Future Insiders Podcast

The Future of Leadership & Corporate Narratives with Alvaro Cedeno In this episode, Cathy speaks with long-time friend Alvaro Cedano who is the founder of Perfectible. It’s all about the narrative and you must deliver multiple episodes of the story to tell others about your country which is consistent with the political vision and also awakens engagement in others. Alvaro Cedeno The three essential skills to survive in life-threatening circumstances are to stay optimistic, to prioritize and to be creative. They are critical factors of my personal and professional success to constantly move out of comfort zones, as nothing extraordinary has ever come out of one. My career is a collection of diverse experiences where I have honed adaptive skills to lead with excellence in multiple cultural and thematic environments. Working for ten years as an international volunteer I developed a sharp sense of contextual intelligence. This was in parallel to my entrepreneurial activity as a translator. As a government official I had the rare opportunity to partake on a diplomatic mission to start-up an Embassy in Beijing, China. Remarkable how much you can learn when you start something anew! As Ambassador to Japan I built –again from scratch- a green growth bilateral agenda. Then, as Ambassador to the WTO in Geneva I launched two coalitions of countries on electronic commerce and on sustainable trade. My core strengths are: strategic, input, intellection, ideation and connectedness (CliftonStrengths). I am interested in improving as a public speaker designing memorable narratives. An example is a talk I gave at TEDxTokyo (see link below). In order to transform the most pressing global issues, I believe we must develop public-private partnerships for people, planet and purpose (PPPPPPs). In order to do that, and despite the exponential acceleration of technological revolutions, there are four things which humans do far better than machines to create new value and synergies: creativity, empathy, ethics and lovingkindness. A couple of years ago I took up triathlon as a hobby. It regenerates my physical and mental health and keeps me two steps ahead of my personal comfort zones. We are reaching the end of the Holocene, or the age of comfort. The Anthropocene will be all about adaptability. So stay optimistic, prioritize, and be creative. Connect: Perfectible.io LinkedIn Twitter @alvarcidane

Finding Spaces for Belonging with Vanessa Mason Vanessa Mason discusses the increasing amount of loneliness due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and this has created a growing amount of displacement in the world today. People have less of a sense of belonging and they are less rooted. The Paradox of Choice to determine where you fit in the world going forward & how you are perceived in this world. FEATURED GUEST: Vanessa Mason, Research Director for Institute for the Future Vanessa Mason is the research director at the Institute for the Future, a nonprofit organization that helps individuals, organizations, and communities think systematically about the future. Her future research explores how we can redesign and re-imagine well-being and belonging changing across business, social, and civic spheres. Her newsletter the Future of Belonging examines how we can redesign technology and other tools and remodel approaches to fulfill the basic human need for belonging over the next decade as loneliness, alienation, and exclusion become more pervasive. Vanessa has been recognized as a 2018 Aspen Ideas Festival Spotlight Health Scholar, 40 Under 40 Tech Diversity Silicon Valley, 2016 New Leaders Council San Francisco Fellow, [200 Black Women in Tech to Follow on Twitter] (https://hackernoon.com/200-black-women-in-tech-to-follow-on-twitter-e33a27303b4a) and as a 2016 TEDMED Research Scholar. She serves on the American Heart Association's Social Impact Fund Investment Advisory Committee. Vanessa earned her BA in psychology from Yale University and her MPH in global health from Columbia University. Connect: LinkedIn Newsletter 200 Black Women in Tech to Follow on Twitter

Brain-Computer Interface For The Mass Market: Let Your Mind Take Control with NextMind Founder Sid Kouider NextMind is changing the AI industry through new brain-sensing technology that may push the industry to adapt to neurotechnology. Brain activity is translated into real-world actions, allowing you to control a wide range of digital objects with your mind in real-time. What you think is what you do. FEATURED GUEST: Sid Kouider Cognitive Neuroscientist and Founder of Nextmind, a company developing the next generation of neural interfaces. NextMind is a neurotechnology startup developing a groundbreaking, noninvasive, AI-based brain-computer interface for the mass market. Upcoming products will allow users to play games and control electronic and mobile devices, including virtual and augmented reality headsets, in real-time using just their thoughts. NextMind combines new brain-sensing technology with innovative machine-learning algorithms to translate brain waves into direct digital commands, making it easier for end-users to navigate the computer systems they’re using. Connect: Website LinkedIn Twitter Contact Us

Training Your Brain & Exploring BCI with Alex Castillo & AJ Keller of Neurosity In this episode of Future Insiders, Cathy dives into training your brain for improved productivity. Her guests Alex Castillo & AJ Keller the co-founders of Neurosity. Neurosity Train your mind and free your code. The productivity trainer for your brain. Notion knows when you are in the zone and keeps you there. Our app finds the music that hacks your coding mood. Notion connects to your streaming service and selects the music that syncs with your brain and boosts your productivity. Fewer distractions. Better code. Notion automatically mutes your notifications when you reach your peak brain performance. Connect with Neurosity: Website Company LinkedIn Twitter FEATURED GUESTS: Alex Castillo Building neural devices and neural apps to use our thoughts to interact with technology. Connect with Alex: LinkedIn AJ Keller Co-Founder & CEO at Neurosity Connect with AJ: LinkedIn

LeaderING & Incentivizing Curiosity with Strategic Futurist, Nancy Giordano This episode takes a deep dive into how to lead in an age of change and how future generations will help to incentivize curiosity and drive strategic sustainability. Nancy helps people, organizations, and audiences build a sustainable path forward as opposed to focusing solely on growth. NANCY GIORDANO Strategic Futurist || Global Keynote Speaker || Gatherer || Author of LeaderING: The Ways Visionary Leaders Play Bigger Nancy is committed to strengthening the organizational capacities and societal structures necessary to leverage significant "Fourth Age" technology advances and ensure a safe and thriving future for us all. As founder of Play Big Inc, she + her PYNKrs ("people you need to know") guide visionary C-suite leaders through this rapidly transforming society. Summarizing all she has learned so far, she will soon be launching her first book titled LeaderING: The Way Visionary Leaders Play Bigger. With more than $50B worth of experience, Nancy has a rich history of advising and learning with some of the top companies in the world. Recognizing that radical shifts in technology, business and society must be considered simultaneously, she helped shape an Artificial Intelligence software start-up, designed a leadership summit to encourage C-suite execs to confidently explore seven of the most disruptive emergent technologies, and is now working collaboratively with one of the first A.I. services companies: Kungfu.AI. An activist for a better next, Nancy is championing two bold ideas poised to weave a more human, truly peer-to-peer internet: Holochain + Holo Hosting. And she is helping usher in an era of Partnerism, an economic and social system that successfully builds value by developing human capacity to care for one another and nature — “power with vs power over”— which will be incentivized with a comprehensive measure that moves beyond GDP to the Social Wealth Index (SWI). Nancy also recently created the Femme Futurist Society to share compelling conversations with leading futurists around the world. And she produced the first Career Fair For the Future during SXSW to help college + high school students more actively and confidently design the future of their work. She has been invited to give over 60 keynote talks around the world these past two years on topics such as: • The Case for Audacious Leadering • Navigating the Big Shift • Just One Percent In...Learning to Navigate the Next Economy • The Four Pandemic Awakenings Shaping the New Economy Her consultancy, Play Big Inc, is uniquely good at: Inspiring + guiding large, often iconic, organizations who are ready to build new transformative, future-forward growth strategies... We encourage leaders to move from a mindset/culture of extraction, to one built on a societal investment. Identifying what each organization is in a unique position to contribute + create, we help leaders shift their organizational framework, posture and approach to better meet the needs + expectations of the future. Connect: LinkedIn Leadering.Us

