Shows
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastWO Live! - Battling VUCAThe traditional approach to a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment has often involved attempts to eliminate uncertainty, simplify complexity, and overcome volatility and ambiguity. This relies on mindsets and systems built on ideas like strategic hindsight, efficiency, simplicity, certainty, and control. Recent events have highlighted that these existing systems are ineffective. Attempts to solve complex challenges with simple or temporary solutions often fail because they don’t address underlying structures, values, and narratives.The universe is, in its very nature, VUCA. Instead of battling it, we should consider embracing it...2025-07-081h 01The Wicked Opportunities PodcastReclaiming Our Cooperative PotentialIn this formative interview, TFSX co-founder Frank Spencer speaks with world-renowned social systems scientist, futurist, cultural historian, attorney, consultant, speaker, and author Riane Eisler, diving deep into the (re)framing of a society built upon cooperation, partnership, and deep care. As she states during the conversation, the belief that humans are inherently competitive, egocentric, and violent is utterly false, drawing upon decades of research around the past, present, and future of human equity, empathy, peace, transformation, and models of economic and social partnership. As Riane notes in her book Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Brains...2025-05-0958 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastOK, BoomerThe urban legend of Generational Warfare has haunted us all for far too long, and it’s high time that we pull the mask off of this specter that has caused so much age-related fear and loathing.During this month's WO Live!, we are exploring the idea of the People Cloud where we can connect with individuals around the globe based on shared passions and goals rather than the outdated construct of generational warfare. This is more than just a discussion, it's an opportunity to join a movement that's committed to cr...2025-05-0159 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastLet's Make More Pie!In the world of foresight, we’re no strangers to complex challenges. But perhaps none feels as pervasive and daunting as the “Tragedy of the Commons.” This age-old narrative of scarcity and competition for limited resources shapes our decisions, our systems, and often, our very outlook on the future.As activist and founder Adrianne Wright says, “the scarcity mindset is how we tell a fundamentally American tall tale about a nation built on notions of individualism; a male-dominated story filled with loners who suck it up and ride off into the sunset as others applaud our resilience. Shifting...2025-03-311h 01The Wicked Opportunities PodcastThe Year of Defying GravityWelcome to 2025… it’s time for Wicked Opportunities® to take the stage!As we begin our collective journey down the path of the new year, it’s imperative that we seek out new minds, new hearts, and new spirits – not only for ourselves, but for one another as well. However, this will mean that we will be defying gravity, soaring beyond the hold that a world in crisis has on our minds. With the collapse of one world at hand, we must embrace transformation of all that we know, and enter into alternative realities that change us all for t...2025-02-251h 01The Wicked Opportunities PodcastThe Future Will Not Be Televised“The revolution will not be televised. The revolution will be live.” – Gil Scott-HeronReal transformation doesn’t come from headlines or top-down decisions. It happens in the hearts, minds, and actions of people – of us.Join Yvette Montero Salvatico and Frank W. Spencer IV for a dynamic Wicked Opportunities® Live! session as we explore:🔹 How love, empathy, and activism fuel real change 🔹 Why advocacy and empowerment are essential for the future 🔹 The undeniable power of community to ignite societal transformation ✨ The future isn’t something we watch – it’s something we build together.2025-02-0557 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastWe Belong to StoriesSophie Strand – one of our favorite thinkers, writers, and “life-weavers” – shared in her article entitled “Myco Eco Mytho” that, “Stories don’t belong to human beings. But human beings belong to stories. Let’s enter back into the complex, tangled work of letting go of authorship and letting ourselves be told.” This call to rewild our role across time, space, and experience – past, present, and future – sets the stage for this captivating interview where Sophie covers ideas such as the importance of ecological storytelling (creating households over heroes); fantasy as much-needed “feral futures” over the “fake realism” and of our human-centric and diagnostic...2025-01-1652 min
Going North PodcastEp. 851 – How To Be Future-fit and Lead With Relevance with Louise Mowbray (@louisemowbray)"Know thyself and get thyself the hell out of the way." – Louise Mowbray Today’s featured author is a conscious leadership advocate, keynote speaker, decorated executive coach, lecturer, Natural Foresight® Practitioner (TFSX), and behavioral science practitioner, Louise Mowbray. Louise and I had a fun on a bun chat about her book, “Relevant: Future-Focused Leadership”, the critical role self-awareness plays in your development, what she had to unlearn to gain more growth, and more!!Key Things You’ll Learn:Her journey from working in London to founding her own executive search firm in Sou...2024-06-031h 00
