In the Season 1 finale of Rural Futures Podcast, Dr. Connie goes solo, discussing the future of women and gender. She explores the future-user concept with her 11-year-old daughter, shares her personal background, provides context of women's ability to succeed professionally in the United States and offers her immediate advice to professional women of all generations, but with a special focus on Gen X.

Growing up on a ranch in Nebraska, Seth Derner has a deep passion and appreciation for nature, agriculture and rural communities. He is also the co-founder and co-CEO of Vivayic, a learning solutions design company that helps organizations reach their human potential. With a clear sense of purpose and an explicit admiration for the human brain and the role of technology to unleash it, Seth shares actionable insights, advice and lessons learned that entrepreneurs will certainly appreciate.

Foresight is a key characteristic of leaders of the future. In this episode futurist Dr. Andy Hines discusses how leaders can incorporate various futuring strategies to bring people into the future with optimism. Andy is assistant professor for the University of Houston's graduate program in foresight. His openness to possibilities make him a maverick across industries—from exploring the future of RV parks to the future of communities large and small to the future of waste.

Rural healthcare access, overall wellness and the future of hospitals are consistently present challenges in the national narrative. In this episode, John Roberts, Executive Director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association, weighs in on these areas, and the opportunities of the future. For example, did you know rural hospitals are penalized for wellness centers? Rural healthcare providers earn the same level of outcomes but at 4 percent less cost than urban counterparts? Mobile tech could be the future.

Diversity in our rural areas is going to continue to increase. Through this episode, leaders learn actions they can take to make this transition positive for themselves, their communities and those who they are welcoming. Featured guest is Helen Fagan, Ph.D., a U.S. immigrant whose experiences in three countries and five U.S. states shaped her perspective and informed her future. Difficult times and encounters inspired her to pursue research, teaching and consulting in the areas of diversity and leadersh

Small-town raised and part-time farmer, Dr. Tyler Ideus is a specialist in physical medicine and international instructor of a leading rehabilitation approach. His background in conventional ag and his global perspective of healthcare combined with his unique expertise in a variety of manual therapies make him a RFI maverick. In this episode, he shares his vision for connecting agriculture, nutrition and healthcare and his passion for a thriving rural future through a mindset of abundance.

In this episode Dr. Tim Griffin discusses his interest and expertise at the intersection of agriculture and the environment as well as the development and implementation of sustainable production systems. What makes him fascinating is his ability to cross various boundaries and silos to explore solutions that result in a win-win for everyone involved. He doesn't deny the difficulty of this, especially within the food system, but he explains how he incorporates this abundance mindset with his students.

Dr. Field discusses his mission to empower students and communities to courageously pursue their purpose through the form and art of entrepreneurship. He has spoken out about the needed transformation of higher education—a deep internal exploration that results in the unleashing of the entrepreneurial and creative spirit of the student. He and Dr. Connie discuss the exploding side-gig economy, creating the next generation of action-oriented innovators and key takeaways for entrepreneurs.

Shelley McKinley, Microsoft GM of Technology and Corporate Responsibility, discusses the company’s mission, goals and projects around diversity and inclusion as well as rural broadband connectivity. She and Dr. Connie challenge listeners to think beyond current technology to the potential solutions and opportunities of artificial intelligence and how it can impact healthcare, the environment and community development in the future.

Host, Dr. Connie Reimers-Hild, and producer, Katelyn Ideus, discuss podcast's goal to connect achievers, mavericks and doers in both rural and urban communities, organizations and companies to bring forward a thriving high-touch, high-tech combined future. They share their educational, career and personal backgrounds and challenges listeners to consider a future of inclusion and abundance for all.