The Femme Futurists Society Podcast

Money isn’t just about numbers, it’s about power, perception, and the stories we’ve been told about who gets to build wealth… and how.As Libby Rodney, Chief Strategy Officer at The Harris Poll, makes clear: the narrative that women lack financial confidence isn’t just outdated—it’s fundamentally flawed. “Confidence,” she suggests, depends entirely on how we define it… and for too long, the definition itself has been biased.Drawing on years of global research, including work with PIMCO, Libby reframes how women think about money, investing, and ambition. What emerges is a far more nuanced (and powerful) picture: women as holistic, strategic decision-makers who balance short-term realities with long-term impact—not just for themselves, but for their families, communities, and the systems they’re part of.At a moment when more women are building significant wealth, whether through business, investing, or cultural influence, this conversation feels like an important economic wake-up call.Tune in to hear Libby explore: … why the “confidence gap” narrative misses the point … how women’s holistic thinking makes them exceptional investors … the truth about ESG, returns, and why it’s not a trade-off … how women are redefining ambition around autonomy, flexibility, and financial power … why the future of business may depend on “orchestrators” and why women are uniquely positioned to leadWe hope it shifts your perspective as much as it did ours 🌟

 It is 100% unacceptable that globally, black women face a nine times higher risk of maternal death than their white counterparts, regardless of wealth. And that the United States is the most dangerous and expensive high-income country for childbirth, especially for Black and Indigenous women. 💫 Lailah Kara Newton, an MD with a successful UK practice specializing in women’s health who experienced her own childbirth trauma, and Fifi Kara, a fulbright scholar and B2B investment entrepreneur who supported Meta's Health & Fitness team, decided to take their experiences and change that, once and for all. 🙌🏻 This dynamic duo put all their heart and energies into four years developing an app that provides continuous at-home monitoring for mothers pre and post-natal, 24/7 support, and accessible clinical guidance = radically better, women’s health game changer. 🔥 Fifi and Lailah represent a new vanguard of women who will not sit on the sidelines and wait for change. Instead, they’re doing something about it. Such an honor to speak with these two trailblazers!! We invite you to listen to this amazing origin story and journey toward globally changing women’s health - and if your provider/doula/midwife/friends haven’t yet heard of them - please share. You could literally save a life.  👩‍⚕️Learn more about Astercare: https://astercare.com/👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.com Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

Design is not just about products and things; it applies to systems, to life, it is human. As Carissa Carter, Stanford d-school Academic Director says, “if you care about what you put out there into the world you are a designer. Everyone has the capacity to create positive change”. A former geo-scientist, Carissa teaches courses on the intersection of data and design for multiple sectors including climate change, emerging tech, and her work on designing with machine learning and blockchain has earned multiple design awards. Her just launched second book — co-authored with creative director Scott Doorley and titled: Assembling Tomorrow: a guide to designing a thriving future — is a thoughtful read (whether you consider yourself a designer or not), that offers us all a path to both “mend the mistakes of our past and shape our future for the better”. Bonus: it weaves in many speculative short stories and the most beautifully crafted illustrations.Tune in to hear Carissa delve into: … the forces changing the design world… how everything breaks but it’s what we learn from the cracks that matters… the importance of intuition… how there are no absolutes and embracing the in-between is key to building betterWe hope it inspires you as much as it inspired us 🙌🏻Love what you hear? Please consider sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing to our podcast. 👩‍⚕️Learn more about Carissa Carter here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carissalcarter/📖 Learn more about Carissa’s book here: https://dschool.stanford.edu/book-collections/assembling-tomorrow👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.com   Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

“By 2050 there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish”. That headline and more were what spurred Nuha Siddiqui & Kritika Tyagi to tackle what they saw as a massive opportunity: to reimagine the building blocks of plastic by pioneering new regenerative biomaterials that are now revolutionizing the plastics industry. This is not a new story - other companies have attempted sustainable materials to rival their conventional counterparts - however, erthos stands out for having made mind-blowing strides forward as a beacon of innovation and progress in an extremely short amount of time. Using proprietary ML/AI technology along with their team & expertise, they’ve managed to:exponentially change the trajectory of sustainable materialsdevelop industry-wide, rapidly scalable design solutions that cut time to market by 5x compared to conventional plasticscommit to the relentless pursuit of cutting-edge materials and renewable and regenerative resources that put the planet first At some point we’ll stop talking about the fact that they’ve accomplished all of this at the age of 28 yrs-old but it really is such an extraordinary achievement that it has to be said!! So we hope you’ll share, like, comment and celebrate this incredible leap forward along with us. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻www.femmefuturists.comwww.planeterthos.com 

