get healthy and thrive / How we will live, work, and consume / How humanity will survive''.
(The ex-Managing Director of Trendwatching, Henry's previous book "Trend-Driven Innovation" formed the basis of their research, content & product.)
He's also co-founder of 3Space, an innovative solution to generating social value from empty commercial property. Finally, he was also mentioned as one of GQ's Most 'Connected Men in Britain'. As they say, what's not to like?
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Jonathan Wise, co-founder of Purpose Disruptors, who believes that the advertising industry needs to step into the responsibility of helping to address our climate and ecological emergency. His background is as a strategic planner, with 15 years experience in major London advertising agencies and a Masters degree in Sustainability & Responsibility. Jonathan then co-founded the ‘Purpose Disruptors’ group, whose goal is to create a bottom up movement within the ad industry, that will act in solidarity to meaningfully tackle climate change. He's also a regular public speaker e.g. at D&AD, the Austrian Embassy, Bestival, the MBA programme at Imperial College London, and ‘MayDay’, an anarchist’s resource centre. I found his views to be a compelling insight into leading-edge thinking about the actions that need to be taken regarding the climate & ecological emergency, and the role that adland (in particular) needs to play in order to enact a positive and constructive role.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Andrew Koppelman, who is the John Paul Stevens Professor of Law, Professor of Political Science, and Philosophy Department Affiliated Faculty at Northwestern University.
Andrew's scholarship focuses on issues at the intersection of law and political philosophy. He's been published and quoted across an array of leading newspapers and has appeared on numerous TV channels. He's also written more than 100 scholarly articles and seven books.
In this episode, we discuss his latest book 'Burning Down the House' which explains how modern libertarianism began with Hayek’s admirable corrective to the Depression-era vogue for central economic planning. It resisted oppressive state power and showed how capitalism could improve life for everyone. Yet today, it's a toxic blend of anarchism, disdain for the weak, and rationalisation for environmental catastrophe. Andrew’s book therefore traces libertarianism's evolution from moderate pro-market ideas to 'romantic fabulism' and the promotion of climate change denial. His book is the definitive history of an ideological movement that has reshaped American politics - I found his viewpoints to be fascinating, and hope you do too!
In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Stefan Rollnick, Head of The Misinformation Cell at Lynn, a consultancy who believe that when you inject behavioural science into communications, you can build campaigns that do what’s important: create the behaviours needed to positively change the world. With a background in politics and campaigns, Stefan has provided strategic consultancy to the World Economic Forum, World Health Organisation, UK and Welsh Government, national health agencies, and more. In our interview, we discuss a world where choices are everywhere, cognitive overload is at maximum, the stakes of our decisions are higher than ever, and it’s harder to trust what we see and hear. Hence, audiences need the communications industry to do better. That's why the Misinformation Cell provides a unique service dedicated to helping clients with the growing threat of online hate and misinformation so they can cut through the noise, build resilience within their online communities and together, achieve positive societal change...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Tim Stock, Global Cultural Foresight Leader at ScenarioDNA, who are experts at analysing trends and developing frameworks for understanding how & why culture is changing.
He's also an Associate Teaching Professor at Parsons School of Design - The New School, one of the world's leading art and design schools, committed to inspiring society through inquiry, radical ideas, iterative experimentation and creative collaboration.
We discuss a wide range of suitably catalytic ideas and viewpoints in this interview, including areas such as trend forecasting, consumer anthropology, applied semiotics, design research and risk assessment.
So...enjoy!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Nikolas Badminton, a world-renowned futurist who mentors leaders to create more connected, curious and creative teams that embrace futures design.
He's spent 30+ years working with leaders at over 300 leading organisations at the frontline of foresight, strategy and disruption - including NASA, United Nations, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Rolls Royce, Procter & Gamble, and many more.
His new book ‘Facing Our Futures’ will be released in 2023 - showcasing foresight methods and thinking that shift organisational mindsets from 'what is' to 'what if'.
Nikolas’ essential research has been featured by the BBC, VICE, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Business Insider, Forbes, etc.
We covered a lot of ground in this fascinating episode, so I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did recording it!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Martin Lindstrom, founder and chairman of Lindstrom Company, the world’s leading branding & culture transformation firm, which operates across five continents and in more than 30 countries, serving the "who’s who" of Fortune 100 companies.
Martin has been featured as one of the world’s top 50 business thinkers for eight years running by the prestigious Thinkers50 list. TIME Magazine has named him one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential People.” He's delivered keynote addresses to Google, Kraft Heinz, Disney, Amazon, LEGO, Unilever, Hallmark, Adobe, UBER, Mattel, the World Business Forum (WOBI) and the World Economic Forum.
Martin is a NYT and WSJ best-selling author whose books have been translated into 60 languages, his writing has appeared in all major US publications, and he's currently a columnist for the FT and Management Today.
So...you won't be surprised to hear that he was a suitably dynamic guest! I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed talking with him.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features James Hurman 'a creative person from Auckland, New Zealand'. He founded and continues to lead Previously Unavailable, an innovation studio that provides innovation and CX consulting and new product, brand and business design and development.
James is also a co-founder and director of Tracksuit, a SAAS business that provides brand tracking at a fraction of the normal cost and operates across New Zealand, Australia, the UK and US.
In addition, he's the author of 'The Case for Creativity' and 'Future Demand'. The first is about the data showing that when businesses are more creative, they’re more successful. The second is about why building your brand among tomorrow’s customers is the key to start-up success.
We talk about all of the above in this really interesting discussion - where James also discusses the recent furore at the Mi3-LinkedIn B2B Next conference in Sydney.
Where, as anyone even vaguely associated with adland knows, it kicked off in a big way...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features the designer, urbanist and strategist Johanna Hoffman, who explores the ties between design, planning, fiction and futures. She's the founder of California-based Design for Adaptation, a studio using strategic planning, interactive storytelling and speculative design to survey the impacts of potential futures and spur proactive adaptation. Johanna also works with other firms, implementing foresight assessment, futures research, story and strategy to help people, cities and organisations understand what future changes mean for them, and develop actionable plans in response. In this episode, she explains how the emerging field of speculative futures can help us dream - and build - better, sustainable, and more equitable cities for everyone. Her new book 'Speculative Futures: Design Approaches to Navigate Change, Foster Resilience, and Co-Create the Cities We Need' is out now!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Gerry Hopkinson, CEO of Selbey Labs, part of the Selbey Anderson - the UK's fastest growing independent marketing group. The mission of Selbey Labs is to deliver prediction powered by data, people and imagination.
Gerry's interested in finding patterns and short-cuts to understand and predict human behaviour, market shifts, cultural shifts, new market and business models - anything that might minimise threats or maximise opportunities for people, agencies and clients.
Selbey Labs harness data science, AI, psychology, ethnography, forecasting, semiotics, behavioural design and a few other things to inform their work and create new tools and methodologies. Gerry's a big believer in the synthetic act ie taking a number of components and creating a system that does something new and useful = creative innovation.
In this interview we discuss all of the above, along with the experience he gained running previous agencies and of his viewpoints around the dynamic concept of 'Anticipatory Leadership'.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Thomas D'hooge, who watches trends, explores futures, develops concepts, builds communities and coaches game-changers. In this interview, we discuss his curation of the Futures Festival, his viewpoints around digital innovation and disruptive innovation, how he 'Teaches the Future' to students. He also highlights the Museum of Futures - an exhibition of 'futures thinking' which includes his viewpoints relating to this subject as a form of activism and which also reflects a crisis of the contemporary imagination linked to the 'colonisation of forecasting'. Along the way, we discuss a wide range of social / cultural issues and whilst doing so, Thomas also talks about his own personal experiences with regards to developing hope and resilience.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview Alex Quicho, Head of Cultural Intelligence at Canvas8. Her research into identity, ethics, and technology has been published widely, including in Wired, Bookforum, and a monograph for Zero Books. She is an associate lecturer in speculative futures at Central Saint Martins and holds a master’s degree in cultural criticism from the Royal College of Art. In this episode we discuss how Canvas8 'find better ways to understand the world' and Alex illuminates their recent reports into Chaotic Communities re: how to create meaningful connections and why fragmentation is at a tipping point, etc. We also discuss the right roadmap for business in 'inflationary times' along with issues such as social insulation, squad goals, next-door communities, partisanship, Tropical Futurism (which reimagines a different relationship to the earth) and why futurism has failed. Therefore, why it's time for an alternative...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Thierry Malleret, the co-author of both the international best-seller 'The Great Reset' and the newly published 'Great Narrative' which he wrote with Klaus Schwab, the Founder and Exec Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
Thierry is the founder and managing partner of #MonthlyBarometer. Its eponymous flagship monthly 'predictive newsletter' is Thierry’s brainchild and the product of his innovative and exacting approach to research and analysis.
Thierry possesses decades of unique professional experience spanning investment banking, being an economist at the EBRD, think tanks and academia in the US and UK, and Govt including a three-year spell in the Prime Minister’s office in France. At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Thierry founded and headed the Global Risk Network and lead the programme team for the annual meeting at Davos.
Thierry also founded the #SummitOfMinds - a series of high-level meetings that combine hard thinking on major macro issues and the importance of personal wellbeing and the power of nature.
We discussed all of the above in the interview, so I hope you enjoy listening to the podcast as much as I enjoyed recording it!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Phil Rowley, Head of Futures at Omnicom Media Group UK. In addition to this, he's also a Media Futurist, Tech Advisory Board Member, AdWeek Columnist, and Power MBA lecturer. Phil specialises in talking to brands about the future, turning thought-leadership and emerging tech trends into actual strategies. He has over 22 years’ experience working in London, Dublin & Auckland – and is a recipient of ‘The Internationalist’ Agency Innovators Award.
In this episode, we discuss a series of the latest reports from OMG Futures, and therefore discuss a range of macro issues including 'The Next Decade', 'The Future of Wellbeing' and 'The Future of Sustainability' alongside specific subjects such as 'How to Be a Brand Futurist' (and how to be a good one), 'Why the grey market is THE market' and 'Tech for Truth'.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Matt Klein. He's a Cultural Theorist + CyberPsychologist + Strategist who helps organisations understand emerging social shifts and author preferred futures.
As a quantitative futurist, Matt advises brands like Disney, L'Oréal and American Airlines, as well as TV producers, VC investors, startups, nonprofits, government agencies and journalists. His insights can be found in The New York Times, Wall St Journal, Forbes, WARC, VICE + Rolling Stone. (He also writes Zine, a featured Substack.)
Matt is also the Founder and now Advisor of PRSNL Branding, an education platform helping systemically disadvantaged professionals strengthen their online presence and advance their careers.
In this episode, we focus in particular on his latest articles relating to 'Using AI to quantify & size meta trends' and 'Using AI to discover overlooked social shifts'.
Matt is absolutely on top of his game, and it was fascinating to discuss the above, along with his views on a range of leading-edge industry topics.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast I interview the incredibly dynamic Alice Charles, who leads the World Economic Forum's cities work streams, inc the Global Future Council on Cities and Urbanization and its workstreams on City Climate & Resilience, Urban Inclusion, City Digital Transformation and City Financing. In addition, she's created the City Dialogues series, which enables curated discussions between city leaders and leaders of business, civil society and academia on the city's future vision and collaborative action. Alice also provides advice and direction on a variety of Forum initiatives inc the Future of Real Estate, BiodiverseCities 2030, Net Zero Carbon Cities and Sustainable Timber and the Built Environment. In addition, she leads the production of cities related content and events at WEF Summits, including Davos. So, and as you can image, we cover a lot of ground covering the above issues. I found her viewpoints absolutely fascinating and hope you do too!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Gustav Martner, Head of Creative (Nordics) at Greenpeace. Having worked with numerous leading agencies (laterally being Exec Creative Director , EVP (Europe) and MD (Sweden) at CP+B , he's also been a member of numerous award juries, including The ONE Show, Art Directors Club, Cannes Lions, D&AD, and NY Festivals. Gustav has also been the Chairman of the Swedish Association of Communication Agencies and a featured speaker at conferences such as Eurobest, Web 2.0 Berlin, Hong Kong Kam Fan Awards and the TechCrunch50 in San Francisco. In addition, he's also been an advisor for the Swedish government in regulatory issues related to digital media ,and co-founded 'Refugee Phones'. However, today, Gustav is Head of Creative at Greenpeace (Nordic) and you'll no doubt have seen / heard / read about his activity at the Cannes Lions 2022, which we discuss in this episode along with his perspectives on a wide range of issues impacting campaigning and activism, and his viewpoints on the future...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features the renowned design anthropologist and psychologist Anna Kirah. She's an expert in pioneering qualitative research methods used to gather deep insights to understand people's motivations and expectations as well as their articulated and unarticulated needs, and to link this understanding to the design of services, products and organisational change. Anna's experience in Boeing and Microsoft has given her global recognition for her work related to people-centred innovation, service design, co-creation and interdisciplinary collaboration, design thinking, opportunities in social media, digital convergence, marketing and sales of services. and products as well as how to lead an organisation in a turbulent age. In her spare time, she writes a book about design anthropology in collaboration with other anthropologists: Working on the Edge. She is also writing a book on leadership in an age of change called Do You Care? So, we discuss all the above - and more - in an episode that I hope you'll find deeply interesting.
