The Future With Friends

We’re back for Episode 3 of Season 2 of The Future With Friends , and this time Simon Waller (or should we say Bigsy) is joined by his long-time friend Anthony “Richo” Richardson, one of the first people he met when he relocated to Melbourne. This isn’t a professional connection, more a camping and degustation buddy from years gone by. It’s a friendship that’s stretched across decades, which gives...

We’re back for Episode 2 of Season 2 of The Future With Friends, and this time we’re exploring The Future of Analogue with Simon’s good friend, Colin D Ellis. Colin shares a beautifully imagined future where society has consciously stepped away from smart technology and re-embraced the analogue world, from dumb phones and vinyl to simply noticing what’s happening around us. His scenario paints a c...

We’re back for Season 2 of The Future With Friends , and we’re kicking things off by exploring the future of protest with special guest, journalist and soon-to-be author Kath Walters. Kath brings decades of experience to the conversation. From her early days in the protest movements of the 1970s, to a career in journalism holding power to account, to now experimenting with AI and writing fiction a...

This is the final episode of The Future With Friends for the year, and Simon Waller is joined by Steph Clarke —returning to the podcast as the very first guest and therefore self-appointed (and largely uncontested) holder of “best friend” status. It’s also a slightly different format. Rather than exploring a single future, Simon and Steph arrive armed with duelling scenarios —each having written t...

In this episode of The Future With Friends , Simon is joined by his long-time friend Dr Richard Hodge to explore the future of learning. Recorded live in collaboration with Melbourne startup Spill Haus, this special episode brings Richard’s calm wisdom and expansive thinking to a topic that is far bigger than any single trend or technology. Described by Simon as the “wise elder everyone wishes the...

In this episode of The Future With Friends , Simon is joined by the incredible Kirsten Peterson — or KP, as everyone knows her — a performance psychologist and coach who has attended seven Olympic Games. Together, they explore the fascinating and deeply human topic of the future of emotional transparency . KP’s future scenario imagines a world where emotions are openly shared and even measured — a...

In this episode of The Future With Friends , Simon is joined by his vivacious and very lovable friend Amy Scott to explore her ironically chosen topic - the future of silence. Set in 2045, Amy’s future scenario imagines a world where AI mediation and constant digital noise have made true silence a rare luxury. Drawing on her own experiences, including a transformative silent retreat, Amy and Simon...

In this episode of The Future With Friends , Simon is joined by his longtime friend Zoe Routh - leadership expert, podcaster, and acclaimed author of speculative fiction with a techno-thriller edge. Zoe explores the future of power, a theme that runs deep through both her science fiction writing and her leadership development work. She shares a beautifully written and deeply researched future scen...

This episode of The Future With Friends is about what it really takes to build meaningful human connections — and what can happen when we take a risk and open ourselves up to meeting someone new. Simon is joined by his good friend (and fellow high-seas explorer) Michael Schiffner, founder of Collective Intelligence . Michael shares a future scenario that’s deeply personal and beautifully written,...

This episode is extra special — for the very first time, The Future With Friends was filmed in front of a live audience at CoCo Place in Mornington! The setting perfectly suits this episode’s theme: ‘The Future of Community’. This week’s guest is Steph Koster, founder of the co-working space CoCo Place. The energy of being together in the room brings the conversation to life as Simon and Steph exp...

In this episode of The Future With Friends , Simon Waller is joined by leadership expert and good friend Anton van der Walt for a heartfelt conversation about immigration, belonging, and the future of cultural integration. Anton shares a beautifully written and deeply personal scenario set in 2042. It explores the journey of an immigrant family navigating the complexities of settling in a new coun...

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon Waller sits down with long-time friend and human connection expert Anneli Blundell to explore the personal and relevant topic: The Future of Meeting Strangers. Anneli shares a future scenario set in the year 2095 — a world where society has been divided into two classes: creators and connectors. In the pursuit of hyper-efficiency and emotional safe...

In this episode of The Future With Friends, Simon Waller sits down with long-time colleague and leadership expert Leanne Williams to explore a provocative and timely topic: The Future of Doing Risky Things. Leanne shares a future scenario set in 2049 — a world so consumed by policies, procedures, and the pursuit of safety that risk itself has become taboo. But instead of creating a safer society,...

In this episode, Simon Waller sits down with the sweary and sharp-witted Scottish writer Lizzie Davidson to explore the timely and deeply human topic: The Future of Meaningful . Lizzie shares a bold and hopeful future scenario set in the aftermath of a great global reset — triggered by the trajectory we’re currently on: climate collapse, pandemics, conflict. But rather than dystopia, this is a wor...

In the second half of our two-part special, Simon Waller and Dr Jason Fox continue their exploration of the future of continuity—this time shifting the focus from the machine to life itself. Set in the same imagined world of 2043, this scenario envisions a future where humans have reclaimed agency, hard work is meaningful, and governance is grounded in decentralised, transparent systems designed i...

Welcome to a special ‘double feature’ of The Future With Friends , where we explore a two-part scenario set in the year 2043. In this first instalment, Simon Waller and Dr Jason Fox dive into The Future of Continuity (of The Machine) , imagining a world where AI plays a central role in shaping human experiences. As the machine takes over the stories we tell and the systems we trust, what becomes o...

In this episode, Simon Waller sits down with storytelling expert and actor Megan Davis to explore the uncertain — and deeply human — future of acting. Megan shares her personal journey back to the craft after a long hiatus, reflecting on the profound impact acting has on personal growth and its role in helping us understand humanity. Together, Simon and Megan unpack the emotional power of performa...

In this episode of The Future with Friends , Simon Waller and Mykel Dixon explore “The Future of The Past.” Their conversation begins with a reflection on their first meeting and unfolds into a rich discussion on the role of ancient wisdom in navigating modern challenges. They examine how the arts can deepen human connection, how technology might enable cultural renewal, and why a belief in a hope...

In this week’s episode, Simon Waller is joined by long-time friend and collaborator Col Fink for a rich and deeply meaningful conversation about The Future of How We Live . Inspired by Col’s own lived experience, the episode explores a future where communal living - like the village life of generations past - becomes not just desirable, but essential to our wellbeing. Together, they question wheth...

In this episode, Simon Waller is joined by his good friend and long-time collaborator, Michelle Newell , for a deep and surprisingly uplifting exploration of a topic many find uncomfortable: Death and Dying . Far from morbid, this thoughtful conversation is sparked by Michelle’s imaginative future scenario, which envisions her own hyper-personalised death experience in the year 2062. From there, t...

In this episode of  The Future with Friends  podcast, Simon Waller and Dr Adrian Medhurst explore the forever unresolved concept we call work-life balance. Simon and Adrian delve into the deep complexities of how we might better integrate our life and our work. They discuss the role technology might play in work-life dynamics - exploring  its potential to support wellbeing by predicting burnout an...

In this pilot episode of The Future with Friends , Simon Waller and fellow futurist Steph Clarke dive into a thought-provoking exploration of what friendship might look like in the near future. Tasked with crafting a future scenario, Steph envisions a world where social connectedness is quantified - where Oura rings track the health benefits of our relationships, and algorithms determine whether o...