We’re honored to introduce you to the beautiful, smart and deeply heart-centered Robyn O’Brien. Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably been impacted by her work transforming the food industry, after her life changed irrevocably when her daughter had a life-threatening reaction to food, that then turned into a movement, that then changed the entire food industry. Amazing. In our conversation Robyn’s wisdom after wisdom became like a handbook from a wise friend and advisor, as we talk about everything from: 💃🏻 How courage is her personal mantra and the extraordinary changes that happen when you commit to being even 20% braver. ✨ How if you are out there driving change, fear will be riding shotgun, but fear can be an extraordinary North Star. 🔥 How vulnerability is a strength. 🙌🏻 The need to flip the script on imposter syndrome; especially because as women we are pushing against a system that was not, and is not, built for us. 🧡 And the massive economic advantages of the history-making transfer of $30 trillion (more than the national U.S. GDP) in wealth to women, by 2030.  There is so much more we cover from being a producer on the just released documentary, Common Ground, to how she now has her sights set on the finance industry (look out!!!), so tune in and listen to get the full story…  Love what you hear? Please consider sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing to our podcast. ▶️ Watch Us on YouTube👩🏻‍💻 Visit Our Website at www.FemmeFuturists.com Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

Everything we do digitally is controlled or facilitated by third parties who then aggregate and monetize our data and interactions without any benefit to us. How then, do we build something that gives the person using it complete control? How do we create a more human internet? Mary Camacho is CEO for Holo + Holochain, championing the integration and adoption of innovative peer-to-peer application infrastructure to facilitate truly independent communication that transforms how we interact digitally. Think of it as a blockchain alternative, only spectacularly better across the board; for energy consumption, for business applications and for the humans using it. Heads up… this topic is pretty lofty but don’t be intimidated. Mary has an ability to clearly and simply describe what the next digital revolution looks like and by the end of our conversation you understand why it’s infinitely more appealing than what we have now. So the only question left to ask is, how fast can we get there?! 🤩💃🏻 Love what you hear? Please consider rating our podcast! 👩‍⚕️Learn more about Mary: https://www.holochain.org + https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryfcamacho/👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.comMusic from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast series with extraordinary women, we explore the role of new technologies in creativity with Brooke Hopper. Brooke Hopper is Principal Designer for Machine Intelligence and Emerging Technologies at Adobe, working to deepen and enhance the creative process and allow all humans to more fully realize their creative visions. FemmeFuturists.com 

Ila Colombo has always pushed boundaries. Whether her younger self as a medal-winning gymnast or member of the National Italian swimming team, to her current roles as global citizen and cutting-edge design innovator, she is a next-level, multi-tasking powerhouse, somehow managing to juggle the demands of a new practice, a new life in Dubai, her own design-art installations and conceptual creative works (which are stunningly beautiful and can be found on Instagram - link below), as well as the needs of her small daughter – all with grace and fluidity. Co-Founded by Ila Colombo and her partner, world-renowned product designer Ross Lovegrove, DEOND, an AI & 3DPA practice in Dubai, are revolutionizing what’s possible in design and architecture by combining technology with human expertise and creativity to craft cutting-edge, innovative environments and advanced designs that are not only functional and beautiful, but also sustainable and responsibly tech-driven.A deeply thoughtful and beautiful human (inside and out!), we hope you’ll check out this conversation and find yourself as inspired as we were getting to know Ila and her multifaceted life!  🌎 More about DEOND: https://www.deond.com/📸 Instagram: ilacolombo.ai

In this episode, we sit down with Sun (Kagami) Brown for a wide-ranging conversation on the art of Deep Self Design — exploring everything from the Doodle Revolution and gamestorming to collaboration literacy, inner engineering, juicy messiness, and the practice of becoming your own best friend.One of our favorite ideas Sunni shares is shoshaku jushaku — a Zen Buddhist concept often translated as “one continuous mistake.” While it might sound negative, Sunni reframes it as a philosophy of joyful trust in productive discomfort — a mindset that can transform how we approach both our inner and outer worlds.Named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and “10 Most Creative People on Twitter” by Fast Company, Sunni has sparked a global movement around visual thinking and is widely credited with popularizing doodling as a tool for deeper inquiry. Her TED Talk has been viewed more than 1.6 million times, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, WIRED, Entrepreneur, and more. She’s been featured on CBS Sunday Morning (twice!) and The TODAY Show, and now leads as CEO of the Center for Deep Self Design.Listen in for a rich, inspiring conversation about the intersection of our inner and outer worlds — and why, as Sunni reminds us, “a good life is an inside job.”Listen to Our Previous Conversations:  🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-femme-futurists-society-podcast/id1680532882  🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xr5S27ZG3DzoHkNsOtxFNLearn more about Femme Futurists Society at https://femmefuturists.com/Learn more about Sun at http://nothingintheway.substack.com/Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY#femmefuturists

