How We Future: Stories of Hope, Hype, and Gratitude

Great coaches train better people, not just better athletes. Coach John Tanner (JT) is about to start his 29th season as the Stanford women’s water polo coach. On this episode of How We Future , JT and Lisa explore how coaching goes far beyond the pool. Over decades of leading championship teams, JT has developed a coaching style that focuses on resilience, communication skills, and the value of p...

Pleasure isn’t the enemy of sustainability. It might be the path to it. Today, Lisa Kay Solomon is joined by Dana Cowin, longtime Food & Wine editor-in-chief, storytelling innovator, and founder of Progressive Hedonist , to talk about how creativity, curiosity, and continual reinvention shape a meaningful life. From leading one of the most influential food magazines in the world to uplifting u...

The science of a good day is also the science of a better future. This week’s episode of How We Future with Lisa Kay Solomon features Caroline Webb: leadership coach, behavioral science expert, McKinsey Senior Advisor, and bestselling author of How to Have a Good Day . Caroline’s work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and practical leadership. She shares how we can prepare for...

What if the future makes more sense when we treat it like a game? In this episode of How We Future , Lisa Kay Solomon is joined by Jeffrey Rogers —futures facilitator, lifelong learner, and co-founder of PROJECTORY —to explore how play, prospection, and curiosity help people prepare for inevitable uncertainty. Jeff is an expert at designing experiences, workshops, and games that help leaders feel...

Is trust the foundation of the future? In this episode of How We Future , Lisa Kay Solomon sits down with Zoë Jenkins, Director of Civic Trust and Recruitment at Civics Unplugged , to talk about how the next generation is reimagining democracy from the ground up. Zoë’s journey started early—she joined Civics Unplugged as a high school fellow, went on to write her own job description fresh out of c...

How do we reclaim our imagination as a force for freedom? You might know Ahmed Best from his role as Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars universe– He is also the creator of AfroRithms from the Future and a lifelong champion of imagination as liberation. From the streets of the South Bronx to the worlds of the Jedi, Ahmed has spent his life proving that creativity can rewrite what’s possible. You'll lea...

When you celebrate failure loudly enough, you stop fearing it. In this episode, Lisa sits down with Dan Klein, improviser, Stanford lecturer, and master of helping people unlock creativity through play. Dan has spent two decades teaching improv at Stanford, and his work goes far beyond the stage—it's about listening, adapting, and building something together in real time. You'll discover: How cele...

What if the key to leading better isn't doing more—it's getting clearer about what you can actually control? In this first episode of How We Future with Lisa Kay Solomon , Lisa is joined by leadership coach Rae Ringel to talk about showing up authentically in “swirly” times. Rae has spent decades helping C-suite leaders and teams become their best selves, and she's sharing the tools that actually...

What if the future doesn’t have to be something that just happens to you? Welcome to How We Future with Lisa Kay Solomon , where we flip the script on how we think about tomorrow. Drawing on 25 years as an educator, author, and strategic designer at Stanford's d.school and beyond, Lisa makes a compelling case: we don't have to just brace for the future. We get a say in how it unfolds. Featured on...