VR for Good with Cortney Harding & Callie Leone They have developed a platform to help you manage your stress & well-being through a pandemic. Eunoe (“you-know”), which means “good mind” in Greek, is an immersive mindset training platform that uses voice-based VR to build intentional self-awareness and self-efficacy. Our patent-pending platform uses evidence-based practices from psychology, neuroscience, gaming, and narrative storytelling to help athletes, frontline workers, and people experiencing stress in high performance environments reframe negative thought patterns outside of therapy in deeply personal and measurable ways through voice, visualization, and introspection. Cortney Harding + Global thought leader, published author, and speaker on emerging technology and the role of virtual and augmented reality. + Founder and CEO of a transformational VR/AR agency focused on creating innovative, powerful, and effective experiences for training. Clients include Walmart, Verizon, Accenture, Coca-Cola, and the US Air Force. + Winner of multiple awards including “Best VR/AR” at Mobile World Congress, SXSW Innovation Award Finalist, and Top HR product by HR Executive. In an era where many enterprise VR/AR creators lean on outmoded ideas and churn out non-interactive, unrealistic, bland content, I push the medium forward by fusing some of the first voice-activated virtual reality interactivity with highly engaging, cinematic content from acclaimed directors who specialize in the medium. I have experience building teams with best-in-class Unity and Unreal devs and producers. My agency Friends with Holograms created “AvenueS” for Accenture, an immersive experience that places child welfare workers in training in a realistic, traumatic environment and then confronts them with an extremely challenging decision - whether to remove a child from their home and family. The interactive piece is now in use by the largest child welfare agency in the US and is being expanded into multiple chapters of content. People have often reported highly emotional responses in tests of the experience, including crying. Callie Leone Callie is the founder of Eunoe LLC and creator of the Eunoe platform which is being tested in the proposed RCT. Eunoe is an immersive mental wellness studio. Their patent-pending platform (being tested in this trial) has the power to combine emerging technologies VR, AI, and biofeedback with genuine human connection. Eunoe is developing personalized and adaptive programs that incorporate evidence-based practices from psychology, neuroscience, gaming, and narrative storytelling to help users become the best version of themselves in every aspect of wellbeing: work/school, social, community, financial, physical and emotional health. Connect: Callie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callieleone/ Twitter: @callieleone Cortney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cortneyharding/ Twitter: @cortneyharding Friendswithholograms.com Website: https://www.eunoehealth.com/ Twitter @eunoehealth

The ARt of Teaching AR Marketing with Prof. Joachim Scholz This episode dives into what students are learning in Prof. Scholz AR Marketing class at Brock University. Prof. Scholz discusses how they are breaking new ground in AR Marketing. He’s teaching what is AR and how to maximize engagement, but the core of what the students work on is an AR brand label for a winery & the customer experience. The focus is on how customers respond to their AR experience. How do we encourage customers to experience these new worlds & explore AR? Joachim Scholz is a marketing professor at Brock University who specializes in augmented reality marketing, social media controversies, and branding in digitally-infused and hyper-connected societies. He published the first-ever conceptual article on augmented reality marketing in 2016, which won Business Horizons’ Best Article of the Year award. Connect: LinkedIn MarketingSquad.net

EX is Becoming as Important As CX and VR AR Hold the Key With Tom Symonds & Justin Parry Cathy dives deep with the co-founders of Immerse.io which is a perfect tool for the job & is in-part a blend of technologies that can deliver the very best in employee experience. In this episode, you will learn more about how Immerse helps customers like Shell onboard employees in a new & exciting way, especially during a pandemic. About Immerse.io Create, Scale & Measure Virtual Reality Training Built for enterprise from the ground up, the Immerse Platform helps companies create, scale and deploy VR training and maximize their ROI. GUESTS BIO: Tom Symonds, CEO Tom has gained a reputation for innovation and the creation of disruptive business models following 8 years at GE Capital and 12 years at leading internet businesses. He led Sky through the dot-com fallout, establishing it as one of the major internet players in the UK. Tom has since worked with start-up businesses within the field of e-Learning, using his extensive expertise to leverage technology in order to address key business needs. Justin Parry, COO Justin has 20 years of experience creating and growing B2C and B2B products for start-ups and global organizations. He has developed and launched online platforms, websites, and mobile products across the world and joined Immerse from his role as Global Director of Internet Yellow Pages for Yell Group. Justin is Chief Operating Officer and leads the Product strategy for Immerse. As a founder, he designed and led product development of the Immerse platform from scratch. He now oversees the delivery of all technology and VR content across the organization. Connect: Immerse.io Immerse LinkedIn Immerse Twitter Tom Symonds Twitter

Sound is a critical piece of the immersion puzzle! In this episode, Cathy talks with Guy Etgar and Nick Sciorra of Insoundz about the future of sound and audio. Insoundz uses patented technology to capture and understand sound from everyone and everything – everywhere – changing the fundamentals of audio production and enabling new experiences. During this episode, they talk about the importance of audio for immersion and even the future of podcasts.

In this episode, Cathy is joined by her fellow futurist and friend, Nikolas Badminton. Cathy and Nik talk about all things future including the redefinition of platforms and algorithms, the transcendence of social media into a true lifestyle business, the rise of true power to the people, emerging theatres of geopolitical turmoil, and so much more. If you want to hear two futurists having a deep and future-focused conversation that is sure to be thought-provoking this is the episode!