Most of us are likely very familiar with the ideas of dystopia and utopia as framing for what the future might look like, but Monika Bielskyte would submit they are still two sides of the same coin. Instead, she wants us to consider the in-between space that embodies all of the living world and consciousness—nature and human—where a different narrative takes place; a Protopian future that embodies livable & inclusive visions and is ever evolving.As a positive world builder, speculative designer and futurist, Monika has traveled and engaged with unfolding futures in more than 100+ countries - having left her homeland that no longer exists to explore the world that does. Being blessed (and cursed) with what she describes as “pathological curiosity”, her fascinating journey spans academia (CCA, CSM, Lund to name a few), to Hollywood (helping world-build the vision for Wakanda & working with directors like Ridley Scott), to time in Silicon Valley, where she experienced and witnessed dysfunctional and exploitative behaviors over and over again and realized the huge knowledge gaps among those shaping our current futures. Believing that there is a better way, she founded Protopia Futures, a platform for showcasing how transcultural, interdisciplinary and life-centric design approaches alongside disability and neurodivergence inclusion, can help us design a better world for most of humanity, and foster regenerative economies of the future. Monika is not only fascinating, but in spending time with her you quickly realize that her vision of a Protopian future is one we all need; and in our case, want. Love what you hear? Please consider sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing to our podcast.👩‍⚕️Learn more about Monika: https://za.linkedin.com/in/monikabielskyte👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.comMusic from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

How do we lead, live, and learn—when nothing feels certain, but everything is possible?In this deeply insightful conversation, we sit down with Ewa Pasternak, systems thinker and transformation guide, working at the intersection of systems thinking, quantum perspectives and emergent leadership to help individuals and organizations navigate liminal spaces where the old no longer fits and the new is still taking shape.She holds a clear and grounded vision: that leaders must co-create with the emerging future guided by curiosity, courage and a deep sense of purpose. Her philosophy is rooted in beautifully powerful beliefs:That the questions we ask shape the realities we buildThat new vocabularies are essential for imagining new worldsThat authenticity, fun, and essentialism are non-negotiables for flow and connectionThat ancient wisdom can illuminate our most modern dilemmasAnd that leadership is, at its heart, the art of energetic alignment and awarenessBy inviting us to shift our gaze from the obvious to the unobserved, Ewa shows us that we can learn how to lead in harmony with what’s unfolding. Ewa Pasternak: https://ewapasternak.com/▶️ Watch here: https://youtu.be/2i8RtmqcGr8?si=iyK9natIj7o0h_kr  (00:00) - Femme Futures Ewa Pasternak (00:36) - Eva's Background and Quantum Leadership (02:34) - Spiritual Intelligence in Business (06:27) - Crisis Communication and Leadership (10:26) - Understanding Liminality (17:40) - Newtonian vs Quantum Paradigms (24:28) - Liminal Intelligence and Its Importance (28:55) - Exploring Our Relationship with Nature and Technology (30:35) - Embracing Liminal Spaces (41:36) - The Role of AI in Our Lives (42:34) - The Future of Human and AI Co-Creation (48:31) - Reflecting on Feminine Wisdom and Connection (52:03) - Embodying Liminal Intelligence

Kenyan-born storyteller and global thought leader Wakanyi Hoffman explores the role of ubuntu, indigenous wisdom, and inner development in shaping a future that is more connected and compassionate - the embodiment of what it is to be human.

Erica Orange is EVP and COO of The Future Hunters, who in her new book AI + the New Human Frontier, is reimagining the future of time, trust, and truth in the Femme Futurists extraordinary women podcast series. 

INGRID LaFLEUR is founder of The Afrofuture Strategies Institute (TASI), merging foresight methodologies with the cultural movement of Afrofuturism to cultivate Afrofuture consciousness and inspire transformative action toward a just and harmonious future.

As the Founding Director of the Creative Industries Blockchain Lab and Director of Media Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University, Elizabeth is helping shape the future of media innovation, teaching students how to harness the power of technology, digital transformation, and the metaverse to tell immersive stories and launch successful businesses.

Co-Founded by Ila Colombo and her partner, world-renowned product designer Ross Lovegrove, DEOND, an AI & 3DPA practice in Dubai, are revolutionizing what’s possible in design and architecture by combining technology with human expertise and creativity to craft cutting-edge, innovative environments and advanced designs that are not only functional and beautiful, but also sustainable and responsibly tech-driven.

