How We Future Season 3: The Classes We Should Have Had
Coming April 7th!
For two seasons now, How We Future has been focusing on stories of hope, hype, and gratitude, reminding us that we can all actively shape better futures, and that there are remarkable people already doing exactly that.
This season, we’re getting even more intentional. Season 3 is about naming and practicing the skills, approaches, and ways of being that give us real agency amid ambiguity. Think of it as the foundation for the lives we want to lead. Essentially: the classes and lessons we need but have never been taught.
I often think about how we’ve all taken history classes, but almost none of us have taken futures courses. Most of us were never given the tools to prototype our way through uncertainty. There was no class. No roadmap. No one who said: here’s how you hold the tension of the unknown without being paralyzed by it; here’s how you tell a story that moves people to act; here’s how you build something that’s never existed before.
I just finished teaching the winter quarter of my d.school class, View from the Future, with my colleague Ariam Mogos. As we do with every class, we ended with student reflections: “I used to think… and now I think.”
Students share reflections like, “I used to think that the path to the future is largely deterministic and subject to very few changes; And NOW I think one person can radically shift the course humanity takes to the future.” And, “I used to think I had no say in the future I will live, and NOW I think I have the necessary tools to shape it.”
Reading through those responses never gets old. It’s a powerful reminder of how much we can shift our mindsets and abilities when we have the right intentional scaffolding and a little time.
How We Future starts with a foundational mindset: There is no “they.” We are the they.
A Warm Season 2 Thank You
Before we look ahead, I want to take a moment to look back with immense gratitude. Last season, we lifted up people who are actively and joyfully shaping better futures. They reminded us that hope is a deliberate strategy and that the best ideas come from the magic of co-creation.
If you’re looking for a dose of inspiration to carry into the new season, revisit these “what if?” moments:
Mindset Shifts: Chip Conley on turning a “midlife crisis” into a “chrysalis.”
Long-term Thinking: Aditi Juneja’s Democracy 2076 project on rebuilding a robust future.
Applied Imagination: Ruth Wylie and Ed Finn on using stories to build reality.
Creative Hustle: Olatunde Sobomehin’s approach to using our gifts to achieve our goals.
The Power of Play: A bonus conversation with the Golden State Valkyries’ Ohemaa Nyanin and Kayla Thornton.
Thank you to every guest and listener. If you missed any, you can find the full archive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Welcome to Season 3: Your Curriculum for the Future
Launching April 7th, Season 3 is our shared “learning lab.” We’re moving past theory and into the specific, joyful practices that help us shape what’s next.
Here are some of the “courses” we’ll be exploring this season:
✦ How to Make Your Own Luck with Tina Seelig: Forget the idea that luck is a lightning bolt that hits some people and not others. Tina teaches us how to build “luck engines” by changing our behavior and our environment.
✦ How to Speak So People Listen with Matt Abrahams: Most of us were taught how to give a speech, but no one taught us how to find our voice in messy, high-stakes moments. Matt shows us how to find poise and clarity when the pressure is on.
✦ How to Eliminate Bad Friction with Bob Sutton: Why does everything feel so hard lately? Bob helps us distinguish between the “bad friction” that slows us down and the “good friction” that keeps us thoughtful, kind, and effective.
✦ How to See the World Differently with Cassidy Lichtman: We often get stuck in “the way things have always been.” Cassidy teaches us the art of re-perception—how to look at an old problem with a completely fresh set of eyes.
✦ How to Build with Your Community (Not Just For Them) with Chase Griffin: Chase breaks down the “NIL” era and shows us how to create value in a way that brings everyone along. It’s a masterclass in modern leadership.
✦ How to Think Ahead (Without Reaching for a Crystal Ball) with Sabrina Sullivan: Foresight isn’t a superpower or a secret corporate tool. It’s a skill. Sabrina shows us how to build a “foresight muscle” so we can plan for the future with curiosity instead of fear.
Each of these conversations is designed to offer you a tool you can actually use, insights that shifts your perspective, or a practice that helps you feel more grounded.
Because as anyone who knows me knows: I believe in doing hard things in joyful ways.
What classes do YOU wish you had been offered?
See you April 7th. 🌟
PS: Happy Passover to all who celebrate! This year I co-created a Futures Haggadah Supplement with futurists Suzette Brooks Masters and Becca Leviss for anyone looking to bring some future-oriented questions to their Seder this year.
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Want to contact us? Email hello@howwefuture.com