Advertise on podcast: The New Abnormal

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the independent futurist Jonas Drechsel, who is also a member and co-initiator of the dynamic collective practice youngK Berlin; which is interdisciplinary, exploratory, and holistic. His mission as a solo freelance futurist is to make desirable futures more likely. As a critical futurist, he thinks about how the status quo works and what doesn't. As a real utopian, Jonas participates in the creation of exemplary projects that anticipate a better world. And thereby create spaces of possibility.  We discuss those issues in this episode, where he explains why working with the youngK collective is so fun, as their culture, exchange, and collaboration contributes to shaping futures with joy and dedication. He also covers the leading-edge methodologies that he’s using, along with a piece he’s just written for the Journal for Futures Studies. And we cover the recent ‘Futurist Archetypes’ report that he produced, which has gained a lot of attention in the futurist-community. Whilst he insists that these archetypes are ironic and deliberately exaggerated, they’re also both funny and uncannily accurate. The crucial question for futurists is, of course, in which of them might you recognise yourself? So, I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Series Six This episode of The New Abnormal features Alice Dimond, who leads Mō Āpōpō Future-Makers at Tokona te Raki, a project that equips young people to imagine and create better futures.  This includes designing a toolkit grounded in Māori perspectives and stories, empowering young people to use these perspectives to navigate complexity and drive transformative change.  In addition, she's a Fellow with Next Generation Foresight Practitioners, an Advisory Trustee at Ako Ōtautahi Learning City Trust and the National New Zealand Lead for the Futures Methods from Around the World project, where she explores how Māori worldviews, ways of thinking, organising, and acting can unlock new pathways to better futures.  Alice has presented at global forums such as the Dubai Future Forum, World Futures Day, and the Building Hopeful Futures Festival. She's committed to using innovation to challenge dominant thinking, create new solutions, and drive change.  So, we discuss all the above and I hope you enjoy the conversation!

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Marianna Maki-Teeri, Director of Foresight at Futures Platform.  She’s an internationally recognized futurist with 15 years of experience in strategic foresight & futures studies, and helps organizations around the world make sense of change before it happens. At Futures Platform, Marianna leads an analysis team in translating emerging signals and “what ifs” into actionable insights, while advising clients on building and scaling their own foresight capabilities. Her work serves as a constant bridge between practice and theory.  As a doctoral researcher at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC), she investigates the synergy between human and machine intelligence in foresight work, exploring if and how AI can augment our capacity to reach more impactful outcomes. Marianna is driven by the conviction that foresight helps us become better architects of tomorrow. In an era of constant disruption, she works to ensure that systemic transformation is a deliberate choice rather than a passive drift. So, I hope you enjoy listening to Marianna as much as I did!

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Mikko Dufva, the Leading Foresight Specialist at Sitra. Mikko works on projects across an array of areas including those related to the futures of synthetic biology, platform economies, forestry, mining and use of renewable energy.  Sitra is a future-orientated organisation that promotes Finland’s competitiveness and the well-being of the Finnish people. They specialise in anticipating societal change, trying out new operating models and accelerating businesses aimed at creating sustainable well-being.  In the interview, we discuss Sitra’s approach to examining trends, the tensions between them, and aligning with weak signals of change alongside mental images connected with the future, in order to make futures more approachable.  We particularly focus on their ‘Megatrends 2026’ report which aims to strengthen Finns’ future-orientated thinking and their capacity for foresight in decision-making; but also discuss their newly released report the ‘Growth Atlas’ along with ‘IF magazine’ which focuses on weak signals. Finally, Mikko also illuminates a side project regarding the development of ways to explore futures through body and movement.  So, I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I did! 