“By 2050 there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish”. That headline and more were what spurred Nuha Siddiqui & Kritika Tyagi to tackle what they saw as a massive opportunity: to reimagine the building blocks of plastic by pioneering new regenerative biomaterials that are now revolutionizing the plastics industry.  This is not a new story - other companies have attempted sustainable materials to rival their conventional counterparts - however, erthos stands out for having made mind-blowing strides forward as a beacon of innovation and progress in an extremely short amount of time. Using proprietary ML/AI technology along with their team & expertise, they’ve managed to: exponentially change the trajectory of sustainable materials develop industry-wide, rapidly scalable design solutions that cut time to market by 5x compared to conventional plastics commit to the relentless pursuit of cutting-edge materials and renewable and regenerative resources that put the planet first  At some point we’ll stop talking about the fact that they’ve accomplished all of this at the age of 28 yrs-old but it really is such an extraordinary achievement that it has to be said!! So we hope you’ll share, like, comment and celebrate this incredible leap forward along with us. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Episode #39. Design is not just about products and things; it applies to systems, to life, it is human. As Carissa Carter, Stanford d-school Academic Director says, “if you care about what you put out there into the world you are a designer. Everyone has the capacity to create positive change”.  A former geo-scientist, Carissa teaches courses on the intersection of data and design for multiple sectors including climate change, emerging tech, and her work on designing with machine learning and blockchain has earned multiple design awards.  Her just launched second book — co-authored with creative director Scott Doorley and titled: Assembling Tomorrow: a guide to designing a thriving future — is a thoughtful read (whether you consider yourself a designer or not), that offers us all a path to both “mend the mistakes of our past and shape our future for the better”. Bonus: it weaves in many speculative short stories and the most beautifully crafted illustrations. Tune in to hear Carissa delve into:  … the forces changing the design world … how everything breaks but it’s what we learn from the cracks that matters … the importance of intuition … how there are no absolutes and embracing the in-between is key to building better We hope it inspires you as much as it inspired us 🙌🏻 Love what you hear? Please consider sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing to our podcast.   👩‍⚕️Learn more about Carissa Carter here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carissalcarter/ 📖 Learn more about Carissa’s book here: https://dschool.stanford.edu/book-collections/assembling-tomorrow 👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.com   Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

Most of us are likely very familiar with the ideas of dystopia and utopia as framing for what the future might look like, but Monika Bielskyte would submit they are still two sides of the same coin. Instead, she wants us to consider the in-between space that embodies all of the living world and consciousness—nature and human—where a different narrative takes place; a Protopian future that embodies livable & inclusive visions and is ever evolving. As a positive world builder, speculative designer and futurist, Monika has traveled and engaged with unfolding futures in more than 100+ countries - having left her homeland that no longer exists to explore the world that does.  Being blessed (and cursed) with what she describes as “pathological curiosity”, her fascinating journey spans academia (CCA, CSM, Lund to name a few), to Hollywood (helping world-build the vision for Wakanda & working with directors like Ridley Scott), to time in Silicon Valley, where she experienced and witnessed dysfunctional and exploitative behaviors over and over again and realized the huge knowledge gaps among those shaping our current futures.  Believing that there is a better way, she founded Protopia Futures, a platform for showcasing how transcultural, interdisciplinary and life-centric design approaches alongside disability and neurodivergence inclusion, can help us design a better world for most of humanity, and foster regenerative economies of the future.  Monika is not only fascinating, but in spending time with her you quickly realize that her vision of a Protopian future is one we all need; and in our case, want.  Love what you hear? Please consider sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing to our podcast. 👩‍⚕️Learn more about Monika: https://za.linkedin.com/in/monikabielskyte 👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.com Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY  

Everything we do digitally is controlled or facilitated by third parties who then aggregate and monetize our data and interactions without any benefit to us. How then, do we build something that gives the person using it complete control? How do we create a more human internet?   Mary Camacho is CEO for Holo + Holochain, championing the integration and adoption of innovative peer-to-peer application infrastructure to facilitate truly independent communication that transforms how we interact digitally. Think of it as a blockchain alternative, only spectacularly better across the board; for energy consumption, for business applications and for the humans using it.   Heads up… this topic is pretty lofty but don’t be intimidated. Mary has an ability to clearly and simply describe what the next digital revolution looks like and by the end of our conversation you understand why it’s infinitely more appealing than what we have now. So the only question left to ask is, how fast can we get there?! 🤩💃🏻   Love what you hear? Please consider rating our podcast!   👩‍⚕️Learn more about Mary: https://www.holochain.org + https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryfcamacho/ 👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.com Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

