Start Here: What Shapes Us, and Where Are We Going

What shapes us? And where are we going? This is the Start Here episode of The Ryan Vet Show, the line in the sand between the essays that built this podcast and the conversations that will define what comes next.Generational futurist, USA Today bestselling author, and keynote speaker Ryan Vet introduces the next chapter of The Ryan Vet Show, a podcast about generations, culture, leadership, and the forces actually shaping the future. After more than a year of solo essays on generational change and what forms a culture, the show is expanding to include conversations with researchers, founders, reporters, educators, New York Times bestselling authors, and people with remarkable stories to tell. This episode is the bridge.Ryan walks through why generational labels like Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z so often fail us, why formation matters more than chronological age, and what it actually looks like to lead, parent, work, and build across generations in a culture that increasingly confuses disagreement with danger. He shares his personal origin, from incorporating his first business at fourteen years old to writing AI algorithms on napkins in 2009, long before the current generative AI wave. He sets the ground rules for how the show will handle conversation, curiosity, and disagreement in the next chapter.He also previews the guests joining year two of The Ryan Vet Show, including NPR global health correspondent and bestselling author Michaeleen Doucleff (Hunt, Gather, Parent and the dopamine kids book), Lenore Skenazy (founder of Free Range Kids and the TED speaker once called America’s worst mom), a third-grade teacher rebuilding play and recess, Facebook’s employee number 57, a digital nomad on his eighth country, an expert on private equity’s role in youth sports, and more.In this episode:Why The Ryan Vet Show is expanding from solo essays to guest conversations in year twoThe label lie, and why Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z shorthand misses what actually forms peopleHow formation, not chronological age, shapes a generationRyan’s personal origin, from his first business at fourteen to early work in AI and machine learning starting in 2009The disagreement ground rules for the next chapter of the showWhy curiosity is one of the few real defenses against modern manipulationWhat guests are coming next in year two of The Ryan Vet ShowReferenced in this episode:Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns GoodwinCOLLIDE Newsletter by Ryan Vet: ryanvet.com/collideSubscribe to The Ryan Vet Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes of the guest era release Monday mornings at 6am ET. The COLLIDE essay podcast continues every Thursday at 7am ET. Join the COLLIDE newsletter at ryanvet.com/collide for the research, reflections, and frameworks behind every episode.Send us Fan MailAbout Ryan VetRyan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly InsightsIf you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide