In this episode of the Wicked Opportunities® Podcast, TFSX Principal Frank Spencer speaks with physician, aquanaut, dive medical technician, speaker, martial artist, skydiver, and VP of Immersive Medicine at Luxsonic Technologies, Dr. Shawna Pandya. Dr. Shawna Pandya has a vision for shaping the future of medicine through transdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. 

Breaking free from conventional thinking, TFSX Principal Frank Spencer delves into futures through an "art-based" lens with ARTEFACTO Founders Andrea Busquets and Pablo Reyes Arellano. Explore their innovative approach, liberating us to envision new futures, "dream ourselves awake," and contribute to cultural evolution through civic participation. 

TFSX Co-Founder Frank Spencer discusses her new book, Combining, in-depth with Nora Bateson. Listen as Nora discusses poems, passages, and concepts from her book that reinforce our need to elevate our sacred connection to the cosmic whole to discover/engage with understand/undergo ancestral and generational transformation.

We know… it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way. (At least that’s what Mac Davis said back in 1980, and when was he ever wrong?). Nevertheless, we all need to realize that we hold only a small part of the larger human, planetary, and cosmic story, and such a realization will attune us to the deeper picture within various situations, as well as helping us to take our personal viewpoints, perspectives, and self-importance out of that picture. When this happens, we are better...

When you think about the future, does the idea of connection come to mind? It did for Kermit the Frog! (Well, at least in relation to rainbows, lovers, and dreamers). In reality, connection is a critical mindset when it comes to practicing rigorous foresight. Exploring alternative possibilities through the lens of ecosystems, interconnectedness, and the “larger whole” - past, present, and yet-to-come - is the only way to perceive the deeply emerging realities necessary for robust...

You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop… the Relating dimension! (Thank you for letting us include a Twilight Zone reference - this is a foresight podcast, after all.) Our first stop in this new dimension within the Inner Development Goals: Appreciation, a skill, and trait that enables us to cultivate wonder, gratitude, and awe - important capabilities if we want to become deep...

In this last episode within the Thinking dimension of the Inner Development Goals, TWOP hosts Yvette Montero Salvatico and Frank Spencer get to talk about their favorite subject: Kevin Bacon! Correction… we meant to say “visioning.” (But who doesn’t also love a good 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon story?) Embodying the trait of visioning is about much more than supercharging our imaginations for greater possibilities, though that’s an important part; it’s about having the inner ability to sustain...

You want a story? Ok, “Once upon a time, there were two crazy but incredibly smart podcast hosts who loved to talk about the future…” Oh, you want us to help you find the stories all around you? Well, why didn’t you say so? We love to empower people to look for the puzzle pieces, the interconnections, and the patterns that make up the stories that are actually shaping our realities. This is what is meant by sense-making - the critical skill of structuring the unknown, engaging with diverse...

Are you curious about our next episode in the 23 and Me series? If so, you’re in luck because this one’s all about being more open and curious. (See what we did there?) Our present-day political, social, and economic landscapes have created an unfavorable environment for fostering perspectives that are culturally rich and tend to narrow our assumptions and blind spots. This means that we have to be even more intentional in our pursuit of perspective-building than ever before. Join Yvette and...

In most contexts today, from businesses to governments to social development, we’re told to view complexity as our mortal enemy - crush it, vanquish it, overcome it, and do everything in our power to simplify it. How would you feel if we told you this is the opposite of what you should be doing? (Obviously, that’s exactly what we’re about to do!) For many years, we’ve allowed a landscape built on repetitive efficiency to snuff out the grand potential found within the matrix of creative...

We’re now entering the “Thinking” dimension of the Inner Development Goals. If you weren’t already 100% convinced that the 23 traits and skills highlighted in the IDGs are the same attributes necessary for robust futuring, then these next several podcasts should do the trick. (Honestly, what else do you want from us, friends!) In this episode, Yvette and Frank take a critical look - very meta of us - at the need for foresight to continually ask the “who, what, where, when, and why” questions...

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself”? It certainly seems like a lot of governments and organizations have never listened to Hip Hop, and that lack of awareness is making us an Endangered Species. (Two Ice Cube hits, and we’ve barely gotten started!) Without being able to reflect deeply on our own thoughts, feelings, and desires, we can’t possibly hope to effectively engage with our world of exponential complexity. Join Frank and Yvette as they challenge...