The New AbnormalFrank Spencer 'Implementing foresight - pulling the future towards us'Series ThreeIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Frank Spencer, Founder & Creative Director at TFSX (Foresight, Innovation, Strategic Design and Learning). TFSX, based in Florida, help their clients to thrive in a world of complex ideas and practices, uncover emerging trends on the horizon that will impact their business, and discover unseen opportunities for strategic advantage and development. Frank holds an MA in Strategic Foresight from Regent University, and has worked on strategic foresight projects for numerous major companies. He's a prolific speaker, having delivered keynotes in Atlanta, Buenos Aires, London, Los Ang...2024-05-1651 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastTransdisciplinary Collaboration and InnovationIn this episode of the Wicked Opportunities® Podcast, TFSX Principal Frank Spencer speaks with physician, aquanaut, dive medical technician, speaker, martial artist, skydiver, and VP of Immersive Medicine at Luxsonic Technologies, Dr. Shawna Pandya.Dr. Shawna Pandya has a vision for shaping the future of medicine through transdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. 2024-03-0546 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastArt as ForesightBreaking free from conventional thinking, TFSX Principal Frank Spencer delves into futures through an "art-based" lens with ARTEFACTO Founders Andrea Busquets and Pablo Reyes Arellano. Explore their innovative approach, liberating us to envision new futures, "dream ourselves awake," and contribute to cultural evolution through civic participation. 2024-01-2352 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastPathways of the Unimagined with Nora BatesonTFSX Co-Founder Frank Spencer discusses her new book, Combining, in-depth with Nora Bateson. Listen as Nora discusses poems, passages, and concepts from her book that reinforce our need to elevate our sacred connection to the cosmic whole to discover/engage with understand/undergo ancestral and generational transformation.2024-01-031h 13
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastHumility - Acting Toward the Future Without Self-ImportanceWe know… it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way. (At least that’s what Mac Davis said back in 1980, and when was he ever wrong?). Nevertheless, we all need to realize that we hold only a small part of the larger human, planetary, and cosmic story, and such a realization will attune us to the deeper picture within various situations, as well as helping us to take our personal viewpoints, perspectives, and self-importance out of that picture. When this happens, we are better positioned to see what really desires to emerge for the betterme...2023-06-2041 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastConnectedness - Commitment to Connection Around the FutureWhen you think about the future, does the idea of connection come to mind? It did for Kermit the Frog! (Well, at least in relation to rainbows, lovers, and dreamers). In reality, connection is a critical mindset when it comes to practicing rigorous foresight. Exploring alternative possibilities through the lens of ecosystems, interconnectedness, and the “larger whole” - past, present, and yet-to-come - is the only way to perceive the deeply emerging realities necessary for robust futures-readiness and futures-empowerment. Join connectors-extraordinaire Yvette Montero Salvatico and Frank Spencer as they dive into the IDG of Connectedness to surface pathways toward holi...2023-06-0541 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastAppreciation: Appreciation for the Positive Qualities in Various Future SituationsYou are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop… the Relating dimension! (Thank you for letting us include a Twilight Zone reference - this is a foresight podcast, after all.) Our first stop in this new dimension within the Inner Development Goals: Appreciation, a skill, and trait that enables us to cultivate wonder, gratitude, and awe - important capabilities if we want to become deep imaginariums and generative wellsprings of alternative possibilities and transformational realities. Without the ability to appreciate th...2023-05-2233 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastLong-Term Orientation and Visioning: Embracing a Long-Now View in the Development of Visions of the FutureIn this last episode within the Thinking dimension of the Inner Development Goals, TWOP hosts Yvette Montero Salvatico and Frank Spencer get to talk about their favorite subject: Kevin Bacon! Correction… we meant to say “visioning.” (But who doesn’t also love a good 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon story?) Embodying the trait of visioning is about much more than supercharging our imaginations for greater possibilities, though that’s an important part; it’s about having the inner ability to sustain and act upon those visions so that we don’t lose heart on our journey to transformative outcomes. And that’s not all...2023-05-0436 min
FuturePodEP 159: Decolonial Inclusive Futures - Zan ChandlerOur guest is Zan Chandler who is an Adjunct Professor at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada and is also Foresight analyst & educator. She is a Board Member at the Association of Professional Futurists. A member of Global Foresight Advisory Council for TFSX. Zan helps clients, learners and mentees to understand the nature and implications of change and discover ways thrive in the face of complexity and he/she is preoccupied by many questions: how do we do this work in ways that centre the marginalized and responds compassionately to those who live with trauma?2023-05-0338 min
FuturePodEP 159: Decolonial Inclusive Futures - Zan ChandlerOur guest is Zan Chandler who is an Adjunct Professor at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada and is also Foresight Analyst and Educator. She is a Board Member at the Association of Professional Futurists. A member of Global Foresight Advisory Council for TFSX.