Episode #36: What if we told you that it’s possible to 3D print a house for around $7K and in the space of 24hrs - and not only is it possible - but entire communities are being built this way? You’d think it was pretty mind-blowing, right? That’s exactly what Melodie Yashar and her team at ICON are focused on. Engineering and visioning sustainable built environments on and off-world (we’re talking Mars + the Moon), she’s spearheading a shift not just in how we live, but how we think about what’s possible in the way we live. In this podcast our conversation ranges across: … self-assembling cities … space feminism … the inherent rights of uncolonized worlds … how she geeks out on new material & fabrication technologies … and the essential role tiny robots play in all of this! Her TED talk, ”How to Build for Human Life on Mars” has been viewed over 1.4 million times.     Love what you hear? Please consider sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing to our podcast. 👩‍⚕️Learn more about Melodie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodieyashar/ ▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tizk3ifMf3A 👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.com Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

Episode #35 has landed and we’re honored to introduce you to the beautiful, smart and deeply heart-centered Robyn O’Brien. Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably been impacted by her work transforming the food industry, after her life changed irrevocably when her daughter had a life-threatening reaction to food, that then turned into a movement, that then changed the entire food industry. Amazing.   In our conversation Robyn’s wisdom after wisdom became like a handbook from a wise friend and advisor, as we talk about everything from:   💃🏻 How courage is her personal mantra and the extraordinary changes that happen when you commit to being even 20% braver.   ✨ How if you are out there driving change, fear will be riding shotgun, but fear can be an extraordinary North Star.   🔥 How vulnerability is a strength.   🙌🏻 The need to flip the script on imposter syndrome; especially because as women we are pushing against a system that was not, and is not, built for us.   🧡 And the massive economic advantages of the history-making transfer of $30 trillion (more than the national U.S. GDP) in wealth to women, by 2030.    There is so much more we cover from being a producer on the just released documentary, Common Ground, to how she now has her sights set on the finance industry (look out!!!), so tune in and listen to get the full story…    Love what you hear? Please consider sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing to our podcast.   ▶️ Watch Us on YouTube 👩🏻‍💻 Visit Our Website at  www.FemmeFuturists.com   Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

Welcome to Episode #34. It is 100% unacceptable that globally, black women face a nine times higher risk of maternal death than their white counterparts, regardless of wealth. And that the United States is the most dangerous and expensive high-income country for childbirth, especially for Black and Indigenous women.   💫 Lailah Kara Newton, an MD with a successful UK practice specializing in women’s health who experienced her own childbirth trauma, and Fifi Kara, a fulbright scholar and B2B investment entrepreneur who supported Meta's Health & Fitness team, decided to take their experiences and change that, once and for all.   🙌🏻 This dynamic duo put all their heart and energies into four years developing an app that provides continuous at-home monitoring for mothers pre and post-natal, 24/7 support, and accessible clinical guidance = radically better, women’s health game changer.   🔥 Fifi and Lailah represent a new vanguard of women who will not sit on the sidelines and wait for change. Instead, they’re doing something about it.   Such an honor to speak with these two trailblazers!! We invite you to listen to this amazing origin story and journey toward globally changing women’s health - and if your provider/doula/midwife/friends haven’t yet heard of them - please share. You could literally save a life.    👩‍⚕️Learn more about Astercare: https://astercare.com/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mjunn8kEzQ 👩🏻‍💻 Our Website: www.FemmeFuturists.com   Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY

Episode #33: In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast series with extraordinary women, we explore how we can better develop high-tech for low resource environments to improve global health with Drea Burbank. Drea Burbank, is the CEO of Savimbo as an MD-Technologist & Serial Entrepreneur with her work ranging in things like Web3 to stem-cells. Learn more about the Femmes at Femmefuturists.com Learn more about Drea and Savimbo at Savimbo.com

In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast series with extraordinary women, we discuss the future of childhood and future fit design with Joana Lenkova. Joana Lenkova is the Futurology Director for the Lego Group and founder of Futures Forward, a strategy and innovation consultancy focused on building impactful, resilient business models to help shape and inspire positive future narratives.   ***All opinions are Joana's own and do not reflect the LEGO Group.*** Learn more about Femmefuturists.com Learn more about Joana Lenkova