This episode of the New Abnormal podcast features Ramila Khafaji Zadeh, who is a trainer and designer in Futures Literacy at Hanze University of Applied Sciences and part of the UNESCO Chair in Futures Literacy.  She leads projects with governments, industry, higher education, and NGOs, and has previously worked with the UN on futures-oriented initiatives. With expertise in social innovation and governance, her current work focuses on transitions and how being futures-oriented, as a capability, helps navigate and shape these processes.  In this episode we discuss all of the above, but do so by particularly focusing on her homeland of Iran. Thus she illuminates her views on why the freedom of imagination is so important regarding utilising plural perspectives to imagine plural futures. As she says "what happens next hasn't been written yet, and the next chapter cannot be written only by what we fear might return..."

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the renowned superforecaster Warren Hatch, CEO of Good Judgement Inc.  He joined the organisation as a volunteer forecaster in a research project sponsored by the US government / funded by the intelligence community, where they emerged as the undisputed victor re: geopolitical forecasting.  Warren then became a 'Superforecaster' and is now CEO of the commercial successor, Good Judgment Inc, a world leader in applying innovative probabilistic solutions to real-world decisions in order to forecast the future.   He's assisted governments and private companies around the world to improve their foresight and quantify uncertainty. Warren's prior career was on Wall Street where he started at Morgan Stanley, and he earned his PhD from Oxford University. So, we discuss all of the above in what I hope you'll agree is a fascinating conversation, focusing around Warren's views on how to quantify subjective risks to deliver accurate and early foresight, thus enabling better decision making about the future. 

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Maija Knutti, a Policy Analyst in the EU Policy Lab Foresight Team, which is part of the European Commission Joint Research Centre. As Maija explains, it's a collaborative place for innovative policymaking, which is intended to help policymakers think holistically and long-term.  She goes into real detail in this episode about what her role entails, and in doing so explains the approaches taken and ranges of outputs delivered re: the ESPAS (European Strategy & Policy Analysis System), the ranges of foresight engagement tools & approaches that the teams utilise in the wide variety of reports they generate; along with highlighting the development of the Nordic Foresight Network, and an exciting forthcoming Polyfutures event.  So, I hope you enjoy listening to her, as she covers the above dynamic issues!

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Muhammad Alaraby, an award-winning Arab futurist, policy analyst, and editor. He's also Head of Strategic Foresight at the independent think tank Future for Advanced Research and Studies (FARAS), which seeks to enrich public dialogue, support decision-making and enhance academic research pertaining to futures-issues that currently constitute a real problem in the Middle East region.  In light of instability and unpredictability, the overarching goal of FARAS is to help ward off future shocks regarding these developments.  So, we discuss the above, during a conversation in which Muhammad outlines his interest in 'the rugged terrain of futures, strategic foresight, geopolitics, geoeconomics and intelligence. Not forgetting history, literature, arts and philosophy...' 

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Lisa Giuliani M.A., who is an experienced educator with over ten years of work in higher education, K-12, the private sector, and nonprofits.  Dedicated to empowering young people and organizations through futures literacy, Lisa currently serves as the Director of the Young Voices Network at Teach the Future, which is based in the US but operates globally.  Passionate about intergenerational equity, making futures thinking accessible, and inspiring youth leaders, she believes that collaboration across generations enhances organizations and communities. So, we discuss all of the above, along with the forthcoming World Futures Day, a 24hr global conversation about our common futures that brings together intergenerational voices from around the world to ensure youth perspectives are central to the global dialogue.  In particular, regarding this conversation, Lisa explains how Teach the Future, in partnership with the Millennium Project, launched the Young Voices Edition. So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as did - and make sure you listen into World Futures Day on 1st March!

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Deborah Hayek, who leads Foresight & Innovation at Servus Credit Union, in Canada. She brings over a decade of experience integrating strategic foresight into business strategy within major financial institutions. Previously, at the forefront of Manulife's Global Innovation team, Deborah served as Head of Strategic Foresight, driving foresight initiatives across business lines and shaping innovation strategy through macro trend analysis and immersive engagement tools. Prior to that, she built and led the future-focused R&D team within Desjardins’s Innovation Lab. In parallel, Deborah designs and teaches executive education at HEC Montréal, equipping senior leaders with the methods and mindset to navigate uncertainty and seize future opportunities. Through bilingual instruction, she aims to make strategic foresight both practical and accessible to leaders shaping tomorrow’s economy.  She discusses all of the above in our discussion, which I hope you find as interesting as I did. And you can read her newsletter on corporate foresight 'The Sparkline' on Substack... 

