The Future of Human Experience

The Season 6 finale of Future of Human Experience. Eric sits down with Aaron Blawn — his first manager at Intel, 16 years ago — to reveal the framework underneath everything Eric teaches: Eyes Wide Open. Passions + Skills + Business Opportunities, with the honesty to be clear about all three. Long description For 16 years, I have been quoting one mentor.   The manager who told me that every job is...

That's Eric McIntosh, Senior Director of Community Engagement for the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and founder of Yo Amo AZ. He's the guest on this week's Future of Human Experience.   Phoenix is the fifth-largest city in the country. The state is booming. The talent is coming, the infrastructure is being built, and the global attention is real. And there is a quieter risk underneath all o...

"The industry has gamified health so much that we've actually disconnected people from their body."   That's Greg Lim, the co-founder of Well Beings, a universal health record built for the person, not the insurance company or the hospital. Greg is the guest on this week's Future of Human Experience.   We sit down to talk about what's quietly broken in consumer health right now, why your wearable...

As the World Cup arrives in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, Manny Colon — Director of Minor League Operations for the Athletics — shares what sport quietly builds for culture and community when no one is watching the ratings.   We cover: •   The 17 countries of talent inside one MLB minor-league system •   Why "the human element" is the operating principle behind managing 300 players •   Ho...

Executive presence accounts for more than 25% of every promotion decision your company makes.   And almost everything you've been told about how to build it is making it worse.   In this episode of Future of Human Experience, I sit down with Kristy Siefkin — executive coach, keynote speaker, and former broadcast journalist (CBS, ABC, NBC) — for a conversation that will change how you think about b...

Most workforce plans are built on a three-year horizon. Most jobs no longer change on a three-year horizon. In this episode of Future of Human Experience, I sit down with Jason Weinstein, from Maricopa Corporate College, to talk about what it actually looks like to build a workforce for an AI era. Where AI and automation are accelerating the rate of skills change inside the roles your team already...

Eric Rodriguez hikes 5,500 feet up Red Rocks with global keynote speaker and #1 bestselling author Sterling Hawkins for the most unique conversation The Future of Human Experience has ever produced. Sterling is the founder of the No Matter What movement, has reached over a million people across six continents, and has worked with Fortune 500 leadership teams at SAP, Sally Beauty, Hensel Phelps, Fo...

Four families on a cul-de-sac. Four different schools. They can't even carpool. That tiny scene, from Tracey Beal, founder and CEO of School Connect, is the whole problem in miniature. We dissolved the village around our schools one personal choice at a time. And it turns out it wasn't just a community thing. It was the infrastructure for everything downstream: engineers, builders, innovators, pro...

In this episode of The Future of Human Experience , Eric sits down with Howard Wright, Vice President of Startup Ecosystem at NVIDIA , who leads NVIDIA Inception , a global program supporting over 35,000 startups building the future of AI. From early-stage founders to world-class researchers, Howard shares a unique perspective on how innovation is emerging from every corner of the world, and how a...

Safety is often treated as a requirement. But in reality, it shapes everything. In this episode, we explore how safety impacts culture, trust, and performance and why leaders who prioritize people create stronger, more resilient organizations. This conversation is for those who already believe in safety, and want to help others see its importance through a more human lens. Learn more about the upc...

In this episode of The Future of Human Experience , Eric J. Rodriguez sits down with Arizona gubernatorial candidate Hugh Lytle to explore what leadership looks like at the highest levels of responsibility. This is not a political interview. It's a conversation about leadership—how decisions are made in uncertainty, what it takes to step into high-stakes roles, and why many systems are struggling...

Arizona is experiencing rapid business growth, fueled by billions in new investment across technology, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and commercial real estate. But beneath the headlines lies a deeper story about leadership, trust, and the human experience in a changing economy. In this episode of The Future of Human Experience , Eric Rodriguez speaks with Tom Wolf about what Arizona's expan...

