Go Out and Talk to Strangers

What if knowing something will end could actually help us live more fully?

New: Go Out and Talk to Strangers is now on video. Watch the full conversation on YouTube ▶️

In this episode, I speak with Parul Punjabi Jagdish, Global Head of Impact at AIME - an organization working across 52 countries through mentoring, imagination and Indigenous-led systems change.

We talk about what it means to design with purpose, the mentors who shape us, and why AIME has intentionally given itself an expiry date.

We also go somewhere much more personal: into our relationship with death, and how contemplating the end of life can bring us closer to the question of what we're really here for.

A conversation about impermanence, purpose, service and what we choose to stand for while we are here.

For show notes & links visit TNM official website

What if the internet could be more than a place for information - what if it could be a place for wonder?

New: Go Out and Talk to Strangers is now on video. Watch the full conversation on YouTube ▶️

In this episode, I speak with Kristoffer Tjalve, founder of Naive Weekly and Naive Yearly - a newsletter and gathering dedicated to the quiet, odd and poetic web; exploring the strange, poetic and unexpected nature of the web.

We talk about the internet as a living web of connections, the role of serendipity and discovery, and what happens when technology leaves room for the unexpected.

We also go somewhere deeper: into our relationship with curiosity, creativity and wonder - and how the way we navigate the web might shape the way we see the world.

A conversation about the internet, imagination, serendipity and the art of staying curious.

For show notes & links visit TNM official website

What does it take to dream beyond what seems possible?

New: Go Out and Talk to Strangers is now on video. Watch the full conversation on YouTube ▶️

In the forest outside Oslo, I meet artist Katie Paterson, whose work often begins somewhere between imagination and the unknown.

You may know her for Future Library - the extraordinary project she created, which began with a forest planted outside Oslo, continues with unread manuscripts that are being deposited and will unfold over the course of a hundred years.

But in this conversation, we go behind the finished work and into the process of creating it. How does an idea emerge? How do you know when to trust something that doesn't yet make sense? And what happens when other people tell you that it is impossible?

We talk about creativity, dreaming, doubt, and the courage to follow an idea before you know where it will lead.

A conversation about making space for the impossible - and daring to think beyond our own lifetime.

For show notes & links visit TNM official website

What happens when change stops being the exception - and becomes the world we live in?

New: Go Out and Talk to Strangers is now on video. Watch the full conversation on YouTube ▶️

In this episode, I speak with Adi Yoffe, futurist, trend forecaster and founder of FastForward, about how we make sense of a world in which disruption has become almost ordinary.

We talk about the forces and megatrends shaping our lives, how she builds her forecasts, and why understanding the future isn’t about predicting exactly what will happen - but learning to notice shifts, question assumptions and keep reassessing what people actually need.

We also talk about the mindset required to live and work through uncertainty and why staying relevant requires us to keep looking again and again at what is happening now.

A conversation about disruption, adaptability, changing human needs and how to navigate a future that refuses to stand still.

For show notes & links visit TNM official website

Can beauty actually change the way we live, work and understand the world?

New: Go Out and Talk to Strangers is now on video. Watch the full conversation on YouTube ▶️

In this episode, I speak with Brandon Vaidyanathan, Professor of Sociology at The Catholic University of America and founder of Beauty at Work - a project exploring what beauty is, how it works, and why it matters.

We talk about why beauty is so much more than decoration, what scientists can teach us about awe and wonder, and the surprising role aesthetic experiences can play in creativity, meaning and wellbeing. Brandon’s research has included a major international study of beauty in science and now extends into an interdisciplinary project asking a wonderfully ambitious question: can beauty save the world?

We also go somewhere deeper: into those moments when beauty seems to interrupt ordinary life - when something moves us before we can explain why - and what those experiences might reveal about what we value, what we long for and what makes life feel meaningful.

A conversation about beauty, awe, wonder, meaning and why the things that move us may matter more than we think.

For show notes & links visit TNM official website

What if we stopped racing against time and started dancing with it?

A year ago, I did an experiment. After years of chasing the sun, I let winter pull me in. I stayed. I listened. I let the darkness stretch, the quiet deepen. And in that stillness, something unexpected happened- I saw more.

This episode is about rhythms.

Season 5 of the podcast took me across three continents: into the misty jungles of Meghalaya, the rooftops of Tangier, the fjords of Norway. Some conversations unfolded in cozy rooms; others were shaped by the elements, where wind, water, and city hums became part of the dialogue. Each guest offered a thread, weaving together a larger story about time, rhythms, and the way we shape the world around us – and in its turn – it shapes us back.