In this episode, Cathy talks to Kyle Jackson, the CEO of Talespin. His company is using extended reality (VR, AR, MR) technology to unlock new career paths for individuals, and transform talent management for organizations. Cathy and Kyle talk about the success Talespin has had and even about Cathy's experience practicing firing an individual in VR using Talespin. They also talk about the VR Learning Survey conducted by PwC and Talespin that looked at the efficacy of VR learning and its results.

In this episode, Cathy talks with fellow futurist, Bronwyn Williams, about the metaverse, the economics of the metaverse, or metaversonimics, and even the future of gold and bitcoin. Bronwyn is a Partner, Foresight Lead, and Trend Analyst at Flux Trends. They also talk about Bronwyn's upcoming book, The Future Starts Now, to which Cathy contributed a chapter on virtual worlds and the metaverse to. You can pre-order the book today.

In this episode, Cathy interviews Ricardo Justus and Ricardo Laganaro of ARVORE. The team recently won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming. The ARVORE team is one of the first studios to use the Oculus Quest's hand tracking for an interactive VR experience, The Line. Cathy is part of the Executive Committee of the Television Academy's Interactive Media Peer Group, the group responsible for deciding who gets this award. The line is one of the virtual reality winners this year.

Cathy is part of the Television Academy's Interactive Media Peer Group's Executive Committee. This is the group responsible for selecting the winner(s) for the Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming Award. This award was recently awarded to The Line from @Arvore and Oculus VR and to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's hitRECord.org Inc. Cathy is joined by IMPG Governor, Lori H. Schwartz to talk about what it takes to win an Emmy for #VR or #AR and much more! If you're an #XR creator and you dream of winning an Emmy one day, don't miss this episode.

Hear from Tery Spataro, author of the fiction book, Laundrygate: Strange Stories About The Future. In this episode, Cathy and Tery talk about her book and also about Tery's process for writing about fictional futures, some of which seem to close to home and at times prophetic. Her new book is an unusual collection of short stories about the unimagined consequences of technology and the creation of new realities. In it, Tery dreams up these wild, surreal tales and envisions the outcomes brought about by technological change, human curiosity, and imagines posthumanism worlds.

During this episode, Cathy talks with Neil Singh, director of technology at Team NEO. Team NEO is a business development organization focused on accelerating economic growth and job creation throughout the 18 counties of Northeast Ohio. They talk about how the Midwest is becoming a tech hub and Neil's views about the future of economic development in the region.

In this special episode of Future Insiders, Cathy welcomes Lt Col Jake Sotiriadis, Chief of Strategic Foresight and Futures at the United States Air Force. During the episode, Cathy and Jake talk about the recent unclassified Global Futures Report that Sotiriadis worked on with a team of stellar futurists and how the Air Force can shape an adaptive future strategy. They also talk about how we are upon a new renaissance era for futurists and foresight. You won't want to miss this episode!

Cathy talks with Future Insider, Steve Sinclair, SVP of Product at Mojo Vision. The company is working on the world's first smart contact lens. They are pioneering the concept of Invisible Computing—a display that never gets in the way via the Mojo Lens, a smart augmented reality contact lens. The team at Mojo comes from all corners of the globe and all walks of life. They are scientists. Futurists, medical experts, and technologists and have joined forces to give people superpowers. Mojo Vision's view of the world seamlessly fuses digital information onto the world around us.

Are you a sneakerhead? If so, would you spend hundreds of dollars on virtual sneakers? In this episode, Cathy talks with Ryan David Mullins, CEO of Aglet, an app that connects sneakerheads, creators, and brands through virtual sneakers using augmented reality. A recent Forbes article about them sums it all up really well: Where People Spend Thousands Of Dollars On Sneakers That Don’t Exist. Cathy and Ryan discuss virtual fashion, the metaverse and, of course, the future.

In this episode, Cathy talks with Lisa Sibilia and DP Prakash, Co-CEOs of Youtopian, a human-centered AI and XR innovations company that is changing the business world one client a time. Measuring core happiness is one of the most important metrics they track. DP has years of corporate and managerial experience and Lisa spent more than 10 years in the education industry. Inspired by Disney's Imagineering principles and guided by creativity, they seek to accelerate humanity to its full potential and change the future of work and education. You won't want to miss this conversation.

