In this episode of the Crisis Lab Podcast, host Kyle King challenges us to rethink everything we thought we knew about emergency management. Rather than layering on new frameworks after each disaster, Kyle argues for the courage to admit we don’t have all the answers—and to start over from first principles. He explores how institutional inertia traps us in “adding machine” thinking, why true innovation often comes from outside the field, and how we can design a system where response is truly a last resort.

Tune in for a bold vision of embedded resilience and the tools we need to build inherently safer, more adaptive communities.

Show Highlights

[01:08] Challenges to internal reform amid institutional inertia and failure of imagination

[02:15] Applying first-principles thinking to break free from outdated emergency management models

[03:25] Innovations emerging from outside the field to drive adaptive resilience

[05:56] Reimagining the system through community-centered, anticipatory approaches

[08:55] Outlining the path forward for building resilient communities