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast I interview Chris Meyer, Assoc Dean for Strategy & Initiatives at West Point Military Academy in the USA. We discuss his belief that the intersecting futures of higher education, work, and leadership (and the uncertainty associated with these intersecting futures) will create challenges and opportunities for people and organisations. And he points out that we're feeling the impact of these challenges and opportunities right now. In his role at West Point, Chris explores possible futures resulting from this intersection to anticipate and better prepare for change. This helps ensure that West Point’s academic experience continues to empower future leaders to thrive in an uncertain world. His work involves strategic foresight and planning, and we discuss those subjects amongst other contextual issues impacting the next generation of military leaders in the United States. That's why, along with talk of soldiers, culture and society, we discuss how the learnings of Nietzsche, Kant and Socrates are amongst those debated at the Academy...
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Sylvia Gallusser, who is a renowned Global Futurist and the CEO of Silicon Humanism. Based in San Fransisco, she's an inquirer of our future, conducting foresight projects on the future of health, well-aging, and social interaction, the future of work and life-long learning, as well as transformations in mobility and retail.
Sylvia closely monitors the future of the mind and transhumanism, investigates Artificial General Intelligence and AI ethics. She's also involved in the future of our oceans and sustainability, and supports positive ocean tech startups.
Over the past year, she focused her research on mental health in the workplace and remote work environments, and the future home. Sylvia has launched an "Ethics and Philosophy of Futures" think tank within the Association of Professional Futurists. She's also a Go-to-Metaverse Strategist, helping brands enter the metaverse and web3 strategically and ethically, and co-designing focused metaverse brand activation.
An author of Speculative Fiction , Sylvia teaches MBA classes, and facilitates workshops on go-to-market strategy, competitive analysis, futures thinking, worldbuilding, and entrepreneurship.
So...as you can no doubt imagine, I really enjoyed listening to her viewpoints - and I'm sure you will too!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Sarah Rabia, the Global Director of Cultural Strategy & Backslash Co-Founder at TBWA\Chiat\Day.
Based in Los Angeles she's an award-winning Content Marketer and Cultural Insight Expert, who was previously a Strategist at BBH London and Mother London; having been the Senior Trends Analyst at The Future Laboratory and a journalist at The Face, which she joined after studying journalism at the London College of Fashion / University of the Arts London.
In this podcast, she talks about how and why she co-founded Backslash re: blending cultural insights and trend data to help the agency make brands more relevant. In effect, to help them move at the speed of cultural issues.
So she describes her trend research, spotting patterns and stories 'at the edge' in order to develop forecasting reports.
We discuss her recent projects into issues such as work-life boundaries, the convenience economy, diversification, wealth warfare and innovation around wellbeing.
Finally, and along the way, Billie Eilish gets an appropriate shout-out.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Stephen Colegrave, the Executive Editor & Co-Founder of the Byline Times, Byline TV and Byline Festival.
He's also a film producer and author of three books. The Byline Times is a fearless independent newspaper, featuring a daily national news and investigation site that's all about "what the papers don't print".
The Byline Festival is the world's only festival for independent journalism and free speech, where you can "dance, discuss, laugh and change the world". In this episode, we cover a lot of ground regarding 'Facts / Argument / Reportage / Culture'.
So, please take a listen and hear all about topics inc the Climate Emergency, Democracy under Attack, Independent Journalism, Propaganda & Disinformation...and how to put on a festival where (pre-C19 and hopefully after it) you could go to a discussion about corporate surveillance, hear a leading-edge comic, get drunk with a feminist punk band, learn about creative activism, then dance to a legendary DJ. (And not necessarily in that order).
In this reposted episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Julian Boulding, owner of 'thenetworkone' which is the world's largest independent advertising & marketing agency network, with over 1,200 agencies in 109 countries.
They also provide “open source creativity” and communications services from independent agencies, for a growing number of leading int'l marketing companies.
Before founding thenetworkone, Julian spent many years with the DMB&B Group (now part of Publicis) in a succession of senior roles in the UK, Europe, USA and Latin America. During this time, he directed global advertising campaigns for companies like Procter & Gamble, M&M Mars, Avon and Philips Electronics; rising to be President, International for DMB&B’s sister network, NW Ayer.
He rightly has absolutely stellar reputation throughout the agency world, and in this episode, he illuminates his knowledge as we discuss everything from behavioural economics to customer experience, leading-edge agencies and the internal working cultures that enabled them to achieve their success, the vital need for empathy and the increasing role for a collaborative approach.
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview Emily Hare, the Global Content Strategy Director of the Publicis Groupe. (Prior to this, she was Head of Content for Make Honey, before which she spent over a decade with Contagious Communications, where she was the Managing Editor.)
In our discussion, she explains her views on a wide range of issues including behavioural influencers, how to develop an informed and educated brand voice, the vital foundation of brand trust, and examples of authentic & positive brand behaviour regarding C19.
In addition, we discuss the law of unintended consequences, the crucial issue of promoting diversity, economic reprioritisation re: #TheGreatReset, adaptive capacity re: the climate crisis, and the rise of hyper-localisation.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed John Shaw, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Superunion 'a next-generation agency built on a spirit of creative optimism'.
(His past roles inc being Chief Strategy Officer of WPP Team Red, Strategy & Planning Partner at Rapier, Regional Planning Director EAME / Joint Worldwide Planning Director at Ogilvy, and Planning Director at Wieden + Kennedy).
During the episode, John illuminates his views on issues regarding the ongoing changes in both corporate culture and agency-land, why so many agencies are still so bad at clarifying their positioning, poses the question 'what is a company' and provides some compelling answers re: the future of work inc workplaces / workforces.
He then moves on to discuss the tensions between luxury and sustainability, and why the C19 crisis has led to a resurgence of nostalgia.
Along the way, he discusses a really dynamic career that's seen him work with some of the biggest and best names in the world of agencies, and gives his advice for the planners & strategists of tomorrow. Note: since recording this podcast, John has now set up his own consultancy 'Earthling'. Checkout-his LinkedIn page for more info...
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Jussi Solja, who is 'one of the beasts' at the Finland-based ' Sexy Beast' who are an 'anti-agency for startups and bold brands'. Nicely put!
Jussi has many years of global experience in marketing strategy, digital marketing, service and user experience design to branding, content strategy and beyond.
Over the years he's founded and managed agencies, launched a Finnish hiphop phenomenon, ran the marketing of the biggest classifieds platform in the Middle-East, worked with multiple startups, and headed a global team responsible for Nokia’s flagship products, winning multiple international awards in the process.
So we discuss a range of insights linked to the above, why he thinks there's a rather odd 'in-built animosity between many agencies and their clients' and why that led to the highly unusual and dynamic approach taken by The Sexy Beast. (Which essentially involves 'getting great people in a room for five days' in order to create catalytic brand / product / service / comms concepts).
He also discusses why he believes there's been a fundamental shift in how we do 'brand purpose' where we essentially ask ourselves "what's the genuine brand role in this new society"?
And when it comes to issues relating to my themes of "hope, community and resilience", you'll learn why the Finnish ethos of 'talkoot' and 'sisu' are so important...
In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Elodie Marteau, a Paris-based foresight strategist & cultural analyst, who helps businesses identify cultural opportunities to future-proof their brand strategy. Her viewpoints have been published by a wide range of organisations including the Fashion Network, LS:N Global, Trend Atelier, Canvas8 and the Global Scanning Review c/o the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, etc. In the interview, we discuss her thoughts on a wide range of issues relating to some dominant topics and emerging trends. These include the environmental crisis, the future city, personal identity, and brand ethics. Having worked for some of the leading agencies and consultancies in the sector, she also outlines her route into, and experiences within, the world of trend research. Finally, she highlights her views on 'hope / community / resilience' and her perspectives on the road ahead.
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, the national charity working towards a tolerant world where rational thinking and kindness prevail.
He's also President of Humanists International, the global umbrella organisation for humanist and other non-religious organisations, building the international humanist network and representing humanism at the UN and other international institutions.
Andrew has represented the humanist movement extensively on television including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as on programmes such a s Newsnight and The Daily Politics. He's also appeared on BBC radio programmes such as the Today programme, The World at One, The Last Word, and Beyond Belief.
In this episode, Andrew defines and explains humanism re: issues such as the need to test beliefs / reason, evidence & scientific method / fulfillment, growth & creativity / the search for truth / ethics / justice & fairness / building a better world.
I found it deeply interesting to hear his viewpoints, and hope you do too.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features the multiple award-winning magazine editor and brand consultant Steve Beale, who's observed / written about / been part of leading-edge subcultures for many years.
The ex-editor of the legendary Sleaze Nation, he then went on to write for an array of titles, including being Editor at Large of The Face and Senior Editor of Arena...before making the entirely obvious move to join Fighters Only, the world's largest mixed martial arts mag, as Editor in Chief.
He then became a Director with the Lazarides Gallery Group - the most influential art gallery of the 21st Century.
He's now Editorial Director of the brand editing collective Langsford Crimson, whilst also being a Director of the world's only premium fightwear brand 'Battles of London' which was described by The Times as 'Combat Sports Luxe'.
So this interview is as wide-ranging and interesting as you'd expect; including everything from the cutting-edge publishing scene, to C19 cultural observation, to the future of work, to combat sports.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the cultural strategist Amy Daroukakis, who "inspires teams, keep brands culturally relevant and re-imagines products, communication and design".
She's worked across a wide range of sectors, including Retail (Target), Luxury (LVMH), Social (Facebook), Automotive (Hertz), Insurtech (Coya), FMCG (Danone), Hospitality (Park Hyatt), Tourism (NYC GO), Food and Beverage (AB InBev), Entertainment (HBO), Electronics (Bang & Olufsen), and Financial (Amex).
We discuss how she started by studying cultural anthropology c/o 'Semester at Sea' (visiting 10 countries in 100 days). She's now travelled to over sixty countries, lived in six and worked across six continents inc North America, the EMEA and APAC.
Amy explains her approach to 'travelling differently' while on research projects, why signals are more important than pathways, her viewpoints on 'where next' regarding the impact of C19, building an innovative culture, and why getting out of your own filter-bubble is so important.
This episode features the amazing Dan Burgess. He's spent 25 years working at the leading edge of creative engagement, eco-innovation, creative activism and cause-led campaigning. As he says "there's an enormous regenerative and creative potential in care, love, empathy, responsibility, generosity, co-creation and participation". In his opinion, these are the most positively disruptive innovation practises today. And who could argue with that? We talk about a wide range of issues, including what the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed to us about the systematic problems that were already all around us, and how we can try to solve at least some of them re: #TheGreatReset. Check him out at GoodForNothing.com or via his brilliant podcast 'Spaceship Earth'.
In this reposted episode, I interview Carsten Beck, who heads up research at the famous Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS).
I've known him for years, and we've given speeches together in various parts of the world over the last decade. He also kindly gave highly insightful quotes for my books.
CIFS specialises in scenario planning and trend analysis for clients in a wide number of countries inc: the US, Norway, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, The Czech Republic, Dubai, China and Japan.
In the podcast, we discuss his 'tech optimism' in a C19 world where trust is of paramount importance, and of his views regarding a wide array of trend forecasting issues...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Lydia Caldana, a global brand strategist, trend forecaster and consumer insights analyst.
She identifies emerging behaviours and technologies that guide macro shifts in society to help brands navigate change and develop long-lasting relationships with consumers. Working on strategic projects that answer “what is the future of..?” her research, analytical, and forecasting skills are applied to a series of clients with various challenges, ranging from the UN-Habitat, to Google, Nike, Unilever, etc.
She’s extensive work experience with those inc The Future Laboratory, Protein NYC, VICE, Refinery 29, Collider Lab, Box1824, Aurora 3, The Grid etc; and has led end-to-end insights projects within the US, UK, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, India and South Korea.
Lydia is currently completing a Master’s degree in Liberal Studies (Global Urban Futures / Gender & Sexuality Studies) at The New School in NYC.
In this episode, we cover a wide range of issues regarding gender, race and class. In doing so, we discuss a series of her research case histories, alongside subjects inc population dynamics re: social change around culture, identity, community, inequality, etc.
And she also gives an overview of the superb ‘Future Resources’ that she runs - an open online platform for womxn in foresight, strategy and innovation.