Episode #31 in our Femme Futurists video podcast series with Sun (Kagami) Brown, where we talk about: Deep Self Design. The Doodle revolution. Inner engineering. Gamestorming. Collaboration Literacy. Juicy messiness. Being a best friend to yourself. And my favorite: shoshaku jushaku (which in Zen Buddhism means; one continuous mistake). It would be easy to think of that last one as a negative, but in conversation with Sunni Brown you quickly learn that it’s a philosophy of “joy that trusts in productive discomfort”.  These are just some of the directions our conversation takes. Named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and one of the “10 Most Creative People on Twitter” by Fast Company. Her TED talk has drawn over 1.6 million views and her work on visual thinking has been featured in every major U.S. publication including: The New York Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, WIRED, and Entrepreneur. She has been featured twice on CBS Sunday Morning and on The TODAY Show.  And she is widely credited with the rise of #visualthinking (doodling!) as a tool for deeper inquiry and is #CEO of the Center For Deep Self Design. Listen or watch and enjoy this rich conversation about the intersection of our inner and outer worlds and why a “good life is an inside job”. Listen to Our Previous Conversations:  🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-femme-futurists-society-podcast/id1680532882  🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xr5S27ZG3DzoHkNsOtxFN Learn more about Femme Futurists Society at https://femmefuturists.com/ Learn more about Sun at http://nothingintheway.substack.com/ Music from Uppbeat: uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend License code: D5M95QR3OT6UNHQY #femmefuturists

Episode #30: In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast series with extraordinary women, we explore the role of new technologies in creativity with Brooke Hopper. Brooke Hopper is Principal Designer for Machine Intelligence and Emerging Technologies at Adobe, working to deepen and enhance the creative process and allow all humans to more fully realize their creative visions.  Learn more about the Femmes at FemmeFuturists.com Learn more about Brooke Hopper

Episode #28: In our our Femme Futurist Video Podcast series with extraordinary women, we discuss future proofing one of the world’s best known brands with Joanna Lepore. Joanna Lepore is the Global Foresight Director for McDonald’s, leading the exploration of new capabilities globally by putting humans and sustainability at the center of their future visioning. Learn more about the Femmes at FemmeFuturists.com Learn more about Joanna Lepore at Looking-Outside.com

Carin Ism and Nancy Giordano discuss the future of governance... We see example after example of how exponential technologies are changing everything, yet our systems of governance are not keeping pace. Cross-pollination between the digital realm and governance design is long overdue, and that's exactly where our latest Femme Futurists Society interviewee comes in. A "power nerd" and co-author of “How to Rule a World—A Guide to the Established and Emerging Tools for Power and Governance in the 21st century" (set to be released at the end of 2020), Carin Ism is fascinated by systems of governance. An advocate of the solar punk movement - which envisions a future beyond scarcity - she is the co-Founder of the Future of Governance Agency (FOGA) dedicated to seeding innovation and general power literacy. Besides living at 14,000 feet in the Himalayas to develop design principles for space societies, she was also the principal investigator of the first governance study on Mars. (And so many other things on her resume there simply isn't room for!). We got to the end of this interview and were blown away. We hope you are too. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Carin at corinism.com

Zahara Chetty and Nancy Giordano discuss the need for divergent thinking and polymaths... Zahara Chetty and Nancy Giordano discuss the need for divergent thinking thinking, polymaths and multi-potentialities in this heartfelt conversation around her life growing up in Apartheid South Africa. As an Educationist, Writer, Facilitator, Fashion Designer and Coach she works remotely with teams all around the world to help individuals, CEOs, startups, social enterprises, governments and organizations navigate complexity and develop more conscious and collaborative solutions for the future. She has a special interest in cognition, trauma and conscious evolution in a time where technology threatens to outpace human development. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Zahara at zaharachetty.com

Lisa Galarneau and Nancy Giordano discuss anthropology of the future... A curiosity-led, polymath and anthropologist, Dr. Lisa Galarneau uses the past to shape the future. Firmly believing that we have the ability right now to shape a thriving existence for all (including the planet), in this conversation with Nancy Giordano she wonders what's stopping us? Lisa posits that, "we must de-condition ourselves from 10,000 years of bad behavior. And, it’s not easy". Her vision? A world that works for everyone. We couldn't agree more. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Lisa at lgalarneau.wixsite.com/lisa

Geci Karuri-Sebina and Nancy Giordano discuss the importance of intelligent cities rather than smart cities... In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, we discuss intelligent cities not just smart cities with Geci Karuri-Sebina. GECI KARURI-SEBINA is a Johannesburg-based scholar-practitioner who works on urban planning and governance issues to ensure we don’t just have smart cities but intelligent cities that foster distributed communities, self-reliance, interconnectivity, and a unique sense of identity. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Geci at foresightfordevelopment.org/profile/geci-karuri-sebina

Dana Klisanin and Nancy Giordano discuss cultivating consciousness... In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, we discuss how to "rewild the mind” with Dana Klisanin. DR DANA KLISANIN is CEO at Evolutionary Guidance Media R&D, Inc. and Co-Founder at ReWilding: Lab, a new venture to "rewild the mind"  and expand the way we learn, heal, and envision our planetary futures. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Dana at danaklisanin.com

