Is there hope for the journalism of tomorrow?

Journalism and media in general have never seen a greater amount of distrust from the public. Perceptions of misinformation, fake news, and partisan bias have taken the place of what used to be one of the most solid, trusted institutions in America.

The war on facts is real, and it’s challenging to find objective sources of information to inform our views and decisions. 

So what is the state of journalism today? 

In a democracy, are there situations when censorship makes sense? 

How can we distinguish between messages that advance corporate agendas and real, objective, factual news that truly serves the people?

Join us with our special guest Ryan Chilcote, who has worked as a news correspondent for PBS, CBS, Bloomberg TV and CNN, as we look closely at the state of journalism and the media, learning how to distinguish fact from fiction and dig deeper to protect ourselves from misinformation.

Learning how to manage conflict is one of the greatest skills we can learn as people. And yet most of us either avoid it or simply don’t have the tools to effectively deal with it. Some of us even attract conflict into our lives!

We are thrilled to welcome back Lisa Dion, Founder of Synergetic Play Therapy, to share with us practical, science-based tools for dealing with conflict. She will help us understand what’s going on inside our brains as we are going through difficult conversations, and we’ll delve into :

• Why learning how to navigate conflict is an essential skill in all relationships

If you are a human being and have relationships, you will not want to miss out on this one!

Embracing chaos is now a requirement for today’s leaders. Yet in order to get comfortable with uncertainty and the unknown, we have to relax our grip on what we perceive as truth. 

And that's not easy.

In fact, most of our conflicts arise when both sides double down on their unique perspectives of truth and the world.

So how do we learn how to navigate the unknown and discover new possibilities?

This is a critical skill for leaders right now, but it’s helpful for ALL of us to be able to keep our sanity when the world seems so crazy and everything is uncertain! How can we react when… 

• ...we don’t know how an election will go or what might happen when a candidate wins?

Join us with best-selling author, philosopher, and speaker Charles Eisenstein as we explore how and why it benefits us to make friends with uncertainty. He’ll give us practical examples of how this can help us become more effective leaders and more resilient human beings.

Can we stop the runaway train of consumer data breaches?

A recent survey has shown that when it comes to data privacy, people are most concerned about identity theft. But financial fraud, personal data sharing, selling, or misuse, and government surveillance are also high on the list of concerns. 

People are right to be worried. In the US healthcare sector just last year, there were a whopping 41.4 million patient records breached. On top of that, in the financial sector, there were 164.6 million data breaches.

In light of these alarming statistics, we are keen to discuss ways to address the big data problem. Some of the questions we’ll dive into:

• What are companies doing to keep our personal information and data safe? Why is it such a difficult task?

Our two special guests this week will speak from different perspectives on the topic. Anurag Lal is the President & CEO of Infinite Convergence Solutions, an enterprise that builds highly secure communications platforms to meet the privacy needs of companies and the individuals they serve. 

And Standard Life’s Head of Performance, Service, & Strategy, Mateo Urquijo, will return to continue the discussion on how the big tech titans have a chokehold on all our consumer data — and how we can protect ourselves.

For the last several years, there has been a growing perception that capitalist systems have completely failed to create prosperity for the common man. Ever-growing income inequality and increased uncertainty have eroded the public trust in business, and this creates a systemic risk to our economic system.

So, is it possible for companies to be highly profitable and work toward creating prosperity not just for the few, but for all?

A handful of global organizations are leading the charge by marrying digital technology with initiatives focused on equality, inclusiveness, and sustainability, both from within and as part of community outreach. Their goal is to play an active role in generating a broad and sustainable prosperity by creating additional value that doesn’t sacrifice financial performance.

Our special guest this week is Robert Jamieson, the Group Chief Digital Officer of Legal & General, one of the world’s largest insurance companies currently investing in prosperity initiatives and building digital solutions to support them. 

Some of the questions we’ll dig into with Robert:

• What, exactly, is inclusive capitalism, and why should we care?

Join us as we answer these questions and more in our discussion of the intersection between digital technology and prosperity vs. profits.

Young people today are more involved in activism than ever before, and rightly so. Broken, unbalanced systems across social, political, and economic spectrums are no longer seen as “just the way it is.” 

We all recognize the need for change, and many of Gen Y and Z are poised to lead the charge on all fronts.

But for young people who may lack confidence or feel disenfranchised, there isn’t any one clear-cut path to effecting real, lasting change. Do they need the wisdom of the elders (so to speak) to help them avoid repeating past mistakes, or do the old folks just need to step aside?