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Brooklyn-based John Seabrook, a staff writer at The New Yorker since the 90's as well as being the author of a range of superb books including 'The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory' / 'Nobrow: The Culture of Marketing—The Marketing of Culture' / 'Deeper: My Two-Year Odyssey in Cyberspace / 'Flash of Genius, and Other True Stories of Invention' . In the interview we discuss his views on all of the above, along with a range of his other recent articles for the New Yorker. Therefore, his viewpoints take us on a fascinating path as we discuss issues inc artificial intelligence & smart composition, counter-surveillance strategies & fashion innovation, a robopop perspective on the record label of the future, social hierarchies in a commercialised culture, and social fragmentation in the post-digital / post-Covid age. Plus, of course, his take on 'Hope / Community / Resilience' which link all of #TheNewAbnormal podcasts...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Paul Kemp-Robertson, the co-founder of Contagious Communications and co-author of 'The Contagious Commandments'. To put it mildly, he has a very deep knowledge of the global marketing communications industry.
A graduate of Goldsmiths, and the ex-worldwide director of creative resources for Leo Burnett, in 2004 he then co-founded Contagious - the marketing innovations resource and creative excellence consultancy. Paul has written for numerous publications inc The Guardian and Forbes, and has appeared on CNN, ITV News and BBC Radio 4. His TED Talk has been viewed over a million times. And he is an advisor to the 'Create' charity.
In this interview, we discuss his views about the power of creativity and the bias against it, brands acting as NGO's, the crucial need for an organising principle, and the 'fundamental reset' that we're all undergoing, which (in the context of our discussion) is leading to a creative explosion.
Finally, Paul explains why everything leads back to Middlesbrough and a certain football club...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the writer, educator and consultant, Nilgin Yusuf.
The ex-Creative Director of the School of Communication at London College of Fashion and a graduate of Central St Martins. She's also been a journalist of over 30 years, including being Fashion Editor of the Sunday Times.
Nilgin is currently working on her third fashion book and studying for a BA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck.
With work that spans print, film curation, exhibition concepts and events, she believes that meaningful narratives are key.
In this episode, we discuss her career and her viewpoints across a wide range of social / cultural issues that have been impacted (or illuminated) by C19; such as inequality, wellbeing, compassion, mindfulness and indeed why Covid has been such a learning opportunity.
Finally, and along with her insights into digital storytelling (she was the Media Programme Director at LCF for many years), she also explains why Warbler is her favourite app...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Chris Sanderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory, one of the world's most renowned futures consultancies.
Via their unique blend of trend forecasting, consumer insights, foresight, brand strategy and innovation, they inspire and future-proof organisations. Clients include Louis Vuitton, Google, L'Oreal, Facebook, Diageo, Spotify, Unilever and Nissan.
Chris discusses the practicalities of running a forecasting business, and a range of issues that the Future Lab have identified as of being of direct importance on a social/cultural/business level, as they relate to brand futures and brand strategy.
So we talk about trends such as the 'Pleasure Revolution', 'Cultural Triangulation', the 'Transformation Economy' along with his viewpoints on the focus that this series has taken around 'Hope, Community & Resilience'.
And, of course, Chris acknowledges the ever-present influence of the mighty William Gibson. The Future Laboratory have built a reputation for being incredibly dynamic, and this episode reflects on their success.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Ben Hughes, Professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
He's also a consultant at, and an ex-professor of, the Central Academy of Fine Arts School of Design in Beijing; and was previously a consultant at the Innovation Centre, Central St Martins + the Course Director MA Ind Design at CSM.
In this episode, we discuss his fascinating experience of working in China over the last decade, and of his viewpoints on all things relating to design / creativity / education.
Along the way, we cover the different approaches taken to technology, as illustrated by the 'G-Mafia vs the BAT' i.e. Google / Microsoft / Amazon / Facebook / IBM / Apple vs Baidu / Alibaba / Tencent.
And of course, Ben talks about design theory, the practicalities of life under the C19 lockdown in Beijing, and of the view from China, looking back to Europe.
I this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview the features journalist, trend analyst and data storyteller Sabrina Faramarzi, who's particularly fascinated by internet culture and online communities.
She's written for The Guardian, Wired, Vice and Culture Trip, and is the international newsrooms & content lead for Opinary in Berlin, and the Contributing Data Editor of Vogue Business.
Her previous experience inc the likes of the Future Lab, Spacestor, Canvas8 and Trendwatching, alongside creating branded content for those including Airbnb, Regus, Tempur, GSK and Lush.
In the interview, we discuss her views on immersive experiences, lifestyle journalism, the feminist internet, marginalised groups, surveillance capitalism, transparent governance, the rethinking of public spaces and issues around work/play.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features John Dunleavy, Global Chief Client Officer, Ogilvy Group & IBM Global Client Leader, WPP.
He's spent over a decade leading agencies and working with some of the most iconic tech brands in the world. (He's the ex-Global President of m:united//McCann, before which he was Exec-VP/MD of Saatchi & Saatchi NYC, and MD of G2 Worldwide.) John describes agency leadership today and how agencies can & must provide great service for their clients in these 'difficult times'.
Looking to the future, he talks of a belief that agency models must evolve, via building bespoke teams that are as unique as their client's brands; by bundling capabilities, data and technology into everything they do, helping them reinvent, transform and above , remain relevant in a category that shifts daily.
In our 'Brave New World' these issues are ever more important, so John clarifies exactly what these concepts actually mean, and how they can be actioned...
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the author & philosopher Ian Olasov.
An adjunct professor and doctoral candidate at the City University of New York, he's twice won the American Philosophical Association's Public Philosophy Op-Ed Prize.
He's also the author of "Ask a Philosopher: answers to the most important - and unexpected - questions".
In addition, he set up the first 'Ask a Philosopher' booth in New York City, to answer questions from passers-by. Over the years, the series has received coverage from the likes of Newsweek, The York Times, qz.com and WNYC. His writing has appeared in titles inc Slate, Vox and Public Seminar.
So, in the interview, we discuss issues including truth and post-truth, alternative facts and fake news, echo chambers and media fragmentation, moral accounting and collective action, morality and false obligation, subjective wellbeing and social comparison, plus - of course - his favourite philosopher.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview the incredibly dynamic Stephanie Benedetto. A corporate attorney turned climate fintech entrepreneur, Stephanie is the Co-Founder of Queen of Raw, no-code enterprise software to intelligently resell and recycle unused inventory on Raw Chain, measure, report, and turn pollution into profit. Prior to starting Queen of Raw, Stephanie worked as a lawyer in the fashion, media/entertainment, start-up, and technology industries and co-founded a sustainable textile manufacturing facility. An advocate for women in business and sustainability, her companies have been featured in NPR, Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Entrepreneur. Stephanie is a 2020 Inc. Female Founders 100, an MIT Circular Economy Solver, an LVMH Innovation Award Finalist, and an Accenture and World Economic Forum Circulars 2022. She's also a Member of Pledge 1% and Founding Member of New York Circular City Initiative and Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network. So...as you can probably imagine, this episode is a great example of someone who went out there to build a business and change the world for the better...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Lucie Greene, who is a forecaster, strategist and author specialising in cultural trends, consumer insights and brand innovation.
Having relocated to NYC from L.A. she set up her futures practice 'Light Years' having previously led JWT's global futures think tank JWT Intelligence.
She also launched their renowned 'Future 100' annual trends report, which is now translated into ten languages. Her book 'Silicon States: the power and politics of BigTech and what it means for our future' is absolutely excellent.
In this episode we discuss a wide range of issues including the increasing exposure of a lack of faith in Government, the privatisation of the C19 pandemic inc surveillance capitalism, the need for 'Solve & Dissolve' teams re: the Future of Work, brand responses to the climate & ecological emergency, and the impact on our social fabric of hyper-individualisation.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Graham Black, Owner/Creative Director at BureauxBlack Design, and a Lecturer at Falmouth University; whose particular areas of expertise are in the arts, culture, sport, literature and current affairs.
His early agency career focused on the music industry, designing record sleeves and advertising campaigns for clients inc Virgin, EMI and Sony; and in the years that followed he's art directed editorial publications for some of the biggest and most respected brands in publishing, inc The FT, The Economist, and The Observer.
His design approach is to employ powerful, sophisticated and striking typography, photography and illustration. After many years of commissioning he's built up a contact book that inc many of the finest reportage, portrait, fashion and travel photographers in the world, as well as the most innovative and well known illustrators.
So...in this episode we discuss some of the amazing photographers and illustrators with whom he's worked (resulting in covers featuring everyone from Bowie to Mandela to Orwell), and his viewpoints on leading-edge culture, NextGen magazines and the creative process.
And, of course, his take on why 'hope, community and resilience' are the way forward...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview David Shah, the renowned Publisher and Owner at View-Publications; five leading-edge magazines specialising in textiles, colours and branding strategy.
He's also the Director of DRS Consulting, which specialises in the design of private label brands for menswear and womenswear, and is a consultant to numerous companies on future consumer trends.
In addition, he's a Fellow at the Royal College of Art, and is a regular speechmaker and conference regulator at international design and marketing events.
In this episode, we discuss his insights relating to subjects including the acceleration of trends, societal polarisation, a decline in trust, how decision making is changing in the Information Economy, the rise and rise of the oligopolies; and a greater need for generosity, collaboration and kindness.
We finish by debating 'where next' for sustainability and the impact of inequality - from a gender and generational perspective.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Alex Durussel-Baker.
The founder of CreativeMornings/Edinburgh, she's also a certified Design Sprint coach, an award-winning UX designer, produces awareness campaign @diabetesbydesign and is a coach at Tribe Women.
With a background in startups and agency design, she founded Korero Studio - a design collective that brings together “plug-and-play” talent to deliver Design Sprints, an innovation methodology to help solve tricky business problems and bring ideas to life in just five days. (Alex specialises in delivering design thinking and strategic workshops for businesses and individuals in the early phases of their product or service).
Therefore, in this episode we discuss the dynamic CreativeMornings (a movement begun in NYC 'believing in the power of communities' that, every month, sees people gather in over 200 cities across nearly 70 countries), along with her viewpoints on how to run truly catalytic workshops.
Alex also discusses the dynamic @diabetesbydesign which raises awareness and dispels misconceptions surrounding T1D - informing, inspiring and igniting new conversations around this often misunderstood disease.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Carl Miller, who specialises in how technology is changing society and politics.
He co-founded the first UK think tank institute dedicated to studying the digital world, at Demos (Britain's leading cross-party think tank) nearly a decade ago, and has been their Research Director ever since.
Carl writes widely on tech and society for titles inc The Economist, Wired, New Scientist, The Sunday Times, the Telegraph and the Guardian. In 2018 he released his first book 'The Death of the Gods: The New Global Power Grab', and often gives speeches about the implications of changes in politics, society, media, crime and warfare.
In this episode, we discuss a range of fascinating issues, including the fundamental redrawing of liberties & state boundaries re: the C19 lockdown, identity politics and the social landscape, disinformation / misinformation / fake news / alternative facts in the context of Influence Operations & Information Warfare, collective experiences & social polarisation, the public's demand for accountability, intersectionality, and of how we're living in a moment of flux, where the old rules are being washed away by a new consensus.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the writer Tom Hodgkinson.
His philosophy is of a relaxed approach to life, enjoying it as it comes rather than toiling for an imagined better future.
After lounging around at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he played bass in the thrash band Chopper, he took the natural step of getting a job in Rough Trade records before moving on to becoming an importer of absinthe.
Later, he and his partner Victoria Hull launched The Idler Academy; which offers courses on subjects such as foraging, singing, grammar, philosophy and astronomy.
In this episode, we discuss a range of issues alongside anecdotes about the people he's interviewed. You'll therefore hear about Damien Hirst, Iggy Pop, Rowan Williams, Brett Anderson, Paul Mason, Communism, Ethics, the Futurists, Aldous Huxley, Colin MacInnes, the Sleaford Mods, Public Enemy, Bob Dylan, Naomi Klein, and the great Sally Phillips.
Plus, a retort to the appallingly non-idling Home Secretary Priti Patel, who accused the British of being "the worst idlers in the world".
By "worst" Tom points out, Patel seems to actually mean "best".
To finish, and as The Idler states so clearly: 'Down with Silicon Valley...Open the Village Hall...Embrace Beauty...We Are Free...Anarchy in the UK!
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features the dynamic Alison Taylor, who works on challenges at the intersection of corporate integrity, risk and responsibility. She's the Executive Director of Ethical Systems, which is part of NYU Stern School of Business and is a collaboration between leading academics working on behavioural science, systems thinking and organisational psychology.
Currently writing a book for HBR Press on how the landscape for business ethics is transforming, she's also an Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, where she teaches professional responsibility and leadership to undergraduate, MBA and Executive MBA students.
Alison holds Senior Advisor roles at BSR and Wallbrook, is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption, and is a member of the UK government's Business Integrity Initiative expert panel.