This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Kateryna Ostrovska, who is a health policy and systems strategist with a background in family medicine and leadership experience across Ukraine’s public and private healthcare sectors.  She's worked in conflict-affected regions of Ukraine as a Health Governance Specialist with the United Nations Development Programme, and as a consultant with Deloitte, contributing to the USAID Health Reform Support Project on health workforce policy. Her work focuses on strategic healthcare management, health systems strengthening, evidence-informed policymaking, and the use of foresight and anticipatory governance to navigate uncertainty. She’s a member of the Association of Professional Futurists, the Foresight Europe Network, and the European Health Futures Forum. So, we discuss the above in what I hope you’ll find is a fascinating conversation.

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Petra Hurtado, Ph.D. who's the Chief Foresight & Knowledge Officer at the American Planning Association, leading their foresight program and knowledge portfolio; including research, publications, educational content, and career services.  With a Ph.D. in urban planning from the Vienna University of Technology, her areas of expertise and research include strategic foresight, futures literacy, urban futures and emerging technologies, urban sustainability, and environmental psychology.  In this episode, we focus mainly on an imminent release from the APA: their 2026 Trend Report for Planners. Titled 'Embracing Uncertainty' it identifies over 100 key trends across three actionable timeframes: 'Act Now, Prepare, and Learn & Watch'. Petra delivers a sneak preview of the report in our discussion, which unpacks the most significant trends and patterns, empowering the navigation of challenges, and showing how to lead the way in shaping a better future for the planning profession, with the overall aim of helping create thriving, resilient communities.

This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Klaus Dodds, a leading geopolitical analyst specialising in polar affairs, territorial sovereignty, border disputes and great power competition, with over 30 years of experience bridging academic research and strategic policy advice.   Klaus analyses how geography shapes power: from Arctic governance and territorial disputes to the geopolitics of climate change and resource competition. His work examines how traditional diplomatic frameworks adapt to emerging challenges, particularly in polar regions where great power rivalries increasingly intersect with Indigenous rights, commercial and trade-based competition and environmental transformation.   His latest sole authored book "Border Wars: The Conflicts That Will Define Our Future" has been translated into multiple languages, whilst he co-authored “Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic" which examines how Arctic transformation reshapes global geopolitics. So, in our conversation I asked him to reference the skills that he used to translate complex geopolitical analysis for diverse audiences (from parliamentary committees to commercial organisations to public forums) where his approach combines deep historical knowledge with forward-looking strategic analysis, examining territorial ambitions, resource competition, and how environmental changes intersect in our dynamic world...

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Marie Roussie, a futurist from the Paris-based collective Making Tomorrow. Marie has spent the past three years examining approaches to the future development of the French armed forces. In this interview we discuss her work and in particular, the dynamic 'Futures of Conflicts' report published by the NATO Defence College, which she co-authored. (It's a quantitative and qualitative study of close to 100 foresight reports recently produced by NATO, its members and partners).  As it says 'the return of conflict to the European continent and the ongoing intensification of flashpoints around the world cast a pall over visions of the future...'  So, we discuss the report, and her ongoing work in which she aims to shed light on the human element, which in her view provides realistic insights into the wars of tomorrow and an understanding of the military profession. 

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Lena Tunkers, a renowned independent futurist and facilitator, who has a mass of experience in applying Futures Literacy, Experience Design and innovation methods to navigate change. She's worked with a range of communities, institutions and corporate across Europe, and in Kenya, Australia and Mexico, to guide them in their exploration and struggles with the novel and unknown. Lena is also President of the Foresight Europe Network, and initiator of ORA, a practise working with the future in organisations and society. So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did, as she explains how she challenges conventional assumptions and offers clients a curious and active way of approaching uncertainty.