Erica Dhawan and Nancy Giordano discuss connectional intelligence and digital body language... How can you break through overwhelm and make big things happen? While we have all talked about collaboration for years, our need for one another has become vitally important these days. Sheltering in our homes all these months (and we're not out of the woods yet), we have been intensely challenged to adopt new ways of working, learning AND nurturing our relationships. Our experience of time and boundaries are undergoing a dramatic shift, putting new emphasis on our connections with each other. Whether fracturing or bringing us closer, it is clear our ability to respond and deliver game changing innovation will be directly related to the value of our interactions and our ability to explore, trust and coordinate with one another. Which leads us to Erica Dhawan, next up in our Femme Futurists Society series! Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Erica at ericadhawan.com

Ivy Mahsciao and Nancy Giordano discuss self-discovery through empathy AI... In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, we discuss mindtech using voice + emotion AI to help youth. IVY MAHSCIAO is founder + CEO of Evrmore, the first mindtech startup using voice + emotion AI to provide an inclusive betterment platform for young people to improve mindset, social and emotional resilience, and build a strong personal narrative that makes life rewarding.   Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Ivy at ivymahsciao.com

Samar Hechaime and Nancy Giordano discuss what constellations and systems can teach us about complex problem solving... Samar Héchaimé is focused on enabling leaders to achieve strategic transformation through multidisciplinary, humancentric disruption that considers systems as constellations. As Co-founder/Director of Agora Visioning, she has worked around the world solving complex infrastructure problems from Saudi Arabia, to Lebanon, London and more; all with an emphasis on challenging established models to shape more thriving futures. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Samar at hechaime.com

Elatia Abate and Nancy Giordano discuss the future of work and working... In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, we discuss the Future of Work with Elatia Abate. ELATIA ABATE is the Founder of Future of Now and Futurist in Residence for Paylocity, whose mission is to revolutionize the way trailblazing leaders understand, train and fuel their leadership. She is a globally recognized expert on the futures of work and strategy. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Elatia at elatiaabate.com

Lisa Bodell and Nancy Giordano discuss simplifying complexity in business, life, and more... There were many things Lisa Bodell talked about in our conversation that grabbed our attention: "thinking is a daring act", "we need guardrails not handcuffs", "soft skills are the new power skills", "say yes with intention and no with purpose" and we need to "kill stupid rules". Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. A globally renowned expert on bringing simplicity to complexity and accelerating innovation, this award-winning author (Kill The Company and Why Simple Wins) has shared her transformative perspectives and radically simple toolkit with more than 100,000 worldwide at companies like Google, Cisco, Citi and more. Lisa teaches us how adopting simplicity as our new operating system allows us to pare back and focus what really matters. A master of teaching people how to be really intentional with their time - from leaders to team members - she espouses that simplicity will be a key success factor in the future. We invite you to listen in to this dynamic exchange between Nancy and Lisa. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Lisa at futurethink.com/keynotes-by-lisa-bodell

April Rinne and Nancy Giordano discuss a world in flux... In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, we discuss how leaders + teams improve tolerance for uncertainty in a world in flux with April Rinne. APRIL RINNE has spent her 25+ year career across 100+ countries with a wide range of companies, cultures, business models, and leadership styles, ultimately with the goal of helping leaders + teams improve their tolerance for uncertainty. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Our guest's website at aprilrinne.com

Sarah DaVanzo and Nancy Giordano discuss the need to be curious about curiosity... We're excited to introduce you to Sarah DaVanzo, VP of Consumer & Market Insight for L'Oreal, in conversation with Nancy Giordano! Sarah is a fervent curiosity seeker + practitioner who believes we need to not just "be" curious, but "do" curious. A self-described Explorer & Gallivanter, she has circumnavigated the globe twice and lead 18 cultural anthropology and ethnography expeditions, from Timbuktu to Tulsa. Explorer of inner and outer spaces, from astronaut training at NASA Space Camp to living a monk's life in a Benedictine Monastery, she's currently working on researching and testing various methods to engineer curiosity to improve insights discovery and innovation output. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com

Yvette Montero Salvatico and Nancy Giordano discuss why everyone should practice foresight... Yvette Montero Salvatico is on a passionate mission: democratize foresight. Having started out in finance at The Walt Disney Company many years ago, Yvette was tapped to establish and lead the internal Future Workforce Insights division. The goal was to identify future workforce trends and leverage foresight models and techniques to assess potential threats and impacts, emerging ideas, and exciting opportunities for the organization. Experiencing firsthand the transformational effects of building a foresight practice into multiple roles and levels of employment, she and her co-Partner at current firm Kedge (a strategic design, foresight, and innovation company), decided to start 'The Futures School' to bring the critical skills of strategic foresight and futures thinking to everyone and anyone - especially important as we enter a new era in which we have the opportunity to create a better future.  Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com