Zan helps clients, learners and mentees to understand the nature and implications of change and discover ways thrive in the face of complexity and he/she is preoccupied by many questions: how do we do this work in ways that centre the marginalized and responds compassionately to those who live with trauma?
2023-05-0238 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastSense Making: Actively Looking for Patterns and Stories About the FutureYou want a story? Ok, “Once upon a time, there were two crazy but incredibly smart podcast hosts who loved to talk about the future…” Oh, you want us to help you find the stories all around you? Well, why didn’t you say so? We love to empower people to look for the puzzle pieces, the interconnections, and the patterns that make up the stories that are actually shaping our realities. This is what is meant by sense-making - the critical skill of structuring the unknown, engaging with diverse lived experiences, and understanding our perception of the things we exper...2023-04-2738 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastPerspective Skills: Humility About the Short-Coming of One’s Own Future OrientationAre you curious about our next episode in the 23 and Me series? If so, you’re in luck because this one’s all about being more open and curious. (See what we did there?) Our present-day political, social, and economic landscapes have created an unfavorable environment for fostering perspectives that are culturally rich and tend to narrow our assumptions and blind spots. This means that we have to be even more intentional in our pursuit of perspective-building than ever before. Join Yvette and Frank in their invitation to travel down the rabbit hole where things become “curiouser and curiouser” in order...2023-04-2139 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastComplexity Awareness: Grokking Our Interdependencies and Emergent FuturesIn most contexts today, from businesses to governments to social development, we’re told to view complexity as our mortal enemy - crush it, vanquish it, overcome it, and do everything in our power to simplify it. How would you feel if we told you this is the opposite of what you should be doing? (Obviously, that’s exactly what we’re about to do!) For many years, we’ve allowed a landscape built on repetitive efficiency to snuff out the grand potential found within the matrix of creative complexity, and it’s high time that we shift our thinking t...2023-04-1045 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastCritical Thinking: Asking Probing Questions to Determine the Validity of the FutureWe’re now entering the “Thinking” dimension of the Inner Development Goals. If you weren’t already 100% convinced that the 23 traits and skills highlighted in the IDGs are the same attributes necessary for robust futuring, then these next several podcasts should do the trick. (Honestly, what else do you want from us, friends!) In this episode, Yvette and Frank take a critical look - very meta of us - at the need for foresight to continually ask the “who, what, where, when, and why” questions when presented with any issue or idea, and to avoid the temptation of falling i...2023-04-0332 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastPresence: I’m Here, I’m Present, I’m Listening To the Future“Hey, Yvette and Frank, I’ve been loving how you’re demonstrating the connection between the Inner Development Goals and a futurist mindset, but what does “being present” have to do with foresight?” We’re glad you asked! (And, no, you won’t have to take a self-help course on multi-tasking.) In this final podcast in the “Being” domain, our “what lies ahead wayfarers” explore how practicing the act of presencing empowers us to avoid the “tyranny of extraction” from the deep experiences, connections, and realities around us; be fully available to encounter other ideas and perspectives that can guide us into new future ter...2023-03-1935 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastSelf-Awareness: Ability To Regulate Our Emotions About the FutureHave you ever heard the phrase, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself”? It certainly seems like a lot of governments and organizations have never listened to Hip Hop, and that lack of awareness is making us an Endangered Species. (Two Ice Cube hits, and we’ve barely gotten started!) Without being able to reflect deeply on our own thoughts, feelings, and desires, we can’t possibly hope to effectively engage with our world of exponential complexity. Join Frank and Yvette as they challenge the inner stories we tell ourselves about the world and navigate the processes that short-circuit our ability...2023-03-1932 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastOpenness and Learning Mindset: Curiosity About Multiple Ways of FuturingA famous axiom states that “If you never know, you’ll never grow; if you don’t grow, you’ve got no place to go.” (OK, we just made that up, but it’s pretty catchy… right?) Even if it isn’t an actual timeless idiom, the sentiment holds true - when we’re open to learning and expanding our field of knowledge instead of becoming closed to ideas that shake up our cherished worldviews, we discover ideas, experiences, and wonders that exponentially expand our identity, capacity, and abilities. A life filled with constant curiosity produces amazement, awe, and untapped potential...2023-03-1233 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastIntegrity and Authenticity: Being True To the FutureIn a zeitgeist of extreme tribalism and partisanship, it may seem that having integrity and authenticity means standing firm in your worldviews no matter how they might impact those around you. The truth is that acting with sincerity has much more to do with the ability to be vulnerable due to the maturity that comes with a deeply developed identity that is not easily threatened or manipulated. Foresight and Futures Thinking challenges its users to foster this type of awareness concerning their inner processes, reactions, and emotions, allowing us to embrace the diversity around us without falling prey to...2023-03-0832 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastInner Compass: Responsibility to the Future of the WholeWelcome to 23 and Me, a series that explores the synergy between Foresight and the 23 skills and qualities that comprise the Inner Development Goals. The IDGs represent the inner capacity needed to deal with the increasingly complex environment and challenges represented by the Sustainable Development Goals and also mirror the inner skills needed to be a robust futures thinker. Join Futurists Yvette Montero Salvatico and Frank Spencer as they kick off the series with the skill of Inner Compass - the necessity of caring for generations past, present, and yet-to-come. (2023… 23 skills… 23 and Me as a refe...2023-02-2731 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastForesight Deficit SyndromeWhen it seems hard to think about the future with intention. When you feel surprised by events that could have been easily imagined, when nostalgia for the future seems impossible to embrace, if you or a loved one have struggled with any of these symptoms, you may have Foresight Deficit Syndrome. FDS can be hard to manage using the well-worn approaches in our present-day systems, but help is available. If you want to be free from the tyranny of short-term thinking - and want to bring others along with you on this journey of freedom - then Foresight and...2023-01-1632 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastMe, Myself, and IWe are fond of saying that foresight is a team sport, but what happens if you are the sole player on your squad? Whether because of funding constraints or due to a lack of organizational support, navigating foresight implementation all alone can feel overwhelming. How do you build a futures thinking culture and avoid burn out you while wearing all of the hats in your foresight practice? Join Frank and Yvette as they share proven tips to survive and thrive as a foresight team of one. 2022-12-1935 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastThe Kids Are Alright!The ideological war that has raged between the youth and the traditional environments that they are born into is nothing new. However, our present-day “meta crisis” - the confluence of climate change, supply chain disruption, authoritarian governance, digital misinformation, extreme economic inequality, and a rising sense of impending global armed conflict - is stirring our youth to become more involved in civic activism than during any other time in history. If a call to avert collapse is motivating young people in unprecedented ways, how much more might cultivating empathy, hope, and transformation through foresight empower them (and all of us...2022-11-2936 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastWhere’s Your Crystal Ball?Welcome on board! Let's go on a metaphorical flight from the turbulence of prediction to the friendly skies of perception, recounting every foresight practitioner’s most agonizing journey - the screening process of organizational professionals who demand that we pack a crystal ball. Join us in the airport lounge of podcasts where you’ll be upgraded to a status beyond traditional forecasting, organizational bets and incremental innovation (those are the cheap seats).2022-06-1738 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastThe Future of Haircare In-ShowerWhile an organization may care about the “future of hair care in-shower,” framing our future thinking efforts around immediate concerns and very short time horizons will only reinforce organizational blinders that result in missed opportunities. Instead of doubling down on near term trends like #nopoomovement, we must stretch our thinking to address provocative ideas that open our eyes to the real change outside of our company and industry.2022-04-2933 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastThe Future is not a footnoteTraditional long term planning does not really consider the future; it extrapolates the past. Often our Five Year Plans include only an asterisk alluding to future "threats" and "opportunities." It's time to stop making the future just a footnote. 