“Hey, Yvette and Frank, I’ve been loving how you’re demonstrating the connection between the Inner Development Goals and a futurist mindset, but what does “being present” have to do with foresight?” We’re glad you asked! (And, no, you won’t have to take a self-help course on multi-tasking.) In this final podcast in the “Being” domain, our “what lies ahead wayfarers” explore how practicing the act of presencing empowers us to avoid the “tyranny of extraction” from the deep experiences,...

A famous axiom states that “If you never know, you’ll never grow; if you don’t grow, you’ve got no place to go.” (OK, we just made that up, but it’s pretty catchy… right?) Even if it isn’t an actual timeless idiom, the sentiment holds true - when we’re open to learning and expanding our field of knowledge instead of becoming closed to ideas that shake up our cherished worldviews, we discover ideas, experiences, and wonders that exponentially expand our identity, capacity, and abilities. A...

In a zeitgeist of extreme tribalism and partisanship, it may seem that having integrity and authenticity means standing firm in your worldviews no matter how they might impact those around you. The truth is that acting with sincerity has much more to do with the ability to be vulnerable due to the maturity that comes with a deeply developed identity that is not easily threatened or manipulated. Foresight and Futures Thinking challenges its users to foster this type of awareness concerning...

Welcome to 23 and Me, a series that explores the synergy between Foresight and the 23 skills and qualities that comprise the Inner Development Goals. The IDGs represent the inner capacity needed to deal with the increasingly complex environment and challenges represented by the Sustainable Development Goals and also mirror the inner skills needed to be a robust futures thinker. Join Futurists Yvette Montero Salvatico and Frank Spencer as they kick off the series with the skill of Inner...

When it seems hard to think about the future with intention. When you feel surprised by events that could have been easily imagined, when nostalgia for the future seems impossible to embrace, if you or a loved one have struggled with any of these symptoms, you may have Foresight Deficit Syndrome. FDS can be hard to manage using the well-worn approaches in our present-day systems, but help is available. If you want to be free from the tyranny of short-term thinking - and want to bring others...

We are fond of saying that foresight is a team sport, but what happens if you are the sole player on your squad? Whether because of funding constraints or due to a lack of organizational support, navigating foresight implementation all alone can feel overwhelming. How do you build a futures thinking culture and avoid burn out you while wearing all of the hats in your foresight practice? Join Frank and Yvette as they share proven tips to survive and thrive as a foresight team of one. 

The ideological war that has raged between the youth and the traditional environments that they are born into is nothing new. However, our present-day “meta crisis” - the confluence of climate change, supply chain disruption, authoritarian governance, digital misinformation, extreme economic inequality, and a rising sense of impending global armed conflict - is stirring our youth to become more involved in civic activism than during any other time in history. If a call to avert collapse is...

Welcome on board! Let's go on a metaphorical flight from the turbulence of prediction to the friendly skies of perception, recounting every foresight practitioner’s most agonizing journey - the screening process of organizational professionals who demand that we pack a crystal ball. Join us in the airport lounge of podcasts where you’ll be upgraded to a status beyond traditional forecasting, organizational bets and incremental innovation (those are the cheap seats).

While an organization may care about the “future of hair care in-shower,” framing our future thinking efforts around immediate concerns and very short time horizons will only reinforce organizational blinders that result in missed opportunities. Instead of doubling down on near term trends like #nopoomovement, we must stretch our thinking to address provocative ideas that open our eyes to the real change outside of our company and industry.

Traditional long term planning does not really consider the future; it extrapolates the past. Often our Five Year Plans include only an asterisk  alluding to future "threats" and "opportunities." It's time to stop making the future just a footnote. 

It was the great civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer that said, “Nobody’s free until everybody is free.” We would add that unless everybody is empowered to think proactively about our collective tomorrows, then we will continue to see foresight treated as a luxury for the privileged few who control the future. In other words, nobody is empowered until all voices are included in futures thinking. Join Yvette and Frank as they challenge governments, businesses and social influencers to stop...

How do we explore the future if we are tethered to today? Framing our foresight efforts can be a challenging balance of the "right now" and the "what's possible." Hear Frank and Yvette share how they've helped clients expand their vision beyond the obvious.