Cecily Sommers and Nancy Giordano discuss holding tight to purpose and playing loose with tactics... In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, we discuss holding tight to purpose + playing loose with tactics with Cecily Sommers. CECILY SOMMERS is a globally renowned futurist, showing how a winning strategy is one that applies foresight to market forces, champions proprietary opportunities, and invents a future that can be chosen. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Cecily at cecilysommers.com

Leyla Acaroglu and Nancy Giordano discuss creating change by design... In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, Leyla Acaraglu challenges us to think differently about how the world works. DR LEYLA ACARAGLU is a circular economy and sustainability provocateur who founded the UnSchool of Disruptive Design who is an award-winning designer, UNEP Champion of the Earth, and social scientist.  Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Leyla at leylaacaroglu.com

Tamsin Woolley-Barker and Nancy Giordano discuss thriving in complexity... What can we really learn from the birds and the bees? Evolutionary biologist, corporate strategist and author of TEEMING, Tamsin Woolley-Barker, PhD, helps leaders understand and apply the lessons in adaptivity that nature has honed over millions of years of experimentation; finely tuned to create harmonious and integrated systems that are built on trust. Providing organizational design and consulting for some of the world’s biggest and most innovative companies, all of Tamsin's work is aimed at catalyzing a fundamental paradigm shift from mechanistic design to Living Systems Thinking + Design in all human endeavors. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Tamsin at teemlab.com

Heather McGowan and Nancy Giordano discuss the adaptation advantage in "the new normal"... In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, we discuss intelligent cities not just smart cities with Geci Karuri-Sebina. GECI KARURI-SEBINA is a Johannesburg-based scholar-practitioner who works on urban planning and governance issues to ensure we don’t just have smart cities but intelligent cities that foster distributed communities, self-reliance, interconnectivity, and a unique sense of identity.  Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Heather at heathermcgowan.com

In our Femme Futurist Video Podcast with extraordinary women, we discuss fresh perspectives on 21st century leadership with Ayelet Baron. AYELET BARON a reformed corporate strategist who was Global VP of Strategy, Innovation and Transformation at Cisco for 15+ years, leaving to cultivate a fresh perspective on 21st-century business that creates authentic, transformational change.   Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Ayelet at ayeletbaron.com

Cathy Hackl and Nancy Giordano discuss spatial computing and the augmented workforce... Recognized as one of the top 10 Tech Voices on Linkedin and author of the upcoming book, "The Augmented Workforce: How AI, AR, and 5G Will Impact Every Dollar You Make", next in our Femme Futurists series is Cathy Hackl discussing spatial computing, AR/VR and the augmented workforce with Nancy Giordano.  Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Cathy at cathyhackl.com

Riane Eisler and Nancy Giordano discuss the needed shift from power over to power with... In our Femme Futurists Video Podcast with extraordinary women, showcases 60+ years of Riane Eisler tirelessly championing a more caring economics. RIANE EISLER is a cultural historian, systems scientist and president of the Center for Partnership Systems, often compared to Marx + Smith for her more than 60+ years tirelessly championing a new system of economics centered on caring   Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Riane at rianeeisler.com

Tessa Finlev and Nancy Giordano discuss embodying the future you want... From her early start traveling the world with the Peace Corps to becoming Head Foresight Strategist for Dolby Labs, Tessa Finlev’s mission has been to gather a deep understanding of what it means to be human through multiple contexts and experiences. Her global insights, futures thinking and unconventional path have led her to the conclusion that: only by engaging as many people as possible will the work that is being done today, successfully transform the work that needs to be done for the emergent future. As a mother of two small children and a richly diverse existence that spans Africa to Denmark, Tessa believes that by embodying all we want the future to be, we can make it so for generations to come. Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com

Guillermina Benavides and Nancy Giordano discuss the need to change the way we change... Guillermina Benavides Rincón is a Professor with a master’s degree in strategic foresight at the School of Government and Public Transformation at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and a PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington. Beyond the accomplishments though, what’s mind-blowing is that she started her final dissertation with no children, and by the end had four(!), having been surprised with triplets during her studies. Instead of this slowing her down, and alongside teaching students, she's been advising Federal, State and Local Governments on the need for public policy, economics and social development policies to evolve alongside the rapid pace at which women and their roles in family systems are changing within Mexico. Since most of the policies are developed by men with little or no real understanding of the current + future opportunities that can be made possible for women, Guillermina is a champion and important advocate in her country for changing the way we change.  Learn more at femmefuturists.com Learn more about Nancy at nancygiordano.com Learn more about our guest Guillermina at globalforesightsummit.com/speakers/guillermina-benavides