She has a long track record of consulting for large multinational companies, on strategy, sustainability, political and social risk, culture and behaviour, human rights, ethics and compliance, stakeholder engagement, ESG, and anti-corruption.
So, we cover all of the above in what I hope you'll agree is a fascinating discussion!
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Jon Cohen, the author of "Asking for Trouble: understanding what people think, when you can't trust what they say". The aim of the book is to enable the development of more creative concepts, braver public policy and more compelling marketing communications through a better understanding of response.
He's also the Managing Partner of the award-winning Kindling Research, who have an outstanding record of helping clients develop ideas that challenge the status quo. In this episode, we discuss all of the above, clarify why 'the language of asking' only has six rules, discuss democracy vs meritocracy (in the context of research), debate why 'asking is an art' and give a shout-out to the gone (but not forgotten) HHCL. Jon also outlines the 'Golden Triangle of Intelligent Response'. The interview starts with the observation that one constant theme has dominated his life: 'Asking is easy. The hard part is knowing what to do with the answer...'
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Mark Shayler, owner at Ape.
He's a Thinker / Doer / Creator / Speaker / Author, who helps companies grow sustainably by developing people, strategies and brand - whilst reducing impact. (Mark has saved his clients in excess of £120,000,000).
He's also author of the excellent books "Do Disrupt" and "Do Present".
In the interview, we discuss his highly specialised knowledge of sustainability, in which he has many years experience of advising and working with an array of clients, from major corporates to leading-edge startups.
Along the way, he outlines his strategic thinking and practical approach to problems facing companies today and tomorrow.
Mark also talks about the renowned Do Lectures, which have gained a stellar reputation over the years since he was a founding partner, and with whom he continues to play a crucial role.
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Lore Oxford, Global Head of Cultural Insights at We Are Social, where she combines academic research methods with a digital-first approach to understand and track culture on a global scale.
Her work is designed to unearth cutting edge insights that drive cultural impact for multinational brands inc Guinness, Bumble, adidas and Instagram.
When she’s not busy analysing her fellow humans, she can be found defending TikTokers and the art of the selfie from contemporary culture snobs.
In this episode, we discuss the above, and the latest annual trend report from the agency 'Think Forward 2022' which explains how we're stepping into #BraveNewWorlds.
(It’s based on a series of trends identified by their Cultural Insights team, a network of 50 analysts and strategists globally, and supported by a survey of 3,000 people aged 18+ who use social media daily from the US, UK, France, Italy, China and Australia).
As she says "we’re on the brink of a renaissance in creativity on social, in which brands and creators alike are going to have to work harder and better to make us laugh, move us, and connect us".
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I talk with the founder of the world's first "Movement" marketing / transformation / advertising and design company: the famous Strawberry Frog.
Prior to this, I'd last spoken with Scott Goodson, the agency's founder/CEO, just after they'd won the coveted 'Best Marketing Agency of the Year' award c/o The Drum.
In this podcast, he explains the inspiring journey that Strawberry Frog has been on to deal with / adapt to the business realities of C19 - which is about as good an example of best-practise as you're likely to hear.
He describes, in detail, the way that the agency has implemented issues such as 'Positive Intent' and reinforced their 'all in it together' ethos to install added confidence in the future, throughout the agency team.
Scott also highlights their development of 'On/Up Movements' and how it is that Strawberry Frog have established an enviable reputation for building big transformative ideas, with clear values at their nucleus.
Hence a client list ranging from P&G to Google to PepsiCo to SunTrust to LG to Morgan Stanley, etc. Oh, and Scott is the author of the books 'Uprising' and 'Activate Brand Purpose'...
Steve Lacey has a reputation for being a genuine outsider, in an industry where being 'inside the bubble' is the 24/7 reality for the vast majority of its workforce.
(Hence him founding 'The Outsiders: an international network of misfits and experts').
He understands diversity and prides himself on conducting research outside the margins, delivering social insight that really makes an impact. His team also works outside industry norms, and in this episode we discuss leading-edge approaches to conducting research, his views on 'real' cultural & societal trends, and some emerging issues that he expects to impact our futures post-Covid.
As part of this, we debate his views about the 'Death of Rebellion', brand leadership, the need for reflection and hope re: #TheGreatReset, and of C19 as a catalyst for creativity.
Finally, and with Steve being Steve, he's thinking of studying Classical Medieval History. We'll all be doing it soon, and you heard it here first.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the award-winning multimedia journalist Lauren Razavi, who specialises in subjects including the Future of Work, Future Cities, Tech Policy and Ethics.
She therefore reports on topics at the intersection of technology, business, policy and human behaviour - and has also spent years delivering talks and appearing on panels about big tech, surveillance, blockchain, internet culture etc, alongside her past work with those inc Google, The Guardian, and Inverse.
She's currently writing a book that examines the past two decades of tech innovation and its impact on economics and equality globally, covering issues from the sharing economy and data sovereignty to algorithmic decision-making.
Lauren is a deep thinker and vocal commentator on how we can realign technology with the interests of humanity, and so I make every attempt to keep up with her as we discuss her viewpoints - in particular the global 'Digital Nomad' community regarding issues such as individual empowerment, distributed work, community & isolation, place-making, lifestyle stability & mental health, generational trends, environmentalism, and some suggested political / social / economic policy responses.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview David Nottoli. He's an award-winning brand and communications strategist re: some of the world's top advertisers inc Hershey, Nike, Levi's, Coca Cola, Samsung, Best Buy, and Bank of America.
Dave's built a track record of re-energizing big brands, helping small brands get noticed, and finding new ways into the consumers heart.
Along the way, he was the Director of Brand/Comms Strategy at 22squared, Group Planning Director at CP+B, SVP Account Planning at Digitas, a Brand Strategist at the Open Intelligence Agency, and a Strategic Planner at agencies inc BBH, kirshenbaum bond + partners, Lowe, and Wieden + Kennedy.
(Which makes him one of the very few to have worked for both John Hegarty and Dan Wieden).
In this episode, we discuss a wide range of topics inc numerous brand issues/problems that he's encountered along the way, how he views contemporary socio/political realities impacting brands, and the type of strategic thinking that the successful businesses of tomorrow should consider...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Simon Armstrong, who has the incredibly enviable job of being the book buyer for The Tate.
He's a fascinating individual, with a background across an array of leading-edge cultural positions.
In this interview, he describes his journey from a working-class background in the North East, to running what many consider to be the finest art bookshop in the world.
(Where the subject matter of the stock includes Modern & Contemporary Art, Photography, Design, Fashion and Architecture, etc).
Along the way, we discuss the vital role of culture during the pandemic - despite it apparently being being deemed 'non-essential' by many Governments. We debate the highly divisive culture wars, the search for artistic authenticity (with an obligatory nod to Sartre), and why actively supporting counter-culture / sub-culture is so important, because - as ever - the most interesting things happen on the periphery 'where everything influences everything else'.
Finally, he emphasises how crucial it is to promote fresh thinking and to have 'thoughtful disagreements'.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview the dynamic Lucy von Sturmer, founder of thought leadership agency The Humblebrag and Co-Initiator of global network Creatives for Climate.
The Humblebrag works with some of Europe’s best agencies, brands, artists and sustainable fashion initiatives to use the power of ideas, opinions and creativity to challenge the status quo and create impact.
(Lucy's mission is to support leaders to take a stand on social, cultural and environmental issues and through her work, to help companies and brands build their reputation).
Creatives for Climate is a global network and grassroots initiative to coordinate a collective response from the creative industries to mobilise action on the climate emergency.
Lucy cut her communications-teeth in the world of journalism, television and PR, before working for NGOs, which was followed by a move to advertising, before she founded the Humblebrag.
She's also built a reputation as a public speaker and has been featured in titles inc The Huffington Post, AdWeek, The Drum, Sustainable Brands and Mumbrella.
In this episode, we discuss all of the above, including her specific viewpoints on brand activism, disruption, regenerative solutions, intersectionality and social inclusion; along with her take on 'hope community and resilience'...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Nick Shackleton-Jones, HR Director / Learning at Deloitte UK.
He's also the author of 'How People Learn' and has a revolutionary perspective on...how we learn.
Nick began professional life as a psychology lecturer (having studied psychology and philosophy at university) and has since worked for major consultancies and corporates in roles encompassing learning strategy, culture, leadership, innovation, technology & multimedia.
Responsible for coining the ‘courses to resources’ shift, the affective context model of learning, and introducing the 5Di approach to user-centred learning design, he's the winner of several awards for people development strategy, innovation, and learning content; and is well-known in the 'learning industry' for his ground-breaking work and thinking.
In our interview, we discuss his viewpoints across a range of issues including how the brain works in the context of memory (inc System 1 & 2 thinking), learning and individuality, the significance of play, storytelling and catastrophe, behavioural change, why 'Thinking is Feeling', how to reimagine your world, and the intentional design of experiences and resources that promote learning aka 'Learning Design'.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview the filmmaker, photographer and story finder Simon Kreitem.
He's also the CEO at Lonelyleap, a collaborative, transatlantic team of strategists, directors, cinematographers, designers and producers; whose films are based on human truths.
They communicate at a deep level, stimulating intelligence, feeding curiosity and inspiring acton. In this episode, we cover how he approaches the 'story discovery' process, regarding the evaluation of this on the basis of 'what is it that you've found, what did you discover, how does it move you, what insight does it give you'? Those rules are, he says, as true as they've ever been.
Simon also mentions a great truism of storytelling..."that so often it's the little person who says the most profound things". (To which any researcher or journalist listening to this podcast will no doubt agree).
Along the way, he discusses a range of their films, which included subjects ranging from Death Row to Local Communities to Cutting-edge Technology. Incidentally, the film about Death Row is about inspiring a piece of work as you can expect to see. Bet you didn't expect that...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Florencia Lujani, a Strategy Director based in London who specialises in brand & creative strategy.
She started her career a decade ago at TBWA Buenos Aires, where she learnt about 'Disruption Planning' before moving to the UK.
She's since worked at JWT London, We Are Social, and Ketchum PR, before joining Media Bounty, one of the leading ethical creative agencies in the country.
Florencia works with brands and the climate sector developing strategies that help shift the world to a sustainable economy. (She recently completed a Master’s Degree in Cultural Studies from Birkbeck, University of London, where she studied the intersection of culture, the economy, advertising, the climate crisis and consumer culture).
Florencia also publishes her Substack newsletter 'Cultural Patterns' where she writes about cultural phenomena, new forms of creativity, the climate crisis, emerging consumer behaviour and their impact on brand strategy.
She's written for WARC, The Drum, Contagious, The Guardian, Marketing Week and her thinking has been published in the UK, Spain, Germany, the US, and Latin America.
In this episode, we discuss a range of issues relating to her specialist knowledge, and in particular, some of her latest thinking regarding "if you don't have a climate plan, you don't have a business plan".
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I talk with the inspirational Andy Middleton.
He's the Chief Exploration Officer of the adventure pioneers TYF, who introduced the world to coasteering and are at the forefront of low-impact adventures and experiential learning.
In addition to supporting TYF, Andy's role is to enable leaders to deliver radical and transformational innovation to help solve carbon, biodiversity, resource and wellbeing challenges by re-thinking education, ambition and engagement.
So, we discuss risk management, his 'Planet B' ethos, #TheGreatReset, a future strategy for the Do Lectures, and the core purpose of the incredible TYF organisation - connecting people to nature. (For more info: www.tyf.com).
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast (available on all the usual platforms) features Ian Peters MBE, Director at Institute of Business Ethics; which has a guiding purpose of championing the highest standards of ethical behaviour in business. Ian is a specialist in business policy and strategic communications, and is highly experienced in media & government relations, and business policy. All organisations need to demonstrate they are trustworthy, and the IBE is an important partner to any business wanting to preserve its long-term reputation by doing business in the right way. In the interview, Ian outlines subjects including 'how to build an ethical culture', illuminates issues impacting leadership & role modelling, gives practical guidance around purpose, ethical values, organisational culture and behaviour; along with detailing practicalities around both establishing and demonstrating a code of ethics. And, of course, we discuss how brands are responding to the invasion of Ukraine. As Ian says 'this is not a time to sit on the fence...'
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Katrina Dodd, who is Editor at Large, Head of Trends and a writer at the mighty Contagious.
She's also a former consultant at Contagious Insider, and has worked on diverse projects for clients inc BBC Worldwide, Universal Music, Louis Vuitton and Diageo.
Katrina was also the launch editor of Contagious FEED, a bespoke intelligence service delivering targeted news and insights to a wide range of agency and brand clients.
In this interview, we discuss her views on authentic brand behaviour regarding C19, conscious consumerism, the accusation of 'complicity' towards adland from Extinction Rebellion, and why asking 'Heretical Questions' is so important.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Tamira Snell, Senior Advisor at the renowned Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies.
