The Unknown Knowns

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns , Dr Angela Lewis explores one of the most difficult challenges facing intelligence professionals and leaders: how to tell uncomfortable truths inside systems that may not want to hear them. Using the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked as a framework, Angela examines two very different approaches to dissent: speaking truth from outside the syste...

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns , Dr Angela Lewis is joined by Sibylline’s Associate Director of Product Operations, Jack Nott-Bower, to explore why professional development is often overlooked in intelligence teams and why that creates long-term risks. They examine the difficult transition from analyst to leader, why many high performers become bottlenecks after promotion and how training c...

In this episode of The Unknown Knowns , Dr Angela Lewis explores the concept of “flow” — the state of deep, immersive focus where high-quality judgment and insight emerge. Drawing on personal experience and cognitive science, she explains why modern work environments often prevent us from reaching this state, and why that comes at a cost to decision-making. The episode breaks down what flow actual...

AI can draft, summarise, and sound authoritative in seconds. But it doesn’t understand what it’s saying. In this episode of The Unknown Knowns , Dr Angela Lewis explores the real role of AI in intelligence and decision-making—and where it quietly goes wrong. From reinforcing flawed assumptions to projecting confidence without competence, generative AI is not a neutral tool. It is a pattern engine...

Before decisions are made, something else is already at work: bias. In this premier episode of The Unknown Knowns , Dr. Angela Lewis explores the hidden role bias plays in shaping judgment, especially for intelligence professionals, leaders, and decision-makers operating under pressure. Far from being a flaw, bias is a feature of how we think—a set of cognitive shortcuts that help us move quickly...