Events have changed a lot in the last few months. Organizations are pivoting and exploring new formats including virtual reality and augmented reality. In this episode, Cathy talks with Anne-Marie Enns and Kris Kolo of the VR/AR Association about the future of events and their upcoming VR/AR Global Summit, that's taking place from Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

Why is cultural relevance more important now than ever? During this episode, Cathy sits down with Kristina Jenkins, Head of Strategy at Cashmere Agency to discuss why brands have ambitions to be culturally relevant and what being culturally relevant means and requires. We'll also talk about the future of cultural relevance and what's to come.

Do you know anyone who's a Firestarter? We do and his name is Ian Forrester. Ian is a Senior Firestarter at BBC R&D where he's working on the future of media and storytelling. During this episode, we talk about the living room of the future, how Ian got such a cool job title, and much, much more. Join us for this episode of Future Insiders with Cathy Hackl.

Cathy talks with Leslie Shannon, Head of Ecosystem and Trend Scouting at Nokia, about the future of connectivity, connection, and the web. From 5G to 6G, and the Spatial Internet (or metaverse) that's being built, Cathy and Leslie tackle a lot in this episode. Leslie helps Nokia stay ahead of the curve and helps Nokia's clients prepare for the future. This is one episode you won't want to miss.

Cathy talks with fellow futurist Roger Spitz, the founder & CEO Techistential and the Chairman Disruptive Futures Institute. After spending most of his career in investment banking and M&A, Roger now helps organizations, governments, and CEOs future-proof their business. Cathy and Roger explore the future of educational models, the future of strategic foresight, and even talk about the importance of teaching futures studies in schools.

Cathy is joined by Chris Mayer, philosopher & also Associate Dean for Strategy & Initiatives at West Point. Among the many things Chris does is teach Philosophy to cadets. Cathy and Chris met at the University of Houston's Strategic Foresight Professional Certificate program earlier this year. During this episode, they talk about the future of leadership, education, work, and even war. *All of Chris's comments are his own views and opinions and do not represent those of the US Army or West Point.*

Cathy talks with Kim Bates, Chief Futurist at Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve about how marketing is changing and how marketers will need to reach consumers via robots in the near future. Kim is one of the first people to coin the term Business To Robot To Consumer (B2R2C). Cathy and Kim also discuss a Forbes article they wrote in partnership where they explore what a society focused on immunity and protection of the physical body, mind, spirit, & environment could look like. Are we entering a new era of prophylactic culture?

In this episode, Cathy talks with Mic Mann, the co-CEO of Singularity University South Africa and host of Exponential Africa about how he's using VR and what the future holds for immersive tech in Africa. Mic is a well-known technology leader in his region and a champion for immersive tech. Cathy and Mic discuss everything from holding of the world's 1st press conferences in VR to attending Tomorrowland in the near future.

In this episode, Cathy sits down with world-renowned futurist, Andy Hines, to talk about what a futurist is and what a futurist does. Andy has been a professional futurist for more than 30 years and runs the University of Houston's Foresight Program. This interview was recorded in January when Cathy attended the program's Professional Certificate in Foresight week-long course in Houston.

Cathy talks with Keisha Howard from Sugar Gamers about the future of gaming and of virtual presence. This interview was originally recorded on LinkedIn Live.

Cathy talks with Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips, the author of the book The Future of Feeling: Building Empathy in a Tech-Obsessed World. Kaitlin interviewed Cathy back in 2017 for an article that ran in Salon and The Week about how VR can be used to change minds on social issues. This interview was originally recorded on LinkedIn Live.

In this episode, Cathy talks with Elena Chopyak of the International Rescue Committee about how the organization is using virtual reality for training, team building and beyond. Elena is also the winner of the Cathy Hackl Scholarship for Women.

Esther Wojcicki has been championing a new way to teach and raise children for many years. She is a true pioneer and visionary. Cathy sat down with Esther at the SingularityU Summit in Costa Rica. Listen and learn kids!

Today on the Future Insider's Podcast, Cathy Hackl interviews the CEO & Founder of Sanctuary AI, Suzanne Gildert. Listen and learn everything you ever wanted to know about synthetic humanoid robots or synths. This interview was recorded live at Singularity University Summit in Costa Rica.