CIFS equip and inspire individuals and organisations, decision-makers and the public, to act on the future, today. She's an expert advisor who guides organisations in exploratory insight and innovation processes.
With a background in cultural sociology, her field of passion is people – to understand emerging needs, the drivers and barriers behind why and how we live and think, behave and consume the way we do, and to investigate the behavioural patterns and cultural consequences of broader societal currents.
As a result, Tamira helps bridge the gap between the present and the future in order to define new opportunity spaces for innovation.
In our interview, we discuss her viewpoints around issues inc Design Thinking, Scenario Planning, Health Futures, mega-trends related to Individualism, Immaterialism, Transformation, the No-touch Economy, and Polarisation.
Tamira also outlines her plans to circumnavigate the world in her catamaran. I am, to put it mildly, deeply envious.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Rob Hopkins, cofounder of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Network, and author of numerous books including 'The Transition Handbook, The Power of Just Doing Stuff, and most recently, From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want'.
He presents the podcast series 'From What If to What Next' which invites listeners to send in their “what if” questions and then explores how to make them a reality.
Rob was voted one of the Independent's top 100 environmentalists and was on Nesta and the Observer's list of Britain’s 50 New Radicals.
He's also appeared on BBC Radio 4, in the French film phenomenon 'Demain' and its sequel 'Apres Demain', and has spoken at TEDGlobal and three TEDx events.
In 2020 he was a member of the Cambridge Sustainability Commission on Scaling Sustainable Behaviour Change. (And in his - presumably minimal - spare time, he sometimes makes lino prints.)
So, in this dynamic interview, we discuss his views on all of the above, and along the way, issues such as Buddhism, punk, permaculture, the climate & ecological emergency, the decline of play vs the rise of screens, the great reskilling, citizen assemblies, positive change, speculative fiction, and The Fall...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Neil Boorman, Head of Creative Lab Europe at TikTok.
He builds and leads their in-house creative service, dedicated to producing best in class work on the platform. Prior to TikTok, he was the Content Director at agencies including Wieden + Kennedy, Mother, Grey, and VCCP, before which he was a Content Strategist/Producer at Amnesty International.
He's also the author of books inc "It's all their fault" & "Bonfire of the Brands". And...he edited/published the satirical fanzine 'Shoreditch Twat'.
(Whose readership combined those who got what was going on, along with those who later watched Nathan Barley and hoped their neighbours were laughing with them, not at them. I'm increasingly concerned about my membership of the former).
So...Neil's been at the leading-edge of culture throughout his career, and in this episode discusses a range of contemporary issues that interest and/or appall him in equal measure.
As for the mighty TikTok, Neil explains why he thinks a platform that has 'honesty, humility and authenticity' at its heart is such a spectacular global success, regarding its ability to connect us all via creativity and joy.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' features the renowned semiotician Dr Rachel Lawes.
One of the earliest providers of British commercial semiotics, her PhD was in social psychology, hence bringing a unique perspective to semiotics, placing her at the exact intersection of psychology, linguistics and cultural studies.
Rachel has been using semiotics for nearly 20 years to rejuvenate brands, innovate products and services, and steer communication.
As she points out in her excellent book 'Using Semiotics in Marketing', semiotics is big business - most famous for its unique ability to decode visual images - and can provide invaluable insights into understanding people's needs and behaviour.
In this interview, we discuss the communication of codes / signs / symbols, how semiotic research can dovetail with ethnography, the post-modern theorists Jean Baudrillard and Michel Foucault, Western Individuality / Hyper Individualism, and Conceptual Art.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Mark Vernon, a psychodynamic psychotherapist, writer and broadcaster, who has a keen interest in spirituality and the inner life. He has a PhD in ancient philosophy, as well as degrees in physics and theology.
His books (which have appeared in translation around the world) cover subjects from friendship and belief, to wellbeing and love, and his latest one is 'A Secret History of Christianity'.
Mark contributes to and has presented a number of radio programmes such as 'The Moral Maze' and 'In Our Time'. He teaches at The Idler Academy and also leads workshops and gives talks re: 'Ancient Greek Philosophy and How to See Spiritually'.
So, as you can no doubt imagine, I found it fascinating to talk with Mark about his thinking on subjects ranging from Plato to Freud to Blake to Augustine; and on issues ranging from friendship to religion to generational angst to Pandora's Box.
Along the way, we discuss the Socratic Question, his viewpoints on the Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics and Cynics, all things ego-related, why it's hard for science to question itself, along with the parables of Jesus and Buddha.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening!
(Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Steven MacGregor.
He's a global expert in workplace health, wellbeing and performance with PhD and Master's degree in design thinking and virtual teams.
Steven is also founder of The Leadership Academy of Barcelona. and author (or lead co-author) of six books in the past 12 years, notably 'Chief Wellbeing Officer' and 'Sustaining Executive Performance'.
His next book 'The Daily Reset, 366 ways to move your life forward' was published recently.
A keynote speaker and guest professor with experience in research and teaching at Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, IE, IMD, IESE, CEIBS and Pompeu Fabra, he's trained with Olympic athletes, Tour de France riders and Ironman champions.
Steven's also an international level Duathlete and former national champion currently racing for FC Barcelona.
So...we discuss all of the above in what I hope you'll agree is a suitably dynamic conversation, and I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening!
(Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the leading futurist, author and speaker Anne-Lise Kjaer.
Her wholebrain methodology bridges the rational and emotional universe – shaping the strategies and core concepts driving the businesses and brands of the future.
According to the Financial Times her unique world vision is "as fertile as Dali’s only she creates social prototypes…based on nascent trends."
She's the Founder of Kjaer Global, who work with an A-Z of world-leaders including Accenture, BMV, Esade Alumni, Fiskars Group, Herman Miller, Ikea, Johnson & Johnson, Mc Kinsey & Co, Nokia, Sony, Toyota and Unilever.
In this podcast, we discuss her views on issues including design-thinking, the dangers of short-termism, scenario planning, trend forecasting, creative leadership, and cultivating intuition.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
Martin Raymond is an author, journalist and co-founder of The Future Laboratory - one of the world's most renowned futures consultancies.
Established in 2000, they've worked with more than 1000 businesses in 50 countries.
In this episode, we discuss his thinking around a wide range of areas, including journalism being 'the last refuge of the desperate - and the curious' to the cultural drivers of tomorrow, strategic foresight around resilience and purpose, surveillance capitalism, scenario planning, and a certain J G Ballard.
Along the way, we discuss his books "The Tomorrow People", "The Trend Forecaster's Handbook" and forthcoming title "The Trusted and the Damned - or how to take a big company and make it small, irrelevant and pointless'.
As they say, what's not to like?
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening!
(Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview Richard Watson,
Futurist-in-Residence at Judge Business School, Cambridge University.
He helps organisations to think, especially about emerging opportunities and risks. Particular interests include emerging tech, AI, robotics, education, energy, and water.
Richard has written extensively on societal trends and the impact of technology, and has given over 300 talks to various organisations throughout the world.
He's worked extensively on scenario planning projects having been introduced to the discipline by one of the founders of GBN.
The author of five books about various aspects of the future (inc the scenario process), he's blogged on innovation for Fast Company and written for Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies and McKinsey & Co.
He's also a visiting lecturer at both Imperial College Business School and London Business School, co-founder of 'Thinking Allowed' and one of the people behind Sci-Fi nights at the Royal College Of Art.
So, we discuss all of the above alongside issues such as a potential corona chronology, leadership, the merits of studying politics, philosophy & economics, and the entrepreneurial mind.
Finally, Richard outlines a strategic approach based on 'scenario worlds or a preferred future'...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview Randell Beckford, Senior Strategist at the dynamic independent creative agency Atomic London. (She previously worked at Spark44, Redwood BBDO, TBWA Toronto and DDB Toronto.)
We discuss her views on a range of topics, but in particular her perspectives on how to build a brand that won’t get cancelled, at a time when the culture wars show no signs of dissipating. This, of course, links directly to a business-context in which brands are having to adapt to consumer attitudes and behaviour as a result of an increasingly demanding society.
So, Randell explains the actions that organisations can take in order to both build a brand that resonates, and in doing so, mitigates the risk of cancel culture. This, essentially, is based on three key principles: 'Get You / Like You / Trust You'. Hence she outlines the 'why & how' of having clarity, relevance and consistency.
Finally, and as she says 'when in doubt, ask for advice' in an era when the solution to many brand-issues resides outside the echo-chamber of adland...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening!
(Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
Hi! I'm Sean Pillot de Chenecey, host of 'The New Abnormal' podcast, which I set up during the first Covid lockdown in the UK.
With an overall focus of 'hope, community and resilience' my guests include writers, activists, researchers, creatives, psychologists, futurists, university lecturers, senior marketers and political scientists.
Debating these subjects and the context within they sit has meant I've had some really fascinating discussions with people who also illuminate their own personal stories regarding ‘how they got to where they are now - and why they do what they do’ etc.
For info on me, as a strategist I deliver insights re: the "Real Now & Potential Next". To do so, I've conducted cultural/social and brand/product research in countries around the world, for clients ranging from corporates to NGO’s. (Please see: www.brandpositive.org).
An author, my first book ‘The Post-Truth Business’ reached No1 in the business-bestseller charts; whilst my second 'Influencers & Revolutionaries' was shortlisted for the 2021 'Business Book of the Year' Awards.
As for my public speaking, I've given speeches across Europe and the US, along with the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Asia, and have been a university lecturer for many years. I'm also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. (Please see: www.seanpdec.com).
I'm pleased that 'The New Abnormal' has over 75,000 downloads, and hope you enjoy your coffee while listening to the wide variety of fascinating discussions!
(Talking of which, if you like, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of The New Abnormal features the dynamic Jon Alexander, author of "CITIZENS: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us".
It's a book that seeks to reframe the moment in time we're living in as one of huge civic opportunity, not just crisis and collapse, and in doing so opens up a world of possibility for organisations and leaders across sectors and across the world.
Jon is co-founder of the New Citizenship Project, a strategy and innovation consultancy that aims to shift the dominant story of the individual in society from Consumer to Citizen. (NCP is a certified B-corporation).
Having begun his career with a decade in the advertising industry at agencies including BBDO and Fallon, Jon is increasingly active and visible politically; as a Fellow of the Young Foundation and the Royal Society of Arts, and a member of the OECD's Innovative Citizen Participation Network.
So, in this episode, we discuss all of the above, but with a core focus on his excellent new book, where he describes in detail why he believes we need a new thinking framework - and a new set of ideas...
I hope you enjoy listening in!
This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the serial social entrepreneur Mark Hanis, who co-founded the Ukraine Corporate Index, which tracks corporate stance re: Putin's Russia in the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine.
He also co-founded two startups: Inclusive America (a nonprofit to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in government) and Progressive Shopper (a technology company to harness conscious consumption).
Previously, Mark has helped found several social impact organizations: to engage global leaders to drive social change at scale; to address the unnecessary deaths due to a shortage of transplantable organs; and to empower citizens and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide.
He also served as a White House Fellow working in the Office of VP Joe Biden as the National Security Affairs Special Advisor for South America, Africa, and Human Rights.
Named as a 'Young Global Leader' by the World Economic Forum, Mark and his colleagues have been covered by media outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and NPR.
So, in this episode, we discuss all of the above, but naturally the main focus is on the activity currently being undertaken by the Ukrainian Corporate Index, which asks 'on which side of the war do your brands stand?'
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Kathleen Higgins, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, at Austin.
Kathleen's main areas of research are continental philosophy, philosophy of the emotions, and aesthetics.
She has published a number of books: Nietzsche's “Zarathustra” , The Music of Our Lives, A Short History of Philosophy, A Passion for Wisdom , What Nietzsche Really Said , and The Music between Us: Is Music a Universal Language?She has edited or co-edited several other books on such topics as German Idealism, aesthetics, ethics, erotic love, non-Western philosophy, and the philosophy of Robert C. Solomon.
In this episode, we discuss her thinking on topics including post-truth, autonomy, the Noble Lie, filter-bubbles and echo chambers, public opinion and media narratives, heuristics vs critical thinking; alongside the lessons of today that we can learn from philosophers ranging from Rousseau to Kant to Schopenhaur to Derrida. And, of course, Nietzsche.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode, I interview the dynamic Joanna Catalano.
Her cv is daunting - President of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific / Board Member of WGI Worldwide / Advisor to Enrupt / the D&AD Impact Council / and President of the Female Founders - Singapore Chapter.
Previously, she spent several years as a Regional Head at Google, and she has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.
In the podcast, we discuss her views on issues ranging from leadership in our contemporary social / business environment, HR and spiral dynamics, values communication, the future of work, brand authenticity, sustainability and the power of community.
(Please note: following our interview, she became Chief Growth Officer at Piano, the analytics & activation platform).
