Send us a text

In a time when shouting often drowns out speaking, Emily Kasriel wants us to rediscover a fading superpower: the ability to truly listen. Drawing on her experience as a longtime BBC journalist, mediator, and executive coach, Emily joins FUTUREPROOF. to discuss her new book Deep Listening, a transformative guide for better conversations, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

We explore her eight-step method for listening with intention, how to defuse conflict without giving up your values, and why silence, curiosity, and discomfort are the keys to unlocking connection. Whether you're navigating workplace dynamics, political disagreements, or parenting in the digital age, this episode is a roadmap for showing up—and tuning in—more fully.

Topics Discussed:

• How to listen to someone you fundamentally disagree with
• What deep listening looks like in a leadership or corporate setting
• The role of silence and curiosity in difficult conversations
• How deep listening builds trust, reduces burnout, and strengthens teams
• Tactics for navigating polarized environments with empathy

Resources:

• Deep Listening: Transform Your Relationships with Family, Friends and Foes by Emily Kasriel
• Learn more at EmilyKasriel.com
• Follow Emily on LinkedIn

Send us a text

How do you build a business that thrives because of AI—not in spite of it?

In this episode, we’re joined by Adam Brotman, former Chief Digital Officer at Starbucks, and Andy Sack, serial entrepreneur and longtime advisor to Microsoft, to talk about their new book: AI FIRST. Drawing insights from conversations with leaders like Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, and Bill Gates, Adam and Andy argue that being “AI-aware” isn’t enough—leaders must put AI at the center of how they operate.

They break down their AI First Playbook—from building an AI council to running internal prompt competitions—and offer practical advice for making your team more adaptive, creative, and resilient in the face of rapid change.

If you're leading a team, scaling a company, or just trying to keep up with the pace of innovation, this is your cheat code for the AI-powered era.

Topics Discussed:

• Why “AI First” is a mindset, not just a tech stack
• What Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, and Bill Gates taught them about the future of work
• Offense vs. defense: how to think about AI strategy
• The centaur vs. cyborg model of human-AI collaboration
• Real-world case studies from Moderna, Suzy, and more
• Why you need an internal AI council—and how to launch one
• The cost of sitting still while your competitors experiment with genAI
• What every C-suite leader should be asking themselves in 2025

Resources:

• AI FIRST: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand (Harvard Business Review Press)
• Forum3 website
• Follow Adam Brotman and Andy Sack on LinkedIn

Send us a text

What does it mean to lead in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms? In this episode, Jeremy Williams, certified emotional intelligence practitioner and expert on collective intelligence, argues that how we work together is becoming even more critical than what we do. As generative AI automates more functions, Williams says emotional intelligence will define the teams—and leaders—that remain relevant.

We dig into the dangers of toxic positivity, the difference between cyborg leadership and “copy-paste” management, and how to operationalize emotional intelligence at scale. Jeremy also unpacks the idea of collective intelligence, why psychological safety is a business imperative, and how to future-proof your team’s humanity.

Topics Discussed:

• What emotional intelligence really means—and why AI can't replicate it
• The rise of collective intelligence and its strategic value
• How to spot toxic positivity and why it erodes trust
• Emotional reasoning vs. rational leadership
• “Copy-paste” management: the hidden risk in fast-moving orgs
• How to scale emotional intelligence without making it performative
• Preparing teams for ambiguity, volatility, and change
• How EQ is the new “why” in an AI-powered world

Resources:

• Follow Jeremy Williams on LinkedIn
• The Fluent Executive

Send us a text

Is the financial system broken—or just misunderstood? Economist and author Matt Sekerke joins FUTUREPROOF. to challenge conventional wisdom on money, banking, and policy. In his new book Making Money Work (co-authored with Steve Hanke), he argues that fiat money is still king, the Fed doesn’t have as much power as we think, and the obsession with decentralization is distracting us from deeper issues. This episode dives into the real causes of inflation, how trade deficits actually work, and what it would take to restore trust in our economic institutions.

Topics Discussed:

• Why the Global Financial Crisis broke the system
• What monetary neutrality means—and why we’ve forgotten it
• The role of broad money supply in predicting recessions
• The myth of crypto’s superiority over fiat
• The misunderstood mechanics of trade deficits
• How Trump-era tariffs reshaped global finance
• Why China can’t yet lead a global financial system
• The future of central banking and financial trust

Pick up the book here.