Most companies invest in culture, but overlook the one place employees visit multiple times a day.   In this episode, Patrick McMullan explains why breakrooms may be the most underestimated driver of workplace culture.   Patrick McMullan is the founder of Breaktime TV, a platform rethinking how screens, content, and physical space shape the modern workplace.   In a world of hybrid work, AI acceler...

What does it mean to stay human in divisive times? In this episode, I'm joined by Lorenzo Sierra , a former Arizona legislator and longtime community leader, for a conversation about leadership, service, and choosing humanity when times are hard. Lorenzo shares lessons shaped by facing his own mortality, supporting his wife through cancer, and making decisions in public life whose impact would onl...

AI didn't make us less human. It revealed what our systems have been training us to ignore. In this episode of The Future of Human Experience , I'm joined by former tech executive and founder of the Thank You for Being Human movement, Minea Moore , for a deeply honest conversation about leadership, technology, and what it takes to stay human in a world obsessed with speed and optimization. We expl...

Political violence grabs headlines. Civil dialogue rarely does. In this episode of The Future of Human Experience , I'm joined by Carlos Alfaro , co-founder of Arizona Talks , to explore what it actually takes to keep conversations human when disagreement runs deep. This is not a debate, and it's not about choosing sides. It's a conversation about curiosity, courage, and why bringing people into t...

Most people don't fail because they lack talent. They lose momentum before the week even begins. In this episode of The Future of Human Experience , Eric J. Rodriguez sits down with Paul Epstein , former NFL and NBA executive and founder of the Win Monday movement, to explore why Monday is the most overlooked advantage in leadership and life. Together, they unpack: Why uncertainty and change are p...

What happens when AI is designed to support teachers — not replace them? In this episode of The Future of Human Experience , Eric J. Rodriguez sits down with Monica Gilfillan , former special education teacher and Senior Account Executive at MagicSchool AI , to explore teacher burnout, personalized learning, and why reclaiming the human side of education matters now more than ever. This is a groun...

Human connection has changed, and we're not talking enough about it.   In this episode, World Civility Ambassador Dr. Will Moreland joins Eric J. Rodriguez to explore the new rules of human connection in a world where we're "more connected than ever… yet more disconnected than ever."   Through personal stories, global experiences, and real talk about technology and AI, Dr. Will explains why civili...

In this episode of The Future of Human Experience, Eric sits down with Meghann Gintz, Executive Director of Hope Ignites Phoenix, an organization helping students and families rise above barriers to education.   Together, they explore how compassion, community, and long-term support can transform a young person's life, reminding us that true innovation begins with humanity.   If you believe in acc...

Padel is exploding around the world, not because it's trendy, but because people everywhere are craving real human connection.   In this episode of The Future of Human Experience, Eric talks with the founders of Padel Pals about the rise of Padel, the return of third places, and why community-first experiences are shaping the future.   Whether you care about innovation, culture, wellness, or the f...

AI won't replace this skill. Human connection will always be the ultimate advantage.   After 20 years leading global sales at Intel, Rene Torres now advises startups on how to build businesses that last. In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to stay relevant in the Human Era, from nurturing relationships to leading with empathy and using AI responsibly.     The Future of Human Expe...

We're kicking off Season 5 of The Future of Human Experience with a powerful conversation about building the Human Era. My guest is Monica Villalobos, CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the leader behind Datos , the Chamber's annual research report that turns thousands of data points into meaningful conversations and real-world action. In this episode, we talk about why data is mo...

What if the future of work isn't about more technology, but deeper relationships?   In this episode of The Future of Human Experience, Eric J. Rodriguez sits down with Alexander-Ali Dalipi, founder of HR1 Systems, to explore why relationships—not leads—are the actual currency of business.   We talk about: ✅ How COVID and AI are "signal moments" reshaping HR and payroll ✅ Why small businesses nee...

Dr. Yemaya Bordain, President of the Americas at Daedalean, is helping build the first AI systems ever certified for safety-critical aircraft. However, her story begins long before the advent of aviation AI. She was the first Black woman to earn a PhD in Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois. Her mission? To make sure she wouldn't be the last. In this conversation, we tal...