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode I talk with John Grant, who spent his early career at JWT and BMP-DDB, before becoming co-founder and Head of Strategy for the revolutionary St Luke's .
(As you'll hear, it narrowly missed being named after...well listen and find out).
John has since become a highly sought-after consultant, and somehow managed to write several excellent books along the way, inc 'The New Marketing Manifesto', 'The Green Marketing Manifesto', Co-opportunity', 'Made With', and 'Better'.
He has worked with an array of leading global brands, along with various departments of the UK and Swedish Governments.
He's also written a sequel to the #GreenMarketingManifesto titled #GreenerMarketing.
Therefore we talk about that, #TheGreatReset...and Spiral Tribe. As you do.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview Carl Ratcliff, who's just set-up his new consultancy 'This is the Day'.
Prior to that, he was Chief Strategy Officer at DDB Group Australia, whilst other previous roles included being CEO of One Green Bean in Sydney, CEO of Naked Communications and MD of BWM Dentsu in Melbourne.
Back in the day, he was Exec Planning Director at MCBD/Elvis in London, Head of Marketing at Channel Five TV, and Planning Partner at TBWA London.
In this podcast, we discuss the view from Australia re: corporate / Govt levels of trust, positive brand behaviour as an expectation, reframing brand values, issues around behavioural economics, and building Post-C19 resilience.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Sophy Roberts, journalist and author of 'The Lost Pianos of Siberia'.
She focuses on travel stories in remote parts of the world, with a special interest in literature, history, culture and conversation.
The ex-Travel Editor of The Economist and a Special Correspondent for Conde Nast Traveller, she shoots articles as well as writing them, including cover features for the Financial Times. Her first non-fiction book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia was named a Times, Sunday Times and Independent ‘Book of the Year’, a ‘Best Travel Book of 2020’ by Smithsonian Magazine, The Spectator, and i paper, and recently shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of 2021.
As she says of the book, which is currently being translated into seven languages, "Siberia's expansive history is traditionally one of exiles, bitter cold and suffering. Yet there is another tale to tell..." (The Wall St Journal commented "these pages sing like a symphony").
Sophy also contributes to radio, podcast and panel events, including the BBC, The Economist, Times Radio, Tortoise and The Royal Geographical Society.So, we discuss all of the above, along with issues inc the business of tourism vs the serendipity of travel, music as a conduit of hope, the solace of culture, travel as an act of empathy, and the need to 'keep looking outwards' in the age of Covid.
Having been to Siberia myself, I have to say that I found her stories about the people, landscape and history of that extraordinary region to be fascinating.
And, of course, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This isn’t actually an episode of #TheNewAbnormal at all…but as it’s my podcast series, I’m taking the outrageous liberty of linking to a separate one that features me - as opposed to my guests.
Hence linking to 'The Speaker Show' which is run by the renowned global speaker-bureau, Speakers Associates. In this episode, their brilliant host Maria Franzoni interviewed me as the launch episode for 2022.
We discuss some of the key trends impacting culture / society / brands etc, and of how those issues connect to my books #ThePostTruthBusiness (re: authenticity / ethics) and #Influencers&Revolutionaries (re: leading-edge innovation).
I also highlight the wide range of fascinating guests I’ve interviewed for ‘The New Abnormal’ podcast, where my guests and I have discussed an array of issues linked to hope, community and resilience.
(The themes mentioned above are reflected in my ongoing speeches...)
The promotional intro featured here only lasts a minute, but you can listen to the full episode via this audio link: https://apple.co/3e6yI7N or, if you prefer a visual YouTube version: https://bit.ly/3FVnv5Y.
So, I hope you enjoy it!
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features James Bidwell, co-founder/Chair of B Corps, Re_Set and Springwise. He's also author of 'Disrupt! 100 Lessons in Business Innovation'. (Re_Set [described by Seth Godin as “too good to share”] and Springwise are both B Corps).
James advises many businesses and several government organisations. He is a visiting lecturer at the University of Bristol and Cambridge Judge Business School, participant in the London Business School Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme, committee member and judge at the World Retail Congress and mentor at Red Bull Amaphiko.
James is an expert in navigating disruption and the rapid pace of change, the role of innovation, and how to encourage cultural shift.
Therefore, in this episode, we discuss all of the above, along with his specific views on the 'New Abnormal ethos' of hope, community and resilience, at a time when those issues are utterly crucial...
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview Sara Wheeler, a prize-winning non-fiction writer noted for her accounts of the polar regions. Her books include the international bestseller Terra Incognita, which tells the story of a seven-month journey in Antarctica.
The Daily Telegraph reviewer wrote of it, ‘I do not think there will ever be a better book written about the Antarctic.’ In it, she mentioned sleeping in the captain's bunk in Scott's Hut.
Whilst in Antarctica she read 'The Worst Journey in the World', an account of the Terra Nova Expedition, and she later wrote a biography of its author Apsley Cherry-Garrard.
For years she travelled frequently to Russia, Alaska, Greenland, Canada, and North Norway to write her book The Magnetic North: Notes from the Arctic Circle (winner of the Banff Adventure Travel Prize).She later wrote 'O My America!: Second Acts in a New World' which records the lives of women who travelled to America in the first half of the 19th Century, and the authors's travels in pursuit of them.
Sara’s latest book, Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age, came out just prior to the pandemic.
Sara is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Contributing Editor of The Literary Review, a Trustee of The London Library and former chair of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year award.
She contributes to a wide range of publications in the UK and US and broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio.
Sara's the most extraordinary person and I really enjoyed hearing her fascinating stories and perspectives.
So, I hope you also enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Steve Vranakis.
He's an award winning creative who worked on the launch of the iPhone, with Amazon, NASA (Space Lab), The United Nations, UNICEF and headed up the Creative Lab at Google in EMEA for nearly a decade.
Appointed as the first ever Chief Creative Officer for Greece, he developed a new country narrative as a Special Advisor to the Prime Minister.
Some of his past projects inc a machine learning musical instrument, an installation giving youth a voice at the UN, the launch of a physical coding platform that teaches kids to code, and bringing dinosaurs back to life in VR at the Natural History Museums in London and Berlin.
In 2015 Steve went to the island of Lesvos to build a mobile information site to help Syrian refugees fleeing civil war keep safe. (This was scaled across dozens of NGO’s going on to help thousands of refugees).
His work has been recognised by the D&AD, Cannes Lions, ADC, One Show's, Campaign Big, Webbys, Lovies, FWA, BIMA and Clio's.
Steve's has been featured in WIRED, The NY Times, Telegraph, WSJ, Creative Review, Huffington Post, FT, Design Week, Adage and he’s written for Adweek, Marketing, Campaign and conducted interviews with the BBC, CNN, CNBC, Lürzer's Archive and Shots.
While president of D&AD, he made it his mission to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds get into the creative industries.
As you can imagine, we cover a lot of ground in this interview as we discuss his extraordinary career, how he pictures the 'Agency of the Future' alongside his views on 'hope, community and resilience'...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This early episode of #TheNewAbnormal featured an interview with a truly fascinating individual, who's led a truly fascinating life.
Michael Cohen, based in New York, is a developmental psychologist and the President of MCG NYC, and he has a great international reputation. Part of this is due to his immense experience at dealing with crisis: ranging from Chernobyl to 9/11.
For example, in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks, he counselled the New York City Mayor on the effects of public trauma and advised on the hugely impactful actions that were then taken.
So, in the context of C19, we discussed his theory and approach to society/individuals coping - as different from society/individuals recovering.
Along the way we cover everything from Confucius to McDonald's. As you do.
Finally, Michael had a cold when we spoke, so he sounds a little rough...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Dr Jennifer Mercieca, author and Professor at Texas A&M University; an historian of American political rhetoric whose research combines history, political theory / philosophy / science.
Her latest research is on how ubiquitous propaganda has ruined our public sphere and what we can do about it. As an author, she writes about American political discourse, especially as it relates to citizenship, democracy, and the presidency, and has published three books: 'Founding Fictions', 'The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency', and 'Demagogue for President: the Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump'.
Jennifer has also written for The Conversation, USA Today, Washington Post, and other major media outlets. She's been interviewed by the BBC, NPR, The New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, Vice, ABC Radio, Slate, and many other outlets throughout the US and Worldwide - and has been called “probably the leading authority on Trump’s rhetoric”.
So, as you can imagine, this interview features a fascinating discussion about her views, including the use of language as a weapon, how Trump took advantage of distrust, polarisation and frustration, and why the unifying campaign strategies he employed were anything but simple.
In their review of her latest book, The Washington Post stated "The question of how Donald Trump ever got elected president has stumped some of the nation’s deeper thinkers. Jennifer Mercieca has a compelling answer.
Spoiler alert: Trump is not, in fact, a genius. He’s a sophisticated con man who used the tools of rhetoric to pick the pockets of the American body politic, double-talking his way to power..."
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview the renowned journalist and author Ian Williams, who was Foreign Correspondent for Channel 4 News, based in Russia and Asia, before joining NBC News as Asia Correspondent, when he was based in Bangkok and Beijing.
As well as reporting from China over the last 25 years, he has also covered conflicts in the Balkans, Middle East and Ukraine. (He won an Emmy and BAFTA awards for his discovery and reporting on the Serb detention camps during the war in Bosnia).
His latest book "Every breath you take - China's new tyranny" illustrates the world's first digital totalitarian state, where a system of hitherto unimaginable control threatens to make the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four a terrifying reality.
In our discussion, he therefore illuminates the extraordinary rise of the Chinese surveillance state, the war against truth and liberal values, and the vital need to make artificial intelligence democratically accountable.
Ian also describes the implications for the rest of the world regarding the urgent challenges facing the West, in what has become a technological Cold War...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Livia Fioretti, Head of Insights Academy at TrendWatching. She's ex-head of their amazing Global Insights Network, made up of 900+ professionals and trend enthusiasts across 80+ countries, that helps clients understand what's happening across regions as well as different cultures. Livia's responsible for leading a global team and the conceptualization and delivery of TrendWatching’s insights to clients across a range of industries. In addition, as their LATAM Lead Trend Analyst, she's also responsible for the company’s Latin American content, helping clients around the globe understand different perspectives re: the particularities of that incredible region. In this episode, we therefore discuss her background and the realities of Livia's day-today role at TrendWatching; along with covering a number of key 2022+ social / cultural / business megatrends, and a really exciting multi-country / LATAM report that's about to be published. Finally, we also discuss a fascinating Cultural Anthropology course (sadly interrupted by Covid) that she attended at Goldsmiths re: 'Culture, Society and the Making of Humanity'. So...enjoy!
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I speak with a truly inspiring individual, Kevin Braddock; who has 25 years' experience as a writer-editor and consultant, leading storytelling projects from conception into reality.
He was Features Editor of The Face, Contributing Editor (GQ, Esquire) and Editor-in-Chief (Sleek) and well as being the founder & publisher of Torchlight System: Storytelling For Recovery.
In addition, he's author of the renowned "Everything Begins With Asking For Help".
In this interview, we discuss his despatches from the cutting-edge of youth culture, hanging out with 'drifting creative dreamers', reaching burnout in Berlin and his hugely impactful writings about dealing with depression / anxiety.
He also gives hugely insightful perspectives about his cultural & social observations during the C19 lockdowns, and his considered thoughts about the road ahead.
If you ever need kind, actionable and progressive advice about mental illness: Kevin Braddock's insightful viewpoints are a great resource.
And as a cultural observer, he's as sharp as he ever was, when uncovering the #FreestyleWheelbarrowScene. Ever seen that hashtagged before?
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Joakim Noren, the Marketing Director and Vice President of Artipelag - a new and unique international venue for art, culture and design, beautifully set among pine trees on Varmdo in the Stockholm archipelago. Previously, Joakim was Brand Strategist at the Swedish Institute, when he led a project to develop the 'Brand Sweden' platform into a complete brand strategy. Prior to that he'd been head of their strategy unit, which followed on from years as an independent concept developer and design strategist. (I last saw him when we were in Beirut, speaking at a conference alongside Lebanese Govt officials.) In this podcast, we discuss issues including the complexities of national branding initiatives, ideas around consensus culture and progressive notions of 'Brand Sweden' alongside 'Swedish Brands Today'. We discuss green investment and regenerative capitalism, and 'Now/Next/Why' regarding the implications of Covid's impact on Scandinavian society and culture.
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Cailin O'Connor, who is an associate professor of logic and philosophy of science at the University of California.
She's also the co-author of 'The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread' (published by Yale University Press.
In our interview, we discuss Cailin's most recent writings on the subject of 'why we trust lies' re: the most effective misinformation starting with seeds of truth.
In doing so, she explains the crucial importance of transparency and accountability, alongside her viewpoints on issues such as confirmation bias i.e. why what you believe depends on who you know; and how demonstrably false beliefs persist and spread - despite negative consequences for the people holding them.