Send us a text

Today's guest is Phanish Puranam, INSEAD Professor and author of Re-Humanize: How to Build Human-Centric Organizations in the Age of Algorithms. He's the perfect guest to discuss how AI is transforming—not just tasks—but the very DNA of how organizations operate.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why the future of AI in business isn’t about job replacement, but organizational redesign
• How AI is turning from tool to teammate, and what that means for leadership and decision-making
• What "bionic organizations" are—and how companies can blend algorithms and humans without crushing autonomy or purpose
• Why algorithmic bureaucracy might quietly become the most dangerous workplace trend
• How poor implementation of AI threatens to destroy learning cultures and employee agency
• The four pitfalls of AI adoption most companies fall into—and how to avoid them
• A framework for designing AI systems that enhance human competence, not erode it
• Why employees—not just executives—should shape the future of AI-powered work

About our guest:
Phanish Puranam is the Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Strategy & Organization Design at INSEAD, where he also leads the Organizations & Algorithms research initiative. With a career focused on the science of how organizations work—and how they change—he brings a deeply research-backed, globally informed perspective on the next phase of AI’s workplace evolution.

Send us a text

In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Jonathan Stutz, co-author of the powerful book Daily Practices of Inclusive Leaders, to explore what it really means to lead with inclusion in mind—every single day. As a former executive at Microsoft, Amazon, and Zulily, Jonathan blends deep corporate experience with a people-first lens to rethink how workplaces should function in an age of upheaval.

Together, they dig into:

• Why inclusion is no longer an HR side quest but core to effective leadership
• The case for small, intentional “inclusive pebbles” that ripple into systemic change
• What leaders get wrong about DEI—and how to fix it without corporate jargon or empty gestures
• Why inclusive leadership is increasingly being rebranded as just... good leadership
• How to build cultures where people feel seen, heard, and equipped to succeed

Whether you're a people manager, an exec navigating culture shifts, or just someone who wants to show up better at work, Jonathan offers grounded advice and personal stories that will inspire and challenge you.

Referenced in this episode:
📘 Daily Practices of Inclusive Leaders – Get the book
🔗 Learn more about Jonathan's work at Global Diversity Partners

Key quote:
"Inclusion isn't a department. It's a daily habit that belongs to every leader." – Jonathan Stutz

Send us a text

Enterprise AI is having a moment—but it's not the one you think. In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Inna Tokarev Sela, founder of Illumex, to talk about what it really takes to build reliable, governed AI systems at scale. With decades of experience at Sisense, SAP, and now at the helm of her own company, Inna lays out why explainability, trust, and diversity in leadership are the keys to unlocking AI’s potential inside the enterprise. From hallucination hazards to governance gaps and the ethics of AI design, this episode is a must-listen for anyone building the future of intelligent systems.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why the biggest obstacle to enterprise AI isn’t ethics—it’s infrastructure
• The three pillars of AI trust: explainability, data access, and governance
• How diverse teams lead to more ethical and effective AI
• What hallucinations in AI outputs reveal about your data pipeline
• Why unifying context matters more than ever for AI accuracy
• How leaders can future-proof their companies by fixing their foundations
• Why being “application-free” might be the future of business workflows

Send us a text

Join us in a compelling discussion with Wes Adams and Tamara Myles, seasoned advisers to global companies and authors of MEANINGFUL WORK: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee. Dive into the science of positive psychology and discover how it can transform leadership and workplace cultures.

What You’ll Learn:

• The Importance of Meaning: Explore why meaningful work is crucial for employee engagement and organizational success.
• Leadership Influence: Understand the significant impact leaders have on cultivating a sense of meaning and purpose at work.
• The Three Cs Framework: Discover how Community, Contribution, and Challenge play pivotal roles in enhancing workplace environments.
• Generational Insights: Gain insights into how different generations view meaningful work and what this means for future workplaces.
• Autonomy in Leadership: Learn about the balance between providing direction and granting autonomy to foster innovation and trust.
• Onboarding and Integration: Discuss the critical role of onboarding in setting the stage for meaningful employee experiences.

Episode Highlights:

• Real-life stories from leading companies like Patagonia and HubSpot
• Discussion on recent shifts in workplace dynamics post-pandemic
• Actionable advice for leaders to implement immediately

About Our Guests: Wes Adams is the CEO of SV Consulting Group, with a background in positive psychology research and leadership at organizations including the University of Pennsylvania. Tamara Myles is a renowned speaker and consultant, with a focus on human flourishing at work, teaching at Boston College and conducting research at the University of Pennsylvania.