In this solo episode, I step back to reflect. On how movement and rest exist in tandem. On the unseen cycles shaping our lives. On the artists, architects, and thinkers who reminded me that the most profound creations don’t fight time—they move with it.

So, here is a question:

What happens when we align with the rhythms of the world, rather than forcing our own? What if we designed our lives - not for speed, but for harmony?

Let’s explore.

S05E01 How to Be a Stranger with Michael Bungay Stanier | MBS Works

S05E02 Following the Roots with Morningstar Khongthaw | Living Bridges Foundation

S05E03 Growing Architecture: Nature, Time and The Unknown With Ferdinand Ludwig | Baubotanik

S05E04 Anthropology, Environment, and Consciousness: Insights from Hunter-Gatherer Societies with Dr. Daniel Naveh

S05E05 Deep Curiosity and the Rhythms of Creation with Rinat Sherzer

S05E06 Circular Construction: Redefining the Future with Dominik Campanella | Concular

S05E07 Time to Shift: The Power of Bold Moves with Antonio Bortolotti | Vacation Rental World Summit

S05E08 Seeds, Soil, and Us: The Interconnected Wisdom with Andrew McMillion

S05E09 In Conversation with the Land: The Philosophy of Wonder with Martin Lee Mueller | ANCEP

S05E10 Radical Hope and Practical Utopias with Anne Beate Hovind | Future Library Project

For show notes & links visit TNM official website

What does it take to create something that lasts 100 years? To dream so big that the future feels close enough to touch?

Anne Beate Hovind knows. She commissions art in public spaces, but not just any art – meaningful actions of positive disruptions, geared with radical hope. Projects like the Future Library, where trees are growing today to one day become books for people not yet born, and Losæter, a communal urban farm reimagined as art.

With two decades of experience at the crossroads of culture, business, and public spaces, Anne Beate transforms cities from the heart outward, encouraging us all to think bigger, dream bolder, and act braver.

In this episode, we explore the story of the Future Library Project and what it takes to commission art for a century-long project. How taking risks can lead to the magic of the unexpected, and might we embrace the much-needed dance between linear and explorative thinking.

If you’ve ever wondered how imagination can shape the future, and what it really means to be a good ancestor - this episode is for you.

How good is it? We recorded it twice!

For show notes & links visit TNM official website

What does it mean to truly be “in” a place? In Norwegian, the phrase for being outdoors translates to "being in" - a profound reminder of our inherent connection to the world around us.

Today’s guest, Martin Lee Mueller, holds a PhD in philosophy and serves as the General Secretary for the Arne Næss Center for Ecology and Philosophy in Oslo, Norway. A philosopher, author, and storyteller, his work invites us to rediscover our reciprocal relationship with nature.

This episode was recorded outdoors, in conversation with the land. Among the topics we explored:

Martin also shares insights into the Arne Næss Center’s mission to build a school that take us from wonder to wisdom and his vision of 100 years of listening.

If you’re curious about deepening your connection to the world around you, this episode is rich with inspiration and practical steps to begin.

For show notes & links visit TNM official website

What does it mean to save a seed? And how can something so small carry the potential to reshape our ecosystems - and ourselves?

We explore the role seeds play in the broader web of life - how the health of the soil mirrors our own well-being, and how ecological science, slow solutions, and human-scale technologies can help us reconnect with the natural world. We’ll dive into permaculture, deep ecology, and the idea that by going inward, we can also transform the world around us.

How does a shift in perspective - one that centers life itself - change the way we approach the environmental crises we face today?

Stay until the end, where Andrew shares a poem that gave me goosebumps.

What does it take to turn a dream into a thriving reality? – again and again?

In this episode, Antonio Bortolotti - Husband, Father, Visionary Dreamer, and the creative force behind the Vacation Rental World Summit - shares his remarkable journey.

From studying law in Germany to becoming a flight attendant, and ultimately building a dream vacation rental business in Sardinia, Antonio transformed his passion into the premier event for the vacation rental industry in Europe.

The conversation dives into the key turning points where Antonio’s inner compass guided him toward life-altering decisions. Insights emerge on mastering the art of living, recognizing when it's time to leave a comfortable career behind, and choosing entrepreneurship over stability. Antonio reveals what led him to create an empire in the hospitality industry and why it all started with a wake-up call.

This is a story of bold moves, expansive visions, and the quiet wisdom that comes with trusting the journey.

Tune in for more, and maybe your wake-up call awaits?