In an era where arguments rage about issues ranging from climate change (as the polar ice caps melt and forest fires burn) to the wearing of face masks (as millions have died of Covid-19), Cailin illuminates the social forces that explain the manipulation of 'false belief' and propaganda, and why we must understand both how that process works and trust the evidence, in order to fight back against misinformation.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Executive Director of 'Growth Coaching International' and Professor of Positive Psychology at University of East London.
An international authority in the field of coaching, he's a renowned public speaker who regularly presents on the topics of motivation, engagement and leadership.
We discuss his latest book and his motivation for creating coaching cultures for learning which allow people to pursue their aspirations with confidence and mental toughness.
In this fascinating episode, we also talk about his thinking around post-traumatic growth, social polarisation, evidencing compassion, why hope isn't mere wishful thinking - it 's a valuable tool, and why optimism can be dangerous.
Christian explains that while it's important that a vision for the future is believable, it should also be desirable - and he also outlines six evidence-based ways to look after your mental health.
To conclude, we debate the psychology and philosophy of hope vs optimism. This is one of my favourite subjects, and so I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening to Christian, as much as I did!
(Talking of which, if you like you can buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Raja Habre.
He's Executive Director of the LFA, a highly influential business organisation based in Beirut, comprising a mixture of those from top Lebanese and international brands.
He's also responsible for the innovative economic congresses #BIFF and #BIFEX events, that promote the Lebanese economy.
A widely travelled and deeply experienced individual, in this interview Raja gives a no-holds barred account of the situation within which Lebanon now finds itself, after a catastrophic year that left it with a 75% poverty rate, whilst hosting nearly 2 million refugees (many of which are c/o the conflict in Syria) in a country afflicted in various parts by up to 22hrs a day of power blackouts and a plummeting currency.
Meanwhile, the impact of both Covid and the catastrophic explosion in Beirut port have made the situation even worse than many thought possible, in a country that was already affected by years of political chaos.
So, in this sobering discussion, Raja delivers an important message; during which he reflects on the subjects of hope, community and resilience: #LawChouMaSar - Lebanon doesn't give up!
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview Jen Urich, a marketing strategist and founder of Sparrow Strategy in Portland, Oregon.
She's also the ex-Group Planning Director of Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, ex-Director of Account Planning at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky in Miami, and Director of Account Planning at J. Walter Thompson Worldwide, in Mexico City. (Previously, she was also at Bain & Co, and took her Masters at Yale).
In this episode, she explains her views on issues inc #BlackLivesMatter and the 'situation' in Portland. We go on to discuss the way in which #Truth (one of the most successful marketing campaigns of all time) was originally developed, the results of a fascinating research project into institutional trust vs personal trust (focusing around 'fears / loves / hopes') that she and her colleagues conducted in Brazil, India, Mexico and Japan.
Jen also illuminates why and how Covid-19 has led to such a 'great reveal' of inequality.
Along the way, we also talk about the 'Raising Justice' organisation, plus other crucial topics such as resilience, adaptability and community action.
Oh, and why North America needs to be more like Canada...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This reposted episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Gideon Wilkins, Head of Research at McCann Central. (Part of McCann Worldgroup, who have an integrated network of advertising agencies in over 120 countries).
Prior to joining McCann's, Gideon was the Global Brand Guidance Director at Kantar Millward Brown, based in Shanghai.
In this podcast, he discusses the findings and implications of some fascinating natural language analysis that the agency has been conducting.
In doing so, Gideon explains the insights gained via integrating multi-source and AI-analytics in conversational data, regarding the present and future self.
We debate issues such as clarifying meaningful roles for brands in the context of C19, leveraging a 5C's ethos; and the vital role that disruption plays for legacy and challenger brands, for instance regarding System 1 & 2 thinking.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of The New Abnormal podcast, I interview the journalist and broadcaster Emma-Louise Boynton, who has a background as a broadcast producer, working with the likes of Sky News, the BBC and Tina Brown Media.
She's the co-founder and CEO of Her Hustle, which launched in 2019 and lifts the veil on the world of work, empowering women to carve out a career they want, on their own terms.
They believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to build a career that combines passion and purpose. (Emma was also the co-founder of Venn Media, and is Politics & Society Editor of 'The Stack').
So, in this interview, we discuss her ethos and viewpoints, why she believes that everyone has a capacity to make change, her approach to sharing female narratives, and a 'How To' strategy regarding female career paths.
Along the way, she highlights some of the amazing women she's interviewed and the dynamic events produced by Her Hustle, which have featured an array of extraordinary individuals.
Finally, she outlines some exciting news re: next steps for the network...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview the futurist and serious big-thinker Leon Kreitzman. He's the author of 'The 24 Hour Society' which took an incredibly prescient look at the world today, when it was published back in the 1990's. He also co-wrote the superb 'Rhythms of Life' and 'Seasons of Life' with Professor Russell Foster. His particular area of specialisation is in the relationship between biological and social factors in determining human behaviour, including consumer activity. In this podcast, we discuss his views across a wide range of areas and issues inc Huxley, Orwell, Ballard, social stratification, receptiveness to surveillance, decentralised Government, and various emerging dystopias. What's not to like?
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening!
(Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Jack Godfrey Wood, VP Design at Native Design in San Francisco.
They're an independent design company who 'drive growth by creating what people love', with a client roster including Audi, Bentley, Diageo, Google, Microsoft, Oxfam and Santander.
Jack leads physical, digital, research and engineering design teams, whose work 'solves tricky problems beautifully'.
In the interview, we discuss issues including a career path that lead from Central St Martins to the West Coast, how the American and European design ethos differ, and why empathy is at the heart of great design regarding lived experiences and improved futures.
Jack also explains what simplicity, streamlining and reductive thinking brings to the design process, and the vital requirement of having a healthy distrust for the status quo.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Tom Morton, a member of the leadership team at R/GA, one of the world's most creative and innovative companies, where he's the Global Chief Strategy Officer.
R/GA advise brands on what they should stand for and how they should behave and innovate in order to thrive in the connected world.
Tom's work extends into media and popular culture, he's been a political pundit for the BBC and The Guardian, an Effies judge and a jury chair for the 4As Jay Chiat Strategy Awards. He's also been a keynote speaker for the Cannes Lions, the ICA and Advertising Week.
In this podcast, we discuss his views on how circumstances drive values, the ever greater need for leaders to demonstrate emotional intelligence, and why the vital question for brands is 'how can we help have a positive impact'?
Along the way, he illuminates why 'transformation at speed' is such a compelling idea for clients. Oh, and some crucial pointers regarding #TheFutureOfWork.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode features a masterclass in luxury branding advice from Alex West (co-founder of Maker London), a consultant who is renowned for being at the epicentre of the luxury sector.
He discusses his viewpoints on areas ranging from quality control and consumer touchpoints, to brand actions and communication reflecting the authentic values of the brand in question.
Alex also illuminates the creation and development of the staggeringly successful 'GREAT' campaign. It's one that saw him initially presenting the 'Big Idea' to Govt ministers assembled around the Cabinet table at No10, which also then led to 184 (yes, 184) further meetings...but which had a hugely beneficial impact on both the national brand and on a myriad number of organisations, people and places around Great Britain.
In addition, he also discusses the vital need for artisans and craftspeople to be promoted, and how this ethos is championed at London Craft Week, where he's heavily involved on a senior level.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of my podcast, I interview William Higham.
He's had a fascinating career that's taken him from working with some of the most iconic cultural figures of our time (Lydon / Strummer / McLaren) during his years in the music industry; before setting up his strategic consultancy 'The Next Big Thing' which looks into social & cultural trends and their impact on brands. (He’s also the author of an excellent book with the same title.)
It's not every day that you can talk with the same person about epic nights out with Alice Cooper along with debating CSR, fragmented media, the joys of analogue and how to gain brand loyalty.
He's a really original thinker and we only disagreed about one thing - his inexplicable dislike of Elastica.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Teresa Havvas, an award-winning creative communication consultant and educator (inc UCA Business School, Westminster, University of the Arts London, Conde Nast College and the British School of Fashion) regarding her blend of brand expertise, design sensibility and applicable theory.
Teresa is also the founder of 'The Advisory &' a space to sense-check strategies and inspire good ideas on a collaborative basis via 1-1 counsel and creative workshops.
In our discussion, she explains her views on what being a 'Creative Communication Expert' should mean today, why the 'R' in PR is all about sustainable & responsible relationships, and why we should also replace the p's with d's in the new marketing mix.
Along the way, she illuminates her insights into storytelling, cross-generational mentoring, personal authenticity, self-development, whole-health management, transformational leadership, and collaborative intelligence.
What's not to like?
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview the Creative Director & Editorial Consultant, Navaz Batliwalla.
A fashion journalist and stylist regularly contributing to international publications, Navaz is the author of 'The New Garconne' (which identified a new tribe of 'considered consumers'), the publisher of the renowned blog #Disneyrollergirl and co-founder of The Beauty Conversation.
She's collaborated with a huge range of brands; recently including Agnes b, Chanel, Dior, Smythson, Turnbull & Asser, Levis's, Grenson and Shinola.
So...we discuss a range of issues including her interest in brands and products that 'have a real reason to exist and are made to last', why the years '78-'82 mean to such to her (linked to growing up nearby the legendary punk venue, the Nashville), how Chelsea College of Art was so catalytic, why running a blog means 'being opinionated', cultural and social intersectionality, the 'Dance Art TikTok Explosion', charity shop style, creative collaboration, the crucial issue of craft, a renewed focus on design thinking, the myth of convenience, and 'where next' for influencer culture and activism...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features an interview with Taji Chesimet, who is an activist, advocate, and student.
He's Executive Director of 'Raising Justice' a nonprofit organization actively working to dismantle systems that deny young people their basic public safety. Their work combines Policy Advocacy, Grassroots Organizing and Education and Training that proves when we dismantle racial, generational, and class injustice and create safe public spaces, we validate young people’s need to feel welcome, safe, and treasured.
In addition, he spent a year as an intern at the ACLU of Oregon - a nonpartisan dedicated to the defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights, who believe that the freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people.
He's also a Project Lead at Black Male Achievement Portland (BMA) designed to assist City leaders in their efforts to improve the life outcomes of Black men and boys; doing so in four key areas: Education, Employment, Family Stability, and Criminal Justice.
Finally, he's also a Legislative Intern for Representative Akasha-Lawrence Spence in Oregon. So, as you can imagine, I really enjoyed talking with Taji, an incredibly dynamic individual doing seriously important work.
Oh, and he's still a teenager, at the University of Chicago...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview Matt Rivitz, founder of the activist community "Sleeping Giants".
(He's also a freelance copywriter - his past jobs inc being Creative Director of TBWA/Chiat/Day and Senior Copywriter at Goodby Silverstein & Partners).
After witnessing the public rise of racism and sexism in the media and social media in 2016, he started Sleeping Giants, a crowdsourced campaign dedicated to advertiser safety and responsibility in the digital age. I
t now has an international network of Sleeping Giants chapters in numerous countries and territories including Australia, Canada, Brazil, and across the EU. In year three, Sleeping Giants is continuing its mission for brand safety and responsibility by working directly with advertisers to help them understand and navigate this complex and ever-changing media environment.
Therefore, Matt and I discuss his inspiration for setting up the Sleeping Giants community, and issues relating to social trust, brand transparency, corporate responsibility, misinformation and disinformation.
Oh - and the issue of 'moral neutrality' for brands and those working to promote them...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode, I talk with Nicole Fall, the CEO of the renowned strategic research, innovation consultancy and forecasting agency Asian Consumer Intelligence.
She's spent 20 years in Asia working with leading brands in countries inc China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
In the interview, we discuss her expert views on decoding what's happening in Asia (on a cultural and social basis) regarding the pandemic, and what the implications are for business strategy and brand marketing.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening!
(Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview the filmmaker, broadcast journalist and presenter Wyn Baptiste. He's currently senior producer of the hugely successful TV drama 'MTV Shuga' which, for anyone not in the know, is essentially an entertainment show with a message aimed at young people; with the action set in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Cote D'Ivoire and most recently in India.
He's made films on the Grenfell Tower disaster, EU Referendum, California Drought, HIV in Nigeria, Mental Health in Britain, International Corruption, The Queen, and Notting Hill Carnival. Wyn has also made documentaries for MTV, BBC and The Economist, along with campaign films for senior political figures. Prior to the above, he was a journalist at the BBC for several years.
During this interview, we discuss a wide array of subjects, ranging from the social/cultural history of the Carnival, to the appalling tragedy of Grenfell, issues relating to social trust vs the pandemic, and the future for activism. All this being set in a time where, as we recorded the podcast, #BLM demonstrations were taking place regarding the death of George Floyd and statues were being toppled in the US and UK. And in the context of this series, we also discuss the types of responses from brands that are required, along with those that are not...