And for the older generations who aren’t keen to bequeath unequal systems to their children and grandchildren, there may be a lack of willingness to pass the torch to those they see as lacking focus and stamina. 

In this week’s episode we’re excited to bridge the gap between old and young by inviting one of the world’s most exceptional young leaders to speak with us about systemic reform. 

Abdullahi Alim leads the World Economic Forum’s network of emerging young leaders, and he works with thousands of young changemakers at the frontlines of tackling systemic injustices and reimagining a truly equitable post-COVID world order.

Whether you’re young, old, or somewhere in between, join us for what promises to be an insightful conversation on how we can empower today’s youth to create meaningful, lasting change.

It is one of the most crippling emotions humans experience. It stops us from learning about ourselves and stretching beyond the dreaded comfort zone.

What if it’s not fear that’s the problem, but how you relate to it?

The more you try to ignore it, or pretend it doesn’t exist for you, or force your way through it, the bigger and more insidious it can become. The result is paralysis, stagnation, procrastination, and inaction.

The reality is, fear can be a powerful guide. It can make clear to us what we are seeking and what we are avoiding.

When you change the way you relate to your fear, approaching it with curiosity — then you can begin to use it as a tool.

Once you develop this new appreciation for your fear, you can easily move past it. Just on the other side of your fear is courageous action that will propel you toward your purpose.

Join us with our very special guest Dr. John Demartini, human behavior expert and author, for an enlightening discussion on how you can shift your mindset at any moment and create powerful and inspired change in your organization and beyond.

How about the glut of fresh produce heading to the bins in the wake of pandemic-related restaurant closures?

For many years now, supply chain managers have been incorporating digital tools for increased automation and optimization. But the pandemic has painfully exposed the weaknesses involved in these adaptations. There has been a massive failure to cope with the rapid changes in demand caused by the lockdowns.

Many decided to jump on the robotics bandwagon to overcome shortfalls, but a rush of new digital solutions and capabilities has muddied the waters significantly, creating even more problems. Even with the most perfect workflow and processes, often the customer’s experience isn’t good.

Robotics have been helpful in many areas of the supply chain during this continued period of uncertainty, but human labor is far from being replaced altogether. The supply chain problem is a complex one that requires more than simply replacing floor workers with robots. Plugging robots into a system that isn’t prepared to change its processes or overall principles will be a recipe for disaster.

So what does the “new” normal look like?

In order to win over skeptics and obstinate back-office naysayers, robotics will have to prove itself as the consistent, reliable, and efficient savior in the race toward increased automation.

This week, we’ll explore the topic of robots and robotics in supply chains:

• What is the difference between “robots” and “robotics?” Why does it matter?

Join us with our special guests Guy Courtin, Director of Global Alliances for 6 River Systems, and Remy Glaisner, a global thought leader in the area of Digitally-Enabled Robotics. Together, we’ll answer these questions and more as we dive into the discussing how robots can run the supply chains!

According to Brian Collins, design is “hope made visible.” It is not necessarily what we make, it’s what we make possible for others. We make their life more manageable, richer, and more meaningful. And this happens through understanding the language of your audience.

Yet the added challenge of our current times is that we are operating under the language of warfare. Whether we are ‘quarantining’ and ‘sheltering in place,’ ‘fighting the virus’ or ‘targeting our customers,’ we’ve lost the sense of optimism and hope that elevates others to create.

• What can design teach us about compassion and understanding “the other”

Join us with Collins CEO, Brian Collins, one of the most brilliant minds and irreverent personalities — in a no-holds barred conversation around design and the future we are building.

In very real ways, we are all experiencing profound loss because of the pandemic and concurrent social upheaval. Sustained social isolation, uncertainty, and fear have had widespread psychological and physical effects that we have not yet begun to understand fully — much less have a solution for.

The challenges we have each faced through this experience, both individually and collectively, will most certainly change us all.

On our upcoming live show, we’ll be discussing these changes and how we can move ahead and learn from all of this. Some of the questions we’ll dig into:

• What long-term collective changes are we likely to see as a result of the pandemic?

Join us as we discuss these questions and more!

Our special guest will be Jodi Halpern, MD, PhD, author of the upcoming book Remaking The Self in the Wake of Illness. The book focuses on how people facing traumatic health losses in the prime of life experience shifts in their core values and identity.

Together with Dr. Halpern, we’ll explore how life and loss in the present-day pandemic can be equated to mid-life serious illness, and we’ll learn ways we can adapt and gain a sense of purpose to help us move through volatility and uncertainty.