Futurist(Mom)

For more than two centuries, we’ve organized intelligence around specialization — go deep, pick a lane, master a subject. That model powered the industrial era. But what happens when the challenges our children will inherit refuse to stay in lanes? In this episode of Futurist(Mom) , I’m joined by futurist and author Aksinya Staar to explore a bold shift: from compartmentalized thinking to integrat...

As parents, we are caught in a gut-wrenching paradox. We are told that AI is the non-negotiable key to our children’s economic future, yet we are being asked to hand them tools that have the power to hurt them more profoundly than any social media algorithm ever could. How do we navigate this high-stakes dependency? In this episode, Nancy sits down with Tara Steele to dismantle the "innovation at...

What's the secret to raising kids who are both happy and successful? Esther Wojcicki—"The Godmother of Silicon Valley"—has spent five decades figuring it out. As a legendary "teacher of the year” who built one of America's largest high school journalism programs and as the mother of three extraordinarily successful daughters (the CEOs of YouTube and 23andMe, plus a professor of pediatrics), Esther...

We spend a lot of time worrying about the future our children will inherit—but how often do we ask them what they actually want it to look like? Nicolai Sederberg Rottbøll , sustainability leader and founder of Our World 2050 , has built a global movement to find out. By gathering the hopes, dreams, and visions of one million children aged 6 to 21 from every corner of the world, he's discovering s...

We tell our kids to be creative, but do we really know what that means—or how to cultivate it? Doreen Lorenzo, former President of frog design and now Assistant Dean at UT Austin's School of Design and Creative Technologies, has spent decades helping Fortune 100 companies innovate and is now transforming how we educate the next generation. Through her podcast "Creativity is the Job of the Future,"...

Every parent holds a vision of the future their children will inherit—but what happens when that future is no longer possible? Juli Rush is both a futurist and a death doula, uniquely positioned to help us navigate what she calls "futures' death"—the grief that comes when the world we expected for our kids fundamentally changes.  Juli teaches foresight thinking to both graduate students and middle...

What if the straight path from high school to college isn't the best way to prepare our kids for life? Abby Falik graduated from Stanford exhausted and burnt out—despite playing the academic game perfectly. That experience led her to spend two decades creating alternatives, founding Global Citizen Year and raising over $65 million to help thousands of young people take transformative bridge years....

When your kids hit the teenage years, the conversations get harder—and more important. How do you talk about sex, failure, relationships, money, and yes, the uncertain future they're inheriting? Jen Shoemaker Davidson , author of Keep Talking: Conversations with Our Kids When They Want Us Least but Need Us Most , isn't a clinician or parenting expert—she's a mom who figured out how to stay connect...

How to Raise (and Support) a Real Life Superhero | Yarrow Kraner As the world changes faster each day, how can we raise and support superheroes ready for the task? Said another way, what if a child’s challenging traits aren't a problem to fix but a superpower waiting to emerge?  In 1999, Yarrow Kraner launched one of the world's earliest social networks built on a radical belief: everyone has uniq...

What if the economy our children inherit looks nothing like the one we grew up in—not because of disaster, but by design? Gaya Herrington, the econometrician whose viral research confirmed we're tracking toward the collapse scenarios predicted 50 years ago, believes we're at a pivotal moment. We can either let limits to growth force themselves upon us, or we can deliberately redesign our economy a...

Understanding Fear and Proven Neurohacks to Help Kids (and Parents) Override Overwhelm | Guest, Dr. Mary Poffenroth, Biopsychologist and Fear Researcher   Our kids are growing up in a world moving faster than any generation before—constant change, information overload, and pressures that can overwhelm even the most resilient young minds. Dr. Mary Poffenroth, a biopsychologist and fear researcher,...

Digital Leadership Expert and Best-Selling Author, Erik Qualman has a core message that's simple but powerful: the real challenge of the digital age isn’t access to information, it’s how we choose to direct our attention, energy and intention inside an environment designed to constantly pull us away from what matters most. Every platform, brand and algorithm is competing for our attention, but whe...

Our children’s first experiences of comfort and learning are increasingly shaped by algorithms, not just human relationships. From AI-powered Barbie dolls to baby monitors that promise to soothe your child with predictive algorithms, the next generation of parenting tools raises urgent questions about privacy, ethics and the boundaries of care.   In this timely and provocative conversation with fu...

How do we prepare kids for a world where stability doesn’t come from a job title — but from the ability to continuously create value, learn quickly, and adapt? And how does this fundamentally change what kind of education actually matters now? In this eye-opening conversation with Deborah Perry Piscione , an innovation expert and author of Employment is Dead. How Disruptive Technologies Are Revolu...

What would change if home was every child’s first experience of dignity, respect, and belonging? Simple, conscious caregiving choices can shift generations; from raising children who comply to raising humans who contribute. In this powerful conversation with Deborah Carlisle Solomon , Former Executive Director of RIE & author of ' Baby Knows Best ', we explore how the earliest moments of life...

The most important test our kids will take isn’t on paper, it’s how prepared they feel to shape the future. In a world where the pace of change outstrips any static curriculum, today’s learners crave relevance, purpose, and the freedom to solve real problems that matter with a true understanding of the tools shaping our new world.  MacKenzie Price is the founder of Alpha School , a new model of K-...

Parenting At The Pace Of Change  | Guest: Dr Katie Pritchett Societal wellbeing begins at home, and yet a rapidly changing world puts so much more pressure on the shoulders (and minds) of parents/caregivers today. What does it take to build capacity for constant change and communal thriving? What are we learning about organizational change and leadership adapativity that we can bring into our home...

Welcome to the podcast that has been swirling in my heart and head for many years! As a global futurist, technology strategist, and mother to three young adults, I can see how much pressure is mounting on families and children to feel prepared and safe in an era of constant change and uncertainty. So, let’s meet those building the future and get their insights on what lies ahead –  from robot nann...