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the fashion educator, writer and consultant Harriet Posner. She's the BA Programme Director at Conde Nast College of Fashion Design. Harriet has spent her working life designing, teaching, writing about and generally immersing herself in the world of fashion and design; and specialises in the sector's branding, marketing, promotion and communication. She's also the author of 'Marketing Fashion: Strategy, Branding and Promotion' which is recognised as a core text for those studying fashion marketing and promotion, and which is published in four languages. In this interview, we discuss macro and micro trends effecting the sector, along with the crucial impact of the pandemic. We therefore cover a wide range of issues, including the future for supply chains, pricing strategy, luxury branding, sustainability, ethics, activism, and experiential marketing.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Ole Petter Nyhaug, who is a high-profile trend researcher from Oslo, who conducts research across Scandinavia and, further afield, in numerous countries around the world.
He's the Global Head of Research for Opinion AS, and works with clients such as Coca-Cola, IKEA, Unilever, Audi and Vodafone.
I first met him years ago, when we specialised in youth-culture research and often used to be on the speaker-list at seemingly endless trend conferences.
In this interview, we discuss his views on a wide range of issues impacting culture and society, and debate how these do, or do not, differ across countries and regions.
Along the way, we cover his views on the new punk/DIY generation, Green Swans, brand relevance, and Orwell...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode, I talk with the renowned strategist Gareth Kay, a founding partner of the cutting-edge independent creative studio Chapter, in San Fransisco, whose clients inc Google, Airbnb, Sonos, Dropbox, Uber, Facebook and PayPal.
(Although , since we recorded the episode, Gareth has now moved onto to another incredibly dynamic start-up, in the health-tech space).
Prior to setting up Chapter, he'd spent 20yrs at some of the world's best ad agencies, inc Goodby Silverstein & Partners, where he was Chief Strategy Officer. He says that 'today, people expect more from their brands.
Those expectations may seem unreasonable, but they have been reset for good'. We talk about the 'complexity of uncertainty' summing up a key challenge of C19, but that we need to use the crisis 'as a portal to a better future' re: #TheGreat Reset.
Finally, Gareth talks about the urgent need to support the 'cultural creators and enablers' that play such a vital role in our lives.
Oh, and he's also been to more gigs than seems humanly possible and really, really wanted to be a drummer. So...please listen and enjoy!
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Dermot McPartland, Creative Director of Nederlander Studios NYC.
He instigates cultural interventions for brands; doing things rather than making things, an assembler, a curator and an event organiser.
A resolutely proud member of the London Irish diaspora, his background spans twenty years in publishing, advertising, activism, publicity and the arts.
Obsessed with ideas and culture (wide & deep) he possesses an uncanny ability to see creative and strategic opportunities for brands within culture.
His work output is idiosyncratic, diverse and multidisciplinary - including experience design, activation, content, social, ads, PR and experiential.
Dermot has strong international links into the worlds’ of contemporary art, fashion, cinema, music and literature, and has nurtured close links into the nascent start-up creative businesses in the world of communications and entertainment.
In this episode, we discuss his views on a wide variety of topics, ranging from the current 'state of the nation' in adland, to the impact of C19 on culture, leading-edge creativity, localism and folk art, the search for optimism, citizen brands, and more.
Oh, and we also disagree on the works of Julien Temple. Dermot finishes the podcast with a quote from Seamus Heaney. #Naturally
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Kate Shepherd, Director and Co-founder of The Future Collective.
She specialises in strategic design direction and cultural intelligence, based on 25+ years experience in the design industry where her clients ranged from Rolls-Royce to adidas to P&G.
After working for leading agencies inc Imagination, Checkland Kindleysides, and Fitch, she then co-founded The Future Collective - an alternative consultancy specialising in brand identity and experience design.
Crucially, their collective approach offers clients a means of commissioning world-class freelance talent, instead of simply using the standard and more expensive agency model.
That collaborative ethos is replicated in different guises in markets and sectors around the world, but it's one in which there is still much to learn from, and of course give back to, in a spirit of 'pass it on' open-source generosity.
Therefore, Kate explains why the Future Collective's approach to collaboration seems to have worked so well, and what the practical lessons are for both client-side marketers and freelance creatives & strategists who may be interested in utilising this dynamic approach.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview Stephen Hayward, an anthropologist and historian.
After completing his PhD at the Royal College of Art, he's worked as a consultant on a number of exhibitions, and has been published widely on design history and theory.
For nearly twenty years, he's been responsible for the critical context element of MA design programmes at Central Saint Martins.
In this podcast, we debate widespread attempts to write history in real time and indeed what the quotes and icons of the future may be, as society looks back to the pandemic.
Along the way, we cover surveillance capitalism, social capital, critical thinking, progress & modernity, tech time vs real time, and a range of contemporary media narratives.
We also discuss why Stephen would like to write an updated version of Camus' The Plague, and, of course, remind ourselves of Bowie in 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'.
So, while I'm dying my hair orange and watching multiple TV's, you can enjoy your coffee while listening!
(Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of 'The New Abnormal' coincided with the 25th anniversary of Sony Playstation's launch: one of the most successful (and in a marketing context - anarchic) launches of all time.
The brains behind that activity is my guest, Geoff Glendenning. He's a renowned brand strategist and integrated marketing expert, who's also worked with iconic brands including Greenpeace, Microsoft, Vans, Coca-Cola, MTV, Olympus, Ben & Jerry's, Channel 4, Sega, Ministry of Sound, Volcom and Sony Music.
In this episode, he focuses on the launch of PS1, as at the time it used an approach - basically fighting a traditional corporate mindset - which has been incredibly influential in the years that have followed.
To do so, Geoff utilised his knowledge of, and preference for, leveraging alternative culture with guerilla marketing techniques.
The catalytic results changed an industry, and in this podcast he explains in detail why he took this approach, the tactics that he used, and how he views the marketing landscape.
BTW, Geoff is very enthusiastic about his favourite subject - so in this episode I just sat back and enjoyed listening to the story unfold!
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
This episode of #TheNewAbnormal is a masterclass in retail c/o a renowned specialist.
Ian McGarrigle, an ex-senior retail journalist and Parter at Bell Pottinger, is Chairman of the World Retail Congress, the major annual event that attracts personnel from throughout the retail sector, on a truly global basis.
In this interview, Ian discusses the key issue impacting retail, namely the game-changing macro issue of the global pandemic.
But he also explains more specific ones such as why the theme of this year's congress, alongside subjects such as trust, relevance, experience, NextGen technology, sustainability, purpose, and design.
Finally, he talks in detail about the need for reinvention in these 'disruptive times'.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Khalil Zafar, who is a renowned HR & Strategy Consultant in the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.
He's also travelled widely around the world, teaching and consulting about human resources and leadership. An ex-journalist, who still writes for a range of international magazines and newspapers, he's also the author of the recently published 'Future of Work: Simplified'.
In it, he explores the issues of business management, leadership, employment and automation. In order to write the book, Khalil interviewed and collaborated with leading thinkers on an international basis to set out the possibilities, challenges, changes and scenarios that could emerge Post-Covid as they relate to workforces and workplaces.
Therefore, in this episode, we discuss his viewpoints on a wide range of issues relating to the future of work, with a particular focus on the reinvention of leadership, emerging technology, upskilling, cultural eloquence, organisational renewal, and the freelance revolution.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the billion-streamed, multi-platinum songwriter and producer Martin Jensen, who topped off a crazy year as an X-Factor judge.
Martin’s breakthrough 'Solo Dance' had over a million streams daily upon its release and was the second-most played track of the past decade across BBC Radio 1, as well as going 8x platinum with international success.
He also collaborated with #1 artist James Arthur, and The Vamps, and was approached by Katy Perry and her team to officially remix ‘Bon Appetit’.
He collaborated with Jason Derulo, regularly playing hundreds of live gigs each year (before the pandemic hit) taking his sound to shows everywhere from the world’s biggest dance festival Tomorrowland, to Lollapalooza, etc.
At the start of lockdown, he launched a project called 'Me, Myself, Online' that saw him stream sets from stunning locations, solo in conjunction with Twitch and Revolut.
So, in this episode we discuss his dynamic career, the day to day complications of being a mega-star DJ vs 'normal life' and how he related to the issues of 'hope, community and resilience' during the pandemic.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Felix De Laet aka Lost Frequencies, who would normally be found manning a DJ booth somewhere in Paris, Tokyo, Berlin or New York.
The global pandemic put a stop to that - but he didn't sit around watching TV.
Instead, he performed a spectacular show on the roof of the Royal Palace in Brussels, and remixed music for the likes of Major Lazor, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Ellie Goulding , and LSD Labyrinth / Diplo / Sia.
His first smash hit went to No1 in 18 countries, while he's played a huge amount of gigs at festivals across the world; including Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Lollapalooza, closing down EDC Vegas in spectacular solo style. He also did a massive arena run with fellow chart-dominators The Chainsmokers.
So...in this episode, we discuss how Felix got into the music industry, key events along the way, his artistic inspirations, current producer activity (along with an overview of his label 'Found Frequencies') and future tour plans.
Oh, and why he launched his own gin brand.
Finally, I have to point out that he's amassed over 3.5 billion streams. Nice...
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode, I interview the leading-edge artist Chemical X.
We start by discussing his latest work in Los Angeles, that led to him appearing on America's TV screens in the world's most surreal car chase c/o the LAPD; due to a series of 'provocative artistic statements' that saw the homeless community juxtaposed with the world of luxury brands.
I last saw him after he'd returned from a show in Lisbon to launch a superb collection in London, in those happy days when we could all actually hang out in galleries.
(As he says, his next shows will have to be held cities beginning with a different letter).
We then move on to talk about the show he's currently working on, titled 'Fake'.
You won't be surprise to hear that a certain Mr Trump is referenced. (You'll find more info at chemicalx.co.uk)
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Charlie Waterhouse, Creative Director of This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll (with an ethos based on identity + activism for culture + causes) whose clients include those such as Amnesty International, English Heritage, Médecins Sans Frontières, National Gallery, and UNICEF.
He's also co-founder of the Art Group and Media & Messaging team at Extinction Rebellion ('the most successful start-up in history'), and is a Fellow of the RSA.
His day job is split between This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll (who are currently working with the Unitarians and legal activists Foxglove) and community organisation The Brixton Project.
After hours he’s also a director of the Brixton Pound, and is part of the team re: '81 Acts of Exuberant Defiance' a celebration of 1981’s Brixton Uprising.
So we discuss all of the above, starting with XR's international rebellion against the criminal inaction on the climate and ecological crisis.
Charlie also outlines his viewpoints on issues such as the future of cities, work he's doing with David Graeber’s widow, the modern crisis of spirituality, and how to build a utopian business model.
Finally, we debate an activist manifesto based around a belief that 'when hope dies, action begins'.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Jens Laugesen, the Danish Fashion Design Practitioner / Advisor / Educator / Video Artist, who is known for a conceptual approach to creative design thinking.
He's recently launched an innovative Global Graduate Design Showcase in partnership with the art & design portfolio platform ARTSTHREAD and i-D Magazine.
Jens is very interested in how C19 can be seen as a creative catalyst and an opportunity for change.
In this podcast we discuss how he was inspired by 9/11 to create a 'Ground Zero' design trilogy that resulted in the development of a personal design philosophy named 'Hybrid Reconstruction' born from what he describes as the post 9/11 ideological vacuum which he also saw as being the end of modernism.
Today, Jens is also a video artist fascinated by the ‘glitch' and we therefore discuss this, alongside his background at the 'Navy SEALS of Fashion (Central St Martins) and the Institute de la Mode.
He explains his views on contemporary culture, why the influence of Lars von Trier (and the Dogme 95 manifesto) was so influential, and today's students - the 'Pilots of Chaos' that are challenging existing thinking.
Finally, we discuss the issue of meta-modernism and trust in a post-truth world; in the context of morals, values and responsibility.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).
In this early episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed the incredibly dynamic Will Skeaping, who is an activist and strategist with Extinction Rebellion.
He's co-editor of the best-selling XR handbook 'This is not a Drill', and is currently challenging the advertising industry and art world to act now on the climate & ecological crisis.
When he's not haunting meetings and social occasions as the ghost of our climate & ecological future, he specialises in brand strategy for start-ups.
In this interview, we discuss the impact of C19 on protest and activism, along with ongoing disinformation and fake news regarding the XR movement, and 'what happens next' regarding COP26.
Hence why we mustn't allow the pandemic to divert our attention from the overarching issue of the climate & ecological emergency, which is 'C19 on Meth'.
So, I hope you enjoy your coffee while listening! (Talking of which, you can buy me one here if you like: https://ko-fi.com/thenewabnormal).