Unmissables with Ariba Jahan

Beyond Dystopia: Designing Futures You Can Live In | Keely Adler & Caitlin Keeley, RADAR


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Most futures work stops at trend decks that never leave the room. RADAR is doing something different. As a digital cooperative, they turn collective imagination into practice—research cycles, rituals, grants, and cultural artifacts people can actually use.

I’m joined by Keely Adler (Head of Practice) and Caitlin Keeley (Head of Imagination) to talk about futures you can live in—not just look at. We get into “mundane futures,” why optimism needs rigor, how love and psychological safety show up as design tools, and crossing the “yearning gap” from longing to action.

What we explore

Why “shiny, robotic” futures leave people out—and how to fix it

Prototyping futures in public (not behind closed decks)

“Mundane futures” as a design test for what’s livable

Love and psychological safety as real infrastructure

Rituals, artifacts, and cooperative ownership

Crossing the yearning gap with small, repeated actions

Follow along

00:00 — Introduction to RADAR and its evolution

02:19 — Understanding futures & cultural futurism

04:25 — The concept of mundane futures

06:49 — Community & collective ownership at RADAR

09:22 — Digital cooperatives and shared ownership

11:58 — Where RADAR meets client/industry work

18:52 — The creative ecosystem (participants, partners, artifacts)

24:32 — Multiplayer imagination & experimentation in practice

31:08 — Embodied futures & love as infrastructure

34:38 — Yearning for change & the 2025 mission

44:33 — The power of imagination in shaping the future

47:20 — Understanding yearning burnout & its impact

50:18 — The role of small actions in creating change

53:30 — The future of collaboration & AI

54:58 — Lessons from multiplayer mode in creative processes

57:13 — Fostering psychological safety for innovation

01:02:14 — The importance of community & gathering for change

If this resonated, subscribe, and share with someone who should be in the future you’re building.

Takeaways, Signals to Watch & Resources here: https://unmissables.substack.com/p/designing-futures-multiplayer-mode

Where to find Keely Adler & Caitlin Keeley

* Keely Adler — Head of Practice (LinkedIn)

* Caitlin Keeley — Head of Imagination (LinkedIn | Site)

* RADARWebsite | Linktree

Where to find me

* LinkedIn: /aribajahan

* Instagram: @ariba.jahan

* Newsletter: unmissableswithariba.com

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Unmissables with Ariba JahanBy Ariba Jahan

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