The Mindset Economy

What happens when the systems we have relied on for decades no longer make sense?In this episode, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are joined by Ja-Naé Duane and Steve Fisher to explore what they call a series of “super shifts”, fundamental changes that are reshaping how we work, lead, and make sense of the world. As technology accelerates and intelligence becomes increasingly distributed, many of the assumptions that once gave us stability, about value, expertise, and control, begin to break down.This is not a conversation about technology alone. It is about how we respond when the future feels uncertain and the rules are no longer clear. From the idea that our sense of agency may be more fragile than we think, to the need to move from control to co-creation, the discussion offers a different way of thinking about leadership, one grounded less in certainty and more in adaptability, awareness, and mindset.This episode invites a deeper question. If the old models no longer hold, what replaces them, and what does it take to lead when you cannot rely on the past to guide you?Reading from Jean Gomes and Scott Allender: Leading In A Non-Linear World (J Gomes, Wiley, 2023) The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence (S Allender, Baker Books, 2023)Social:Instagram           @mindseteconomypodcastLinkedIn             The Mindset Economy PodcastBluesky            @mindseteconomy.bsky.socialYouTube           @TheMindsetEconomyThe Mindset Economy Podcast is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside Consulting Ltd production.

In this episode of The Mindset Economy, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are joined by Amy Edmondson, one of the world’s leading thinkers on leadership, teaming, and organisational learning. Together, they explore why most conversations in organisations today aren’t bad, they’re just not good enough. Amy reframes psychological safety as “permission for candor,” challenges the idea that comfort is the goal, and explains why learning (not knowing) is becoming the critical capability in an increasingly uncertain world.As AI becomes part of the team and the pace of change accelerates, the conversation shifts to what it really takes to perform when the stakes are high. From intelligent failure and the “failure landscape” to high-quality conversations and reducing interpersonal risk, this episode unpacks the conditions that allow people to speak up, think clearly, and learn together. If the future of work depends on how we adapt, then the quality of our thinking – and our conversations – will define what happens next.Reading from Amy Edmondson:Right Kind of Wrong: How the Best Teams Use Failure to Succeed (Penguin, 2024)The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth (Wiley, 2025)Reading from Jean Gomes and Scott Allender: Leading In A Non-Linear World (J Gomes, Wiley, 2023) The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence (S Allender, Baker Books, 2023)Social:Instagram           @mindseteconomypodcastLinkedIn             The Mindset Economy PodcastBluesky            @mindseteconomy.bsky.socialYouTube           @TheMindsetEconomyThe Mindset Economy Podcast is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside Consulting Ltd production.

What if the biggest risk in the age of AI isn’t losing jobs, but losing our ability to imagine the future?In this episode of The Mindset Economy, Jean Gomes and Scott Allender speak with futurist Sarah Housley, author of Designing Hope about why our collective imagination about the future seems to have stalled. As AI advances and change accelerates, many people feel less agency, not more. So how do we reclaim the ability to imagine and design better futures?Building on ideas such as protopia (futures that improve gradually through experimentation, human ingenuity, and collective action), the conversation explores how leaders can create more hopeful visions of the future, why rapid technological change can undermine our sense of agency, and why developing more non-linear ways of thinking may be essential as AI and other forces reshape the world.Reading from Sarah Housley:Designing Hope: Visions to Shape Our Future (2025, Indigo Press)  Reading from Jean Gomes and Scott Allender: Leading In A Non-Linear World (J Gomes, Wiley, 2023) The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence (S Allender, Baker Books, 2023)Social:Instagram           @mindseteconomypodcastLinkedIn             The Mindset Economy PodcastBluesky            @mindseteconomy.bsky.socialYouTube           @TheMindsetEconomyThe Mindset Economy Podcast is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside Consulting Ltd production.