2022-04-1832 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastIs Foresight a Luxury or a Right?It was the great civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer that said, “Nobody’s free until everybody is free.” We would add that unless everybody is empowered to think proactively about our collective tomorrows, then we will continue to see foresight treated as a luxury for the privileged few who control the future. In other words, nobody is empowered until all voices are included in futures thinking. Join Yvette and Frank as they challenge governments, businesses and social influencers to stop making excuses when it comes to engaging foresight and the diverse voices that hold the key to better future...2022-03-2532 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastWhere are the Whales?How do we explore the future if we are tethered to today? Framing our foresight efforts can be a challenging balance of the "right now" and the "what's possible." Hear Frank and Yvette share how they've helped clients expand their vision beyond the obvious.2022-03-0133 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastWe don't talk about futures, no, no, noForesight inspiration can come from anywhere, and Disney's hit film Encanto is a great example. The movie is a tale of an enchanted family with a painful secret: Bruno, their prophetic uncle, has become a sore subject for the household and villagers alike due to their negative view of his visionary gift. What can we learn from Bruno's prognostications, his exile, and the lessons learned by his family? You may be surprised to discover that Bruno isn't the only futurist in Casa Madrigal! 2022-02-1132 minThe Wicked Opportunities PodcastCan you teach me thermodynamics in 20 minutes?What have you done for me lately? Today's short attention spans usually result in clients asking practitioners to reduce a 100-year old discipline into pithy soundbites and back-of-the-napkin explanations. As frustrating as this can be, it is possible to drive home the benefits of long-term thinking in a short period of time. Short interventions can drive big impact, and can open the door to a deeper dive. 2022-02-0433 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastSay Good Bye to Yvette and FrankWe introduce our special, year-long collection with a "good bye" instead of a "hello." Join Frank and Yvette as they share lessons from client engagements that didn't go as planned. Learn how Frank's failures in journalism, supply chain management, and construction led to his success as a foresight professional. ;)2022-01-2832 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastBuilding A Body of Knowledge: Wicked CreationsVictor Frankenstein created a single body out of spare parts, but we need to create a set of products, services and experiences out of many different bodies. Listen in as Yvette and Frank give life to "Tik Tok education," open source research and environments of play that expand the laboratory of science to the masses. A new perspective on being alive is awaiting us all!2021-10-1539 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastThe Nuts and Bolts of Open Science: Wicked Maps“Trust the science!” But what if the science hasn’t traditionally included me? Mapping the future to our Wicked Opportunity requires us to consider simultaneous multiples: resilient, adaptive, and transformative paths forward. We challenge our institutions to clean up their act, call for more inclusionary scientific practices, and consider a world in which science moves beyond the STEM silos. You might be shocked to discover that “Science” needs a hype man.2021-10-0937 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastWeak Signals of Life: Wicked ExplorationsDid these trends start in a petri dish, or did they emerge from the broader social landscape outside the lab? Our scan hits this month include designer babies, citizen science, the billionaire space race, and gamers saving the world. Does the research point to more “cowboy science” or are there signs of more inclusive experimentation on the horizon? Join us to find out!2021-10-0242 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastIt's Alive!: Wicked DiscoveriesWelcome to Victor Frankenstein’s foreboding lair strewn with insane equations, strange artifacts and miscellaneous body parts. Is Frankenstein a lone genius unlocking the mysteries of life for the benefit of humankind, or a mad scientist seeking to fashion the world in his own image? The masses certainly want to attack his monstrous laboratory with torches and pitchforks, but what if we instead used our collective energy to create a new workshop of widespread learning and creativity?2021-09-2745 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastUnidentified Future Ontologies (UFOs): Wicked CreationsTo see like an alien requires us, "to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!" Join Yvette and Frank as they prototype "out of this world" metrics, messages, and modifications to the human experience. By naming these formerly "unidentified future ontologies," we hope to make believers out of everyone. Our flying saucers are real!2021-09-1741 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastEmpires, Rebellions, and a New Hope: Wicked MapsWhen mapping the future, there are so many possibilities that we don’t have the Space or the Time to Continuum. However, it is hard to ignore the obvious alien in the room which has invaded every facet of our lives for the last 18 months. Whether we build a wall, create a herd, or foster an empathic mutation a successful, sustainable response to this novel virus will require that we embrace "alien" ideas.2021-09-1041 min
The Wicked Opportunities PodcastTake Me to Your Reader: Wicked ExplorationsThe truth is out there, and it's not for the faint of heart. The search will surely result in the unearthing of aliens, but you may find that embracing uncertainty and curiosity is even scarier. Join Agents Salvatico and Spencer as they attempt to make first contact with topics such as disgust, exclusion, and our place in the cosmos. As we comb through all of these X-Files, what weak signals point to societal transformation?2021-09-0348 min