What makes the brain vulnerable to ideology?In this episode of The Mindset Economy, hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are joined by neuroscientist and author Dr Leor Zmigrod to explore the psychology and neuroscience of ideological thinking and what makes any of us vulnerable to rigid belief systems.Leor’s research shows that ideology is not defined by what you believe, but by how you believe it. When thinking becomes inflexible, fused with identity, and resistant to evidence, the brain narrows. Cognitive flexibility declines. Empathy can weaken. Even our physiological responses to other people’s suffering can change.The conversation moves beyond politics into the difference between values and ideologies, the myth that intelligence protects us from dogmatism, and why uncertainty makes certainty feel irresistible. It also explores how AI shifts radicalisation from passive consumption to active dialogue, potentially reinforcing bias and rigidity in new and powerful ways. How often do we confuse conviction with clarity and what would it take to cultivate the kind of flexibility that allows us to think freely in a polarised, AI-accelerated world?For leaders, parents, and anyone trying to remain thoughtful under pressure, this is a scientific and deeply human exploration of how belief systems shape the brain - and how we might protect our capacity for judgment, empathy, and freedom.Reading from Dr Leor Zmigrod:The Ideological Brain: How Rigid Beliefs Harm Our Minds & Bodies – And Why It Matters (L Zmigrod, Penguin, 2026)Reading from Jean Gomes and Scott Allender:Leading In A Non-Linear World (J Gomes, Wiley, 2023)The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence (S Allender, Baker Books, 2023)Social:Instagram           @mindseteconomypodcastLinkedIn             The Mindset Economy PodcastBluesky            @mindseteconomy.bsky.socialYouTube           @TheMindsetEconomyThe Mindset Economy Podcast is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside Consulting Ltd production.

In this episode, Mithu Storoni joins Jean Gomes and Scott Allender to explore how the way we work has been shaped by industrial-era assumptions about efficiency, productivity, and the brain – and why those assumptions no longer serve us in an age of AI.Mithu explains how, for more than a century, humans have tried to mimic machines, first with our bodies and then with our minds, and how this has restricted human potential. As AI increasingly takes over quantitative work, she argues that this moment presents an extraordinary opportunity to shift focus towards human qualities such as creativity, judgment, problem solving, and deep thinking.The conversation examines why modern workplaces still treat the brain as if it were muscle, applying assembly-line templates to knowledge work, despite clear evidence that the brain works in rhythms, states, and cycles. Mithu explains how sustained attention depletes brain efficiency, why mind wandering is an important signal rather than a failure, and how breaks, movement, and changes in mental state are essential for high-quality thinking.Jean and Scott explore with Mithu how leaders can rethink productivity, move beyond the quantification of quality, and design environments that allow brains to operate at their best. Topics include ultradian rhythms, the importance of timing different types of work, the relationship between creativity and time of day, and why walking and physical movement can unlock better ideas.The episode also looks at individual differences in how people respond to pressure, uncertainty, and deadlines, and why future organizations will need to tailor ways of working to different “gear states” rather than imposing a single template on everyone.This is a practical and neuroscience-informed discussion about how humans can stop racing alongside machines, rise above purely quantitative work, and build workplaces that enable better thinking in the Mindset Economy.Reading from Mithu Storoni:WINNER OF THE BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2025Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work (2024, Yellow Kite)Reading from Jean Gomes and Scott Allender:Leading In A Non-Linear World (J Gomes, Wiley, 2023)The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence (S Allender, Baker Books, 2023)Social:Instagram           @mindseteconomypodcastLinkedIn             The Mindset Economy PodcastBluesky            @mindseteconomy.bsky.socialYouTube           @TheMindsetEconomyThe Mindset Economy Podcast is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside Consulting Ltd production.

Launching on Thursday 15th January 2026, The Mindset Economy Podcast explores a profound shift in how value is created in an automated world.As we move beyond the industrial, service, and knowledge economies, a new multi-trillion-dollar era is emerging. One where beliefs, resilience, and adaptability are no longer background traits, but the currency that shapes success.Hosted by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender, the podcast examines why mindset, the interplay of how we feel, think, and see, will increasingly determine our economic prospects, our wellbeing, and our ability to navigate uncertainty.Subscribe on your favourite platform and join the conversation about how humans can not just survive, but thrive, in the mindset economy.

After five years and hundreds of episodes of The Evolving Leader, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are excited to announce a bold new chapter. In a world that is rapidly being reshaped by AI, climate change and shifting social, political and economic realities, the need for a new conversation is clear.The Mindset Economy explores how leaders can thrive in a world where machines can think. The core premise of The Mindset Economy podcast is understanding the forces transforming work and society, and equipping yourself with the mindsets needed to navigate and shape the future.EPISODE ONE LANDS THURSDAY 15TH JANUARY 2026.